Caving

We went caving. Most of the time we were in water waist deep and then at the end there are all these bones from ancient Mayan sacrifices...kind of creepy. On the way back our van got stuck on the side of the road! A local farmer helped us out.

Long run to the falls

The next morning, Jeff and I ran to the 1000 foot falls (that really is the name of the falls, but personally I think they could have done better as we found out they are actually 1,600 feet tall. It was a beautiful but grueling run (we were running for 1:45 minutes and ran 11 miles (usually I run 11 miles in 1:22 to give an idea of how hilly this was :)). We were constantly going up or down and the Caribbean sun started beat down. Not to worry though, we returned to the resort for a full course breakfast with freshly squeezed OJ (Jeff’s favorite!)

later we went biking to other beautiful waterfalls with my family.

snorkel and trivia

This morning Melissa and Stephen made us a yummy egg breakfast. Jeff and I went on a run- 4 miles and we had explored the whole island : ). We went swimming in the split, an area people swim between the two islands, we kayaked out to the reef with my parents, and we tried some of the local street food- meat pies, lemon pies, coconut bread, banana bread, and played cards on the roof. Melissa and Stephen took the family out for dinner tonight. We had dinner over the water and under a full moon.

to the mountains..

Today we left for the mountains in Belize. It was a long bumpy road but when we got there we were amazed! The place was amazing and had “anything you want we will do for our guests” type attitude. Jeff and I explored some trails by mountain bike and stopped to canoe in a small lake. From there we discovered the first of many waterfalls called Tiger Falls. Here we decided to take a dip in some fresh mountain water. Because of Jeff’s recent yoga experience he was compelled to bust a couple poses in such a scenic spot. We had a good swim but soon realized that our pool was right at the top of 800 foot falls….

fishing

Today Jeff and I went fishing. We went on the trip with a really nice couple celebrating on their honeymoon. I had beginners luck and caught a big barracuda on first cast! We also went lobster hunting. I had no idea how lobsters were caught but now I do! We had these spears with a curved hook at the end. Then we would dive down and try to slowly sneak our speared hook under the lobster and then quick pull up, spearing the lobster in the stomach. It was really fun! Jeff and I both got a few lobsters. That evening our guide cooked our fish and lobster and we had the whole family over to his yard for dinner.

Snorkeling

Today we went on an all day snorkeling trip! It was great! We swam with nurse sharks (not aggressive – don’t worry), Rays, Sea Turtles, beautiful fish and coral. We all really enjoyed it. In the evening my dad made us Lobster Pasta in the condo and finished the night with a family game of scrabble.

Belize

Today Jeff and I left in the early morning for our 6:00AM flight to Miami and then from Miami to Belize (Jeff had arrived from his interview in San Diego at 2:30AM the night before. When we arrived in Belize we took a water taxi to a small island called Caye Caulker. The boat ride was longer than we expected but it was fun. It wasn’t tough to find our hotel or parents as there was only three streets on the island- front, middle, and back street! We all went out exploring that evening and we ran into a guy named Benedict. He was saying “Daddy, you have such a beautiful family and beautiful girls. Come feed them the best lobster in town! Come, we have the best table for you guys!” We decided to give it a try. Well the “best table” was a picnic table but the location was just what I was craving - a little straw covering above the table, sandy ground, and a view of the ocean….a constant reminder that I was now on vacation! The food was good as well. We tried conch fritters as an appetizer and enjoyed our first of many tasty fresh seafood meals.

Criminal

Today during my lunch hour I laced up my running shoes and ran from my office in Lisle. The Morton Arboretum is just about a 5 minute run away. I had run here before from my office. I went through the first gate I got to- which was the exit but I was running so I figured that it didn't really matter if I went through the exit. When i was into the park I continued on the path that leads around the park. I then heard a car behind me. i went to the shoulder of the path but the car didn't go by. So I kept running. The car put its flashers on and pulled up next to me and told me that I needed to leave the park and that they saw me illegally try to sneak in. I was very confused until he told me that there is an 11 dollar entrance fee! He escorted me out of the park...OOPS! I loved running there but 11 dollars for a run is out of my price range! :)

Only boy

Jeff came into town. He is leaving tomorrow for his interview in San Diego. When I got home from work we went out for dinner at a wine bar called Salute. I had a coupon for the place: 25 dollars off of a tab of 35 or more. Anyway we got dinner and wine and were having a good time but I looked around and realized the whole restaurant was full of girls and Jeff was the only boy! I pointed this out to Jeff and we felt more and more out of place- guess it was girls night out and we missed the memo! Good think Jeff grew up with 4 sisters! :)

Ann Arbor Weekend

I went to Ann Arbor for the weekend. I hadn't been there in a long time. It was good to see Jeff's family. We had lunch with his Grandma, we went to Jeff's brother's hockey game, Jeff's sister's Dance performance, and I went wedding dress shopping with Jeff's mom, sister, and Grandma. Fun times!

Trick or Treat Trot

This morning Jeff and I did the Trick or Treat Trot 10k. I was first place overall for the women and Jeff won his age group.

After the 10k we had pre-marital counseling which was good.

Then we just did a bunch of wedding work...so much to do!