I thought of Mexico 20 times today...

The new thing I find myself thinking/saying every day, 

multiple times a day, 

is "Mexico!"

My Periodontal Office went to Mexico recently 

and we were able to bring family. 

(Thank you Dr. T!!!)

It was an amazing experience that I recall dozens of times daily 

with every ocean or tropical fish screen saver 

and beach reference song on music apps.

Delightful reminders are everywhere of beautiful Mexico 

and my favorite people!

Our office team is such a blessing in my life! 

(Sorry I'm in snorkel gear guys 

but I had 2 hours before I had to leave for my flight 

and could NOT pull myself out of that beautiful ocean!)

I'm soooo grateful that these branchesntwigs 

are always up for an adventure with me!

They're my greatest joy! <3

We loved Xel-Ha! 

No pics because we were too busy snorkeling!

I did get a couple of Zac riding a power snorkel.

Tulum was interesting!

A game I played with the little kids in our group 

was count all the iguanas you could see from one spot 

as our guide told about the history of Tulum.

The resort we stayed at had a nature preserve so animals abounded.

Do you see the little guy under the statue?

Here he is up close.

They were supposedly Mexico's "rats" and were all over but very cute.

My favorite sight was under that water!

That beautiful turquoise water!!

We spent hours and hours in that beautiful water! <3

Gathering shells, watching schools of fish and just enjoying the quiet.

THANK YOU DR. T!!!

Thank you Mexico!!!

<3

Oregon with radical Styles, Mr. Sandman, Zac's Buddy, sweet Nouget, and trippy Mocha...

We like to try new things on our summer vacations. Over the years we've had a blast experiencing things like zip-lining...

...scuba diving...

...jet boating through rapids with this guy at Jerry's Rogue Jetboats...

...who was expert at doing 180's in rapids like this (their picture, not mine, cause I was soaking wet and laughing myself silly)

 

...which made our hair look like this.

So when I asked the Mr. and the twigs what they'd like to try this year (bungee jumping, hot air ballooning??) I was a little surprised to hear them say horseback riding on the beach. It didn't sound crazy high-adventure but it did sound beautiful so I made reservations. This little paragraph, however, on the participant agreement form got my adrenaline racing as I realized it may be "high-adventure" after all.

     ...A horse,regardless of its training and usual behavior, may act unpredictably causing you to be thrown or injured by the horse. Horses may bite, kick, buck, lie down, or stumble. Saddles may slip...Your horse may collide with obstacles such as creeks, bridges, wild animals, stumps, rocks, and cliffs..."

The last time we rode a horse it looked like this. Don't you just love Hunter hanging off the back.  :)

I sure hoped I wouldn't collide with any bridges, wild animals, or cliffs as my horse was biting me and my saddle was sliding off!

No worries, the horses were gentle and the ride through the forest and along the beach was totally beautiful.   :)

 

The picture quality is a little wonky, sorry. I wasn't letting go of the saddle horn for nothin' on account of my vivid imagination and those participant agreement tidbits.

We rode along a stream and through a forest out to the dunes and then onto the beach.

 Some of the horses were more willing to enter the water, like Zac's horse, Buddy.

Our guides, Emily and Matt, were on the ball at every turn and even took a picture for us. Thanks guys!

Zac on Buddy, our girlie on Nouget, the Mr. on Sandman, me on Mocha, and Hunter on Styles.
We love this world and God's breathtaking creations!

Oregon punch with a side of crab...

This was our first visit to the Devil's Punchbowl on the Oregon coast and it didn't disappoint! We skipped looking into the punchbowl from the top and just headed right under the arch and inside because the tide was rising and our time would be limited.

Since Hunter was a tiny little guy he's always been interested in crawly things. He could spot a bug lickety split!

This moment made me laugh... there's our Hunter...looking at some interesting itsy bitsy creature.

 Back out on the beach, Hunter found more creatures.

I used to say he might be an entomologist some day. He's leaning more toward Orthodontics. Guess brackets are itsy bitsy things too.    :)

 The tide caught our girlie and the Mr. out on this sandbar.

I think he was trying to persuade her to give him a piggyback ride to dry ground.    :)

No luck this time, big guy. Looks like you're wading.    :)