On April 17, 2012, Donna Nash gave a provident living seminar during the Relief Society evening meeting at the Village Way chapel. Check out the video.
New Year's 2015
8 years ago
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Trip to Cancun 1/21 to 1/28 2010
On Friday 1/21, we arrived at the Mayan Palace in Riviera Maya (30 minutes south of the Cancun airport). We took complimentary van from the airport. Our oom numbers was 1063 and the friends that invited us (Tom and Sandy) were in room 1065. We shared a common living room and kitchen The kitchen has hotplates (2), sink, microwave and small fridge, Good AC and good showers and bathrooms. About a 5 to 10 minute walk from the lobby. 
We decided to eat a the del Lago restaurant Friday night at the resort – it was raining heavily all the way walking to the restaurant – got quite soaked. Floors were very slippery and some of us almost fell. Decent buffet but rather pricey at about $75 per couple. Drinks were extra at about $3 to $4 each. The reason for the high price was partly entertainment, which we did not take advantage of. It didn't rain on the walk back to rooms. The resort grounds are quite nice - here are some pictures. 
On Saturday 1/22, Tom and Mick walked around the place – pretty spread out. Huge pool area and long beach, but very rocky and come coral. Saturday morning, took hotel van to Playa del Carmen (40 pesos each one way). Went to Mega and bought some dark glasses for Dee Dee. 
On the way out, we met a guy named Carlos who made us a deal for $37.50 dollars each for Chitzen-Itza and $37.50 each for Tulum after some negotiation. So paid him $300 total (a pretty good deal – so we thought – more later). Promised a 14-passenger van and pickup at lobby. Went to 5th ave and Dee and Sandy bought some souvenirs – jewelry and t-shirts and a dresses. Below is the jewelry shop owner. 
Walked back to a restaurant across the street from the Mega – server was named Guadalupe. Great chicken fajitas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and chips. 
Shopped for groceries at the Mega (close to where van dropped us off). Upstairs, and lots of good stuff there – esp tortillas.
Milk was boxed - brand name is Lala (not refrigerated, but OK). Groceries for all of us ran around $60.00. Carlos set us up with a cab for 200 pesos (he said normal price is 300 pesos – not true we found out later). Sat evening, watched The Prestige. Got two phone calls to be out front at 7:10 and then at 7:30 – no lobby pickup – Carlos said resort was too busy for that. Not true, they can never come into the resort. Evening meal was homemade burritos – with the fresh tortillas, Oaxaca white cheese (melted), refried beans, and hot sauce. Really good stuff. Sunday 1/23. The schedule was to go to Chitzen-Itza (and have a spiritual experience) – we were supposed to be picked up at front of resort at 7:30. No one came. Called Carlos a couple of times (used a phone from a guy standing in median) and Carlos gave us the runaround big time. Finally a bus came and asked us to get on – asked if we were the Michael Tallot group. Mick, being stubborn, refused to get on because of promise of van. So the bus left. So we waited till around 8:15 and then gave up. Decided to take a taxi to Mega to confront Carlos and get back our $300. Taxi driver’s name was Jorge (George). Nice guy – Sandy had the idea to ask him what he would charge for a trip to Tulum ruins – so we settled with him to take us to Tulum, wait for us, then take us to the town of Tulum for lunch. Price for all of this was $120.00 ($60 per couple). So we arrived at the Mega and Carlos was not there, but we got ½ of our money ($150) from the attendant on duty. Then we had enough to pay Jorge for the rest of the day. We went to Tulum ruins and paid $68 for the four of us – which included the train to the park entrance, the park entrance fee, and a guide. Our guide was Raul – looked exactly like the old man in the animated movie “Up.” 
He was slow and had a lot of tongue thrust – so his English left a bit to be desired. The tour took only around an hour or so and was interesting. Mick went off to take some pics and got separated from the other three for 45 minutes or so. Here are some pics of the ruins at Tulum. 
Hooked up with Jorge and he took us to the city Tulum and we found a good restaurant and treated him to lunch. On the way back to the resort, we stopped at the Mega to get the rest of the money ($150). This time Carlos was there and we fought it out with him. He offered to shake our hands when we approached him, but we refused. Asked for our money back – he blamed us for empty seats on the van. Acted all offended. Another guy was there – who maybe had more authority. We called Carlos some names and he got offended and walked away in a huff – then came back. The partner eventually gave us the money back after some hassle. Stopped for ice cream not too far from the Mega (served up by zombie girl). Jorge drove us through Playacar, a very upscale resort, condo, and villa area. Some very nice homes and landscaping. Jorge showed us where his wife works as a “camista,” which is basically a bedmaker. For dinner, we had some more homemade Mexican food with rotissiere chicken, tortillas, beans, and jalapenos. Then we watched Out of Africa (including history of real people movie was based on). On Monday 1/24 Tom and Sandy went from 9 to 11 for a presentation and were subjected to much pressure and finally walked away without signing a release form and Mick and Dee Dee walked around the complex. Tom and Mick had arranged a tee time for 11:30 at the Manglar golf course here at the resort. It is an 18-hole par 54 course designed by Jack Nicklaus. One interesting hole (17) has a sand trap in the middle of the green. Cost for play was $55 US including a cart, clubs, and tees (and some bottled water). A pretty good short course that took us about 3 hours to play. Some water and sand trap hazards, but well laid out. Tom made some sweet putts – one or two around 30 feet. Girls read and relaxed while the boys golfed. 
Tuesday 1/25. Today was a down day. Went to the pool area for a while and read and swam for a while.
Then later we took the hotel van to Playa del Carmen to get lunch at the same restaurant. The van driver was from Oaxaca and explained all about Oaxaca cheese. Lunch was fajitas, chicken shiskabobs, guacamole, shrimp empanadas, and chips. Guadalupe was our server again. Then we took a taxi from the Mega to the new Walmart in Playa del Carmen near Plaza de las Americas and shopped for more groceries while the taxi driver waited for us. Not too impressed with Walmart – the tortillas were not nearly as good. Spent about $65 US this time. Came back to the resort and relaxed the rest of the day. Taxi ride was 50 pesos from Mega to Walmart and then 200 pesos from Walmart to Mayan Palace. Watched Shooter.
Wednesday 1/26 - another down day. Tom got up early and went fishing down by the beach – has some success and came back with a good looking fish. Didn’t eat it – offered it to the housekeeping lady, but eventually had to toss it.
Cold and windy today, Mick and Dee went for walks and read
Dinner was good chicken and rice. Watched Ghost and the Darkness and Pursuit of Happyness.
Thursday 1/27. We left here around 9:30 and took a taxi to Puerto Juarez – about 45 minutes north. Taxi cost 450 pesos. Took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. 140 pesos per person round trip. Ferry leaves every 30 minutes – so we left at 10:30 and arrived at 11:00. We rented a self-drive 4-passenger golf cart for 380 pesos for 2 hours and went to a turtle sanctuary, and then to Punta Sur, the southernmost part of the island.
Came back along the east coast of the island and saw some interesting homes with unusual architecture. When we returned the cart, Tom asked for a restaurant recommendation – they suggested La Lomita – around two blocks away. Excellent food – we had black bean soup with rice, cilantro, pico de gallo, cheese, and avocados. Yummy. Also guacamole and chips. Mick had a chile relleno, Dee Dee had the enchiladas suizas (green sauce and cream on top), Sandy had chicken tacos, and Tom had the special of the day (grouper and rice).
His meal came after everyone else finished. Prices were reasonable – around 80 to 100 pesos for the entrees, 500 pesos for the guacamole, 600 pesos for the special black bean soup. We tried the hot sauce – it was made from habaneros and super HOT!! Wow! But by far the best meal the whole time we have been here. Then we went souvenir shopping and then took the ferry back and a taxi ride back to the resort.
Taxi back was $40 US.
Watched Red Eye and Firewall that evening.
We decided to eat a the del Lago restaurant Friday night at the resort – it was raining heavily all the way walking to the restaurant – got quite soaked. Floors were very slippery and some of us almost fell. Decent buffet but rather pricey at about $75 per couple. Drinks were extra at about $3 to $4 each. The reason for the high price was partly entertainment, which we did not take advantage of. It didn't rain on the walk back to rooms. The resort grounds are quite nice - here are some pictures. 
On Saturday 1/22, Tom and Mick walked around the place – pretty spread out. Huge pool area and long beach, but very rocky and come coral. Saturday morning, took hotel van to Playa del Carmen (40 pesos each one way). Went to Mega and bought some dark glasses for Dee Dee. 
On the way out, we met a guy named Carlos who made us a deal for $37.50 dollars each for Chitzen-Itza and $37.50 each for Tulum after some negotiation. So paid him $300 total (a pretty good deal – so we thought – more later). Promised a 14-passenger van and pickup at lobby. Went to 5th ave and Dee and Sandy bought some souvenirs – jewelry and t-shirts and a dresses. Below is the jewelry shop owner. 
Walked back to a restaurant across the street from the Mega – server was named Guadalupe. Great chicken fajitas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and chips. 
Shopped for groceries at the Mega (close to where van dropped us off). Upstairs, and lots of good stuff there – esp tortillas.
Milk was boxed - brand name is Lala (not refrigerated, but OK). Groceries for all of us ran around $60.00. Carlos set us up with a cab for 200 pesos (he said normal price is 300 pesos – not true we found out later). Sat evening, watched The Prestige. Got two phone calls to be out front at 7:10 and then at 7:30 – no lobby pickup – Carlos said resort was too busy for that. Not true, they can never come into the resort. Evening meal was homemade burritos – with the fresh tortillas, Oaxaca white cheese (melted), refried beans, and hot sauce. Really good stuff. Sunday 1/23. The schedule was to go to Chitzen-Itza (and have a spiritual experience) – we were supposed to be picked up at front of resort at 7:30. No one came. Called Carlos a couple of times (used a phone from a guy standing in median) and Carlos gave us the runaround big time. Finally a bus came and asked us to get on – asked if we were the Michael Tallot group. Mick, being stubborn, refused to get on because of promise of van. So the bus left. So we waited till around 8:15 and then gave up. Decided to take a taxi to Mega to confront Carlos and get back our $300. Taxi driver’s name was Jorge (George). Nice guy – Sandy had the idea to ask him what he would charge for a trip to Tulum ruins – so we settled with him to take us to Tulum, wait for us, then take us to the town of Tulum for lunch. Price for all of this was $120.00 ($60 per couple). So we arrived at the Mega and Carlos was not there, but we got ½ of our money ($150) from the attendant on duty. Then we had enough to pay Jorge for the rest of the day. We went to Tulum ruins and paid $68 for the four of us – which included the train to the park entrance, the park entrance fee, and a guide. Our guide was Raul – looked exactly like the old man in the animated movie “Up.” 
He was slow and had a lot of tongue thrust – so his English left a bit to be desired. The tour took only around an hour or so and was interesting. Mick went off to take some pics and got separated from the other three for 45 minutes or so. Here are some pics of the ruins at Tulum. 
Hooked up with Jorge and he took us to the city Tulum and we found a good restaurant and treated him to lunch. On the way back to the resort, we stopped at the Mega to get the rest of the money ($150). This time Carlos was there and we fought it out with him. He offered to shake our hands when we approached him, but we refused. Asked for our money back – he blamed us for empty seats on the van. Acted all offended. Another guy was there – who maybe had more authority. We called Carlos some names and he got offended and walked away in a huff – then came back. The partner eventually gave us the money back after some hassle. Stopped for ice cream not too far from the Mega (served up by zombie girl). Jorge drove us through Playacar, a very upscale resort, condo, and villa area. Some very nice homes and landscaping. Jorge showed us where his wife works as a “camista,” which is basically a bedmaker. For dinner, we had some more homemade Mexican food with rotissiere chicken, tortillas, beans, and jalapenos. Then we watched Out of Africa (including history of real people movie was based on). On Monday 1/24 Tom and Sandy went from 9 to 11 for a presentation and were subjected to much pressure and finally walked away without signing a release form and Mick and Dee Dee walked around the complex. Tom and Mick had arranged a tee time for 11:30 at the Manglar golf course here at the resort. It is an 18-hole par 54 course designed by Jack Nicklaus. One interesting hole (17) has a sand trap in the middle of the green. Cost for play was $55 US including a cart, clubs, and tees (and some bottled water). A pretty good short course that took us about 3 hours to play. Some water and sand trap hazards, but well laid out. Tom made some sweet putts – one or two around 30 feet. Girls read and relaxed while the boys golfed. 
Tuesday 1/25. Today was a down day. Went to the pool area for a while and read and swam for a while.
Then later we took the hotel van to Playa del Carmen to get lunch at the same restaurant. The van driver was from Oaxaca and explained all about Oaxaca cheese. Lunch was fajitas, chicken shiskabobs, guacamole, shrimp empanadas, and chips. Guadalupe was our server again. Then we took a taxi from the Mega to the new Walmart in Playa del Carmen near Plaza de las Americas and shopped for more groceries while the taxi driver waited for us. Not too impressed with Walmart – the tortillas were not nearly as good. Spent about $65 US this time. Came back to the resort and relaxed the rest of the day. Taxi ride was 50 pesos from Mega to Walmart and then 200 pesos from Walmart to Mayan Palace. Watched Shooter.
Wednesday 1/26 - another down day. Tom got up early and went fishing down by the beach – has some success and came back with a good looking fish. Didn’t eat it – offered it to the housekeeping lady, but eventually had to toss it.
Cold and windy today, Mick and Dee went for walks and read
Dinner was good chicken and rice. Watched Ghost and the Darkness and Pursuit of Happyness.
Thursday 1/27. We left here around 9:30 and took a taxi to Puerto Juarez – about 45 minutes north. Taxi cost 450 pesos. Took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. 140 pesos per person round trip. Ferry leaves every 30 minutes – so we left at 10:30 and arrived at 11:00. We rented a self-drive 4-passenger golf cart for 380 pesos for 2 hours and went to a turtle sanctuary, and then to Punta Sur, the southernmost part of the island.
Came back along the east coast of the island and saw some interesting homes with unusual architecture. When we returned the cart, Tom asked for a restaurant recommendation – they suggested La Lomita – around two blocks away. Excellent food – we had black bean soup with rice, cilantro, pico de gallo, cheese, and avocados. Yummy. Also guacamole and chips. Mick had a chile relleno, Dee Dee had the enchiladas suizas (green sauce and cream on top), Sandy had chicken tacos, and Tom had the special of the day (grouper and rice).
His meal came after everyone else finished. Prices were reasonable – around 80 to 100 pesos for the entrees, 500 pesos for the guacamole, 600 pesos for the special black bean soup. We tried the hot sauce – it was made from habaneros and super HOT!! Wow! But by far the best meal the whole time we have been here. Then we went souvenir shopping and then took the ferry back and a taxi ride back to the resort.
Taxi back was $40 US.
Watched Red Eye and Firewall that evening.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thanksgiving in Hurricane
We did something a little different this Thanksgiving. We decided to go where the temperature was a bit more pleasant. So Dee Dee and I headed down to Hurricane the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and got everthing ready for the big day. Debbie, Lynn, Elise, and Jacob arrived Tuesday night and David and Jenna and Cyrena and Natalie followed on Wedneday - arriving late due to their car being hit by a styrofoam fist (that is a whole other story!!). Anyway, we had a great time there. Great food and leftovers. We took the girls and Jacob fishing to Grandpa's fishing pond 5 minutes from the house. No fish were biting, but we had some fun adventures anyway skipping rocks, looking at the ducks, and slipping in the mud. Jacob got the idea to crash rocks into some puddles that had crusted over with ice. And Cyrens bonked her head on a boulder. Lynn and Debbie headed back on Saturday and David and I played some golf at Sky Mountain golf course by the house. A bit chilly, but very enjoyable. While we were gone, temperature lows reached -2 in Alpine. 
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Trip to Arizona and Hurricane
We just got back from a two-week trip to Arizona. We left Saturday March 8 after attending Luke's baptism and get-together at Scott and Teresa's. Eric baptized Luke, which was really great and Alec and Eric played the violin as part of the baptismal program. They did a wonderful job. We left Scott's around 5 and arrived in Hurricane around 9 p.m. Sunday we left for Arizona and thought we'd go through Flagstaff because we checked the weather and it said 32 degrees, widely scattered snow showers, and no accumulation. Well, when we left Flagstaff, we found ourselves in a near whiteout situation, with 2 inches or so on the freeway. We saw a five-car pileup, a two-car accident, and numerous slide offs. We skidded once, but maintained control. I managed to snap the following picture while driving (scary). 
Anyway, we arrived safely in Surprise and had a wonderful 9 days there with David, Jenna, and the girls. It was pretty rainy and stormy the first couple of days we were there, but then cleared up and we have great weather the rest of the time, reaching almost to 80 degrees toward the end. David and I played two rounds of golf and I played 18 holes one day, meeting up with a couple from Surprise at the golf course that I was paired up with. Early in the week we went to the little park next to their house and flew kites. Check out the photos and videos that follow.
On Wednesday, we went to Scottsdale to meet David for lunch. We ended up at a pizza place called Oreganos and had some of the best salads and pizza ever. It was great. Then we went to a huge park where we lazed around, laying out in the sun, and took the girls on a ride on a miniature train and on a carousel. David met us there later and we had a great time. We alse went to "Sprinkles of Beverly Hills," an upscale cupcake store and ordered some yummy selections, which we took to the fancy Scottsdale mall and devoured whilst seated in one of the lobbies.
Many thanks to Jenna and David for being great hosts and putting up with us for so long!!! On Tuesday, 3/16, we traveled back to Hurricane. Wednesday it rained and was windy. Scott, Luke, and Seth arrived Wednesday night for Seth's baseball games. It was "March Madness" for basball and involved teams from Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Seth had two games Thursday in Hurricane and two Friday in Mesquite, winning two of the four games. It was a treat to watch him play. During the Hurricane game, Scott asked me to go with Luke to get him something to eat (whatever he wanted). He chose Wendy's. I asked him what he wanted - he said "The Baconator." This little guy has quite the appetite. After polishing that off, he asked about the chicken nuggets I had bought for Grandma. We also went out to eat Chinese food in Mesquite.
The four of us played golf at Sky Mountain Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Check out the action by Luke.
Anyway, we arrived safely in Surprise and had a wonderful 9 days there with David, Jenna, and the girls. It was pretty rainy and stormy the first couple of days we were there, but then cleared up and we have great weather the rest of the time, reaching almost to 80 degrees toward the end. David and I played two rounds of golf and I played 18 holes one day, meeting up with a couple from Surprise at the golf course that I was paired up with. Early in the week we went to the little park next to their house and flew kites. Check out the photos and videos that follow.
On Wednesday, we went to Scottsdale to meet David for lunch. We ended up at a pizza place called Oreganos and had some of the best salads and pizza ever. It was great. Then we went to a huge park where we lazed around, laying out in the sun, and took the girls on a ride on a miniature train and on a carousel. David met us there later and we had a great time. We alse went to "Sprinkles of Beverly Hills," an upscale cupcake store and ordered some yummy selections, which we took to the fancy Scottsdale mall and devoured whilst seated in one of the lobbies.
Many thanks to Jenna and David for being great hosts and putting up with us for so long!!! On Tuesday, 3/16, we traveled back to Hurricane. Wednesday it rained and was windy. Scott, Luke, and Seth arrived Wednesday night for Seth's baseball games. It was "March Madness" for basball and involved teams from Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Seth had two games Thursday in Hurricane and two Friday in Mesquite, winning two of the four games. It was a treat to watch him play. During the Hurricane game, Scott asked me to go with Luke to get him something to eat (whatever he wanted). He chose Wendy's. I asked him what he wanted - he said "The Baconator." This little guy has quite the appetite. After polishing that off, he asked about the chicken nuggets I had bought for Grandma. We also went out to eat Chinese food in Mesquite.The four of us played golf at Sky Mountain Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Check out the action by Luke.
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