September 8, 2015

The Big Sandy Crew - Labor Day 2015

Wedding on the Beach

Our reason for going to Mexico this past week was to attend the wedding of a very good friend of ours.  William has known Joel since they were very young as they grew up in the Boy Scout program together, even though Joel is a few years younger than William.

It was a beautiful (and very short!) ceremony with some of the best vows I have heard in a long time that were crafted by the officiant (a freind of the couple).  They promised to love each other even when they don't like each other and to be patient even when the other is taking their sweet time.  And I really don't know if there was a dry eye on the entire beach when Sarah walked down the isle and Joel saw her for the first time.  I know I was tearing up!

Our group before the wedding ceremony - Jill, Chris, Amanda, William, Lori & Josh

The groom and bride

A beautiful site for a wedding

The ceremony site

It was such a wonderful blessing to be asked to be a part of Joel and Sarah's special day in Mexico.  My first destination wedding was a hit!  I hope there is another one in my future!

Tulum, Mexico - Mayan Ruins

While vacationing in Mexico this past week, our group of six friends headed to the Mayan Ruins in Tulum.  They were breathtaking and one can only imagine how beautiful they would have been when they were covered in stucco and painted beautiful, bright colors like they were when the Mayans resided there.

I really enjoyed the afternoon wandering around and imagining what it would have been like for the residents of that city.   It is estimated that between 1000 and 1600 people lived within the walled city during its height (the 13th to 15th Centuries).  Defence must have been extremely important to the Mayans as the walls that are around the city would have taken extreme time and energy to build.  It was amazing to walk through them knowing they were built so long ago!



Plants growing out of the stones of one of the palaces



The Great Palace




The Cenote where they would have had access to fresh water.

The Castle

Stairs leading to a foundation

Another Palace

Overlooking the grounds

Waterslide Fun!

We headed out to a hotel that had an indoor waterpark on Sunday night.  They run a special in the winter that for $5 each, you can come play in the warm water. 

We had a blast and can't wait to return when we are in the Brainerd area again!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Schulze Family.  We were blessed to be able to spend a wonderful extended weekend with family in Brainerd this weekend and it was wonderfully relaxing and an enjoyable time.

I woke up on New Year's Day to find Miss Elizabeth taking a nap with Grandma Suzie.  It was so cute I had to take the chance of snapping a photo.  Turns out Elizabeth slept through the flash.

And a wonderfully calm old Golden Retriever found a comfortable spot on the couch in front of the fireplace where he could stay warm.  He is now almost completely deaf, but is such a sweet old dog.  I sure am going to miss him when the time comes to say goodbye. 

Winter Vacation 2011

We had a great mini vacation up in Northern Minnesota just before Christmas.  It was wonderful to get away and enjoy the wilderness and relax.

Elizabeth loved looking out the windows of our cabin searching for deer.  We would put out some shell corn and sunflower seeds in the evenings and every morning, there would be two or three deer very close to the windows and she LOVED looking at them.

We also spent some time hiking the trails through the woods.  Miss Elizabeth did much better than expected and wanted walk a lot of the trails herself.  William only had to really step in and help her at parts of the trail that were very steep and icy.

We had a great trip and I can't wait to go back again in a couple years!

Going to the Cabin

We headed up to our friend's cabin over the Labor Day weekend and spent a night with them before heading further north to Brainerd to stay with William's Dad and Stepmother. 

Everyone getting ready to go for a walk. 

Elizabeth fell asleep in her stroller before we even arrived at the brook.  The bumpy washboard dirt road had the right movement to lull her to sleep.

William and Wesley hanging out in the Brook.  It was quite a walk for the old dog and he cooled off in the water before making the long trek back to the cabin.

All the activity had just tuckered out Elizabeth and she decided to take a nap on the couch.  I plan on sending a copy of this photo to the owners of the cabin (our friends parents) for Christmas and thanking them for letting us stay at their cabin so much.  We always have a great time!

August 2011 Canoe Trip

William and I went on a relaxing canoe trip in August with our friends Chris and Jill.  It was great to get away for a few days and spend some time paddling on the water.  While we wished we could have been in the Boundary Waters, I think a short trip on the St Croix was a good choice as I am not sure if I could have left Elizabeth for any more than three days without communication to know she is safe and healthy.  I know that I worry too much, but I guess I am just carrying on the traditions of Mom's everywhere.  I think we all worry too much!

William and Chris cooking breakfast after waking up in the woods the first morning of the trip.  We stayed at Norway Point the first night of the trip.

We stayed at Sunrise Landing (Wisconsin side) the third night of the trip.  It was great to take a little swim and clean up as the river was fairly calm at this landing.  There used to be a ferry that went back and forth from Minnesota and Wisconsin that was where this landing was.  If I remember my history correctly, I think my Great Grandmother may have once worked at the ferry site?  The family will have to correct me if I am wrong in the comments!

There were so many mosquito's on this trip that we went through almost three full-sized cans of bug spray.  Even then, we all came home with what felt like hundreds of bites.  Thankfully Chris took the fall for us and didn't use bug spray most of the trip (simply because he doesn't like the stuff) and so he got most of the bites. 

Here we all are hanging out at the river at sunset having some beverages and relaxing after a long day paddling 20 miles.  Even though we were paddling downstream, it was still quite an exhausting day!

And the trip has ended back in our driveway.  (Don't you just love how we transported the canoes back to our house in the back of the truck?)  Jill and I were a little worried things wouldn't fit and the canoes may fall out of the vehicle, but our husbands were sure it would work, and (dare I say it?) they were right. 

It was a great trip and I can't wait to do it again next year!