Thursday, April 29, 2010

Our Vacation in Cancun, Mexico in One Post


We had such a great time in Cancun, Mexico that we almost did not want to leave. We thought about moving the family there until it started raining toward the end of the trip. So many interesting things happened in the span of the short week that I can only focus on the events of just LaShawanda and me.

Here's a slideshow of LaShawanda and my Cancun vacation highlights of LaShawanda and which you can enjoy. I kept it short to the events of just us.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Another lia sophia Gift at Cancun

It was nice coming in from our day trip to find another little gift on our bed. Peter and Bonni left a wonderful snapshot book for LaShawanda to place special photos from our trip. Needless to say, she will have many from which to choose.


A Chichen-Itza Adventure

From our room I was able to capture a beautiful sunrise peeking over the resort. Before we leave, I will need to venture out early to catch the sunrise from the beach.

This was a great way to start off our day with an adventure to Chichen Itza. Our tour guide told us this one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. This means we were given a full history lesson of the Mayan people, the site and just about everything else on our 2 hour drive to the site and 3 hour plus time there. I soaked it in. Others in my immediate group did not.

I have not seen the pyramids, so the Temple of Kukulkan was huge. The most amazing thing was the precision of the Mayans in constructing it. I can see why it made a world wonder.

Unlike the Egyptians, the structures have no tunnels or interior chambers. They are built on a sub-base of stone and other fill material. The shell is where the details are applied. The Temple of Kukulkan, however, is built over another structure.
All of the major structures are roped off, not allowing visitors to climb the steps. Just looking at the steep sloe is intimidating enough.

The picture above gives a good reference of the height of the goal in the Great Ballcourt. No one is sure of the exact game rules, but the players had to basically put a solid rubber ball through the goal using their hips. The winning team's captain was later sacrificed and his head placed amongst others (photo below).
Though this was an all day tour, we still had a little time to kick back and have some fun at the Chichen Itza resort.


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Fiesta Time lia sophia Style

lia sophia knows how to throw a great reception / party. Hosted on the terrace overlooking the sunset, the one thousand or so attendees grouped together for a large portrait and then quickly spread to the many dining stations. LaShawanda and some of her team were available for a quick pose shot. They quickly went into fun mode (see the video in the earlier post).
There was live music, dancing and lots of networking within and between different regions.

The sunset was wonderful. Now I am ready to the view the sunrise from our room's balcony as LaShawanda and I get ready for an early morning trip into the jungle.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Video of lia sophia Reception at Cancun Palace


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Over 100 Martini Flavors at La Madonna

We had only planned one event for our stay at Cancun Palace. Therefore we have time to do as we wish. After picking up the tennis shoes, we decided to stroll through the walking streets of the outdoor mall. La Madonna drew us in with the large mural and sculptures. Then we realized they had over 100 Martini flavors. I allowed LaShawanda to pick a couple of nice flavors with fruits from Mexico.

Cancun - Forgotten Tennis Shoes


LaShawanda explored our resort last night and discovered the gym. She was excited about all the things she could do until she realized she had forgotten her tennis shoes. Does this sound familiar? Sounds like a shopping trip.
After a failed attempt last night of walking to a mall and finding nothing. We received directions for a better mall and store to find a good pair of shoes.
With only 10 pesos to my name, I wonder what would be the damage.
One happy shopper.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Our Room at Cancun Palace in Cancun, Mexico

This room is nice with double beds (a single king would have been great for us), jacuzzi tub, HDTV, bottomless bar (we really don't drink), and more.
The walk out balcony put this at the top of my list for places to stay. The doors open wide to let in the ocean breeze.
Did I say that this was a free trip LaShawanda received from lia sophia? It included this great bag with beach towel/robes.
The owner of lia sophia left a little note and bottle of wine for us in our room. Nice points scored here.
More of the view. I also found out about 1,000 lia sophia people and their guest are here. We made their week a bellhop told us. Only 200 other guests are here.
La could not get enough of the view.

Flight to Cancun, Mexico


Wow! Heading to Cancun, Mexico for a free vacation! Thank you lia sophia.

We were happy until we were delayed for about an hour. No matter we were still happy to get a little getaway trip.

The boys are well cared for at the house... their grandmother is in town and she has help.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Embrace Life

This clip is so powerful that I had to post it. The clip is receiving publicity and especially timely for our focus on driving safety. It was produced by the Sussex Safe Roads Partnership in the UK.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Pinch More Than an Inch Challenge

When I was younger (under 10 years old) I really did not understand the "pinch more than an inch" phrase. No matter where I pinched, I only grabbed skin. It was confusing.

Fast-forward a few decades and I get the point. I can now pinch more than inch in most places. Generally, I'm a fairly slim person, but i was once told that "skinny people can be fat too." How true that is.

This year is a monumental year in my life, business and a few other things. So, this year my plan is to get back into my twenty-something shape. Plus, I can't be outdone by my wife who has just delivered our youngest son and is getting in shape for a trip to the islands. Stay tuned for my journey back into shape.

Here is a video from 1979.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Portrait Session for My Boys

I have been getting hate mail from friends and family for not posting pictures of my Christmas baby. So, I took a break from work and had a little portrait session to celebrate his first month. We rounded up the boys, treated them to Goldfish, and dressed them up.

Here he is. Here is the newest addition to my family with his older brother. He is a great pride and joy for my wife, my sons and me. My boys can't get enough of him. The main thing is reminding them that they can't be rough with him. At least, not rough with him yet. Give him a year or so and toughen him up.

We tried several times to get a nice pose of the boys sitting up. We were able to get a few, but I like this one. Never under estimate the energy in Goldfish. My boys were all over the place in their normal fashion. This shot was as relaxing as it was going to get. Did someone say energy is wasted on the young? (click the picture to see a video of the session celebrating Brothers)

I forgot to mention that their cousin was visiting during the shoot. At 6 months, he fit right in to the group. The only issue was trying to get a shot of only the babies. He decided he just had to pull my son's hair. (click the picture to see a video of the session celebrating Cousins)

It's nothing like having a cousin close to your age. Though they are miles away, they may be able to see each other regularly. (click the picture to see a video of the session celebrating Dominique being 6 months)

Monday, April 27, 2009

One More Year - Birthday

Yes, I have officially added one more year to my age. This year I had a small celebration with my family before going back to work. Oh yeah, one candle is all I need. I have learned that there is a point when you go with one candle and forgo needing a leaf blower to extinguish the multitude of candles.




Ice cream and cake for everyone!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Christmas + Moores = Portraits

It's that time of year for me to pull out the camera remote so my family can take a few joyful holiday portraits.  Nothing less than I give my clients for a nice in home lifestyle portrait session.
I planned the event for a couple of days and then sprung it on my wife the morning of the session.  Well, she wasn't happy (late notice), but she always works great under pressure.  We were well color coordinated and all together for a bit of face time.





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