...pull up a chair...

...this is gonna be a long one, so be comfy!

I am going to share with you what has been first and foremost happening in our family...i don't have a clue how to even start with this so i am just going to get it out. only a handful of our family members and closest friends know what we've been going through so to clear the air because we've had other people phoning / emailing within our circle, we have decided to just share it with everyone at this point.

most of you know that i went on a recent trip to Mexico with one of my closest friends, Tara, and we had a fabulous time...you'll see LOTS of photos at the end of this post from my trip... but upon my return home, Mike and I found out a couple days later that we were going to be having a surprise baby! No, we weren't trying, so we were adjusting to this shocking, but also very exciting news that our lives were going to change significantly at this point in our lives!!! I called my doctor and went for our first prenatal visit the very next day to discover that I was already 2 months along...WOW! we told the kids that nights about the new little brother or sister that would be joining our family this October....and man, were they excited!!!!!

...and then only 4 short days later, while still adjusting that " this was meant to be", we lost our baby. I spent all day in St.B emerg after alarming signs in the morning sent me to the hospital. Blood tests showed a huge decline in 'the numbers' -from my prenatal visit- and this wasn't good news. they eventually sent me up for two ultrasounds where Mike and I saw our first and only glimpses of our baby, and also were given the sad news that no heartbeat was found and the baby had passed. we spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital waiting and waiting for a heartbreaking D & C surgery.

I am so grateful that we have such amazing friends who have shown such comforting and thoughtful support so far, and for our families ( especially my mom ) who has also been there for our family constantly. mike has been amazing through all this sadness and our family is a bunch of fighters, so i know that we will get through this tough loss and stand strong again!!!

so, this is the reason for yet another long delay in not posting on my blog...life happens and now we have to pull up our socks and move along healing all the way. i intended to post after my trip, but of course things were pretty crazy then too....so, there's never a good time to wait to post, things always happen, good and bad...

on that note, i will backtrack a bit now for you since February... but,

I KNOW that my scrapbookers are anxiously awaiting news on any March classes happening, so aside from the email i will send out tonight, i will post the couple classes here as well.

I am going to be going ahead as planned with my hall crop this friday night, March 26 at St. Saviour's Hall. 6pm - midnite. $10. I will be having MIKE in my company that night to help me out as I'm not 100% just yet....so he is looking forward to hanging out with all my girls friday night to help me!! heehee.....(work him hard girls!!! )

and I am also doing a Monday Night Sketches on Monday, March 29 at my home. 6:30pm - 9:30pm-ish!! I will give you the photo req's upon registration confirmation!!

GIMLI GETAWAY is coming up very quickly!!! April 9, 10, 11 will be here before you know it! I am looking forward to meeting all the new girls joining us this year, and to having a fabulous weekend with everyone!! I am in the process of writing out an update for the weekend regarding contests, activities and classroom projects that are included in your registration, so please bear with me as I get this all together for you!!

Ok....life since February's post...

On Feb. 20 Tyler had his yellow belt promotion test and passed...so he was very excited to be presented with his new belt at the next lesson!!!

congratulations little buddy!!!!

...on Feb. 26 tyler had a birthday! we took the kids out for breakfast, where tyler chose to order a cheese pizza instead...oh well, it's his birthday afterall....

and there was not much else in between there and my trip to Mexico...

so sit back and enjoy some of my favorite pic's from our trip!

( and the hubby's are right, next time they get to come!! )

:)


...tara and i on the plane, off we go...

...two words. NEW MOON. one of the movie choices during our flight...it was like they KNEW we were coming! we syncronized the movie to start watching it at the same time...and yes, we are Twilight dorks! ( sigh....oh, edward! x0 )


Day One...sights around our resort.
Gran Bahia Principe Tulum.
:)

...i think this guy was SMILING for me...

...our pad for the week. SWEET!!!

...our first eveing we walked down to La Hacienda at the end of our resort...an awesome market area...and of course it was meant to be that I would find a PINK sombrero!!

...i forgot to mention a very important surprise during our trip...

i knew ahead of time, but tara got the awesome surprise to find out that our friend Tracy and her husband Robert from scrapbooking was also going to be at the resort the same time as us!! We spent a lot of time all together and it was just a blast!

Our fist night at the resort we took in a show with Tracy ( aka BRAT ) and robert...it was a tribute to Michael Jackson...pretty cool!!!

"HOOOOOOOOOOO..."

...good times!

...Day Two...tara and i headed into Play del Carmen where we walked around a bit to take some of festive Mexico shopping in...

...the awesome 5th Avenue of Playa del Carmen...

...we had lunch at the swing bar at Senor Frogs...

...and then we journeyed on a rough 30 minute 'speed boat ferry ride' across to Cozumel. NOTE TO SELF: you brought Gravol for a reason. use it next time!

...we walked and shopped around Cozumel ( once i had a little sit down to clear my head...) and then had chicken fajita's at Margaritaville!!!

Oceanside, baby!!!

"It's 5 o'clock somewhere...."

...and then we took the dreaded ferry back across to Playa again for the evening of more shopping and fun!!

...live mariachi bands were all over...AWESOME! these guys were playing "Tequila"...

...i had to. outside this little clothing boutique was this pretty PINK mosaic mirrored mannequin. i am a pink magnet!!!

...Day Three...resort day....waht a fabulous and relaxing and fun day in the ocean, on the beach....just beautiful!

SIGH.

...our beach view...so much fun in those crazy waves!!! ( and YES, the water really is THAT blue! )

...we met Diego today. A super sweet Henna Tattoo artist working the beach...we all wanted to take him and stuff him in our suitcases and bring him him so he can find a job in canada for his family....anyway, this was my cute tatt....

...and Tara's...

...and tracy's tattoo took the cake...giggle giggle...best ever!

BEE-OTCH

:)

'cheers'

...later in the afternoon tara and i went for a walk with our cameras around the main pool area for some photos....WOW, i can't believe i was really here only a couple weeks ago!

...some more of our beach shots...

...this night the four of us went for an "a la carte" dinner at La Grand Tortuga...it was a Brazilian Steak / Sword dinner...pretty classy, elegant and delicious!! YUMM-O!

...Day Four...

today tara and i went on an excursion on our own to Xcaret!

WOW...WOW...WOW...what an amazing and beautiful park with so much to do!

we were here for about 9 hours and still didn't see it all...but we saw lots!

...we went a this river raft ride..front row seats to a spectacular view!

...probably my favorite part of the park, the Aquarium...the outdoor part and animals was breathtaking!

...dang, i loved the sea turtles..

...woo hoo...the snorkeling pit! my first time snorkeling in the ocean..tara tried, but not a big fan of it at all...

...we watched the people swimming with dolphins for a while and got a few photos...

Mmmmmmm...Xcaret...

...a walk along the boardwalk and natural pools...

...a visit to the cats...but this jaguar was very playful and enjoying her sunbath...

YAWN!!!

...the butterfly pavillion...

...a mexican memorial cemetery...

Hmm....

??????

....after a very full day at Xcaret, we cabbed it back to Playa del Carmen for our last night of 5th Avenue, a Mexican dinner, and shopping!!!

"Kim, leave some for the other tourists"

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

...awww...look what our towel arrangement was today!! tyler would have loved to see this one!!

(BUNNY!!)

...Day Five...

our last day of outtings...we went on a guided tour to the ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum.

It was awesome.

...and after the ruins tour, we were given an hour and a half on the most spectacular beach EVER!!

( this is possibly one of my favorite photos i've ever taken...LOVE those palm trees...)

Kim = swimming in giant waves

Tara = suntanning on the beach

:)

...on our way back to our tour bus after the tour there was a live performance happening in the market area...COOL!

...instead of returning back to the resort, we had our bus driver drop us off in AKUMAL.

i think this PINK shop was waiting for Kim Griffin to arrive!!

hahaha!!!

...Akumal is known for it's reef / beach. we were advised by Lora Leigh that this would be a great place to do some snorkeling...of course after an oceanside lunch and exploratory walk along the beach!!!

"having a blast in Mexico"

:)

...on my snorkeling adventure ( tara chose to sun / beach it again! ) i was out there for about an hour or so, and I saw lots of fish, coral, 2 sea turtles and a barracuda! I had an underwater camera with me and DID indeed get some good pictures of my sightings....but you will have to see those ones in my scrapbook!! It was exhilarating to swim along alone in the ocean with the sea turtles....watching me and cruising along beside me....SO COOL!

....on our last night on the resort, we took tracy with us out for some last shopping at the market in La Hacienda...i was trying to find a serving bowl or plate with a mexican with sombrero leaning up against a cactus with his hat pulled down, but did not want to pay $30 U.S for one...heehee. so upon finding a score of sombrero's........

...I posed for my own photo to make my OWN dish up! hahahaa...maybe????

i love this pic anyway!!

:)

WOW.

this was just an amazing and fun trip to travel with such a great friend...and it was so awesome that tracy and robert were able to come too....familiar faces in unfamiliar places is sure comforting!! We all had such a memorable vacation...and as for as much fun as we all had, i know that tara and i were both happy to see our families loving faces at the airport when we returned home!

....if you are still with me at the end here, i salute you!!

hahaha!!!!

thanks for reading and sharing with me!!

:)