Sunday, January 24, 2010
Day at the beach.
Yesterday, my dad took my friends and I out on the boat so we could snorkel and swim and look at whales! But the wind was blowing which caused the water to smash up against the rocks really hard. The waves were HUGE. So my dad dropped us off into the water outside our house and we swam to the door. We stayed outside and swam for a few more hours after that. We had fun swimming on the beach because we were attempting to body surf into shore and even launch each other over the waves! Things we normally don't get to do because the waves are so small!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
What have we been up to?
Christmas and New Years have passed! It was very strange without the snow! I cannot believe it has believe that another full year has past! For New Years, I few of my friends and I went downtown and hung out and watched fireworks and bought sparklers, it was a lot of fun being able to be outside in the warm weather!
A few days after New Years, my aunt and uncle drove our boat down!! We have been taking it out to watch the whales now and we have been seeing so many! Even a few babies!!
They always come right up to our boat and sometimes you can see them passing beneath us!! They are SO big!
Last update. The other day I got....
TUCK!
hahaha. We were just at the mall and we walked into the petstore and they had a bunch of little turtles that were only like 1" long!! So I bought one... (:
A few days after New Years, my aunt and uncle drove our boat down!! We have been taking it out to watch the whales now and we have been seeing so many! Even a few babies!!
They always come right up to our boat and sometimes you can see them passing beneath us!! They are SO big!
Last update. The other day I got....
TUCK!
hahaha. We were just at the mall and we walked into the petstore and they had a bunch of little turtles that were only like 1" long!! So I bought one... (:
Monday, November 30, 2009
Did I Ever Tell You....
I forgot to write about the sea turtle that came up onto our beach! My dad, my sister, my brother, and I were just sitting out on the beach when we looked over and saw something climbing onto the beach from the ocean about 50 feet away from us! My dad thought it was a seal but as we ran over we saw that it was a sea turtle!
The sea turtles are going extinct and apparently there was once more than 50 breeds of Sea Turtles and now there are only 7!! And 6 of those 7 breeds come to Bonduras Bay (Where I live) to lay there eggs! How lucky am I!?!?! We also learned that Sea turtles normally come up onto the shore to lay their eggs at night! So to be able to see them during the day is a rare opportunity!
Sea turtles always return to the same place they were born to lay their eggs so, we watch the turtle begin to slowly dig a hole. It took a few hours for her to dig but the hole ended up being really deep! I was surprised she could dig that much.
Just as she was finishing digging, we saw a police man walking over to where we were standing. He told us that people usually come and dig up the eggs to go and sell them so he was going to take them to a lab to make sure they all lived. He also told us that if you bug the mom while she is laying her eggs or if you even touch an egg, you go straight to jail.
When she laid her eggs, she sometimes laid multiple eggs at a time! We would see up to 3 eggs fall into the hole at the same time. She ended up laying 117 eggs! When she was heading back to the ocean the police began to dig up the eggs and he placed them in a bag so that he could take them to the laboratory! We got to help dig them up and hold them! They looked like little ping pong balls and they were really fragile.
I was so happy to get to see a sea turtle lay her eggs!
My mom was in the states at the time so we made her a video so that she could see how cool it was!
The sea turtles are going extinct and apparently there was once more than 50 breeds of Sea Turtles and now there are only 7!! And 6 of those 7 breeds come to Bonduras Bay (Where I live) to lay there eggs! How lucky am I!?!?! We also learned that Sea turtles normally come up onto the shore to lay their eggs at night! So to be able to see them during the day is a rare opportunity!
Sea turtles always return to the same place they were born to lay their eggs so, we watch the turtle begin to slowly dig a hole. It took a few hours for her to dig but the hole ended up being really deep! I was surprised she could dig that much.
Just as she was finishing digging, we saw a police man walking over to where we were standing. He told us that people usually come and dig up the eggs to go and sell them so he was going to take them to a lab to make sure they all lived. He also told us that if you bug the mom while she is laying her eggs or if you even touch an egg, you go straight to jail.
When she laid her eggs, she sometimes laid multiple eggs at a time! We would see up to 3 eggs fall into the hole at the same time. She ended up laying 117 eggs! When she was heading back to the ocean the police began to dig up the eggs and he placed them in a bag so that he could take them to the laboratory! We got to help dig them up and hold them! They looked like little ping pong balls and they were really fragile.
I was so happy to get to see a sea turtle lay her eggs!
My mom was in the states at the time so we made her a video so that she could see how cool it was!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
We had a fantastic Thanksgiving day! My dad's twin sister Tammy, her husband Kirk, and my cousins Chase, Travis, and Spencer came to visit us from Georgia!! We went surfing in Sayulita on Wednesday and my mom made reservations for Thursday for us to eat Thanksgiving dinner at this really nice resturant called "Le Kliff". It was up in the mountains past downtown Puerto Vallarta and it sat on a cliff over looking the ocean! It was put in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the biggest Palapa in the world! I thought that was really cool.
The food was amazing! They had two different Chefs that you could choose from on the menu and the meals were really fancy. I ordered "the catch of the day" and it was the most delicious fish I have ever tasted in my life! I tasted some of the other meals that my family ordered and they were all something to die for. For dessert I had Passion Fruit Creme Brulee and the rest of my family ordered Chocolate lava cake which was made to order. Just remembering all the delicious food we ate is making my mouth water.
My cousins and I had fun walking around on all the decks around the resturant. We looked down onto the dark water that was crashing against the rocks below and we talked about how scary it would be to fall in! Dark water scares me especially when you don't know what could be in there!
Earlier that day, we went to the Marina where my dad hired a boat to take us out snorkeling by these big rocks. On our boat ride up we saw some wild dolphins jumping into the air around us! It was so amazing!
When we got to the rocks we put on our snorkel gear and we jumped in the water. Huge quantities of all these brightly colored fish were swirling around us and they didn't even seem to notice we were there! It was like I was in a dream because it was so beautiful and seemed so unreal. I didn't want to get out of the water!!
We ate lunch and then went home to go get ready for our dinner at Le kliff.
While we were at Le Kliff I was thinking about asking my mom if we were going to do our annual tradition of going around the table and saying what we were thankful for but I didn't want to bring it up because I was hoping she wouldn't remember. But, she did so as we were going around the table I started thinking of all my blessings. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and such unique opportunities in my life. I am so grateful for my horses, and my family, my awesome friends in Utah and in Mexico, being able to live on the beach in Mexico, my education, and much more!
The Marina is located on one of the rivers that flows into the ocean and so there are lots of different things that live in the water. We saw pelicans and we watched them catch fish in the water and waddle across the deck.
But Pelicans aren't the only things in the rivers.... there are also Crocodiles! We saw on sitting down one the rocks waiting for some fish to come along. I learned that they keep their mouths open and hold really still because they can't open their mouths very fast, but they can swing around and snap their jaws together before you can blink. So we decided to keep our distance. If you look closely at the picture below, you will see the Crocodile at the bottom of the hill.
How many people get to say they have seen a wild crocodile!!?!?!
My cousin Chase is an awesome photographer and he took some great pictures outside of our house at sunset.
I had such an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday while hanging out with my family and getting to know my cousins. I was sad when they had to leave!
I hope you all had a Thanksgiving as great as the one I had! Check back soon for a new update!
The food was amazing! They had two different Chefs that you could choose from on the menu and the meals were really fancy. I ordered "the catch of the day" and it was the most delicious fish I have ever tasted in my life! I tasted some of the other meals that my family ordered and they were all something to die for. For dessert I had Passion Fruit Creme Brulee and the rest of my family ordered Chocolate lava cake which was made to order. Just remembering all the delicious food we ate is making my mouth water.
My cousins and I had fun walking around on all the decks around the resturant. We looked down onto the dark water that was crashing against the rocks below and we talked about how scary it would be to fall in! Dark water scares me especially when you don't know what could be in there!
Earlier that day, we went to the Marina where my dad hired a boat to take us out snorkeling by these big rocks. On our boat ride up we saw some wild dolphins jumping into the air around us! It was so amazing!
When we got to the rocks we put on our snorkel gear and we jumped in the water. Huge quantities of all these brightly colored fish were swirling around us and they didn't even seem to notice we were there! It was like I was in a dream because it was so beautiful and seemed so unreal. I didn't want to get out of the water!!
We ate lunch and then went home to go get ready for our dinner at Le kliff.
While we were at Le Kliff I was thinking about asking my mom if we were going to do our annual tradition of going around the table and saying what we were thankful for but I didn't want to bring it up because I was hoping she wouldn't remember. But, she did so as we were going around the table I started thinking of all my blessings. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and such unique opportunities in my life. I am so grateful for my horses, and my family, my awesome friends in Utah and in Mexico, being able to live on the beach in Mexico, my education, and much more!
The Marina is located on one of the rivers that flows into the ocean and so there are lots of different things that live in the water. We saw pelicans and we watched them catch fish in the water and waddle across the deck.
But Pelicans aren't the only things in the rivers.... there are also Crocodiles! We saw on sitting down one the rocks waiting for some fish to come along. I learned that they keep their mouths open and hold really still because they can't open their mouths very fast, but they can swing around and snap their jaws together before you can blink. So we decided to keep our distance. If you look closely at the picture below, you will see the Crocodile at the bottom of the hill.
How many people get to say they have seen a wild crocodile!!?!?!
My cousin Chase is an awesome photographer and he took some great pictures outside of our house at sunset.
I had such an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday while hanging out with my family and getting to know my cousins. I was sad when they had to leave!
I hope you all had a Thanksgiving as great as the one I had! Check back soon for a new update!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Feliz Cumpleaños to Suzeth, Hope, & Marifer
A lot of my friends have been having birthdays lately!!
On Saturday November 7th, it was my friend Suzeth's birthday. She had her birthday at this really nice ranch where weddings are sometimes held. There were horses, a playground, and a big creek. We ate dinner and then went down the creek with tubes!! My friend Laura, who rides horses, and I were galloping this pony around bareback and it was a lot of fun! After that, Laura, Shreeda (my friend from London), Erika (from Canada), and I just had fun taking pictures and roasting marshmallows.
On Friday November 13th it was my friend Hope's birthday! I arrived late because I had a horse lesson. She had her party at her beach house in Punta Pelicanoes, La Cruz. We went swimming, ate cupcakes, and made a bonfire on the beach. While the bonfire was going, me and some of my friends wend and laid in the sand and watched the stars. When we got up we ended up having sand EVERYWHERE! But, it was still a lot of fun.
The next day I got up early so I could go to the barn and ride my trainer's green horse for her. His name is Danka and he did not want to jump! Something about them really scared him! But I convinced him to jump a few crossbars. Later that day, it was my friend Marifer's birthday! We went to her Aunt's house in Villa Magna in Nuevo Vallarta. There was a big pool but it was so cold! So we just stayed inside until sunset when my friend's Suzeth, Dani, and I went to the beach and took pictures. The sun was setting onto the water and the ocean looked so pretty!!
Feliz Cumpleaños Suzeth, Hope, and Marifer!!! I Hope you guys had a good one and I had a lot of fun at your Partys!!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Dia de los Muertos
On November 2nd it was day of the dead (Dia de los Muertos) and that meant no school!! The traditional celebration of this holiday is watching all the parades of the people who dress up and make masks to celebrate their deceased ancestors, but we decided to celebrate in our own way....
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BY SWIMMING WITH THE DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!
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We went to Vallarta Adventures and signed up for the dolphin swim and while we waited, we went and had lunch at El Tigre country club. The food was really good and it was fun spending time with my family!
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We drove back to Vallarta Adventures at 3:00 so we could get there in time and after a short orientation about dophins, it was time to swim!!!
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We swam with a dolphin named Karina and her little baby dolphin! We got to touch them, feed them fish, and even hang onto their fins while they swam around! We also got to train them! We learned how to make them dance, make them speak, make them clap, roll over, and by calling "ARRIBA" we watched them leap into the air. I had such a fun time and was sad when it was time to get out.
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When we were drying off, we were surprised by a big sea lion that waddled over and gave us a kiss goodbye on the cheek! It was kind of gross because he smelled like fish but it's not every day you get kissed by a sea lion!
I am so glad I live right next to such a fun place and I can't wait to go back to visit Karina, her baby, and the sea lions when my friends come down to visit me in January!
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BY SWIMMING WITH THE DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!
.JPG)
We went to Vallarta Adventures and signed up for the dolphin swim and while we waited, we went and had lunch at El Tigre country club. The food was really good and it was fun spending time with my family!
.JPG)
We drove back to Vallarta Adventures at 3:00 so we could get there in time and after a short orientation about dophins, it was time to swim!!!
.JPG)
We swam with a dolphin named Karina and her little baby dolphin! We got to touch them, feed them fish, and even hang onto their fins while they swam around! We also got to train them! We learned how to make them dance, make them speak, make them clap, roll over, and by calling "ARRIBA" we watched them leap into the air. I had such a fun time and was sad when it was time to get out.
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When we were drying off, we were surprised by a big sea lion that waddled over and gave us a kiss goodbye on the cheek! It was kind of gross because he smelled like fish but it's not every day you get kissed by a sea lion!
I am so glad I live right next to such a fun place and I can't wait to go back to visit Karina, her baby, and the sea lions when my friends come down to visit me in January!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Halloween Horse Show
On Friday October 30th, my school held their annual Halloween party. There was a haunted house, a lot of food, games, carnival rides, and even a disco to go dance. I dressed up as a hippy and just hung out with my friends from 7:00 to 11:00 PM. We even got to sell doughnuts to raise money for our 9th grade graduation! I had a really fun time.
On Saturday, the real day of Halloween, the barn I ride at held a horse show! A lot of really fancy horse came down to compete from Guadaljara and I competed against 25 people in the 0.80 meters division. For the show I rode a horse named Yvanna, my sister rode Sofia, and my friend Laura rode Yvanna also because the horse she usually rides was sick. Laura just moved to Vallarta from California and it's really fun to have a friend that goes to my school who rides horses!
On the first day of the show we had a hunter round and then if you got through with zero faults (without knocking a rail, having your horse refuse, falling off.... etc) then you move to the next round. Laura, Bria, and I all cleared so we got to go to the next round. The second round was a Classic so the judge gives you a score imeadiately after you walk out of the ring and Laura and I both got a 52 and we ended up tying for second place out of the 25 people in our class!! Bria got 4 faults from knocking a rail so she didn't place.
On Sunday, our second show day, it was a jumper round. The idea of a jumper round is to get through the course with the fastest time and the least amount of faults where as in a Hunter round, it is all about precision, elegance, and presentation. In order to get a fast time you want to make really tight turns and find the fastest way possible to each jump. I was feeling pretty confident while I was warming up and it was just a few rounds until my turn when my trainer Amandine came and told me that she wanted me to turn to the right after jump 4 instead of turning to the left like we decided while walking the course. I didn't really get to see what she meant so after jump 4 I turned to late and ended up having to swerve around to jump 5, adding a lot of time to the clock.
I was pretty upset because I knew I could have had 1st place in the bag if I would've prepared for that turn. But I still rode in the Victory gallop with a 5th place on Yvanna's bridle. Both Bria and Laura didn't place because Bria got two refusals from Sofia and Laura knocked a rail so I am sill very happy with my two ribbons!!
My Favorite Part of the show was seeing the 1.30 meter jumpers (about 5 feet). It was really amazing and the horse that won got $50,000 pesos ($5,000 dollars)!! I can't wait until I can show at that level!
On Saturday, the real day of Halloween, the barn I ride at held a horse show! A lot of really fancy horse came down to compete from Guadaljara and I competed against 25 people in the 0.80 meters division. For the show I rode a horse named Yvanna, my sister rode Sofia, and my friend Laura rode Yvanna also because the horse she usually rides was sick. Laura just moved to Vallarta from California and it's really fun to have a friend that goes to my school who rides horses!
On the first day of the show we had a hunter round and then if you got through with zero faults (without knocking a rail, having your horse refuse, falling off.... etc) then you move to the next round. Laura, Bria, and I all cleared so we got to go to the next round. The second round was a Classic so the judge gives you a score imeadiately after you walk out of the ring and Laura and I both got a 52 and we ended up tying for second place out of the 25 people in our class!! Bria got 4 faults from knocking a rail so she didn't place.
On Sunday, our second show day, it was a jumper round. The idea of a jumper round is to get through the course with the fastest time and the least amount of faults where as in a Hunter round, it is all about precision, elegance, and presentation. In order to get a fast time you want to make really tight turns and find the fastest way possible to each jump. I was feeling pretty confident while I was warming up and it was just a few rounds until my turn when my trainer Amandine came and told me that she wanted me to turn to the right after jump 4 instead of turning to the left like we decided while walking the course. I didn't really get to see what she meant so after jump 4 I turned to late and ended up having to swerve around to jump 5, adding a lot of time to the clock.
I was pretty upset because I knew I could have had 1st place in the bag if I would've prepared for that turn. But I still rode in the Victory gallop with a 5th place on Yvanna's bridle. Both Bria and Laura didn't place because Bria got two refusals from Sofia and Laura knocked a rail so I am sill very happy with my two ribbons!!
My Favorite Part of the show was seeing the 1.30 meter jumpers (about 5 feet). It was really amazing and the horse that won got $50,000 pesos ($5,000 dollars)!! I can't wait until I can show at that level!
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