Now that the holiday season has come to an end, I can reflect on how lucky I truly am! Not only do I have great family and friends here in St. Louis, but I can honestly say that my circle encompasses most of the US!
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| The climbing wall at Mountasia |
The Spellers headed off to California just before Christmas for Alana Stolnitz's bat mitzvah. It felt great to be back in the Santa Clarita Valley and to hang out with some good friends. Anna got to work out at her old gym and we all got to catch up with our SCV family...even Minnie Bear. We headed out to Simi Valley on Christmas Eve and enjoyed a beautiful Shabbat service at the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University. The next day was spent relaxing and enjoying the peaceful surroundings, including a killer walk to The House of the Book. Andy and I weren't sure whether we would make it to the top.
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| Ruby and Anna |
After naps, lots of "friend-time" and some basketball, we joined the Cohen and Stolnitz families for Alana's big night. The service was wonderful and Alana did a great job! After the party, we packed and got to bed relatively early so we could head down to San Diego in the morning.
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| The House of the Book |
Sunday mid-day, we arrived in San Diego and joined the Eisenstein clan to board the ms Oosterdam to the Mexican Riviera. What a wonderful trip! We all had rooms with balconies and spent a lot of time just hanging out and relaxing.
Our first two days were at sea and after the initial queasiness of the ship, we all got our sea legs and enjoyed the amenities of the ship. Jake discovered the basketball court and also learned how to play mahjong with Nanny, Teppy, Andy and Jill. I think he even won a game. Andy and Anna both won BINGO and we all ate A LOT! We spent time in the pool and walking around exploring.
Our first port was Mazatlan...not the most beautiful place, but it was fun to drive around with Teppy, Ted, Jill, Emily, Rachel, Matthew and Nan...
Our second port was Puerta Vallarta. This time it was just us with Nan and Obie. We took a van and toured around a bit and then Anna, Andy and I did a Canopy Tour zip line...totally cool!
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| Anna's Zip Line Landing! |
Lastly, we went to Cabo San Lucas, by far the prettiest stop. Andy, Anna, Jake and I enjoyed an America's Cup Experience. That evening included a formal dinner for New Year's Eve...then on to a nice start to 2011!
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| How to clear your ears... |
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| Merry New Year |
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| Bob's Banditos |
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| The Cousins: Andy, Stephanie, Emily & Rachel |
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| Happy Birthday to Jake |
Our last full day was at sea was New Year's Day and then back to reality. We got to have a small celebration in honor of Jake's 12th birthday, since he would end up spending his actual birthday traveling...All in all it was a very relaxing vacation! Thanks so much to Obie...Happy New Year!
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