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Tag Archives: adventure
Cruising – 2019
Ever have a dream, but priorities along with responsibilities put that dream on hold? Yeah, me too.
Well, after ten years, that dream finally became a reality! For my birthday and silver anniversary gift to hubby and me, the children all pitched in–in-laws and Mama included–giving us the surprise of our life! What an unexpected BLESSING!
We went on our first cruise, ever! So yes, I got a taste of it and now, it’s in my blood! Haha!
Our stateroom with an ocean view was very comfortable, the food and service impeccable, with plenty of activities, music, shopping, and shows to choose from. We enjoyed everything about our four-day cruise on the Royal Caribbean to Cozumel. A couple of our friends joined us and made our little getaway feel extra special.
Without further ado – here are just a few photos of our adventure!
“And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years.”
Filed under Cruise, Royal Carribean Cruise
Vacationing in Weston, Colorado
Hi y’all! Hola Amigos!
The mountains were calling and we went!
We recently returned from a glorious two-week getaway in God’s Country in good ole’ Colorado, with a couple of wonderful friends of ours!
And as promised, here are a few photos taken from my !phone (sorry…! Haha!)
Found this perfect quote to a perfect scenery:
“Heaven is a little bit closer in the mountains.”
Introducing our traveling buddies, Ed & Sandy Brockhausen.
Now having the pleasure to hang around with this couple is anything but a trip in itself!
They are delightful, and animated and know how to have fun, fun, fun!
Hubby and I.
And this is the Brockhausen’s little hideaway up in the mountains; took a while to drive up there.
Yes, these are wild turkeys! Some neighbors feed them; not sure if they’re pets or fatten up for consumption.
But no hunting is allowed in these parts.
See the beautiful Spanish Peaks in the background?
Wouldn’t you know it? It started snowing the day after we arrived and my hubby was the first one out exploring!
And then he got me to join him cuz he needed some warmth!
Frolicking in the snow 🙂
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Meet Bailey & Dakota. They love going out in the snow – they’re in their element and they’ve worked up an appetite.
Another breathtaking view from the deck.
So peaceful.
Haaaaaaay!
Let me take you on a little tour inside …
Upstairs loft/TV room
A view from the loft looking down on this gorgeous kitchen.
Notice the beautiful hand-crafted cabinetry.
Looking down at the Southwestern décor, colorful den.
Check out the antler lighting.
So cozy, comfy, and inviting.
Enjoying some warmth near the fireplace.
Yes, the perfect kitchen!
Look at all the details. Their builder was truly a craftsman.
Home away from home.
The master suite.
The guest room where we slept – not bad, eh?
The next day, it had stopped snowing, so we hopped in the buggy and cruised.
A wee bit chilly riding in the wind!
My mountain man – such a natural in the outdoors.
A couple of days later, the four of us took a road trip into town.
We saw lots of wildlife and deer are everywhere!
I’ve known this precious friend–who is like a sister to me–for a loooong time! She be way crazier than me, y’all!
Taking this majestic view all in.
A little disconcerting with some of the wiggly road signs!
Oh, Lord! This reminded me of a scene in the movie, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”… LOL
A quick view of Stonewall.
Girls just wanna shop until we drop!
Red River, NM – elevation 10,350’. Between my tender back and needing to breathe in all this altitude, I needed to rest!
I guess I be more of a city gal. LOL
Good morning all! Are you hungry? Best biscuit and gravy I’ve ever eaten made by Sandy’s hands!
Man talk!
Horsing around in Trinidad, CO.
We met and made new friends, Mike & Debra Messemer.
Debra’s creation: One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta & Chicken was delish!
She’s also a great baker and makes a variety of homemade preserves.
Our last night in Colorado.
Well, I hope you enjoy the journey of my vacation to a little piece of heaven.
Y’all come back now, ya hear?
Filed under Weston Colorado
Wintry Wonderland of Weston
Hi y’all!
Checkin’ in with my family, friends, & fans! I’m vacationing in Weston, CO with my husband and a couple of friends. More pictures to come! 🙂
What do you have going on this week?
Filed under Vacation
Harness Your Fears
The Adventure-etts recently went on another road trip. We went ziplining, y’all. Got a bird’s eye view of surrounding mountains, meadows, and canyons, even, zipped above a small waterfall. Had to do a lot of mountain and cliff climbing, but after getting air back into our lungs, we zipped across ten separate ziplines. It was a blast!
What about my fear of heights, you asked? Well, I harnessed my fears! On the first try (after three steps forward and two back), my eyes focused straight ahead, as I walked off the plank and went over and zippidy-do-da across!
I felt exhilarated. After the third zipline, I was able to look down at the view.
The girls and I had a great time.
Would I do it again? Heck yeah! Would love to go with my grandson next.
Me and my girls: Judy, Deborah, & LeAnn
Boarding the Humvee
All aboard!
Zippity-Do-Da
We harnessed our fears!
Some things I refuse to do, but there are some things I’m willing to experience. More adventures to come with the Adventure-etts.
“What is life but one grand adventure?”
Previous excursion – Rise to the Occasion
© M.A. Pérez 2016, All Rights Reserved
March 19, 2016 · 10:31 PM
Rise to the Occasion
Bucket list. I imagined I would. Some day. Always wanted to. But never really thought I’d actually go through with it.
My posse and me
I’ve been away on a mini-vacation, a road trip to San Marcus and to San Antonio. Not only did I go, but I went on this excursion with some great gal friends of mine. Overall, it was an exhilarating ride!
I learned a few things on this trip.
I learned that if you put your mind to a thing, you can fulfill a task (if you plan ahead). I learned that schedules don’t always go according to your plans. You may come across a few bumps and potholes along the way, and the winding roads of life may take a bit longer to get to your destination. And I learned that I don’t always do well during these obstacles. (Ahem.)
You see, my expectations may be to do thus and so, and once my mind is made up, I am in a wee bit hurry in getting there. But I also learned that it’s best to stop and smell the roses and make every second count. Because if you don’t, then you’ll regret that you didn’t do better when you easily could have. I learned (and I sometimes forget) to choose my battles and not all hiccups mean the end of the world! I learned that making each moment count are what makes every memory cherished. I learned that as much as I have strengths, I still have weaknesses that need work. Egads! I learned that growing older doesn’t necessarily mean you stop learning. I learned that no matter what, there is always something to be grateful for. And I learn (sort of already knew) that I have the bestest of friends! We love and accept one another–flaws and all–and if feeling down, we lift the other up!
So what did we do, you ask? You mean besides the driving, shopping, dining, visiting my in-laws, and shopping some more?
We went Up, Up and Away in My Beautiful Balloon!
Now those who know me know that I have acrophobia (not to be confused with arachnophobia, which I also happen to be but that’s another topic). Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have a fear of heights. Or is it a fear of falling? Either way, I tend to get the heebie-jeebies. I discovered I wasn’t the only one among us who was set on facing this fear. And so face it we did; we rose to the occasion. Matter of fact, I was so busy taking photos on my phone, I didn’t have much time to allow that nervousness to take over!
Before take off, once the pilot said to hop in, we (about fifteen total in all) scrambled up inside that basket (with a little assistance from the crew), howbeit somewhat clumsily with one of our legs unable to lower from the ledge of the basket down in our tight space. So much for dignity.
To Deborah, Judy and my new friend, LeAnn: Thanks for the memories. What’s next?
For your enjoyment, here are a few photos of our adventure.
Deborah & Judy
LeAnn and myself
Just about ready for take off.
All for one and one for all!
Up, up, and away!
The Adventure-etts: 3100 feet up!
Beautiful Sunset
© M.A. Pérez 2016, All Rights Reserved
Your life is like a balloon…if you never let yourself go, you will never know how far you can rise.
January 16, 2016 · 9:10 PM
Shark Bait
In his late twenties, my husband’s occupation was working on a 250 ft. workboat as an offshore surveyor in the Gulf of Mexico, staking out a pipeline for a jackup rig. This is his story …
“It was a fairly nice day, the weather was comfortable. In those days, I was wearing shorts and flip-flops. I had on a heavy belt with my big 7-inch sheath knife. It was early evening, and the sun was still out. We had to lift the anchor and head on out. The jackup rig was coming in and we needed to get the buoys made up and dropped on the pipeline. After about an hour, I had all my buoys made and the boat headed on out for miles, running around getting ready to make our run into the platform.”
“Now, the ship has to get real close to the platform, make a sharp turn, then line up on the pipeline and start dropping the buoys where the pipeline is supposed to be.”
“So, I’m standing there on the back deck, everything is going good, and my buoys are all made with the rope trailing in the water.”
Texas Oil Rig (Photo Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-14/oil-rig/4688344)
“I’m just kind of walking around with nothing to do, so I start to clean up. I throw scrapped rope off … tin cans … I’m just cleaning up the back of the deck. There’s this empty spool that usually has a rope on it. I lift the spool and hoist it over the deck and immediately think, Oh, no! I run to the back of the deck because I got my ropes on the buoys trailing on the water. I reach the edge of the boat and I’m watching that spool get caught on the rope. It’s like slamming on the brakes. My anchor shoots like a bullet right off the deck! And where I had it positioned, the buoy comes flying around and hits me from behind and just knocks me right off the back end of the boat into the water.”
“The first thing I figure out is that you can’t swim with flip-flops! I kick those suckers off!. I’m down under and freaking out, and just as I come on up, by instinct I start swimming for the boat. Now the boat’s doing 20 knots. There’s no way on God’s green earth I’ll ever catch it! And I immediately stop. I feel something and look around and realize I am inside the other buoy line! That thing can wrap me up and take me right under! I dive back down real quick and swim off to the side and come back up again. Then I start yelling for the boat … like they can hear me. Because of the engine noise alone, they can’t hear me. They also got all the pumps on in the back deck going as well. Nobody standing on the deck can hear me if they’re looking at me.”
Photo source: unknown
“I’m paddling my arms along and wondering, What the heck do I do now? I’m looking around and see the buoy that knocked me over. Now the cane pole on the buoy is broken; the flag is down in the water with the light bulb thingy. So I swim for it and grab a hold of the thing, but it really isn’t enough to keep me up. It helps to keep me buoyant, but it doesn’t really float me. I kind of hang onto it while lightly paddling to keep up. After a while I’m sitting there, watching the boat heading off into the distance … heading off … heading off. Now I can see the platform from where I’m at. I see the boat get right up to that big old platform and I think, Okay, right about now they’re going to make the turn. The boat turns and I think, Right about there, I’m supposed to drop a buoy. I’m watching and the boat makes another turn and then I think, Right about now, I should be dropping another buoy. And then, Right about now they’re going to realize something might be wrong! Then the lights come on in the boat! The spotlight is on, and the boat makes a sharp turn heading back on around.”
Photo Source: unknown
“All during this time, party Chief Mike is running through the boat, first going straight to my bunk, thinking I’ve fallen asleep through the whole thing. He then heads for the bathrooms and starts to panic. I’m told that Mike is going absolutely crazy; everybody is searching for me! The first thing that popped into their minds is that I had dropped a buoy, but had gotten wrapped up in it and went down with it – that’s what they thought. Now I can see the boat way off in the distance. As it comes on around to the platform, they start dropping the divers over searching for me, fearing I’m tied up in the buoy someplace down below. I’m sitting there all the while thinking, Hellooo? Hello guys! I can’t get that flag back up, because it broke about 3 or 4 feet above me, so I can’t really reach it to get it up. I’m thinking about breaking it while I’m paddling and then it dawned on me, There’s a counterweight on this thing!”
“I dive down but can’t get the thing broken off. I’m chewing on the tape to try to get it to tear and finally got it torn. The counterweight drops away and I swim back up. The buoy lies flat but it’s holding me up now. I was finally able to rest and hang onto it. I’m looking at the platform and was reaching for my knife to cut the rope loose and then I realize, My knife is gone! Apparently, the buoy hooked my knife when I got knocked off and ripped it right off my belt. So I’m sitting there trying to untie this thing. I’m working at it and working at it, and I could not get that thing untied! (I make a mean buoy.) It’s polypropylene, so there’s no chewing through a thing like that; it’s just really tough stuff. I finally give up on that (which is actually a good thing because God is good, I had lost my knife, and I make a mean buoy). If I had cut that rope and tried swimming to the platform, I’d have never made it. The current was going the other way – two, three miles away. I would have never made it. I’d had just gone with the current and would have been long gone. No telling if and when they would have found me.”
“I’m trapped here; I’m not going any place. It’s getting dark and I’m thinking, Man! They’re never going to find me! And then it hits me, I have a light here blinking and a flag! So I reach over–I can finally grab the broken part and actually hold it up out of the water–and now I’m sitting there waving it around. You know, miles away it’s really hard to notice a flag. I then see some of the other boats on the platform untied; running around and racing off down the south of the platform, just going in different directions. I’m thinking, What the heck are those guys doing? It turns out they were chasing all the little glow-in-the-dark things I had thrown over the side! So they’d see a speck of light out there and just head straight for it.”
Photo Credit: Oleg Doroshenko #9417199 (stock photo)
“Finally, somebody spots my little itty-bitty light off in the distance and heads towards me. I see my ship and a crew boat coming. My ship is heading for me on my right, and a little crew boat–maybe a 75-footer–very low on the water–heading for me off to my left. They’re coming at me and then I thought, Okay, NOW is when a shark shows up! I’m sitting there hanging on, waving my flag and they’re coming up. One of the guys has one of those big life rings.”
“Now you have to remember, this is a big boat. The bow of that thing is way the heck up there. I mean, it’s 15 feet or more, so there’s no way I’m crawling up there. I have to be able to come up the back or something. Anyway, one of the guys has this ring and he yells, “‘Mark, here, catch this!'” He flings it out, and it goes boing! and just stops cold and swings down; it doesn’t even touch the water. I put my arms out and I’m like ‘hello?‘ I then turn to swim for the crew boat because it’s so low in the water that I just climbed right up. The guys give me some drinking water and then transport me back to the other boat. It’s late into the evening when I am finally rescued. I was in that gulf for 6-7 hours before they found me.”
Photo Source: Pinterest
And so the moral of the story is…?
“I always carried three knives after that!”
Gotta love him.
Here’s to my wild and crazy, adventurous husband who was lost at sea for nearly 7 hours. He conquered fear–void of encountering any sharks–and remained of sound mind in the midst of danger. Thank God, he didn’t drown and had lost that knife, or he would have tried to swim and then been carried away by the current.
Happy Birthday, babe. You’re the cutest shark bait that I know. And I’m so glad God saved you for me.
I love you.
© M.A. Pérez, 2015, All Rights Reserved
Filed under Lost at Sea, Man Overboard, Offshore Surveyor
Reflections From the Heart 