Blog addition

Check out my new little gadget added to my blog - on the top right hand side of the page. Fun and exciting news for the Hammonds this year!!! :)

Happy St. Pat's!!!

So tonight I sit at home making my own green beer, but I put too many drops of food coloring in! I have never seen green beer this "green" - ha!!!! I hope everyone is enjoying this Irish holiday. Be safe! Top o' the morning to you all!

Upcoming St. Patty's Day

I was able to talk to my good friend Maggie lastnight on the phone for the first time in a long time. How I miss her! One of the reasons I was really wanting to talk to her this week is because our favorite holiday is approaching- St. Patty's Day, so I have been thinking of her and wondering if she is going to celebrate. I have many fun memories of sharing this holiday with Maggie. My favorite is going to Chicago and seeing the green river, the bag pipers, and drinking green beer. Maggie is an Irish Lassie just like myself- and she married and Irish Lad so she is able to carry on the Irish name.

I also remember as a kid spraying my hair green for school each St. Patty's Day. Talk about going all out! Now, my St. Patty's Days seem much more tame- I am not willing to put up with the 500 people that like to go out to the three Irish bars in the Twin Cities areas. :) But, I have spent a few years at O'Garas in St. Paul, The Local in Minneapolis, Half Time Rec in St. Paul, Gabe's by the Park in St. Paul, McGovern's in St. Paul, and O'Donavan's in Mpls.

Recently, I also spent a few St. Patty's Days in Arizona in the past few years with family. My Dad likes to buy green trinkets so when we wake up we all have a necklace or hat to wear. We drink green Margaritas and have a celebration in the warm weather. We sometimes eat corn beef and cabbage- even though I am not the hugest fan. :) Really, it's about the people you are with and you can always make your own St. Patty's Day fun!

Oh what fun that St. Patty's Day. This year, I am not up to much - but I will think about all of the fun times I have had in years past.

Here's to good friends, celebrating St. Patty's Day whatever way we choose, and wearing green! Erin Go Brah!

Time to Catch Up!!

This is the first weekend we are back from Mexico. I finally feel caught up on laundry, house chores, and my work. Now, I'd like to catch up with my family and friends since it has been a while. I am having lunch today with Kamie and Colleen which I am excited for since I haven't seen them for a while. Then Joe and I are driving up to see my Dad and Pam tomorrow. We may get to see Shannon, Mike, Brendan, Devyn too if it works out and they are around at their cabin which is 15 minutes from my Dad's. It will be a nice drive up to Turtle Lake. Hopefully the snow that we are supposed to get won't cause any problems! I wish there were more time in the weekend to do all of your chores/errands and catch up with your loved ones!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Back to Life, Back to Reality!!!

We arrived home from Mexico late Saturday night. We left Mexico and the temperature was in the low 80s. We landed in Minneapolis and it was a warm 9 degrees! Are you kidding me?!?!? We were expecting it to be in the 30s so it was a little shock to the system.

Our resort, El Dorado Royale, was amazing. It is located South of Cancun - half way in between Puerto Morales and Playa Del Carmen. The weather was great- it rained just one morning for a little bit but the sun was out by 11 or 12. It was an all-inclusive, so we had endless drinks and food. The restaurants were spectacular- we have never eaten this good. There is an Italian restaurant, Oriental, Mediterranean, Mexican, Specialty Cuisine, Burger/Pizza joint, and the list goes on....

We took many walks along the beach, I went jogging along the ocean, we rotated from pool time to beach time, we went to Playa Del Carmen for a day to shop and over to Cozumel on the ferry, the boys went snorkeling, Angie and I were sun goddesses (does that surprise you?), and we met some interesting people.

My favorite part of the trip was just waking up early with no set agenda for the day and having a full day to enjoy the weather and what the resort has to offer. Here are some pics of El Dorado Royale, we truly recommend this resort. Our honeymoon resort, Adventura Spa Palace was amazing too, but we thought this one was fun for the four of us.

It's so sad to be back to reality, we want to go back to Mexico!!! I also used my Spanish skills quite a bit, and that is always fun for me! It comes back easier than I think.