Once Upon a Parasite...

Clint and Rachel Jaime and Monique Vince, Lafe and Hannah, Greg, Savannah and Jenny

The Monticello Temple really early in the morning

Greg, Monique, Savannah and I left Provo on April 22nd really late at night. We drove all through the night. We had plans to take shifts staying awake with the driver but in reality none of us could end up falling asleep so we all stayed awake most of the night.


Mexico Day One:

We got to Mexico around noon on April 23rd. I was so excited to cross the border and finally be in a different country. The scariest thing was when the Mexican military stopped us at their check point and I noticed a military man with a huge gun! I have always been terrified of guns and seeing it shocked me! After stopping at the check point we made our way to the place we were supposed to meet Clint.

Monique and I in the car after no sleep

After meeting up with Clint and getting Greg's car situated we were on our way to the place we would be staying for the next week. I had no idea what I was in for.... When Clint pulled the van up to the place, I was totally in heaven! I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I decided right then and there that I never wanted to go back to Provo again. After showering and getting settled, Monique and I decided to go exploring and take pictures of our heaven.... While we were doing this, Clint and Rachel went to go and pick up the other's who were out riding horses. Here are some of the photos we took of the place we stayed.

Once everyone got back we all loaded up in Clint's van and went out to eat. I was a bit nervous because I have a hard time handling spicy food. I was so happy to find out that I could order a sandwich and be fine. After eating our first meal in Mexico, we headed home and I fell asleep pretty fast.


Mexico Day Two:

This was the day that I had been looking forward to and dreading all at the same time. We were going to take off and go camping. The only kind of camping I have ever done is girls camp and everyone told me that it was not real camping. We loaded the van up and made our way over to Clint's parents house to get the two trucks we were going to be using. Once getting everything all situated we took off for my greatest adventure yet. We drove for quite a while into this canyon like place. It was so beautiful! Once getting there we unloaded everything and went and got into our swimming suits and headed for the lake. Once again I had a fear to face. I cannot swim and have been terrified of drowning for quite a while. I decided to face this fear head on and I at least got on the little boat...

Savannah and me Me on the boat Attempting to be modest


Once getting done at the lake we headed to a part of the canyon called The Stairs. Once again I was in awe over how beautiful this place was. We hiked around for a while and I had a blast. We even came upon a rattlesnake, which Clint took care of. I couldn't watch him kill the snake but I saw the aftermath.


Mexico Day Three:

I did it! I officially spent my first night out camping! It was an amazing experience and I loved it.... For those of you who doubted me, I just totally proved you wrong! We ended up spending the rest of the day at The Stairs... Here are some more of our pictures.


Mexico Day Four:

Today was the day that I was wanting to get away from Utah from. It would have been my five year wedding anniversary to Sean. I was extremely happy to be spending the day in a foreign country many miles away from him! We spent the morning and a little of the afternoon shopping. I ended up finding some really cool things to bring home. At lunch time we all met together and ate the most delicious sandwiches ever. They had pork, tomatoes and avocados on them. After being done shopping we went over to Clint's parents house and then went sight seeing around there. I was a little sad because my camera died and I was not able to get pictures of the temple there. It was so beautiful. Another sad thing is that the gates were locked so we could not go on the temple grounds. Overall though, it was a great day!


Mexico Day Five:

Today we got up early in the morning to make it to church on time. Clint's family is part of the English branch there so we decided to go with them. It was interesting to go to church there and to see some of the differences. I am glad that I went and was able to partake of the sacrament. After church we went over to Clint's parents house for dinner. After dinner we went home to take a nap before heading over to some of the ruins. It was at this time that I started feeling really sick and cramping big time. I ended up staying in bed the rest of the night in pain.


Mexico Day Six:

We woke up at 5:00 am this morning and loaded everything up in the van. We met Clint's mom at a gas station and she drove half of us back to Greg's car. We spent the rest of the day driving home. The whole way home I was cramping and felt miserable....

So, I have been home from Mexico for a little while and just found out that I got myself a parasite while down there. My loving sister Cori decided to name him Stan... Since coming home I have not been able to keep food down and have lost ten pounds. I am now on medicine, which will hopefully get rid of Stan and I can finally do things around here!

An Ode to Stan

I went to Mexico to get a tan
and in the process came home with Stan.
Stan is such a royal pain in the neck
I wish he would die and go to heck!
I never thought that I could hate
hate losing so much weight.
Basically all I ever do is sleep
when I am awake I want to weep.
I could use lots of hugs
and definitely need more powerful drugs!