Brandon Nadal Sampras Federer Wright

Brandon got invited to be a sub in the city tennis league tonight. He jumped at the chance to get out and play some tennis.

He played in the beginner's league...against a girl....but, hey, he won 6-0, 6-1. He says he was out there to help out a friend...but he was still nervous! He didn't want to get beat by a girrrrllllll!

"Funsie Onesies" - My New Project!!!

Many of you who know me know that I am a creative-type person. I've done artwork for years and find this to be a relaxing activity away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Despite my husband calling me "crazy and insane" for spending hours on end tie-dying onesies (I guess you could say I'm a bit obsessive compulsive), I think he has finally seen the light....

I would like to introduce to you: FUNSIE ONESIES!!!

This project idea started when I needed baby gifts for my friends. I didn't like all the pastel, boring onesies I found at the stores. Nothing was exactly what I wanted. I'm a color person....I'm not a pastel person. As I was sleeping in bed one night, the idea hit me like lightning. Why not tie-dye onesies? I've never seen anything like this...and it sounded SO CUTE!!! Seventy-five onesies later, my sister, Taylor, coined the term "Funsie Onesie" and so began my newest business line...

I sell the Funsie Onesies for $15 a piece plus shipping. And let me tell you, they are ADORABLE (if I do say so myself)! They are the perfect, unique baby gift for showers, birthdays, or "just because". Girls and boys, alike, can wear these with style! They are the COOLEST outfit for the HOT summer! (I thought of that line myself....clever, huh?)

I have Funsie Onesies in all sizes up to 24 months. I also carry t-shirts for babies, toddlers, and rambunctious kids. (Tie-dye seems to cover grass stains really well!)

Baby S makes his modeling debut in his Funsie Onesie.....DARN CUTE!

And who can't resist Baby P in his Funsie Onesie!?!?

And why stop with just the FUNSIE ONESIES?

I'd also like to introduce to you: Scarves 2DYE4!!!

Since I couldn't fit into a onesie myself, I needed a POP! of color to my boring outfit. I'm a scarf kind of person - winter OR summer. And these scarves, made of t-shirt material, are a light way to bring that POP! to your outfit.

The scarves are 72" long and 8" wide. The perfect length to wrap a couple of times around! The scarves sell for $50 plus shipping. It is the greatest money you could spend this summer!


If you are interested in either of the above items, please respond to this blog or send me an email at brookert005@gmail.com.

You can't go wrong!!!

Art on a Friday Evening

What do you get when you combine a blank canvas, some paint, a nice day, and a couple who has been married for 1 year???




One AWESOME new picture for our bedroom!!!

Riviera Maya Day 9

On the final day of our trip, Brandon and I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience...swimming with whale sharks! All we can say is, "WOW!" It was awesome to see these amazing animals up close and personal, close enough we could have touched them. They were SO BEAUTIFUL! The whale sharks were anywhere from 20 feet to 50 feet long, with heads up to 8 feet wide. We also got to see Dolphins, a reef shark, and manta rays!

Our trip to Mexico was SO relaxing and such a wonderful time for the two of us! We were sad to leave, but happy to be back home to Ohio safe and sound!

Riviera Maya Day 5

This was our favorite day yet!!! In fact, this is one of the big surprise adventures that I told you we were keeping secret until it happened.

Today, Brandon and I did the Tulum Extreme experience...and it was quite the experience! After a 2 hour drive, we arrived at Tulum - one of the most recent made Mayan ruins. The temple that Brandon and I are standing in front of is the Temple to worship the sun Gods. This is also the temple where human sacrifice is made. Apparently, they would find a slave, slice open the belly (while the person is alive), then the High Priest would reach in and pull out the heart. They felt the human heart to be the highest sacrifice. Then, they would throw the body into the bottom of the temple. The temple area was completely roped off...otherwise I would have been searching for Mayan bones...it's the autopsy tech in me, I guess!
The Mayans sure knew where to build their fortress... if I were an ancient Mayan, I would have chosen this location too!!!



After returning from the Tulum ruins, the small village at the bottom was putting on a Mayan show. These crazy fellows were hanging upside down swinging around....about 100 feet in the air! They expected me to pay them to take a picture with my own camera...didn't happen!
Since we had a long wait before lunch, Brandon and I grabbed a snack before hitting the road again. It was the best tasting $20.00 Dr. Pepper, gatorade, and chips. TWENTY DOLLARS! U.S. DOLLARS! Wish they would have displayed prices before opening the can!
On to one of our favorite parts....rappelling! Shane (B's brother) and Michelle would have LOVED this! We got to rappel 2 times down an 85 foot tree tower down into an underground cave. It was so beautiful and SO MUCH FUN!
Here's B hanging over the edge...
And here's me hanging over the edge...
Then.....we zip lined!!! SO FUN!!! Felt like we were flying! Here I am demonstrating the perfect cannonball type form.
And here is Brandon with our fabulous tour guide, Victor. He was so awesome!
And since Brandon had the camera with him...he became videographer as well. Please enjoy a ride on the zip line for yourself via B's camera!



We wish we could have experienced this with family...but some day will have to head back to Tulum Extreme!

Riviera Maya Day 3

It was another beautiful day in paradise!!! Brandon and I both got just a little sunburned (sorry Grandaddy!). Despite multiple sunscreen applications, it was just SO HOT and the pool was SO TEMPTING! I think our sunscreen wore off while we were out there!

The following picture is raw beef. That's right...and I ate some of it! I had to post this picture only because both of my sisters have eaten exotic foods (like guinea pigs!) and I had to show them that their older sister can live on the edge too!
This was Brandon's favorite meal of the whole trip! Some sort of steak...with some rice...and a chicken taquito and 2 empanadas. He raved all night long about the meal!
And this is just because I love him so much!
Our view at dinnertime!

Dessert.....yummy! Look at the presentation!
We are having such a great, RELAXING time! Until tomorrow...

Riviera Maya Day 2

Day 2 in Mexico was a beautiful day!!! From the very start, the resort exceeded our expectations!

Look how our fresh fruit was served in the morning! They even had fresh squeezed orange juice and hot tea to accompany the fruit!
At breakfast, these two parrots were walking around like they owned the place! One of them even walked up and chewed on my beach bag!!! There are parrots all over the place here and so beautiful with all their colors!
At lunchtime, Brandon and I took advantage of the pool-side service. The chips/salsa/guacamole/hummus/pica de gallo/refried beans combo was our favorite...but Brandon tried out the Mexican calzone and I tried the Thai pizza too! We washed that down with a little virgin pina colada...Mmmm!
This was our view for the day in our beach chairs. There is a lot of seaweed covering the beach...and the water has been pretty dirty (which seems to be our only complaint so far) but the pool has been excellent. The two-person loungers are nice for an anniversary couple like us...and the pool is quite refreshing. If you look in the middle of the pool, you will see multiple railings for the steps. You see, this is one big pool with four separate pools inside. Some areas only go as deep as your shins and others are as deep as your chest.
Right off the pool is the beach. This picture actually makes the water look better than it really is...(big props to our new Nikon D5000 camera!) This roped off area with caution tape is actually where a sea turtle has laid her eggs. Because sea turtles are a protected species, their nests are to remain undisturbed. The hotel staff blocks off these areas...and when it comes time that the turtles hatch, they have a releasing party. Unfortunately, the turtles will not be hatching anytime soon...so we will miss this event.
Every guest staying here gets a handmade Mayan bag to keep. The bag is HUGE and makes the perfect beach bag!
At nighttime, there is a Mariachi band which plays at the restaurant. These guys definitely would have made top 10 on American Idol!
Dinner with my handsome husband was my favorite part of the day!!! I am such a lucky wife!
Love to our family and friends!!!

One Year Anniversary Trip

We've made it to Riviera Maya, Mexico! Hard to believe that nearly one year has passed since Brandon and I said "I do!" We've had such a wonderful year and are so excited to get to celebrate our one year anniversary together here in Mexico! We're staying at an all-inclusive resort, which so far, has exceeded our expectations when it comes to customer service. Everything here is done first class. We'll do our best to keep you guys updated on our daily adventures!

When we arrived at the airport today, we were met by a very nice chauffer, who drove us in a pimped out, fully loaded (DVD player included) Expedition. We were greeted with ice cold towels and drinks before leaving the airport parking lot!

As we pulled into the resort, more staff was waiting for us - who each greeted us by name and welcomed us to Zoetry. They had cold drinks waiting for us and wouldn't let us carry any bags. We had a tour of the resort before heading to our room.

To start, here is a video of our room called "Antigua".



We fell asleep pretty quickly once we hit the beach. (Which explains why I don't have other pictures to share yet!!!)

We miss our friends and family, but are sure lucky to get to spend these 10 days, just the two of us, in such a beautiful place!