Sunday, June 28, 2009
Can you believe this guy?
Matthew is seriously insane, I never thought I'd marry such a crazy guy, but I love him. So the other day he askes me to give him a mohawk, he actually wanted to have it for his graduation but his family and I gave him a big NO. He truly surprises me sometimes with his requests, but for some reason I always seem grant them. So his hair was getting a bit long and it was time to shave it off again, but he asked me to give him a mohawk first. I guess he just wanted to see how it would look on him, so I did my best and gave him a mohawk. He laughed so hard when he looked in the mirror and wore it for the entire day, then I cut it off and evened it out with the rest of his hair by the end of the night. Of course, here's proof, enjoy!
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Joys of Moving
Matthew and I had a huge sale about two weeks ago and sold almost everything. We also gave away a bunch of stuff. Anyway we thought we could live on the bare minimum and boy has it been tricky. I've had to get really creative around my kitchen and bedroom. As you can see I had to use a butter knife to cut everything because I sold my knife set.
and we had to sleep on towels for a night (until I asked my neighbor if I can borrow some) because we gave our sheets away. And out of all nights, that night was the coldest, Matthew was freezing and could only cover half of his body with the towel, I was laughing so hard when he told me the next morning.
It's been crazy to say the least, now, our apartment is completely empty, we are sleeping on a borrowed air mattress, which is the only other thing in our apartment besides our suitcases. But we are finally leaving tomorrow and are so excited to see family again. We made a lot of wonderful friends here that we will miss dearly, here we are at the Guaynabo church building, our last time attendeding the Metro ward
We truly look forward to a new chapter in our lives.
and we had to sleep on towels for a night (until I asked my neighbor if I can borrow some) because we gave our sheets away. And out of all nights, that night was the coldest, Matthew was freezing and could only cover half of his body with the towel, I was laughing so hard when he told me the next morning.
It's been crazy to say the least, now, our apartment is completely empty, we are sleeping on a borrowed air mattress, which is the only other thing in our apartment besides our suitcases. But we are finally leaving tomorrow and are so excited to see family again. We made a lot of wonderful friends here that we will miss dearly, here we are at the Guaynabo church building, our last time attendeding the Metro ward
We truly look forward to a new chapter in our lives.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Barcelonetta, Old San Juan, & Botanical Gardens
By June 10th, most of our family had gone home and we were left with eight, apart from Matthew and I. It was nice to have only one van to drive around. We went to Barcelonetta to check out the outlet stores. Luckily they had some really good deals that day. As soon as we arrived, we headed for the restrooms, which are inside the food court, because it's such a long trip. Inside the food court they had this mini carousel that Naomi fell in love with. 
We probably spent about $7 so she could go around and around again. Oh and she stole this hat from her grandma, for some reason she loves big hats. She has a smaller version of this type of hat that fits her perfectly, but she wanted the bigger one. She kept it on the whole time we were there.
When we finally left the food court and started shopping, she pulled grandpa aside and led him all the way back to the carousel. she knew exactly where it was and wanted to ride again! She cracks me up.
My mom, mother-in-law, and I bought ourselves these hats at a store where everything was $10. We went crazy, they had beautiful jewelry, purses, and other accessories. I've always wanted a hat like this; the ones I've seen are always too flimsy or shaped weired, so I had to buy it.
I also bought a new purse, I needed one so bad, the zipper on my old purse broke and I'm always afraid of leaving it open. Plus I had that purse for over 3 years. I was so excited when I saw the new Coach store. They had purses that were 50% off plus an additional 10% off. Matthew said if I could find something I liked that was under $100 then I could buy it. To tell you the truth, I didn't think I would, but I did! I found a nice leather Coach purse for $87. Score!
Old San Juan was our next stop. The family bought all of their last minute souvenirs and enjoyed the beautiful buildings.
My mom
My mom and grandma Mickey
And last but certainly not least, we enjoyed a relaxing walk inside the Botanical Gardens in Rio Piedras. This is another one of my favorite places, I'm going to miss it so much. Matthew and I always came here when we had nothing else to do and it was always so enjoyable.
Matthew brought his baseball and gloves so he can play ball with his dad, I thought that was so sweet.
My mother-in-law and Naomi
my mom
I can't wait to see all of them so soon again.
We probably spent about $7 so she could go around and around again. Oh and she stole this hat from her grandma, for some reason she loves big hats. She has a smaller version of this type of hat that fits her perfectly, but she wanted the bigger one. She kept it on the whole time we were there.
When we finally left the food court and started shopping, she pulled grandpa aside and led him all the way back to the carousel. she knew exactly where it was and wanted to ride again! She cracks me up.My mom, mother-in-law, and I bought ourselves these hats at a store where everything was $10. We went crazy, they had beautiful jewelry, purses, and other accessories. I've always wanted a hat like this; the ones I've seen are always too flimsy or shaped weired, so I had to buy it.
I also bought a new purse, I needed one so bad, the zipper on my old purse broke and I'm always afraid of leaving it open. Plus I had that purse for over 3 years. I was so excited when I saw the new Coach store. They had purses that were 50% off plus an additional 10% off. Matthew said if I could find something I liked that was under $100 then I could buy it. To tell you the truth, I didn't think I would, but I did! I found a nice leather Coach purse for $87. Score!
Old San Juan was our next stop. The family bought all of their last minute souvenirs and enjoyed the beautiful buildings.
My mom
My mom and grandma Mickey
And last but certainly not least, we enjoyed a relaxing walk inside the Botanical Gardens in Rio Piedras. This is another one of my favorite places, I'm going to miss it so much. Matthew and I always came here when we had nothing else to do and it was always so enjoyable.
Matthew brought his baseball and gloves so he can play ball with his dad, I thought that was so sweet.
My mother-in-law and Naomi
my mom
I can't wait to see all of them so soon again.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Week after the Graduation
After the graduation, we were able to really enjoy the island. We visited plenty of tourist locations and took advantage of the vacation. The day after the graduation we took a boat out to Icacos...well more like two boats, we had to leave three people behind for the second trip, again due to the number of people. This was one of the boats that took us over. 
My mom and I on the smaller boat. She absolutely loved it here, I was so grateful that she was able to make it. She was a little nervous because she doesn't swim, but she did very well and even got in the water. I think that was her first time ever in the ocean. It was the perfect beach for it being her first time.
The Island of Icacos.
The whole gang relaxing on the beach.
My mother. This was also the first time she ever wore a bathing suit. I told her she could't leave Puerto Rico without putting one on. Luckily my mother-in-law had an extra one that fit nicely.
I love this picture of all of them in the water. The background is so beautiful. This is what I'm going to miss.
When we got back to Fajardo, we stopped for pinchos and piña coladas. 
They usually have these beautiful large parrots, but the guy told me they were sleeping, they just had these little birds out there.
The following day we went to El Yunque (the rainforest)
...and hiked all the way down to the waterfall.
On our way up it poured on us, some of us really enjoyed it because it cooled us off, while others dreaded it.
Here we are completely drenched.
My mom and I on the smaller boat. She absolutely loved it here, I was so grateful that she was able to make it. She was a little nervous because she doesn't swim, but she did very well and even got in the water. I think that was her first time ever in the ocean. It was the perfect beach for it being her first time.
The Island of Icacos.
The whole gang relaxing on the beach.
My mother. This was also the first time she ever wore a bathing suit. I told her she could't leave Puerto Rico without putting one on. Luckily my mother-in-law had an extra one that fit nicely.
I love this picture of all of them in the water. The background is so beautiful. This is what I'm going to miss.
When we got back to Fajardo, we stopped for pinchos and piña coladas. 
They usually have these beautiful large parrots, but the guy told me they were sleeping, they just had these little birds out there.
The following day we went to El Yunque (the rainforest)
...and hiked all the way down to the waterfall.
On our way up it poured on us, some of us really enjoyed it because it cooled us off, while others dreaded it.
Here we are completely drenched.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Matthew's Graduation Continued...
June 5th was the big day. The graduation took place in an auditorium at the Bayamon Campus.
The entire ceremony was really nice, I was quite impressed. They had a beautiful musical number with flamenco inspired music and great speeches given by the President of the University, the Dean of Optometry school, and the President of the graduating class. It was then when the Master of Ceremonies called the president of Matthew's class as Dr. Alma Regnault when we all realized that Matthew and all of his other classmates had truly become doctors. What an amazing accomplishment. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be with Matthew side by side throughout the last part of his educational journey.
Of course the family went crazy when Matthew's name got called, we had 21 people in our group so our cheering was well heard. I video taped Matthew receiving his diploma but the video was too long to post. But here he is, Dr. Matthew Ulibarri coming down the stage with his diploma
The three amigos, Rudi, Chris, and Matthew. We've become great friends with them and are so blessed to have known them and their families.
We just had to do it, we deserve that diploma too!
Dr. and Mrs. Christensen, Dr. and Mrs. Jackman, and Dr. and Mrs. Ulibarri, sounds good doesn't it? 
Matthew's family was so supportive, they came all the way from California to see him graduate. He is so blessed to have all the support that he does. 
After the graduation, we were all invited to enjoy a small meal and dessert at the Optometry school. We had the opportunity to say goodbye to many of Matthew's closest classmates, this is Virginia, she was in most of his rotations in Puerto Rico, and I got to know her as well, very sweet person.
After this we headed over to Isla Verde to enjoy some Puertorican entertainment right on the beach, then we headed over to J.H. Yeez, where I made reservations to celebrate. It's a really good chinese food restaurant.
The service was amazing and we enjoyed a wonderful evening together. 
The entire ceremony was really nice, I was quite impressed. They had a beautiful musical number with flamenco inspired music and great speeches given by the President of the University, the Dean of Optometry school, and the President of the graduating class. It was then when the Master of Ceremonies called the president of Matthew's class as Dr. Alma Regnault when we all realized that Matthew and all of his other classmates had truly become doctors. What an amazing accomplishment. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be with Matthew side by side throughout the last part of his educational journey. Of course the family went crazy when Matthew's name got called, we had 21 people in our group so our cheering was well heard. I video taped Matthew receiving his diploma but the video was too long to post. But here he is, Dr. Matthew Ulibarri coming down the stage with his diploma
The three amigos, Rudi, Chris, and Matthew. We've become great friends with them and are so blessed to have known them and their families.
We just had to do it, we deserve that diploma too!
Dr. and Mrs. Christensen, Dr. and Mrs. Jackman, and Dr. and Mrs. Ulibarri, sounds good doesn't it? 
Matthew's family was so supportive, they came all the way from California to see him graduate. He is so blessed to have all the support that he does. 
After the graduation, we were all invited to enjoy a small meal and dessert at the Optometry school. We had the opportunity to say goodbye to many of Matthew's closest classmates, this is Virginia, she was in most of his rotations in Puerto Rico, and I got to know her as well, very sweet person.
After this we headed over to Isla Verde to enjoy some Puertorican entertainment right on the beach, then we headed over to J.H. Yeez, where I made reservations to celebrate. It's a really good chinese food restaurant.
The service was amazing and we enjoyed a wonderful evening together. 
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Matthew's Graduation and Family Visit
Overall, Matthew and I had a great time playing tour guides for our family and although our schedules were mostly hectic, we enjoyed many beautiful activities as a family.
May 31st was our first trip to the airport to pick up Uncle Steve, Martha, and little Bella, as soon as we left the airport we drove them to Taco Bell and dropped them off at their hotel (The Intercontinental). On June 1st, we headed towards the Bacardi Factory for a tour and some souvenirs for Steve and Martha and then kept driving to arrive at Mar Chiquita. We enjoyed some pretty good snorkeling and relaxed on the beach until it started raining. We headed home and ate at Metropol in Isla Verde. They really enjoyed that.
June 2nd was spent at the Intercontinental, we enjoyed all the amenities of their hotel and took advantage of their awesome pool area. After a dip in the pool we took a trip to Old San Juan and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. Unfortunately, the service was horrible, and our experience was a little sour, but we got free shot glasses for our troubles, whoohoo. Of course, we gave those to Matthew's anunt and uncle.
Bella with her face full of sour cream from her nachos.
On June 3rd we had 8 more people arrive, as soon as we got to the airport it started to pour, the most difficult part was picking up our rental vans from Hertz because loading the luggages, two old ladies, and a baby into the vehicles was an ordeal in itself. But we finally settled in our cars and headed to our apartment.
Here's Naomi waiting her turn to go into one of the vans. poor thing was so tired from the trip
So in total, we had 10 people stay in our apartment, it actually worked out pretty well, we made sleeping arrangements ahead of time and gave ourselves time to get ready everyday. We just relaxed that day and then went grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks. We left Costco with two full shopping carts.
June 4th was the day before the graduation, so we spent the day at Plaza Las Americas to purchase all final items for the graduation. Since there were so many of us we split, the boys went there way, while us girls went our way. We had tons of fun shopping for the graduation. Then we got together for lunch and introduced them to Soft and Creamy, the best ice cream on the island, and bought Matthew a few graduation gifts. Here we are at the food court enjoying our lunch.
Later that evening we got together with two of Matthew's classmates and their families for a BBQ on the beach in Isla Verde, where Krsiten and Rudi rent an apartment. We met Kristen and Rudi's family as well as Emily and Chris' family. It was nice to see Emily again and meet little Taylor, she's so adorable.
Kristen's father Dicky did the honors of grilling our burgers and hot dogs.
The boys
May 31st was our first trip to the airport to pick up Uncle Steve, Martha, and little Bella, as soon as we left the airport we drove them to Taco Bell and dropped them off at their hotel (The Intercontinental). On June 1st, we headed towards the Bacardi Factory for a tour and some souvenirs for Steve and Martha and then kept driving to arrive at Mar Chiquita. We enjoyed some pretty good snorkeling and relaxed on the beach until it started raining. We headed home and ate at Metropol in Isla Verde. They really enjoyed that.
June 2nd was spent at the Intercontinental, we enjoyed all the amenities of their hotel and took advantage of their awesome pool area. After a dip in the pool we took a trip to Old San Juan and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. Unfortunately, the service was horrible, and our experience was a little sour, but we got free shot glasses for our troubles, whoohoo. Of course, we gave those to Matthew's anunt and uncle.
Bella with her face full of sour cream from her nachos.
On June 3rd we had 8 more people arrive, as soon as we got to the airport it started to pour, the most difficult part was picking up our rental vans from Hertz because loading the luggages, two old ladies, and a baby into the vehicles was an ordeal in itself. But we finally settled in our cars and headed to our apartment.
Here's Naomi waiting her turn to go into one of the vans. poor thing was so tired from the trip
So in total, we had 10 people stay in our apartment, it actually worked out pretty well, we made sleeping arrangements ahead of time and gave ourselves time to get ready everyday. We just relaxed that day and then went grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks. We left Costco with two full shopping carts. June 4th was the day before the graduation, so we spent the day at Plaza Las Americas to purchase all final items for the graduation. Since there were so many of us we split, the boys went there way, while us girls went our way. We had tons of fun shopping for the graduation. Then we got together for lunch and introduced them to Soft and Creamy, the best ice cream on the island, and bought Matthew a few graduation gifts. Here we are at the food court enjoying our lunch.
Later that evening we got together with two of Matthew's classmates and their families for a BBQ on the beach in Isla Verde, where Krsiten and Rudi rent an apartment. We met Kristen and Rudi's family as well as Emily and Chris' family. It was nice to see Emily again and meet little Taylor, she's so adorable.
Kristen's father Dicky did the honors of grilling our burgers and hot dogs.
The boys
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