Proof.

I made it down to the 3 mile resthouse! My quads hurt. Who said going down was easier??

I have to go where?

Yes, back up that beast!

I survived the Canyon!

I can barely stand up at this point! I can't believe I made it but what other choice did I have! It is one of the biggest things I have ever done physically...5 hours. I rock!

I am so cool!

Mixing it up for the viewers. :)

Look...

You can be 4 places at once! Here I am in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona! Amy made me do this as well as the crowd standing around.

Here we go!

My faithful sidekick, Amy. She is a great traveling partner!

Our first stop.

Our first stop after entering the Canyon. What a view. It is so much more than a big hole in the ground!

How grand...

A picturesque shot of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim.

Having a blast!

Just enjoying the Canyon!

Scenic Overlook....

Hmmm..I am reevaluating my sunglasses! I feel like a bug! :)

Weirdo!

It's her first time through the Rocky Mountains. Does she look like she is having fun? I like this shot! Wolf Creek Pass 2009!

Coolin' off

It warmed us up hiking to the falls...so it was a cool break to hang out by the water.

Treasure Falls

A beautiful shot of Treasure Falls near Durango, CO. We hiked up to the falls. A good break to burn some calories on a road trip. Good thinking Amy!

On top of the world!

We took our students on a field trip to the top of Pikes Peak. We took the Cog up and the kids had a great time. They were awesome and I was so proud of them.

Braving the cold!

In the 5 or 6 times I have been to the top of Pikes Peak, I have never seen this much snow up there. In the background that is the top of the building towards the right. Amy, Scott and I braved the snow.

The Mission Pilots.

Just us girls, as Spivey would say. Getting ready to take the Cog back down Pikes Peak.

Windy day on the Peak.

So, a few boys were brave enough to venture outside with me. We walked around the top and I let them get close to the edge. They were pretending to be falling. It made me nervous! They had a blast and so did I!

A great team leader!

Anne and I posing for the camera on the top of Pikes Peak! Man, was it cold! She is an amazing person and was a wonderful team leader. :)

Some of my favs.

Don't tell them this but they were some of my favorite students. I won't lie, I was hard on them but they are great kids!

Avery, Marquis, and Remmon.

Who could resist this?

On our way down the cog and Joey is always entertaining me. He could always bring a smile to my face. :)

My crew!

As their official mission pilot I was in charge of these darlings! These kids always made me laugh...I will miss them. Oh, wait I will be teaching 7th grade next year, I will see most of them again! Yippeeee. :)

Leaving DIA.

This is where it all begins. I am at the Denver airport...waiting to head to Dallas and then onto San Jose, Costa Rica. I volunteered to get bumped from this flight and earned myself a free $250 airline voucher. I am looking to go to New York this summer. Any takers??

My new favorite airport!

So, if you ever have a chance, choose Dallas/Ft.Worth as a layover place. This airport was awesome! Go, check it out!

My first drink with my pookie!

My first day with my pookie in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica! Good times and good friends...what more can I ask for?

I spent a whole day here!

This was a beautiful beach! I should have taken more pictures to do it justice. Oh well, I remember it.

Going to the park...

Heading into the park to look for wild creatures and lay on the beach. I am feeling a little burned!

White faced monkeys....

They were so cute!

Bamboo!

If you know me, you should know that I love bamboo. So, if you didn't know, you just learned something new about me! Here I am in this awesome park and find an awesome bamboo tree! Speaking of this, I need some new bamboo.

The 3 amigos!

My wonderful tour guides Betty and Anderson. Thank you both for a great time in Costa Rica!

Loving the park!

Lovin' Costa Rica! Glad I found a sign so I could remember what the name of this place is called. I am getting old....I don't remember things so well anymore. They say after 3o....??

What a view.

Betty took a great pick before we left the park. I thank her for this shot!

Waiting for the bus...

Anderson and I waiting for the next bus to take us back to San Jose. I love this guy! Missing my pookie as I write this!

Panama City from afar.

Looking over at Panama City. Looks a little smoggy from here, but I loved it here in Panama!

My first walk.

My first good walk after riding on the bus from Costa Rica. It was a 16 hour trip. This was a beautiful walk with water on both sides.

City bus in Panama City

I loved the city buses in Panama City. They were so colorful and hey they are school buses! :)

Getting ready.

Waiting.

Tugboats and a yacht waiting to through the Panama Canal. I arrived at the perfect time because there are not always boats going through the canal. The canal still runs on the same technology that was developed when it opened back in 1914. Gravity....amazing isn't it?

My first boat.

This was my first experience watching ships go through the Panama Canal. What an amazing experience.

Summit

We found this place that is like a zoo only nicer. It was a dollar entrance fee and was well worth it.

Flowers

Beautiful flowers in the wild. Working on photography.

Toucan Sam?

This was as close as I could get to a real toucan! How cool?!

White faced monkeys....

He was having a good time...I am glad that I got to see some of them in the wild before having to see them in the cages.

Pretty birds...

They weren't really in the mood for talking but they posed nicely for me. They are beautiful!

Yucca!

This is the largest Yucca plant I have ever seen. It was on the side of the road that I was walking on in million degree heat to find a taxi. Needless to say it was an adventure and a $20 dollar taxi ride back to town. :)

to be continued....

Spring Break adventure will be added a little bit at a time. There is a lot to cover and doing it all at once will drive me crazy and burn my lap. You see I have my laptop on my lap and my legs are currently burning...so it is time for a break! More to come soon.....

Calypso Ferry

So, I'm not a fan of ferry or boats that go across the ocean...I get a little seasick. I survived by taking some Dramamine. Off to Tabago Island..spending the last day in Panama on the beach...such a rough life.

Island beach

Tabago Island...a nice place to lie in the sun. The water was another story. If you decide to go swimming in the ocean you have to get through the garbage first. I was disgusted but I did it..ONCE! Walking into the ocean through a slew of garbage is not my idea of a good time. The beaches in Costa Rica outdid this one by far!

Island home

Colorful photo of one the nicer places to live on this small, quiet island.

Church

This is the 2nd oldest church in the Western Hemisphere. They doing some repair and paint work on it. There was music playing loudly from inside the church..it reminded me of the death march music. Kind of creepy..but a beautiful sight none the less.

How much?

So, times are tough all around but I wonder how much this place is to rent? If I had the country code and area code..I would've called and got a quote. I mean prime location off the beach and all! :)

Tabago Island

A beautiful shot I took on Tabago Island off the coast of Panama City, Panama.

Leaving....

Walking out of the hostel at 4:45 AM to make it to the airport to fly back home. I had an amazing trip..good times, good friends and lots of memories!