Krystal Loverin

ArmyMustang

Krystal Loverin

Life is a series of adventures that take you from one moment in life to the next. What you make of these moments define who you are as a person. You can dwell on the setbacks and mistakes or you can accept them and strive forward with the determination to make the best of what is thrown at you. Never in a million years did I believe that I would have the good fortune to be able to travel and experience the world as I now am. I ask only that I can share the joys of the world with my children and give them a rich appreciation for the life and culture that is to be experienced, admired, and learned from. Not all are as blessed as we are but that does not mean that they are any less of a beautiful creation. May you all have new trails to walk down...

#LoveMyHusbandMoreThantheUSA






North America » Mexico » Tlaxcala May 1st 2014

May 1st is Labor Day in Mexico so it gave us the perfect excuse to escape and do a little exploring of our own. We've lived here almost 4 months now and we've done more exploring in other states than we have our own. It seems easier to plan a weekend trip than a one day outing. When everyone mentioned yesterday that today was a holiday, I decided to take advantage of it and drag them to some local ruins about 30-45 minutes away. My nieces decided to join us today while my SIL and nephew stayed home to mind the house and store. I wasn't exactly sure how to get to Cacaxtlabut I've seen some signs on the Santa Ana-Puebla highway so I just started driving in the direction of Tlaxcala and hoping the signs ... read more
Climbing the stairs to the top
Cacaxtla Wall art
Mural de la Batalla

North America » Mexico » Hidalgo April 5th 2014

After seeing the pictures on the website (http://www.elgeiser.com.mx/) and hearing about it from friends, I was eager to take a weekend trip out to the hot springs area of Hidalgo. I love the water but I can't stand it when it's too cold for me to even get in and enjoy it. I'm not 9 years old anymore jumping into the ice cold springs of California. Give me sun, shade, and warm water now! We left Nicole's house around 9am and took some lovely bad roads from Queretaro to Hidalgo. I can't believe the condition of some of these roads. Nicole said that the worst part is where the two states border each other and neither state wants to take responsibility for the road so everyone suffers. Not good for tourism but the locals are probably ... read more
The entrance to the park
Camping areas
The View from the Top


We got an early start this morning so we could have a full day to enjoy the ride. Everyone showed up at the house promptly and we loaded up the food, drinks, and kids into the van. We managed to fit 15 of us into the minivan which is no record for Mexico but it was a personal best for me. I cringed at the thought of all the children wedged into the back cargo area. Our daughters sat in the middle row on our laps. I had already messaged one of the url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/XOCHIMILCO-RECORRIDOS-EN-LAS-TRADICIONALES-TRAJINERAS/126104895887trajinera companiesin Xochimilco so we knew which embarcadero we were headed for, the very last one it turns out, Embarcadero Nativitas. They offered us a discount, the boat ride all the way out to the Island of the Dolls for 1350$ pesos. The ... read more
Helping paddle the boat
Dancing on the bow of the trajinera
Floating Musicians

North America » United States » California » San Francisco February 18th 2011

After another night spent battling Erika's fever, we were up and awake fairly early. We were able to get everything packed up and ready to go and out the door by 10:30am. We weren't headed home yet though, there was one more stop on this journey. We are heading farther south to Redwood City so José can visit with his old coworker Don Roberto. José wanted to stop in San Francisco and pick up some last minute souvenirs from Fisherman's Wharf. The rain was coming down so we weren't wanting to spend very much time out of the car if possible. #19 Russian Hill/Lombard Street: During all this time driving around San Francisco, we spent miles driving up and down Lombard Street but I couldn't figure out where the one block section of road was that ... read more
#14 Fisherman's Wharf
#47 AT&T Park

North America » United States » California » San Francisco February 17th 2011

Another morning spent battling the fever and boredom. I took the girls swimming in the outside pool figuring that the cool waters would help lower Erika's body temperature. The wading pool was downright chilly so we jumped into the main pool. I was very happy to see José join us after a few minutes. He took Mia with him into the hot tub while I splashed around with Erika in the large pool. We played more games of Spanish Bingo and Yahtzee but the girls were starting to get a little cabin fever. Erika was feeling fine for about three hours and was playing around the room with Mia so I started to get my hopes up. She ate a little bit of food and said that she felt fine. Her temperature was reading normal too ... read more
#39 Pier 39
Nighttime Bandit
SF Skyline at Night

North America » United States » California » San Francisco February 15th 2011

The only way to actually see anything when you're on vacation is to set the alarm clock and get up when it goes off, that is really the key there. Hitting the snooze button defeats the purpose and doesn't get you moving in the right direction very quickly. I made us a quick breakfast of banana pancakes, packed up some drinks and snacks for the day and we were headed out the door by 9:30am, it was a miracle! While researching different things that we could do to explore San Francisco, we came across the 49 Mile Scenic Drive. The 49 mile scenic drive was created in 1938 by the Downtown Association to highlight the city’s beauty and to promote it as a tourist destination. The route was also created as a way for visitors to ... read more
#27 China Beach
Our Scenic Drive Markers
#28 Legion of Honor (Holocaust Memorial)

North America » United States » California » Windsor February 14th 2011

Since our next destination was only an hour away and we had four hours between checkout and check in, we had a very nice lazy morning. We made orange rolls for breakfast and then changed into our bathing suits. The weather completely changed between yesterday and today. The lake was covered in a thick fog and we could only see grey as far as the eye could see. When we walked into the swimming area, stream was rising in clouds from the hot tub and pools. I headed straight for the hot tub while the girls played in the wading pool. In the daylight, I could see the regular swimming pool. We were the only ones out enjoying the rain falling on us in the rain. We checked out of our room at noon and started ... read more
Twisty Turns
Misty Mountains
The Long Awaited Chowder Bowl

North America » United States » California » Nice February 13th 2011

For just a few days, I can pretend that I have no worries in the world. We have absolutely no cares in the world, we can't change anything so it's time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the world around us. Neither of us have to rush back to any kind of job, Erika is just going to have to miss a few days of school, and we're going to spend some good quality time as a family. José loaded up the Escape while I finished all the last minute details in the house, packed up the food, fed the girls, called and had the newspaper put on hold, etc. The original plan had been to leave around 8am and we finally managed to load everyone up at 9am. The girls were eager to ... read more
My Blue Star Highway
One Bedroom at Worldmark Clear Lake
The First Dinner

North America » Mexico » Tlaxcala » San Antonio » Acuamanala January 31st 2011

This trip is never as simple as getting onto an airplane and flying to my destination. It generally looks more like this... 7:30am CST Wake up and pack up the last minute items 9:00am CST Load up the Explorer and head towards Puebla. Stop at the OXXO on the highway and buy a couple bottles of tequila (José's not going to be happy I didn't find the Don Ramon this trip). 9:20am CST Stop in la Zona de Talavera and purchase four pieces to take home for my mother's birthday in April. 10:00am CST Arrive at the CAPU bus station in Puebla, purchase tickets for the 11am departure on the Aeropuerto Expresso to Mexico City. Sit around the bus stop and munch on snacks while waiting patiently. 11:00am CST I am in luck, the bus offers ... read more
Talavera Plate
Talavera Jar (medium)
Talavera Jar (small)


The alarm was set for 8am but I turned it off and slept in until 9am because Mia woke up coughing around 6am and threw up some. Her fever had returned so I gave her another dose of the Advil and she fell back asleep tossing and turning. Last night I packed up a small suitcase with all the gifts and shoes for the family in Mexico City. New shoes for the four children of Maria and Victor, shoes for Rafael and Jimena in Zirandaro, and new shoes for my suegra (mother-in-law). A Leapster L-Max with several games in a nifty little backpack for José's son Anthony. A DS Lite with several games for José's son Michel. Four Gillette deodorants for Marilub to take to Zirandaro for Tío Martín. A bottle of cranberry extract capsules for ... read more
Chisme
Los Niños
Azul y Concha




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