Overdue Willis Update

So ... we've fallen behind a bit on the blogging front. I began several posts that I never finished. Others I never even started -- although I thought about it. In any case, it is now more than three months since spring break with nary a peep from "The Willis Way."

Today, the situation is rectified, at least somewhat.

Below is a reverse-chronological, mostly pictoral, update of Willis family happenings over the last 3+ months. (Of course, it ends at the 4th of July -- always behind...)

Fourth of July

Abby, Alex, Pete, Ben, and cousin Anika

Kids and cousins playing on slip and slide at neighbor's house during our cul-de-sac's annual Fourth of July party (the entire extended Willis family was present).

Trip to Utah

Camping, boating, and fishing at Strawberry Resevoir with Grandpa Kelly, Jen's uncle Brent and cousin Justin

Hiking to (and through) Timpanogos Cave with Grandma and Grandpa Kelly

The annual (or so) BYU pilgrammage

Salt Lake City's Liberty Park

Visit to the Hill AFB Air and Space Museum and picture at Great Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's house

The marriage of Sean (Jen's brother) and the now Jennifer Anne Kelly (which also happens to be Jen's full maiden name) at the Salt Lake temple -- on our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Abbigail's 8th Birthday and Baptism

Abby Dance/Music Recitals

Father-Son Campout

(I borrowed the truck from a friend -- but Ben to this day thinks it's mine. One day...)

Alex Baseball

Alex's 6th Birthday

Ben's 2nd Birthday

Easter

Spring Break

As Easter was early this year, so was the kids' spring break. I worked the entire week (and then some) but Jen managed to fill the days with trips to Butler Ochard's "Bunnyland," the county's one-day "spring break" agricultural fair (both with various cousins), and a metro-ride trip downtown to have lunch and take a stroll with Dad.

In Belize to Celebrate 10 Years . . . Almost

Jen and I recently celebrated our (almost) 10-year anniversary with a memorable "long weekend" in Belize. After leaving our children in the (thankfully) willing and capable hands of my parents, we flew to Houston, then to Belize City, from which we took a single-engine prop plane to the town of Dangriga. From Dangriga it was only a 40-minute van ride (over varying types of terrain) to our destination -- a wonderful little resort just south of the town of Hopkins called Jaguar Reef.

The resort, like the trip in generally, gets high marks all around. Our cabana was, quite literally, a stone throw away from the Caribbean Sea, and the resort had an assortment of snorking, boating, and sailing gear available for use upon request (one of our favorite activities was taking the resort's sea canoes on excursions up and down the coastline). As if this weren't enough, we also embarked on a series of "adventures" from the lodge, which took us (over a three-day period) zip-lining through the rain forest, tubing through caves, hiking through the largest jaguar preserve in the world, and exploring Mayan ruins (I know, it sounds like a Carnival cruise line commercial, but it's true).

In sum, the setting was perfect (the type of place where you feel the stress slide off of you the moment you arrive), the food was great, the staff was excellent, the trips were neat . . . and the company was ideal. Our only regret -- and as much as we missed our sweet children -- was that we couldn't have stayed but a couple of days more. But there will be other times -- on the next one, the kids may just have to come along.