Kim and Dan's wedding

Kim and Dan's wedding was about 15-20 minutes up the beach from The Royal. We taxied up there (about 30-40 of us) and the ceremony was on the beach. Here are the groomsmen, Dan and the pastor:

The bridesmaids: Jennifer, Melissa and Michelle:

Ryan was honored to walk Kim down the "isle"


Kim and Dan at the start of the ceremony

Exchaning of the vows and rings

The kiss

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Keen and the mariachi band

It was a small and quick ceremony. Grandpa Jim and Uncle Keith took photos of the bridal party and family as Kim's friend, JaJetta directed everyone for photos. It was hot, but Kim and Dan were smart and planned ahead - they provided 2 coolers full of bottled water, soda and beer for everyone as we waited during the photos. Once the wedding and photos were complete, it was off to the taxis again. We then drove to Cancun (another 30-40 minutes north) to a large boat aka booze cruise and went to a small island off the coast of Cancun. We ate, drank and partied! There was a show (similar to a luau) and most of the family and friends danced or sung on stage at some point. It was a blast and I could tell both Kim and Dan had tons of fun and were very happy.

Mexico Waterfall at The Royal

This is the view from the lobby area, out to the courtyard at night. This was a huge pool of water that ended up being this gorgeous waterfall and pool below. Ryan thought this was the coolest waterfall and wanted to get a good photo, but the lighting isn't great. Also, pictures DO NOT do this place any justice. It was wonderful!

You can kind of see the waterfall behind Ryan's mom, Jill, and her husband, Wayne.

Ryan and I in Mexico!

A better view of the waterfall into the pool below during the day...

Mexico & Kim and Dan's Wedding

This is where we stayed in Playa del Carmen for Dan & Kim's wedding:

Just kidding! That was the hotel being built next door and the view we saw when we walked out of our room. This is where we really stayed "The Royal - Playa del Carmen". This is the courtyard on the inside of the hotel. The archway you can see in the middle leads to the "foyer", which is about the size of a large house!

This is the pool I spent most of my free time next to. The hotel staff would bring you drinks, books, sunscreen...pretty much whatever you wanted. I stuck with reading my own book and drinking Mango Tangos and plenty of water!

Baby Niana Grace

So, you may have noticed I don't blog very often and I don't have many photos. I FINALLY loaded my photos from our camera to my PC. It only took me...oh, about 8 months. Now I have some photos to post!

Niana's cute feet

Sleeping baby Niana

This shirt says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" I think it's great!



Sleeping in the carseat

My Senssaria Job

I just looked back on some of my other posts and I thought I'd give a little update. Some of you have asked me and I'm sure the rest of you have been wondering and it's been keeping you up at night :)...how my Sensaria business is going. It is going well. December marks my 12th month as a Sensaria representative and I have had a good year. I have been building my business, my client base as well as learning how to balance my time between my 2 jobs (still at Ruby), my wonderful husband, God, working out (what? does that still exist), my friends and other great things I am blessed with. I plan to continue with my business in 2008 and hope for an even better year. I work with a wonderful group of women in the Portland area and I get to make my own hours. I get out of it what I put into it. And, I have made a little extra money for things like eating out or shopping or pamping myself with a haircut or 2. I have put money back into my business as well, but I think that is expected in your 1st 2 years in a new business. Anyway, overall it is going well. Check out my site at www.sensaria.com/charlenehuwe . Thanks for your support, all you hosts and clients and friends! :)

Merry Christmas!

Since I haven't been sending out Christmas cards, letters or even photos, I suppose this will have to do. I also haven't blogged in a while and I keep getting the gentle nudges from people to update this...so here it is. I have no photos because my camera and my PC stopped communicating. Ryan did show me an alternative way to upload my pics to my PC, but I just haven't made the time. So, you get this. Not much of a Christmas card, I know, but it will have to do. I love you all and Ryan and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2008. We look forward to sharing our lives with you in the new year. Maybe I'll even have more posts than you can count on one hand. :)

I'm an aunt

My sister gave birth to beautiful Niana (knee-on-uh) Grace Holman on Tuesday, July 24 approximately 6pm (my 29th birthday). Niana weighed in at 8 pounds and was 21 inches long. Niana's parents, Scott and Susan are doing well, but are in need of rest! Grandma and Grandpa Holman live nearby and Grandma Sylvia is visiting for 3 weeks to help Susan with things around the house and is more than willing to babysit her granddaughter if necessary. Niana is doing well and is healthy.

...and a promotion!

Not only do we have a new kitten...but I got a promotion at Ruby Receptionists! I will be off the phones shortly and will be taking over as Human Resources Manager as well as Accountant (including AP, AR, and some payroll). I will start my training next week and as soon as they are able to hire and train a new receptionist to replace me, I will be full time at Ruby! I'm getting a raise and benefits. I'm so excited!

Kitten!

We have a new addition to our family. His name is Vader (yes, as in Star Wars. Did you expect anything less?). He is about 11 weeks old and he is black and white with a TINY bit of tabby in him. He is super fun and into EVERYTHING. He and Wicket get along great and they're both doing well. They are buddies.

No More Saturdays!

I'm so exicted...I don't have to work at Ruby on Saturdays anymore! I'm free!!! At least on Saturdays. The only Saturdays I will be working now are the ones I chose to work for my Sensaria business. I'm so excited!

Family News

So, it's been a few months since my last posting. What's the big deal? :)
Well, there isn't much going on with us, but our families have some news. Our family is getting a little bit bigger-we're adding family members to both sides. Before any of you start jumping up and down, we are not having a baby!

My sister is having a baby girl this summer! She is due in July...3 days before my birthday, so I'm hoping to have my niece born on my birthday! :) I will go down (to Fresno) for a week in August to visit as well as help out any way I can.

The other big news is Ryan's oldest sister, Kimberlee (my age), is getting married this October in Cancun, Mexico! Most of Ryan's family will be going and Kimberlee has asked Ryan to give her away. We're very excited for Kimberlee & Dan (her fiancee) and they plan to relocate to the Portland area after their honeymoon. I'm excited to go to Mexico (even though it will be a VERY short trip) on a mini-vacation and stay in a really nice resort at a really good price.

That's about it. When we have photos I will be sure to post them. Ok, back to work. :)

Where I Work

Well, I have heard a number of you ask me what I do or where I work. It's a bit complicated, but I will try to make it simple. I work 3 jobs: one at the church, one at Ruby and I am now a rep for Sensaria, a natural bodycare company. Here is a little bit about each one: at the church (Greater Portland Bible Church), my title is Student Ministries Assistant. I make fliers and postcards for both the middle school & high school events. I track registrations for events and process lots of paperwork. I help Kirk (my boss and the youth pastor) get set up for events and retreats. I coordinate bus scheduling & bus drivers. Basically, I do anything Kirk needs help with for running 2 youth groups. check us out at www.pdxchurch.org.
My second job is at Ruby Receptionists. Ryan's aunt, Jill, started Ruby 3 1/2 years ago. Ruby is a virtual reception company. We answer calls for clients all across the nation and even into Europe. We are more than an answering service. We are able to connect callers to our clients and make appointments for doctors, lawyers, dentists, chiropractors, massage theraptists, etc. We also can open a door at one of our client's offices! We pretty much can do anything an onsite receptionist can do. I've been at Ruby since last April and Ryan's little sister, Michelle, also works here. There are about 25 employees at Ruby and I enjoy working with all of the Rubies. Jill (the boss woman) through us a wonderful Christmas party in December where I bid on & won an iPod docking station (which we have set up to our main speakers in our living room) as well as new stainless steel pots and pans. Check Ruby out at www.callruby.com.
My third job I just started this month and I'm very exicted to tell you about it. I am an independant representative for Sensaria. I was invited to Stephanie's "spa party" in October and had a wonderful time. I was able to relax and have fun with friends. So...I hosted my own party and earned lots of free products. I fell in love with Sensaria's products and decided to share their products with others and so I became a representative! I am training for the month of January and am available starting in February. I'm looking forward to sharing Spa Experiences with my friends and their friends and co-workers. My goal is to host 6 Spa Experiences each month. I'm looking forward to my new business doing well. Check out our website at: www.sensaria.com. Thanks for reading!

Ahhh...The Discovery Channel

So, if you ever wondered what Ryan and I do on a Friday night, this is it. Actually, we didn't plan to watch the Discovery Channel all evening, it just so happens that our movie plans failed and on of our favorite shows was on tonight: It Takes A Thief. It's a show about 2 ex-thiefs and how they turned their lives around and they now help people with home security. They ask permission to actually break into these homes and they do it, catching everything on camera. It's pretty entertaining as well as eye-opening. It makes you think twice about having things and placing so much value on them. If you want to check it out, here is more info: It Takes A Thief