What a difference a day makes.......

2-191-12 Thursday

The next day the kids spent the entire day, walking the beaches and diving, having a blast. Darrell and I went to Wal-Mart for provisions, and ran errands around town for boat parts. The mechanic came back with his helper and worked on the boat for another 3 hrs. They fixed it and charged us $180.00 dollars!!! We were so grateful we could have cried.

Darrell and I went out for a walk to check things out and were snagged by a salesman at one of the restaurant's right there on the strip. He was quite the smooth talker and by the time we got done, (I'm praying it's because we'd had no sleep for days, and not that we're getting old).....he convinced us to come listen to a time share special!!! I know, I know, I hear all the gasps......... He gave us a certificate for breakfast and a tour for six of us to take the glass bottom boat, and snorkel at the Arch & Lover's Cove. We knew the kids would love it......

We come back thinking we'd done something great.... They all flipped! They'd found a way to climb and walk to those places, all four felt like we were being scammed. So the next morning we went to the hotel. They tell us the man who made the arrangement (tour guide), was waiting for us at the resort. The new guy tells us to tell the resort people we are staying at “The Marde Cortez”, hotel room #107. He made me say it over and over. Don't tell them your on a boat! (RED FLAG, RED FLAG). They tell us that breakfast is at the New Windom Resort/Golf Course, across town, in the middle of (didn't tell us this part) NO WHERE!!! They have a taxi waiting, and we all pile in. Jamin was FURIOUS! All the kids were talking back and forth to each other, trying to talk us out of this. Darrell and I both felt it was no big deal. We got to the resort, and we were supposed to go right into breakfast.....but they had us all sit in a big waiting area by the pool. As the min., ticked by, the kids got more and more upset. I was starting to feel like we needed to get out of there too. It was so weird, the behavior of the sales people, and the people we had to sit by. They didn't say one word or say hello, and were glued to their typewriters. We're thinking they were typing what we were talking about to the sales people upstairs. The sales people would come back and forth and go on and on about how great it was going to be. Jordan got on his phone and did a Google search and found out that we were about to be taken on a HUGE scam. One that would put horrible pressure and take back the certificate of the tours if we didn't sign something. The kids decided they were going to throw a fit and demand a taxi back to the Marina. It would have been NICE if someone told MEEEEEE!!! We went outside by the valet and told them to order a taxi and all the sales people came running out trying to convince us to come back in. Whitney went off...... She let this guy totally have it! I was so shocked by her behavior, and she started to walk away by herself. I ran after her trying to calm her down while Darrell was getting the taxi. While Whitney and I were in the middle of our thing, the boys saw a couple come storming out of the court yard, cross the road lift up a barbed wire fence and walk through an open field and hail a taxi. While I'm trying to get Whitney to be civil, she says to me, (this isn't real), I of course say, “The Hell it isn't)!!! She needed to be a little more clear, like (I'm acting, Ma)! So another guy walks up and tells Whitney he'll take her back to the hotel. All hell broke loose! So to just get the entire family out and stop causing a scene, they brought the big hotel taxi and took us back. Oh my heck, what a relief. We were all starving and had asked the driver to drop us off just outside of the marina so we could find a place to eat. We asked a man on the street where the best place to get breakfast was......(cue the music), da, da, da.....he says “The Marde Cortez”.......LOLOLOLOL.......

We had a great breakfast, had lots of laughs, and all felt like it might have been a good thing. It brought everyone's awareness to paying closer attention, in a foreign country.....It took me several hours to get over the (FAKE,) argument we'd had.....

We spent the day climbing and walking to those beautiful beaches. What a blast! The kids dove off the rocks and snorkeled. Such a beautiful place....

Everything got fixed, the batteries, the engine, the oil problem the fridge and we checked out and left the Marina the night of the 20^th..... We got about 5 miles out when Darrell noticed the oil pressure wasn't reading. He immediately turned around and headed back to the barn.....

To try to find another mechanic in Mazatlan, then have them work on somebody's work, we thought was a bad idea. He was so exhausted that when we pulled into the Marina, he had Jake explain to security what had happened. I think he once again felt like he was being kicked!

I got on the computer and low and behold, some friends of ours who are heading to Peurto Viartlla were on G dock in the Marina. We had hoped we could connect with them but didn't know how to find them. Yesterday morning we went to their dock made arrangements to both leave together (so much smarter), and buddy boat to Peurta Viartlla, and by pass Mazatlan because of the weather.

The mechanic showed up, worked on the ending for about l5 min., (he'd forgotten to ground a wire), and we were able to take off. But now take off with a buddy boat, and a full nights sleep. So what looked like a kick in the pants, was really a Tender Mercy.......

And tender mercy it was! Leaving Cabo was beautiful and I thought this is going to be AMAZING! Boy it was AMAZING alright! Last night was one of the worst nights of my life, (short of being in labor 5 times)...... I was 100% sure we were going down! We've had very strong winds, and the water is very choppy with high swells and waves. It's been like this for over 13 hrs., and our friends said it will be like this for maybe another 24! One time I go to check on the guys and see Darrell telling Jake (who is up on the bow) hanging on for dear life, trying to untangle some lines to the mast! My heart almost stopped, while he worked his way back into the cockpit.

As you know from my posts, my knees are red from praying and now add a handful of mean bruises from being bashed around the cabin! I thought when the sun came up it would change the conditions. NOTTTTTTTTT!!! I just hope Darci and Rick are OK. We have no idea where they are and were supposed to meet in Mazatlan. That's not happening! Mother Nature is in charge here.......

We put all the fun pictures and experiences up on FB and my blog, but I'm telling you, this is beyond one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life. This is not for the faint of heart. And for those friends who know my life, (need I say more)......I know you get it!

So I'm glued to the bed, laying sideways, (which is the best way to try to sleep, if that's even possible), with my feet pressed against the cabinets so I won't go flying! The rest of them are on couches, recovering from their night shifts, and up in the cockpit...... Jordan and Jamin took over after Darrell's shift last night and THEY ROCKED IT!!!! Great Job!

The waves have tossed our boat like a toy and not one of us has got sick. Even Whitney......

We are in the middle of the Sea of Cortez, WE ARE SAILORS...ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!