My man cave rocks!!

For the past month or so Traci has been threatening to turn the garage into a man cave for me. I think the plan was put into motion about a year ago, when we purchased a refrigerator for $20 and she has slowly been working on the transformation. Phase two was to have the cable guy run a drop to the T.V. that miraculously showed up on top of the refrigerator. :-)

About two weeks ago, she asked what I thought about putting a Royals' and Chiefs' logo on the wall of the garage. I am sure I just mumbled something like "yeah, sounds great...blah blah blah". Last week, as I was pulling into the garage I noticed an overhead projector and the outline of the logo's. To add to the magic of my new man cave, I purchased an old school Royals garbage can at an estate sale for $1.50. The last surprise came when I was driving home Thursday or Friday night. I learned that she found an electronic dart board for $20 on Craig's list. Apparently someone was selling it for $50 about a month ago and Traci emailed them and offered $20. She never heard from them and thought the deal was off; however, received an email indicating that if she wanted it, she could have it for $20. Only Traci could pick up a brand new $190+ dart board for $20...

I spent yesterday putting up the board while she painted the logos. She then spent a good portion of today painting and touching up. Everything is now done with the exception of the white parts of the logos. We ended the night by throwing a few games of darts and enjoying her artwork.

May your man cave be as kick butt as mine!!

Bill and Traci

Corporate fun

This past month, the company I worked for held two significant events.

One of them was our 24th annual health conference. This event was expected to bring over 6,000 health care professionals to the K.C. area over a 4 day period and provide them the opportunity to discuss current health care topics, listen to keynote speakers, and explore some of Cerner's new solutions(Software) in the solution gallery. I manned a booth for the department I work for (AMS - Application Management Services)and was able to share what we do and why with several people. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius packed the seats and had people standing on the back of the room for her keynote speech. The conference came to a conclusion with a bash at the Power and Light district where a variety of free food was served and Three Dog Night played for every one's entertainment. I left early and did not have the honor of hearing "Joy to the world".

The other event was our annual town hall meeting. In addition to the company town hall meeting, I was also scheduled to attend the consulting town hall which meant that I got to spend an entire day sitting in Kemper Arena. The consulting town hall was scheduled to start at 8:30am and the company at 1:30. A handful of us thought it would be a good idea to get together about 7am for an "bag omelet" and coffee tailgate. We set up a tent, got some water boiling and prayed the rain would hold off until we made it into the building.

Getting a boost with caffeine- Scott and Sam

Ron, Michael and Sal

The bags were too thin and melted. Good thing Omelets float

AMS associates in front of Kemper Arena

Let the celebration begin - Confetti

Cerner's mascot - PING

Both of the town halls were very motivating and a reminder as to why I work for the company I do. We ended the day by celebrating our 30th year as a company and giving a standing ovation to our three founders.

May your job bring you as much happiness as mine does.

Bill

Cerner Impact day

The company I work for is a big advocate of giving back to the community and twice a year they hold an event called "Cerner Impact Day". This is a day where all associates are encouraged to volunteer for one of the many events that have been coordinated in the Kansas City area.

Traci and I have participated in this event for past year and a half and were a part of the Cerner Impact Day this past weekend.

We volunteered to assist an organization named KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) in Kansas City Missouri. Our task was to stencil and paint the KIPP logo and motivational quotes and organize a storage closet.

Traci and I along with 14 other volunteers met in one of the classrooms for a quick overview of what KIPP was. Traci and I volunteered to help organize the closet and 2 others joined us. I figured how hard could it be to put a few things in boxes, straighten out a few shelves and sweep a dusty floor. As the doors to the storage closet opened, I knew we had our work cut out for us. :-)

Before picture

Traci, Lisa and Joann cleaning up

We spent the next 2 1/2 hours moving everything around until it looked just right.

... and the after

The other volunteers were putting the finishing touches on their artwork as we linked back up with them. The staff from KIPP were very appreciative of our work and a few of us celebrated by heading the to the art festival in Westport.

Michael cracking the whip

A motivational quote
A quote by Robert Frost

We hope your weekend was as rewarding as our was!!



Bill and Traci

7 days in Paradise- Day 6 & 7

Day 6 & 7 (Friday and Saturday Aug. 7th and 8th)

The fun was quickly winding down and it was hard to believe that our vacation was coming to an end. If we just had another few days... :-)

We slept in and slowly meandered down to the beach for walk and hunt for shells that had washed up on the beach. There is nothing quite like the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore or the screeching of a seagull hovering overhead.

Relaxing by the beach

We had the beach to ourselves

I knew my tripod would come in handy :-)

As it started to heat up, we made our way to the shaded pool area where relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. Later that evening, we had dinner at the resort buffet. This was the first time, since we had landed in Mexico, that I saw lettuce or a salad for that matter. It is the little things you miss when you are in a foreign country... drinkable water, salad, ice, etc..

The buffet hut

Catherine and Traci

Bill, Traci, Catherine and Michael at dinner

One more of the group

After dinner, we did some night swimming and then made our way back to the chocolate.

The next day was more of the same. Relaxing by the pool and one more trip into the Play Del Carmen for an authentic meal and more shopping (YEAH!!). Rather than take a chance and eat somewhere where the food might not be so good, we ate at the same terrific place that we did the other night. As 4pm rolled around, it was hard not to think about having to wake up in 12 hours to head back to the reality of Kansas. :-) We milled in and out of the local shops looking for more fantastic deals and then caught a taxi back to the resort.

"El Fogon" My favorite Mexican restaurant in Mexico

We spent the remainder of the night in the pool and packing for the trip home. We finally ate our kisses and closed our eyes about 1am.

The shuttle picked us up before the crack of dawn and we spent 2+ hours getting to the airport gate. The flight back was uneventful and customs was very little hassle in Texas.

Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico

We hope your future trips provide you with as many memories that ours did!

Bill and Traci

7 days in Paradise- Day 5

Day 5 (Thursday Aug. 6th)

We had a snorkeling trip scheduled for 1pm and decided to do as much sleeping and laying by the pool as possible. We accomplished both and wandered down to meet our boat by the beach around 1pm. We signed in, tried on our gear, and waited a Mexican minute to our boat, the "Moby Dick". Mexican minute was a term that was used often by the crew of the ship and it ranged anywhere from 1 min to 15 mins. :-)

Waiting for our boat

Ready to take on the ocean

A view from the beach

Some scary looking clouds

The plan was to hit two snorkeling spots on the local reef and then kick back at a private beach before we headed back to the resort. As our boat headed for the first spot, a HUGE storm was brewing over the peninsula. Looking inland we could see lightening striking every few seconds and the thunder would echo all around us. I kept telling myself "I won't get electrocuted.. I won't get electrocuted". The storm was heading the opposite direction of us and I didn't die a horrible shocking death. We spent 45 minutes in the water and saw a handful of fish. We took plenty of underwater pictures that I will share once I develop them... Who knows when that will be.

Heading out to sea
The pier from the water

Our resort

A beach

Milling about in the water

The second spot had fewer fish than the first; however, it was nice floating around seeing all the coral. The current was pushing us North so rather than resist it we went with it and the boat moved to a spot where we would meet up with it. We loaded up and headed for the private beach. A handful of us spent the time in the water relaxing while 20 or so people spent the next hour playing soccer on the beach. Once the game concluded, we loaded up once more and headed back to the resort. The crew of the ship were very nice and let us know that it was O.K. to tip them if we enjoyed the trip (What a relief). Once the members did his version of the dance "On the catwalk" and had people shoving money in his shorts. You can tell he did this for a living and he walked away with a pretty good chunk of dough.

Heading to the 2nd snorkeling hole

AArggg!!! A pirate ship

Pulling into the private beach

...And I do my little dance on the catwalk

Once on land, we went back to the room showered and headed back into Playa Del Carmen for dinner and more shopping (YEAH!!!). :-|

The best Mexican food EVER!!

Enjoying our authentic Mexican meal

We spent the remainder of the night in the pool and then crashed out after enjoying our nightly Hershey's Kiss.

Tomorrow we do NOTHING... O.K., we lay by the pool, swim, walk on the beach and eat at the buffet.

Bill and Traci

7 days in Paradise- Day 4

Day 4 (Wednesday Aug. 5th)

We started off this day at 5:30am and kept going for next 16+ hours. We jumped in the car a little after 6am and headed for the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza. We were able to take a toll roll for 99% of the trip and maintain a pretty good rate of speed. The only time we had to slow down was for the toll booths, people riding bikes in the wrong direction on the road, and a few stray cows. After 2 1/2 hrs. of driving across the Yucatan Peninsula, we arrived at our destination.

The toll road

The toll booth

Traci enjoying the ride. The Jolly Ranchers - not-so-happy after sitting in the sun

We we were approached by several of the locals offering their services as a tour guide. Based on the research that Michael conducted, it was recommended that we wait until we get inside as we could find one cheaper. The plan was to walk around until we heard a "PSST" and then we would get the deal of a lifetime. As we wandered around looking for our deal, we were accosted by several people trying to sell us their wares and were approached by an older man with a cane who waved a newspaper at us and said something in Spanish. We ignored him and continued to look around like lost puppies. Finally, we made a decision to go back to the main entrance and grab a guide. As we were leaving, the paper wielding man said "You need a guide?". And so the negotiations began. He offered to take us around the old and new sections and spend no more than 2 1/2 hours with us for $500 pesos (about $40 U.S. dollars). We agreed and our tour began.

We made it

Ernesto our tour guide

The High Priest Temple

Bill and Traci in front of the temple

In front of the observatory

There were lots of Iguanas around

Incredible

Seated in one of the ruins

See the snake head at the top?

The Tiger and the Eagle

The temple of the Warriors

See the face in the mouth of the snake?

The Rain Gods

The Castle

A Cenote

Skulls everywhere

The Great Ball Court

Put a rubber ball through the hole, you win and you die... Congratulations!

A distant view of the Castle

Enjoying the view

One last photo on our way out

Our guide, Ernesto, had been in the touring business for 48 years and did a great job explaining the history of the Mayan people. He stopped at every pile of rock, wall and temple and explained the significance of the structure and pointed out details that would definitely have gone unnoticed. 4+ hours later, our tour wrapped up and Ernesto went on his way to find another group of tourists to show around. If you make it to Chichen Itza, I recommend going early before the sun or crowds show up.

Our next stop was about an hour away and it was a restaurant that was recommend by a fellow traveller on line. There is a restaurant that overlooks Cenote Zaci that is in Valladolid. The ambiance of the restaurant was pretty cool but the food was average at best.

Unfortunately, we were unable to climb any of the ruins at Chichen Itza as someone slipped and died a few years ago. Coba was on our drive home and we could climb to our hearts content. In order for us to get to Coba, we had to take a different route that was a single lane highway and wound through several small towns. As luck would have it, it began to rain very hard and we wound up behind several slow vehicles. There were several signs that indicated that you should not pass; however, being in Mexico, is was more of a recommendation. Needless to say, we started passing a truck and Michael stepped on the gas to ensure we made it around the truck and not into the dashboard of the oncoming traffic. The second he applied the gas, the tires spun and my life started to pass before my eyes. NOTE: Never ever try to pass a truck in the rain with bald tires on a two lane highway where people do not obey traffic laws. :-)

After another hour of driving, the rain let up and we reached the ruins of Coba. We paid the entrance fee and were notified that they closed at 5:30. We had about an hour to get to our ruin, climb it and get back to the main gate... how hard could that be? We tried to rent a bike but they said it had to be in 30 minutes before closing time and they knew we wouldn't make it. So, we started on our speed walking journey. We found a sign that pointed to the "Grande Temple" and indicated that it was 2 Kilometers away. As we neared the temple, Michael agreed to stay at the bottom and take pictures as we all raced to the top and then I would take some when he started his climb. We spent a few minutes enjoying the view and then descended to begin our 2 Kilometer walk to the front gate. We made it with time to spare and were completely wiped out from the walk and climb.

Map of Coba

The ruins

We begin our ascent

Almost there

Michael and Catherine at the top

We made it too :-)

Going down

Traci and Bill

A gorgeous walk back

We arrived back at our resort about the time it was getting dark and were ready to relax. It was a full moon and we couldn't think of a better way to enjoy it than to chill out in the pool.

Day 5, we go snorkeling

Bill and Traci