Well the countdown starts tomorrow. We leave one week from tomorrow. We are half (half assed) packed. For me, one pair of levis, some shorts, a couple of tops and my zumba clothes are left (oh and underwear). Everardo has socks, white tshirts and 2 pairs of jeans. Today we took Sam & Brownie to the beach, probably my last swim in the Sea of Cortez, at least for a good while. Sam swam and played im the water until he was exhausted, he's limping- well he was limping, now he's crashed out with Brownie snoring right next to him. Brownie was outside but we heard this quiet little whimper, polite almost, so we let him in.
He's part lab all right. He ran right into the water..then stopped, almost surprised and ran back out. But Everardo and Sam were in, so he ran back in and started swimming out to them. The funniest thing was he tried to get on Sam's back! So they played and we laughed. The water is cooling off so it was kinda refreshing. Poppi actually said it was too cold. Oh man the Pacific is gonna be much colder than this! The neughbor says she's gonna take good care of Brownie and they want him. She cleans out his kennel, which he was sleeping in the other day when her kid squirted Sam's bed with the hose so we had to lean it against the fence. He usually sleeps with Sam. It's going to be hard; hard on Brownie and hard on us, to leave this puppy here. We feed him, we play with him, we take him for rides. He sleeps on our porch and runs to us when he sees us coming. She's not home alot, and when they are home they're inside. Course when that kid is outside, he tortures both dogs. Throws rocks at them, squirts them with the hose, yells non stop. The thing is- he's 5- she shouldn't send him outside to play and then not watch him- at all.
The yard is fenced so he's safe, but ha ha are the dogs safe? Is the fence safe from him throwing things against it? Anyway we told her she could have the screen door. Everardo said he'll put it up for her and then she can see the kid, and Brownie won't be so isolated. We're also trying to get him housebroken but I have little patience for that since he's not our dog. I'm wondering if Poppi is gonna ask her for him....it's ok with me if he does, even though he's gonna be at least as big as Sam and man- he already shits SO much! Yeah I'm gonna change his name to Rocky if we take him. I was gonna google some dogs to try to see what his mix is..he kinda has wrinkles at the edge, or sides of his face.
I got out this long summer dress Friday nite for this thing we were going to and when I turned around Brownie had grabbed the corner and ran off with it. It was hard to be mad at him..byt he is a chewer. he will be a pain in the ass for months....but I've been watching Everardo and I can see he loves that puppy, and it was so hard to lose Lucky....
Yeah this weekend there was an AA conference here. It was kinda weird cause it's totally put on by this group in Arizona and they don't contact the English speaking group here to be involved or contribute/volunteer.... For many of them it was like a club med. I chatted with this lady last nite, and my friend said yeah Terry is my sponsor but she's moving to Ensenada. The woman asked why and I replied that I was sick of the desert...and she looked surprised and asked...is this the desert? When I stopped laughing I asked her if she had been outside of the hotel grounds...she said no, they had the beach, swimming pools, jacuzzi, restaurants, a little store, she didn't need to leave. I said well if you go into the town here, or on any road...you'll see it's all sand, and cactus. She must have come down at night! Because the 3 hours thru Arizona are all desert, then and hour down thru Mexico all desert. Ha ha very observant! There was only about 215 people I think they said for the whole 3 days, and most of the meetings were pretty small, but all 3 nites they had a great speaker- no wait, 2 nites and this morning for the final meeting. And it was really nice to go to meetings with new/different people! My friend and I were so happy to hear new people sharing. Everardo came also, and he and went to a couple of evening meetings on the beach and they were really nice as well. And of course I had to create drama right off the bat- luckily Everardo wasn't there yet. At the registration where we make a donation I tried to pay with pesos, and the woman was unnerved....shocked...she stuttered...well well well I don't know if I can take pesos, and she asked someone else who said..oh...nobody ever asked that before....I said "THIS IS MEXICO"...you know...pesos..? (yes I can be just a little sarcastic ha ha) Well she got mad at me so I got mad too. I started to leave, then saw someone I knew who gave me change in dollars. Another guy I had met the day before made a phone call to which was answered...of course...and I went back and paid with dollars. I told her very politely- so that you know, you do accept pesos....She said- did I tell you I'm just a volunteer? In my head I relpied well you didn't tell me you were stupid either, but I knew! But only in my head. I just smiled and said thank you and walked away. Ha ha but I was pissed. Later I knew I should go back and apologize, but I was still pissed at that rude bitch, so I never did. Instead, a woman who I'd met previously cause she comes down here every few months asked us if we knew of a place to eat that she could walk to; she was uncomfortable driving alone at nite. We invited her to dinner. She was staying somewhere else (cheaper) so I drove her over there so she could change her clothes and grab a sweater (yep it's actually almost cold enough for a jacket at nite now), then we met up with Everardo here at the house so we could leave a car here, and we took her to our favorite taco place.
I saw her the next day and she told us she took another lady to lunch to pay it forward. I love it when it works, ya know??
So anyway the conference helped the weekend pass quickly since the time has been dragging ever since we chose a place in Ensenada...we're just in a holding pattern.
I got to talk to my older daughter today and she was very excited cause she went to a wedding showcase expo. It was sponsored by the wedding planner company that serves the place she wants to get married so she had a chance to see all the vendors they use. It gave her a chance to see different styles and types of packages, and try to figure out a realistic budget. As it turned out now she may have more decisions to make than before she went ha ha. She may change her mind about the venue; it may just be too expensive..I mean ridiculously expensive...and she saw a couple of other places she's now going to consider. The really great thing was they talked to the woman who would have been her wedding planner if she stays with the castle (it's a winery but is a castle). This lady was very blunt, to the point, and gave her some insight. She also did a 45 minute seminar about wedding planning. She heard questions and answers she hadn't thought of, and ways to address things she had thought of but only had uncomfortable solutions- like when people rsvp with all their kids after the invite asked for no kids...Like writing the invitations to be a specific number and that the rsvp need only be signed. And with a 6 month lead time, who can't get a babysitter. And she doesn't know if she's going to have kids or not- that was just an example, and she is thinking about it, cause that's food and chairs and linens she doesn't have to pay for if there's no kids....She also now thinking about buffet vs sit down dinner, so like I said now she has lots to figure out. Luckily her cousin is helping her every step of the way. They're just a year apart and have been in each other's lives forever. My younger daughter is her maid of honor, but so far has not been involved at all...maybe she should think of making her sister a bridesmaid and her cousin the maid of honor. I sent a msg thanking Sarah for helping her with everything, and she told me she was taking her to some "swanky" place in San Francisco to try on wedding dresses. How fun, right?? So the wedding date is still not set, maybe July 2014 and maybe July 2015, She has alot to figure out- I wish I was there. But we talk on the phone all the time, and Sarah is there for her. Maybe Halla will get her head out of her....(you know) and get involved. I'm sure she thinks -well it's a long way off, but the fact is, when you want a formal wedding, you have to start planning a long way off. It's all very exciting!!
So lots going on. I'm not sure when we'll turn off the phone/internet, or the tv, probaly not until the end of the week, but I wanted to write a little so just in case I don't until after the big move....It's been an interesting year, this is not a bad place, I'm just sick of the desert. Ok SICK of the desert, sick of sand and dirt in the house ALL the time. Yes we have a falling apart house on a dusty road, and our yard is just dirt, so I'm sure that's part of it. But a really big part is that there's nothing near here. Not like Playa Ventura where we had nothing in our town- which was hard- but down there and hour drive got us to a city, and bigger stores, and a 2 hour drive in the other direction got us to Acapulco. Here, it's 4 hours to Phoenix and Everardo can't cross the border so that's out. And 3 hours to anywhere as big or bigger than here. So the claustrophobia has set in again...We both like to go for a drive, to another town, to eat or shop or explore. Can't do that here. Yes we have explored alot of beaches, and take drives, but I need more.
So Ensenada is different; it's a big city and we'll be 10-15 minutes south. There's other towns; Manerdero is maybe 10 minutes or less east of us, Rosarito is less than an hour north, and I think Tijuana is less than another hour after that. So I think we can have some fun exploring. We look for the best food stands, for beaches, for shoe stores (work out shoes- running for him, walking or zumba for me). Sam LOVES to go for a drive so we throw him in the back of the truck. This summer it was too hot for him to go that way unless it was at nite, so every nite he gives us the."hey when are we going?" look- so we just grab him after our workouts...
At this point I have no regrets about the move. Everardo keeps telling me that nowhere is perfect, there's always things I'm not gonna like. YEAH I KNOW!! But Mexico has been a trip and I'm trying places and people and food and homes that I've never tried before for any period of time. I mean I've traveled, kind of alot...for pleasure I've been to Mexico, Jordan, Egypt, Africa (Mozambique & South Africa), Paris..maybe that's it, and for work: Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Thailand, Russia, hmmm maybe that's all again..but it's almost a year and a half in Mexico, so it's different. It is a very poor country, or maybe it's not but they sure have LOTS and LOTS of poor people. I see how creative people are. I see hope and sometimes I see hopelessness. I see how spoiled we really are in the US, even with things as simple as the fruits and veggies we buy in the store. You know, how they always look perfect, shiny apples, and perfect green beans...here the stores are filled with food that doesn't look perfect, but usually tastes at least just as good. Of course Sam's Club, the stores from the US, and that cater to Americans, have the perfect shiny apples...but they cost more. Oh man- when we were in Ensenada last time I bought an apple of a truck- it was green and huge and sooooo juicy..possibly the BEST APPLE I EVER ATE!!! And that truck is there twice a week..yipee. Those apple are probly grown in the field behind the truck. Yummm.
Ok, I'm hungry so gotta go- I know we have some apples....ooh and some M&M's I brought home in a coffee cup from the AA convention ha ha.
Mexico fun fact:
Creoles are descendants of the Spanish people who first arrived in Mexico. Now they are the name of Mexico's small population: Caucasian Europeans, Americans, and Canadians.
He's part lab all right. He ran right into the water..then stopped, almost surprised and ran back out. But Everardo and Sam were in, so he ran back in and started swimming out to them. The funniest thing was he tried to get on Sam's back! So they played and we laughed. The water is cooling off so it was kinda refreshing. Poppi actually said it was too cold. Oh man the Pacific is gonna be much colder than this! The neughbor says she's gonna take good care of Brownie and they want him. She cleans out his kennel, which he was sleeping in the other day when her kid squirted Sam's bed with the hose so we had to lean it against the fence. He usually sleeps with Sam. It's going to be hard; hard on Brownie and hard on us, to leave this puppy here. We feed him, we play with him, we take him for rides. He sleeps on our porch and runs to us when he sees us coming. She's not home alot, and when they are home they're inside. Course when that kid is outside, he tortures both dogs. Throws rocks at them, squirts them with the hose, yells non stop. The thing is- he's 5- she shouldn't send him outside to play and then not watch him- at all.
The yard is fenced so he's safe, but ha ha are the dogs safe? Is the fence safe from him throwing things against it? Anyway we told her she could have the screen door. Everardo said he'll put it up for her and then she can see the kid, and Brownie won't be so isolated. We're also trying to get him housebroken but I have little patience for that since he's not our dog. I'm wondering if Poppi is gonna ask her for him....it's ok with me if he does, even though he's gonna be at least as big as Sam and man- he already shits SO much! Yeah I'm gonna change his name to Rocky if we take him. I was gonna google some dogs to try to see what his mix is..he kinda has wrinkles at the edge, or sides of his face.
I got out this long summer dress Friday nite for this thing we were going to and when I turned around Brownie had grabbed the corner and ran off with it. It was hard to be mad at him..byt he is a chewer. he will be a pain in the ass for months....but I've been watching Everardo and I can see he loves that puppy, and it was so hard to lose Lucky....
Yeah this weekend there was an AA conference here. It was kinda weird cause it's totally put on by this group in Arizona and they don't contact the English speaking group here to be involved or contribute/volunteer.... For many of them it was like a club med. I chatted with this lady last nite, and my friend said yeah Terry is my sponsor but she's moving to Ensenada. The woman asked why and I replied that I was sick of the desert...and she looked surprised and asked...is this the desert? When I stopped laughing I asked her if she had been outside of the hotel grounds...she said no, they had the beach, swimming pools, jacuzzi, restaurants, a little store, she didn't need to leave. I said well if you go into the town here, or on any road...you'll see it's all sand, and cactus. She must have come down at night! Because the 3 hours thru Arizona are all desert, then and hour down thru Mexico all desert. Ha ha very observant! There was only about 215 people I think they said for the whole 3 days, and most of the meetings were pretty small, but all 3 nites they had a great speaker- no wait, 2 nites and this morning for the final meeting. And it was really nice to go to meetings with new/different people! My friend and I were so happy to hear new people sharing. Everardo came also, and he and went to a couple of evening meetings on the beach and they were really nice as well. And of course I had to create drama right off the bat- luckily Everardo wasn't there yet. At the registration where we make a donation I tried to pay with pesos, and the woman was unnerved....shocked...she stuttered...well well well I don't know if I can take pesos, and she asked someone else who said..oh...nobody ever asked that before....I said "THIS IS MEXICO"...you know...pesos..? (yes I can be just a little sarcastic ha ha) Well she got mad at me so I got mad too. I started to leave, then saw someone I knew who gave me change in dollars. Another guy I had met the day before made a phone call to which was answered...of course...and I went back and paid with dollars. I told her very politely- so that you know, you do accept pesos....She said- did I tell you I'm just a volunteer? In my head I relpied well you didn't tell me you were stupid either, but I knew! But only in my head. I just smiled and said thank you and walked away. Ha ha but I was pissed. Later I knew I should go back and apologize, but I was still pissed at that rude bitch, so I never did. Instead, a woman who I'd met previously cause she comes down here every few months asked us if we knew of a place to eat that she could walk to; she was uncomfortable driving alone at nite. We invited her to dinner. She was staying somewhere else (cheaper) so I drove her over there so she could change her clothes and grab a sweater (yep it's actually almost cold enough for a jacket at nite now), then we met up with Everardo here at the house so we could leave a car here, and we took her to our favorite taco place.
I saw her the next day and she told us she took another lady to lunch to pay it forward. I love it when it works, ya know??
So anyway the conference helped the weekend pass quickly since the time has been dragging ever since we chose a place in Ensenada...we're just in a holding pattern.
I got to talk to my older daughter today and she was very excited cause she went to a wedding showcase expo. It was sponsored by the wedding planner company that serves the place she wants to get married so she had a chance to see all the vendors they use. It gave her a chance to see different styles and types of packages, and try to figure out a realistic budget. As it turned out now she may have more decisions to make than before she went ha ha. She may change her mind about the venue; it may just be too expensive..I mean ridiculously expensive...and she saw a couple of other places she's now going to consider. The really great thing was they talked to the woman who would have been her wedding planner if she stays with the castle (it's a winery but is a castle). This lady was very blunt, to the point, and gave her some insight. She also did a 45 minute seminar about wedding planning. She heard questions and answers she hadn't thought of, and ways to address things she had thought of but only had uncomfortable solutions- like when people rsvp with all their kids after the invite asked for no kids...Like writing the invitations to be a specific number and that the rsvp need only be signed. And with a 6 month lead time, who can't get a babysitter. And she doesn't know if she's going to have kids or not- that was just an example, and she is thinking about it, cause that's food and chairs and linens she doesn't have to pay for if there's no kids....She also now thinking about buffet vs sit down dinner, so like I said now she has lots to figure out. Luckily her cousin is helping her every step of the way. They're just a year apart and have been in each other's lives forever. My younger daughter is her maid of honor, but so far has not been involved at all...maybe she should think of making her sister a bridesmaid and her cousin the maid of honor. I sent a msg thanking Sarah for helping her with everything, and she told me she was taking her to some "swanky" place in San Francisco to try on wedding dresses. How fun, right?? So the wedding date is still not set, maybe July 2014 and maybe July 2015, She has alot to figure out- I wish I was there. But we talk on the phone all the time, and Sarah is there for her. Maybe Halla will get her head out of her....(you know) and get involved. I'm sure she thinks -well it's a long way off, but the fact is, when you want a formal wedding, you have to start planning a long way off. It's all very exciting!!
So lots going on. I'm not sure when we'll turn off the phone/internet, or the tv, probaly not until the end of the week, but I wanted to write a little so just in case I don't until after the big move....It's been an interesting year, this is not a bad place, I'm just sick of the desert. Ok SICK of the desert, sick of sand and dirt in the house ALL the time. Yes we have a falling apart house on a dusty road, and our yard is just dirt, so I'm sure that's part of it. But a really big part is that there's nothing near here. Not like Playa Ventura where we had nothing in our town- which was hard- but down there and hour drive got us to a city, and bigger stores, and a 2 hour drive in the other direction got us to Acapulco. Here, it's 4 hours to Phoenix and Everardo can't cross the border so that's out. And 3 hours to anywhere as big or bigger than here. So the claustrophobia has set in again...We both like to go for a drive, to another town, to eat or shop or explore. Can't do that here. Yes we have explored alot of beaches, and take drives, but I need more.
So Ensenada is different; it's a big city and we'll be 10-15 minutes south. There's other towns; Manerdero is maybe 10 minutes or less east of us, Rosarito is less than an hour north, and I think Tijuana is less than another hour after that. So I think we can have some fun exploring. We look for the best food stands, for beaches, for shoe stores (work out shoes- running for him, walking or zumba for me). Sam LOVES to go for a drive so we throw him in the back of the truck. This summer it was too hot for him to go that way unless it was at nite, so every nite he gives us the."hey when are we going?" look- so we just grab him after our workouts...
At this point I have no regrets about the move. Everardo keeps telling me that nowhere is perfect, there's always things I'm not gonna like. YEAH I KNOW!! But Mexico has been a trip and I'm trying places and people and food and homes that I've never tried before for any period of time. I mean I've traveled, kind of alot...for pleasure I've been to Mexico, Jordan, Egypt, Africa (Mozambique & South Africa), Paris..maybe that's it, and for work: Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Thailand, Russia, hmmm maybe that's all again..but it's almost a year and a half in Mexico, so it's different. It is a very poor country, or maybe it's not but they sure have LOTS and LOTS of poor people. I see how creative people are. I see hope and sometimes I see hopelessness. I see how spoiled we really are in the US, even with things as simple as the fruits and veggies we buy in the store. You know, how they always look perfect, shiny apples, and perfect green beans...here the stores are filled with food that doesn't look perfect, but usually tastes at least just as good. Of course Sam's Club, the stores from the US, and that cater to Americans, have the perfect shiny apples...but they cost more. Oh man- when we were in Ensenada last time I bought an apple of a truck- it was green and huge and sooooo juicy..possibly the BEST APPLE I EVER ATE!!! And that truck is there twice a week..yipee. Those apple are probly grown in the field behind the truck. Yummm.
Ok, I'm hungry so gotta go- I know we have some apples....ooh and some M&M's I brought home in a coffee cup from the AA convention ha ha.
Mexico fun fact:
Creoles are descendants of the Spanish people who first arrived in Mexico. Now they are the name of Mexico's small population: Caucasian Europeans, Americans, and Canadians.
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