Why?

Why do Mexicans insist on calling me, "Kelly"?

Read more...

Meet Lola!

C. found me a car. Yay!
She's a 2005 silver Grand Cherokee with a HEMI.
Only 11,000 miles!
It's currently located in Wisconsin. (The Cheese state. Where M&Mwere engaged.)
C. is flying to Milwaulkee on Saturday and will drive it back for me Saturday afternoon/evening.
Yay!
I've named her, "Lola." (Say it with a spanish accent. "Low-lah!")
Yay!

Read more...

...

Read more...

Bought 'em

I just purchased our tickets.

C. & I will return to the SAME country on December 28th.

Let the games begin.

Read more...

He did it!

It's becoming finalized.

C. put his 2 weeks in today! His boss responded very kindly. His last day will be Monday, December 25th.

Merry Christmas. :-)

Read more...

These 10 fuzzy chicks

Ten.

These 10 fuzzy chicks illustrate just how many more days I will be alone.

After more than 125 days apart - C. and I are nearing the finish line. We're almost there.

I know I talk about this incessantly, but I just am so pleased that soon I will be waking up to my best friend again.

No more ga-jillion phone calls.
No more sad nights.
No more loneliness for both us.
No more international commuting.
No more flying solo.

I cannot believe that soon we'll be together.

Read more...

Go ahead, tell me what this means.

This "sign" is painted on the ground of the parking lot at a San Lucas grocery store. $10 million dollars to anyone who has any idea of what it means.

What, in your estimation, is it trying to communicate to drivers? (It totally looks like something from LOST having to do with the Dharma Initiative.)

This is why no one really knows how to drive in Mexico.

Read more...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

C. and I decided to not do the "Christmas Tree" thing this year in Ohio.

Quite frankly, it's just too difficult.

I get home on the 21st and we leave on the 28th -- not enough time to buy a tree, put it up, wait for it to "fall," decorate it...then take it all back down again. Nah, not this year.

On that same note, I am SO not in the Christmas spirit. At all. It's just so weird when it's December 10th and it was nearly 80 or so today. Not.In.It.At.All.

Read more...

#983 thing I love about Cabo

Getting my car washed for 40 pesos (about $4) in the Mega parking lot while I grocery shop.
That's so awesome.

**Note: When I was in Mega, I actually heard "Feliz Navidad" on
the speaker system -- cracked me up.

Read more...

My day

I layed in the sun today.

On December 9th.

Awesome.

Read more...

There's an Olympian in this fam

(L to R: Litle girl I don't know, Marianna, Chloe, Elphaba)

(The gorgeous scenery at the school where the meet was located.)

(The parking lot/gym area where the meet was held.)

Today was incredibly overcast. Odd. Seemed cold even though it was around 75 or so. That breeze from the ocean does get chilly. Anywho...

This afternoon/early evening I had the pleasure of witnessing my first outdoor gymnastics meet. Chloe, the future Olympian (or cheerleader) did fantastically on her routing. In fact, she even took home a silver medal. (We're all extremely proud.)

Watching "organized" sports in Mexico is...different...but cool. Really cool.

:-)

Read more...

Dos semanas mas!!!

Two more weeks will I sleep alone.
Then I will be in my home on the 22nd.
Then I will be with my husband (where I belong) for the rest of our lives. (Barring neither of us decides to move to another country, thus starting another 5-month long separation.)

Amazing.

I can't believe we've almost been living apart from one another for 5 months.

It's flown by and dragged on.
It's been depressing and exciting.
It's been exhilarating and scary.
It's tested us, pushed us and has solidified one thing:

I love him, love him, love him. Without him I'm not as strong as I thought I was.

He's allowed me to try something new. To live "independently," to go after my dreams. To do what I needed to do. He's let me be me.

He's exactly what I had inscribed on his wedding band - He's my everything.

He's comforted me through tears over the phone. He's taken care of every last detail of our "Ohio lives" so that I could concentrate on starting this chapter. He's trusted me, loved me, and believed in me.

I'll say it again: I love him, love him, love him.

Read more...

Piñata time!

On Saturday I was at the office doing some work (I'm a loser) and my sister called me to tell me to go to one of the two gas stations in San Jose because the rumor around town was that we were out of gas.

(We rely on Semi tanker trucks to bring us our gas and if they're delayed, well, then we have no gas.)

So, off I went.

Check out the line.

It took my sister an hour.

It took me about 25 minutes. Totally an adults' version of a piñata beating -- hurry up, cut in front of other cars! Try to be first! They're SO good at creating lines. I was up to get gas and of course, a truck cut in front of me. I'd say he was 2 cm. from hitting me. I (for some reason) honked and yelled at him. (I was kinda worried that he was was going to kill me afterwards, but I'm totally alive and well.)

:-)

Read more...

Annoying thing about Mexico #23

Chocolate.

Ok, so all of the chocolate that comes to our stores is trucked in. It's a long, long drive. In an semi.

During that time the most rancid thing happens: the chocolate melts, re-solidifies into a weird waxy mess - and then is put on the shelves of our grocery stores for all of us to buy and "enjoy."

Case in point:
I recently purchased a bag of Hershey Kisses. Why? I need chocolate randomly throughout my day. The bag is a flippin' crap shoot. Sometimes, there are chocolate "kisses" (more like waxy blobs) that are completely OUT of the foil. Other times, the chocolate has turned this odd white color. (And it's milk chocolate.)

Ugh.

How does a Gringa get a not-re-melted, hard-as-a-rock piece of milk chocolate?

Read more...

What is up.

All is just fine.

The weather has turned, there's been some crazy wind at night -- but it's sleep-with-the-windows open weather.

Still no place to live.

Put an ad in the paper today to sell my car.

C. & I are getting through our list of "to do's". That's positive.

I haven't done ANY Christmas shopping and I'm thinking about skipping dealing with that this year. I have no time. And when I get home, I DO NOT want to be spending my 2 days before Christmas at the flippin' mall.

Ok.

Going to bed.

Read more...

Me

'Twas a rough weekend for me.

Here's to a new week.

Read more...

Thankful

1. For my two new office plants that I potted today.
2. For my Cabo family.
3. For the distance to soon be quelled.
4. For the new year.
5. For new beginnings.
6. For wine.
7. For new shoes.

Read more...

...

Read more...

For the record...

Pilates kicked my butt today.

Read more...

"I'm so busy."

I loathe when people complain about how busy they are. Can't stand it. "How are you?" "Swamped." Shush. Get over yourself. EVERYONE is busy.

However, since this is my blog and I can do with it what I want, I'd like to expand on the list of "To Do's" that is involved with the transition from Toledo, Ohio to Los Cabos, B.C.S. Mexico.

At this particular juncture, the husband and I are emailing back and forth a "To Do" list (one for him, one for me) that we both are commenting on, updating, writing notes about, etc. It's getting nuts.

Some of the things we must do BEFORE we move here after CHRISTMAS:

• Buy me a new car, ship it to Mexico
• Ship C.'s car to Mexico
• Install a house alarm
• Get a battery backup for the sump pump
• Finish all online banking
• Ready the house for our departure (timer lights, lineup snow removal, etc.)
• Buy a laptop for Craig
• Get all of our bills online
• Buy "return to Cabo after Christmas" tickets
• Research what Nattie needs to come to the country
• Reserve a place on our flight for Nattie
• Find a place to live. (This is a serious one. Or there might not be a Nattie for a little while.)
• Sell my jetta or ship it back to the States.
• Forward our mail
• Finish up Dr.'s appointments
• Pack up whatever stuff we want to move here from the States. UPS it to the importer in San Diego.
• Oh, and spend time with our families and see everyone we want to see before we leave after Christmas...

That's just all I can remember right now.

Not to mention buying Christmas gifts for everyone, shopping, etc. I think we're just going to skip that this year.

I think we're both a bit overwhelmed. Quite honestly, though... this is all stuff that we really couldn't have done any sooner than what we're doing it.

All will be fine.

Read more...