Back to reality…

Snapshot-the beach and ocean in the distance.

Vacation is over and back to reality; I want to go back on vacation! As you may have guessed, our vacation was wonderful. I could have easily stayed much much much longer but the others in the group thought a week was perfect for them (and none of us had a choice since the travel company controls all of that). In that week we had plenty of time to relax but also did fun things such as swimming in the ocean (my favourite!) and pool, sea-dooing, paddle boarding, kayaking, and my husband even took a scuba diving lesson. The weather on the west coast was much better than the east coast this particular week so it worked out well for us. The area we went to (due to the last minute changes and the last minute addition of guests) was a popular area in the 1970’s so was quiet but still nice for us. The town had a few international markets (not just full of junk for tourists) and some nice places to shop. It also really got busy with local families due a Mexican long weekend a few nights, however, but it was a nice change of pace.

Private beach-groomed for the day.

It was wonderful to get away to a warm and lovely place considering how horrible the weather has been around here. The people were warm and friendly and I thought I did a great job with my Spanish-picked up lots of new things as well. I tend to learn a lot from watching and hearing others communicate with each other so it was great to listen in on locals chatting. I could easily live in Mexico for a year or so if I was qualified for some kind of work there (or if I had enough money to be a lady of leisure!). There were lots of Canadians & Americans with second homes (they all seemed retired, though). I can definitely see the appeal.

The resort we stayed at was a bit boring but also very beautiful (it was very old but well kept). They also made a nice effort to make my husband’s birthday special which was nice. However, the best gift of all was the whole experience in itself-a week of taking it easy (and lots of growth and adventure) in a special country. I would love to go again!

Fights, fire, flats, fast cars, and wine in a box…

In the last few days life has been all over the place. First, I had a gigantic fight with my husband. Basically, both of us have been bottling up our frustrations-and the bottle finally exploded! My frustrations-since this is my blog and I can complain here in a one sided matter-are related to his anger and control issues. I understand that coming to this country has made him feel insecure which has lead to anger and attempts to control but he has to learn an appropriate way to express his frustrations. Trying to control outcomes is not one of them and being a miserable, snapping, rude individual is also not ideal-and impacts our marriage and day to day happiness. I think I successfully got this through his head but we will see. It took us two days to get back on the same page but we did so (so far!). I have to keep reminding myself that it is a process and that I need to keep seeing how far he has come and that there will be an end. I also need to try to cut him some slack instead of getting caught up in my frustrations and demanding things he cannot yet give. I have to refer back to my post from a few days ago and lead and act with love.

In the last few days, we also went on a brief camping trip with some friends (who had to deal with the tension between us at times). It was definitely an adventure! I pre-prepared all our fixings for veggie and regular burgers while my husband had marinated steak. We made potatoes-Beshumi style-by baking them on coals. Due to all the nice weather, the campfire burnt very well. The fire was the perfect triangular shape one sees in movies. Finally, we had wine from a box! Ha ha ha. It was not bad and very convenient to keep and serve for the location. Also, it contains a huge quantity which was one of the appealing factors! The food tasted especially delicious to me (I picked some nice high end veggie burgers for myself)-and it was nice our friends had a portable bbq. Something about cooking and eating outside is always great.  Sleep was not uncomfortable as it sometimes can be in a tent; neither was packing up (which is the worst part of such trips!).

The bad news is that as we were leaving on the logging road, we obtained a flat tire and did not have a spare. Thus, we had no choice but to drive as far as we could on the flat-until it literally rolled off the car-and then had to start walking to a nearby auto wrecker hoping he would have a matching tire. Luckily, along the way, a couple picked us up and drove us there. They also drove us back after the nice auto wrecker let us have the tire for free –he was in a bit of a rush and I think just wanted to get rid of us. (We promised we would drop off a thank you gift in the future!). Along this same road, we also ran into people taking their horses out for a walk and a lady whose mother had gone missing from a gas station the day before. She approached us with a poster asking if we had seen her mother. We had not. Apparently, her vehicle and belongings were found untouched at a gas station but she had not been seen or heard from since. I have been watching the news but have not heard any updates. It is scary to think people can go missing just like that. This horrible situation put things in perspective for my husband and I (and our battle which was on the back burner but still there).

As we drove home we came across a local racing track. My husband loves cars and racing so we decided to drop in for an hour to watch. We bought some tickets and watched some quick races. Not my kind of thing but it was nice to sit in the sun and interesting to see the cars for a little while-hot rods, dragsters, fancy new cars, and old beaters that had been updated. By the time we got home, we were ready to shower and relax. Back to work and regular life the next day!  There you have it-a slice of my life!

A picture is worth a thousand words…

A picture is worth a thousand words but today I definitely have fewer than that. I do, however, want to share some random pictures (not that I took these all in the last while). I will hold off on including my thoughts, as hard as it is, so viewers can enjoy and relate (or whatever) in their own way. One of the many things on my list was that I would take more photographs. So, what is the point unless I am sharing them somewhere?

Las Vegas in the sun.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

The ceiling of the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul. What I loved most.

A most memorable meal. Borjomi, Georgia.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon.

Summer flowers. 

Cat in the Middle East-shameless.

A sign we all know.

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland. Magic.

Adjaruli khatchapuri-a dish from the husband’s state.

Ah Africa!!!

Tango? Passion?

A tapir swimming in the wild! Costa Rica.

City at night.

Family. East Africa

Well, there you have it. A 15 photos-15 small slices of my life. I took all of these photos myself in the last few years and am so glad to have them as a reminder of all the amazing things I have done. It can be easy to forgot with life keeping us so busy and time flying! I will do my best to keep ’em coming!