New Years Resolutions

It's that time of year again and I totally pulled the stereotypical move of making a list of things that I would like to improve. I am a strong believer in trying to better yourself 365 days a year. There are many opportunities where we are tested and feel the urge to change something. It could be losing a few extra pounds, traveling more, or just simply learning the virtue of patience. I have a pretty elaborate list of resolutions, or we will call them goals, that I would like to achieve this year. I believe that I can make all these things happen, but have the horrible habit of saying I'm going to start doing this, that, and blah blah blah and a couple weeks after New Years it all fades from my mind somehow. 

1. Make Time For Travel
It has always been a dream of mine to travel the world. I daydream about all the places I want to go and am always thumbing through travel magazines and looking at deals on Groupon. Then come the excuses. "I don't have time to do that. I have to work." There are so many beautiful places to see in this world and I'm ready to embark on an adventure to see them. I would love to leave the country this year. Europe is on top of my list, but if I don't make it that far I don't mind exploring some places in the United States. I'm thinking Chicago or Boston next. :)

2. Save Money for a Rainy Day
If there is one thing I have struggled with in my adult life it's trying to balance paying a ridiculous amount of bills while trying to build a savings. I feel like anytime I have extra money it has to go to my car or some other odd expense that I was not expecting. Unfortunately these things happen to everyone and we are not always prepared for them. I was not ready for a $300 doctor bill when I had pneumonia a few weeks ago. I'm glad I have a very caring and loving man that had the extra money to help me out. Saving money is just good in general because you can also save it for fun stuff(like traveling!) and I plan to budget better and be prepared for whatever comes along. 

3. Maintain (mostly) Healthy Eating and Fitness Habits
One of my most stereotypical goals for the year, but hey, that's ok. I had a hard year last year and I am still trying to fix what was broken(my pants since I ripped one of my favorite pairs from gaining weight). I am not a health/fitness nut by any means but I have decided this year I am going to try to maintain some kind of routine to keep me going. Actually doing something and sticking to my guns is something that will help me in all fields of my life. I have my 28th birthday coming up and I will be in New Orleans and I want to look great. My ten year high school reunion is coming up as well. I know myself and I know that I will not stick to a strict diet and workout regime every day. Honestly, where is the fun in that. I did just say above that I am going to New Orleans for my birthday and you don't go there to eat salad. 

4. Dont Beat Yourself Up or Sweat the Small Stuff
This has been one of the hardest things for me to do and I am finally coming to terms with my bad habit and ready to face it head on. I tend to get a little emotional. I always have been an emotional, passionate person. I'm the girl who cries during commercials and heart-felt movies. What's wrong with this, you ask? It goes both ways. It might be "cute" to cry happy tears, but there also times when I feel personally attacked or offended I tend to lose my cool and feel like there is something wrong with me. I let things upset me way too much when I really should not care what people think of me. People are people and not everyone is going to like me no matter how awesome I think I am. I am an introvert, not a lot of people are and do not understand or care to try to understand. It's only going to make it worse if I make it worse in my own head. We are our own worst critics, and I have to remind myself that it's not as bad as my mind makes things out to be sometimes. 

5. Keep a Journal
Surprise! This is one of my goals for the year. I may not be the best writer, use perfect grammar and punctuation all the time, or have the greatest blog ever but I love to write and I love to go back and read what I wrote years later. I started this blog as a travel blog when I was 24. I opened this blog back up again as a little bit of everything. A little bit of travel, a little bit of journaling, and mostly logging important memories and thoughts. I keep a more personal journal at home, but maybe someday I can inspire someone through my words. 

6. Knowledge is Power. Read and Learn Something New
I love to read. It's one of my favorite hobbies. It helps me relax and learn so many new things that the TV might not teach. I have a whole wishlist of books on Amazon that I am going to buy in the next couple months and I hope to purchase a Kindle as well. My goal is to at least read 20 books this year if I don't read more than that. 


7. Take Some Classes
I have been out of the college scene for awhile now and am blessed to be working in the professional field without a degree. Sure I have my estheticians license and I'm doing a whole lot with that right now(sarcasm). A lot of people think it's crazy that I never finished college. It's not because I'm a quitter or because I'm lazy. College is not for everyone right out of high school; I know I definitely was not ready for it. Since then I have managed to take college courses over the Internet and continue to work my full time job. There are even free classes on Itunes and Coursera that you can take and learn a thing or two. I might not get a degree out of it, but I'm continuing to broaden my mind and learn new things. 
I have also been taking French lessons. I want to be bilingual so I better start practicing now(Notice how learning French is not on this list, I don't want to go too crazy, too fast) 
Let this be a year of learning for me. 

8. Go Play Outside
Having a puppy definitely helps with this because we are forced to go outside to let her relieve herself. There are so many trails to hike, beaches to explore, mountains to climb, lakes to fish, and so on. There is so much opportunity outdoors and a lot of these things don't cost a dime. 

9. Create
Thank you for existing, Pinterest. I get so many great ideas from you on how to cook chef-worthy meals, organize my cluttered closet, and make homemade gifts for people that come from the heart. 
There are so many things we can do to create. If anyone is reading this that knows me really well, knows that I SUCK at art. I cant draw, paint, or work with clay to save my life. When I took a high school pottery class, all my pots came out crooked, lopsided, or just magically cracked. It was artwork only a mother could love(You can ask her, she put it on a special shelf like I was in elementary school. Thanks mom for understanding) Those forms of creativity are just touching the surface of what you can create. I feel like I am pretty good at photography and I have an eye for things. I plan on getting a real camera and not being an Iphone photographer for the rest of my life, but until then I will work with the materials I have. 
There are also some Pinterest projects/recipes that I have my eye on. Stay tuned for a blog entry about them. 

10. Less Stress, More Zen
Stressful situations suck and they happen whether we are ready for them or not. It's how we handle these situations that matters in the end. 
I have always been a fan of Yoga and peaceful meditating. I plan to do much more of these things because they are so great for the body and the mind. Massages are also awesome for the stressful times. 

Instead of turning to the bottle of wine and thinking I need to drink when I'm stressed, I can just as easily turn to something that is good for my body instead of something that will temporarily mend the situation. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a girl needs to get buzzed on wine, just not so often. 

11. Me Time

I love being around the people I love and they make me happy, but I tend to forget about myself and my desires when I am trying to constantly please others. That's why this year I am going to try and devote more time for myself and not be afraid to do stuff alone sometimes. It might be going on a drive to organize my thoughts, going and getting a cup of coffee, or whatever comes to mind at the time. 

12. Be "Weird" and Do it With Confidence

Here is a fact about me: I'm weird and I'm a dork. There are so many mainstream things that I absolutely despise and there are things like Mystery Science Theater 3000 that I love. Sometimes I refuse to watch videos that are posted by so many people on Facebook or I refuse to like a song because I think it's just noise(which is how I feel about a lot of stuff on the radio.) American Idol? Don't like it. Glee? No thanks.  Duck Dynasty? Hell no. These are just examples. My point is: be yourself, like what you like, and don't feel the need to justify it to anyone. Have confidence in your weird "guilty pleasures." 

I like what I like, do what I do, and say what I say because it's part of who I am and it's time to embrace it. 

13. Come Up With a Bucket List and Start Crossing Things Off

I believe everyone should have a bucket list. I know I have a whole list of dreams I want to make come true, places I want to visit, and experiences I want to embrace. The more I find out who I am the more my list changes. It's such a wonderful feeling when you can mark something that you have always wanted off that list and have a story to tell. 

So there it is. A goal for every month of the year plus one. I feel like it's a reasonable list of goals that are easily reachable. I'm already off to a good start with number 5 because I have written three posts in a week. :) 

2013 Recap

Welcome to 2014! Whether you were ready for it or not, it's here and we already almost a week in. For me, 2013 had many rough patches but it also held some great times for me. I wanted to do a little recap of everything wonderful that happened during last year to remember, just in case I forget someday. :)

January 2013-The big move to Galveston, Texas. Traveled through Kansas, Oklahoma, and the desolate part of Texas where tumbleweeds are a major part of the population. I was not happy about this new change at all, but I knew it was something that I needed to do. Started a new job, lived on the Gulf of Mexico, met some new people that would test my patience, and learned some important lessons.

February 2013- My 49ers made it to the Superbowl and this year the Superbowl was in New Orleans. I made the executive decision that we would go to New Orleans for the weekend even though we were not going to be able to go to the game. We ate great food, drank a lot of delicious hurricanes and frozen, girly drinks(worst hangover of my life the next morning) and got to watch the game with a bunch of fellow 49ers fans. We lost the big game and I was pretty bummed, may have even cried a little bit. We ended up getting free tickets to see Journey(it's not the same without Steve Perry, I'm 27 and I know this). I also celebrated my 27th birthday. We went to a Burlesque show in Houston where the bar had all the drinks 1920's Prohibition themed. It was a great night.

March 2013- I started a new blog that showed my love of Happy Hour. We tried to go to all the Galveston bars and I would type up a follow-up of each one and what their specials were. It was fun while it lasted, but a couple months later I decided to take it easy on the drinking and spending money. My best friend came to visit and we went to Austin for a weekend. We had such a great time! We also went to NASA Space Museum. Celebrated St. Patricks Day in downtown Galveston which was the most boring holiday ever. There was nobody out having fun!

April 2013-This month was pretty terrible and uneventful. Just blah!

May 2013- I pushed my confidence to the next level and participated in the annual Bathing Beauties Competition. Everyone dresses up in their 1940's bathing suits and celebrates their love of vintage. I did not win this year, but I still had so much fun taking part of this awesome time and meeting some awesome girls with the same passion for vintage I have. 

June 2013-We finally moved off the Galveston Seawall into a much bigger, more quiet place on the water. We fell in love with our new apartment and it felt like something that was our own. In our previous place, we were in a 2nd floor apartment that was furnished by seniors. It was tiny and we had terrible, loud, nosey neighbors. Living in our very own place with our own furniture was such a relief. Moving is never fun, but this was a welcome change. 

July 2013-Celebrated the 4th of July at our new place with good friends. Grilled fish tacos, burgers, and fished. Spent a little bit of time at the beach and endured the tourist season with as much patience and grace as possible. 

August 2013-Got to see Dave Chappelle and Flight of the Conchords live at an outdoor venue in Houston. We had a great time but Dave Chappelle was not as funny as I thought he was going to be. 

September 2013-I realized that it was time for a lifestyle change. I realized that I put on some weight from the way I had been drinking, eating, and not exercising. My friend Libby got me started with Insanity and I started changing my diet around. It was time and it needed to be done. Football season started and I got involved in a Fantasy Football league again.

October 2013- At the beginning of the month we went to Denver. There were multiple reasons for our trip. We had to move all our stuff out of the condo I signed a lease on right before we moved here(I really didn't know that we would be taking these jobs till pretty last minute after I signed a brand new lease) so there was that. The other reason was we decided to volunteer our time at Great American Beer Festival. Thousands and thousands of beers to try and not having to pay a dime for admission. It was a wonderful, fun experience and I broke my diet to try all the wonderful beers. Got to see old friends and be in the city that I pretty much call home. We came back and it was time to celebrate Halloween and dress up like undead necks(aka zombie rednecks) for a party. I love being creative with costumes and makeup. 

November 2013- Oh the month of traveling. At the beginning of the month we went to Reno, Nevada to celebrate an early Christmas with my family, as well as attend my cousins wedding in my hometown of Chico, California. I got to spend a few days with my mom and sister which was much needed because I tend to get depressed if I don't see them for a long time. It was time to remedy that. We opened Christmas presents, drank white Russians, and pretended that it was the holidays. It really did feel like Christmas with all the family there and my mom's Christmas decorations neatly arranged in her perfect interior designer ways. A few days later, it was off to Chico to attend Kristin and Kevin's comic book themed wedding. I spent the previous night before this showing Nate, Sarah, and Jacob all the hot spots that Chico has to offer. We had a great time, drank a lot, and I even sang some karaoke. My sister did too, and she rocks a lot harder than I do. So, I did my cousins' wedding makeup extremely hungover but still had a great time making her look and feel beautiful on her special day. Then we traveled to Pennsylvania a couple weeks later to spend time with Nate's family and friends where we also celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving. I got to drink a Christmas Ale in Ohio(awesome beer) and eat a great Thanksgiving dinner in Pennsylvania an hour later. It was part of the country I have never seen before and even though it was cold, we still had a good time. 

December 2013- This was a pretty relaxing month for us since all the traveling craziness was winding down. We adopted a puppy from the humane society here in Galveston. Her name is Lucy and she is an American Bulldog/Chocolate lab mix. She is the cutest, sweetest thing ever. She is a puppy and bites and chews stuff she is not supposed to but we are getting through that and she is learning fast. We love her and could not be happier with our new "child." Since we were spending Christmas alone we decided to make the best of it and make our own memories. We went to the Festival of Lights here in Galveston on Christmas Eve and walked around looking at the amazing light displays while drinking hot chocolate. We then came home and watched Christmas movies and ate cheese and crackers and drank Christmas Sangria that I made. We each got to open one gift. I bought Nate a charcoal grill and he got me a new peacoat. We woke up around 10 am the next morning and opened gifts. We each had the idea to make one gift homemade for each other. He made me these awesome coasters with our photos on them from different events in our relationship. I made him a canvas with maps from all the cities we have lived since we have been together and our hometowns with a saying from a song we both like that says "Home is wherever I am with you." I like this new tradition because it comes from the heart. I had decided that I did not want to cook so we had the wonderful idea of going out for Indian food. It did not disappoint at all! New Years came around just like that....

Last year was very eventful and I learned some interesting lessons. I learned a lot about myself and about others. One of the lessons I really embraced last year was time is valuable and it goes by so fast. We need to make an adventure anywhere we can. We are only a week in to 2014 and it's never too late to start living. 

Learning Lessons and Making Happiness

Sure, I will admit that I did not want to move to Texas. People that know me really well and talked to me around the time we were getting ready to move here knew this fact loud and clear. I made it very obvious, maybe a little too obvious. Growing up in a small ski-town in Southern Colorado I knew who these "Texans" were and I was not a fan of them. First and foremost, the Texan driver was a very well known animal in our neck of the woods. It's enough to make you fear your life on the road. They also came in to the restaurant I was bartending and demanded things. They acted like they were top priority and we had to reorganize our little lives around them, because they come in huge suburbans full of ten family members and cash. Don't get me wrong, the money I made during holiday breaks was a blessing(when they felt like tipping that is.) When I found out the company I started working for had a contract in Galveston, Texas I was excited at first. This was a great opportunity to move up in something and make good money. The job is also helping the less fortunate people in the area because they get a chance to move into a nice home, in a nice neighborhood and start a new life after Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. A lot of them are still living in dangerous conditions and I have the chance to help them. After telling some of my closest friends and family about the choice to come here, they were surprised. "You are moving to Texas? You? Are you ok? Are you sick?" I really started thinking about this decision and why I was really doing it. After all, I was in Denver where I was extremely happy with a group of tight knit friends who accept me the way I am. People that I don't constantly feel like I have to impress or fit in with. That's when the fear started kicking in. Would these people forget about me after I left Colorado? Would I just be a distant memory or like that Gotye song "Somebody that they used to know." As time got closer and closer the more negative I felt about the whole situation. I was reluctant to pack my bags and give up the condo I had just put a deposit on. The place that I turned into a home for Nate and I because I thought this is where we were going to spend at least the next year when the money was put down. Luckily, a friend was able to take over my lease for the remainder and ended up getting a pretty sweet deal out of it. I complained and made snarky comments thinking that venting about it would make the situation better. Do you think it did? The answer to the above question is "no." It made things worse and caused stress that was not needed in an already stressful time. A few short weeks later it was time to say goodbye and start our new life in Texas. We left late in the afternoon on January 6th. We drove through the night with my Saturn Vue packed to the brim. There was no turning back now. We got to Galveston 18 hours later in the middle of the day. The beach was a welcome sight because I have always loved the water. We started our jobs the next day and that was that. It all happened so fast. It was a huge adjustment period for me. I did not know any of these people and me in all my introvert glory was a nervous wreck. What if they don't like me? What if I cant do this job? This is what it has been for the past year. I have been questioning myself at every turn, if I feel like I have said the wrong thing to the wrong person, I feel like a grudge gets held against me and it gets talked about behind my back later. All this in turn gave me a complex where I felt I was never good enough for anyone. I was starting to make myself believe that my own boyfriend wouldn't want me anymore if I could not be who these people wanted me to me. And one day I realized something. I got really sick with pneumonia and had a lot of time to think about things while sitting on my butt and trying to "relax." Why does it matter? All that matters is who I am and I am going to shine that out my ass and if people don't like it, that's their problem. I felt like I lost the last year living in a world where my main concern was trying to impress others and succumb to what they wanted me to be. It made me really question what brings me inner peace and helped me realize that that is what needs to be my main focus. Texas is not responsible for my downer days, neither are the people that treat me like I am dumb or not good enough. It is me and who I am on the inside that will blast through all that negative energy and prevail. I am learning that I need to embrace these situations with open arms because these are the moments that challenge me and make me a better person. It's almost the end of 2013, and what better time to start all over again with peace in my heart and a smile on my face. Life is not going to be perfect all the time, and things are not going to go my way 100% of the time. I cannot control every aspect of my life and I have to be ready when things seem to come collapsing down on me. It is MY attitude and the way I look at and handle the situation that will get me through. I turn 28 in February and it's my golden birthday since my birthday happens to fall on the 28th. I figure the best gift that is worth more than gold to me is self-respect, self-love, and self-adoration. Nobody else around me can create that happiness inside me unless I feel like I deserve it. In the past year, I have learned many things about myself and who I truly am. It may have taken moving to Texas to really learn these valuable lessons. Not being surrounded by people that adore me has really made me learn to love and respect myself. I am really smart, friendly, fun, and I have a lot to offer the friends that decide to stay in my life. If I am here for another year, I will have a whole new attitude about it and make it one of the best years of my life. I have an awesome partner in crime who is always there for me no matter what(Thanks Nate) and a brand new puppy that's life we made better by adopting her. It's all about these simple joys in life and grasping what really matters.

Denver->New Orleans->Galveston

It's been awhile hasn't it? I don't know if anyone is even out there anymore in blog land. Life sure has been busy. For those of you that weren't aware, I moved to Denver. Sure, it happened like 2 years ago but I really haven't posted since then. Getting to know a city is also an adventure, even when you are not vacationing there. I learned this about Denver from moving here by myself and having to go to every single bar around my neighborhood and apply for work as a bartender. I have been doing it for years and I am confident in my abilities to be behind a bar and function even in stressful, busy moments. After finding a couple that I liked, I kept returning to drinks and good company. A specific one that I went to every few days was called Bull and Bush Brewery. It opened back in the 70s when the Glendale area of Denver was booming with night life. Nowadays Glendale is quiet with a lot of a lot of apartments and older folks but Bull and Bush remains strong and very popular among Colorado beer snobs. I would sit at the bar and talk to the regulars and get to know things about my new city. I had some money saved up and lots of time on my hands, but I had to find a job and really soon. I honestly had forgotten how hard it is to put yourself out there. It took me two months to land a job at a sports bar in my neighborhood. Luckily for my birthday being in he middle of it all I had a little extra cash for meals and bills. That was a struggle but I feel like it made me stronger. Moving to a new city can be super hard but can also be so much fun. I have made so many great friends and have even fallen madly in love since moving here. Before this fact, I was always the one making adventures for myself. Now there is someone in my life who loves going on adventures as much as I do and we make a great team. Some of the fun things I/we have done in this wonderful city include: *spending hours walking around the Museum of Natural History. *camping in the Winter Park area. It was June and it was 28 degrees that night. Be prepared. *seeing Furthur at Red Rocks Amphitheater TWICE. Such a great. Scenic venue with so much to offer. We also saw Blues Traveler and My Morning Jacket. *tubing down the river in Boulder and watching college kids on their summer break set up beer pong tables in the calm parts of the river. *went to about 10 games at Coors field. Mostly Rockies vs Giants of course. TheGiants won every time. :) *went to a preseason football game at Sports Authority Field. Home of Peyton Manning. Yet, my Niners still managed to bet he Broncos. *played 80s arcade games while drinking cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. This can be found at the 1up and 2up bars here in Denver. *laid out our blankets for Jazz in the Park at City Park. Unfortunately the day we were there a young man murdered a female police officer. Sad day, but was fun while it lasted. *many nights of pub crawls or bar hopping around one of the most beer happy sites in the country. Many breweries in the area including Breckenridge, Wynkoop, Great Divide, and Oskar Blues to name a few. *a trip to the Stanley Hotel for my birthday. Complete with a ghost tour, a cocktail at the bar where Jim Carrey sat in Dumb and Dumber, and watching The Shining while drinking red wine and eating KFC/Taco Bell. I didn't sleep a lot. Every noise I heard I thought was a ghost. *spending an extended weekend in Fort Collins visiting New Belgium Brewery and ODell. Went fishing on the Poudre River and saw someone I went to high school with in Pagosa Springs. Small world... These are just a few of the awesome Northern Colorado things we have endured. Last month we were informed that Nate had a great job offer awaiting him in Louisiana. He was gone a week later for the next few weeks. I worked extra hard so I had money to come see him in a place on my bucket list, New Orleans... To be continued.

I left my heart in San Francisco

I sit in Pagosa Springs watching the World Series wishing I was at AT&T Park. Wishing I was close to the place I first called home. I grew up in Northern California and was a regular at Candlestick Park when the Giants played there. The Giants were always a part of my life growing up. It is very much in my family. My dad played baseball. Grandpa played baseball. Even great-grandpa played baseball. The sport is a passion of mine and always has been. As I watch game 1 of the World Series, I look at the bridge in the background beaming over the bay and I ache for clam chowder, served in a fresh sourdough bread bowl. Though the air is crisp and cool from the ocean breeze, I would be in Heaven sitting in this ballpark right now. If you have never been to San Francisco, I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and do. The food is A+++. The views are spectacular. The culture? Nothing short of amazing! Short and sweet this week! ;)

A la tierra is the expression I use when in Mexico. It means down to earth. This place is full of so much majesty, heart, and beauty. The people here are gentle and kind, and always greet you with a smile.

Day One began last Monday morning around 4 am. We were on early flight out of Denver and since it was a three day weekend, we wanted to make sure we were at the airport and resonable time to get through the lines at security. It turns out, there werent many people there afterall so once through security, it was to the bar at 7 am. This vacation was starting off right. Not too long after, we lined up at our gate and it was to Dallas/Fort Worth for a very short layover. We got on the plane, seat belts fastened, laptop out and ready, shoes off. About twenty minutes later, once everyone is on the plane and ready for the sunny city of Puerto Vallarta, the captain announced that there were problems with the plane and we had to deplane and catch another flight. Turns out this "other flight" was in another concourse of the airport which we had to take a tram to. It put a small damper on the trip, but after we got on the second flight, everything was a-ok. Around 4 pm we landed in Puerto Vallarta. I could hardly wait to get off the plane and feel the Mexican heat on my skin. My wish came true. It was like walking into a wall of humid, sticky, heat. With the humidity it felt like it was 120 degrees. We were off to customs. I'm a white girl. This is a fact. I dont speak Spanish very well. I took French in high school and now study Italian in college. I admit, learning these languages have helped my ability to understand and read a lot of Spanish, but when the customs lady is barking at me a thousand mph, I cant really comprehend. After all the bags cleared and passport was stamped, we were off to find our shuttle driver. Timeshares are a really big thing down here, and the salesmen will try to suck you in ruthlessly. It was a sea of them in the lobby, and we were nothing but live bait. And then, the sign came like a beam of light, Becky and Eric's name. It was our shuttle to Sayulita; our destination. We were greeted with ice cold Pacifico's that you can drink, IN THE CAR! All these small freedoms had me amazed. Thirty minutes later we arrived at our vacation home. Casa Sopresa which in English means Home of Surpises and that is exactly what it is. Palm trees shade over our private pool. A shady outdoor patio holds not one, but TWO hammocks, comfy couches and chairs. Not to mention an outdoor shower where you can hose yourself down after a sandy day at the beach. )Which is only a block away)The rooms are spacious and the beds are a little firm, but very comfy at the same time. I put my bags down and it was to the pool. At least to dunk my feet in before dinner. We enjoyed a Mexican meal, and two for one mojitos. (Can you really turn that down?)Since the day started at an unGodly hour of the morning, it was sleepy time for Lindsay.

Day Two, like pretty much every other day of my life, started around 11 am. Anyone who knows me KNOWS I am not and will never be a morning person. Plus, the sounds of the air conditioner soothe me and keep me asleep. Once I was up and had my coffee, it was off the the beach to soak up some sun and a couple of Pacifico's. I was bombarded by vendors selling their home-made goods. Bracelets, dresses, sarongs, wood sculptures, pretty much anything you can imagine. I wanted to buy everything. The great thing about the slow season in Sayulita is you can bargain with the vendors and talk them down to great prices. They are just happy to be making a little bit of money this time of year. So, I bought some stuff. But what is a true vacation without souveniers? Right ladies? Anyway, I did not leave the beach empty handed. Being the little explorer I am, I walked around town. The aromas from all the restaurants were making me hungry. We ate at a little joint called Burrito Revolution. I had a quesadilla with avocados(of course, I cant live without my avocado on EVERYTHING) and it was better than any quesadilla I have ever had. I have wanted to go back and try the vegetarian burrito but it has been closed every day now. Sad day. Needless to say, you cant go to Mexico and not get pretty buzzed up at least one of the nights. So, Buddha Bar had a "ladies drink free" for two hours of the evening. I got buttered up on margaritas and danced the night away. I made a few new friends. Two girls, Miranda and Hilary, from Vancouver and Tim and Nicole, newlyweds from Seattle. We were all sauced and having a grand ol time. The night would have not been complete without a evening swim in our private pool. And that's just what I did.

Day Three was spent in bed. Pretty much ALL day actually. I had a little thing Americans call a HANGOVER. I did not want to crawl out of the comfort of my bed all day. Finally around 2 pm, I decided to crawl out of my chamber and get in some beach time. I read my book and soaked up the warm afternoon sun and sipped on not one, but two fruit smoothies to soothe my tummy. Kids that were about 12 years old were ripping it up on the waves, very fun to watch. I ate an extremely later lunch(or early dinner) of tacos camarrones mojo del ajo. Which is Shrimp tacos in butter and garlic. The combination of shrimp+garlic+butter+avocado= a wonderful dish! Anything with garlic with please me. A MMMMM sound followed every bite. I could have licked the plate, honestly. I decided to take it easy on my belly and NOT drink tequila that day. So I went with something a little more girly and drank a mango collada. It was divine.

Day Four goes down in history as the best day of my life. I got to mark something off my bucket list...Swimming with dolphins. Since I was young, this one thing has always been on my list. It was always too expensive for 10 year old with no job. Plus growing up in Colorado, you just dont have those options. Finally, I made a vow to myself. I am going to do this. It was pretty silly but I couldnt sleep that night just thinking about it. )Well, it may also have to do with the fact that I slept in a whole work day)That morning, I was ready. My childhood fantasy was going to come true at the age of 24. We got there for the earliest session they offered, which was 10 am. After learning about dolphins for twenty minutes(Fun fact: the dolphins closest reletive is a hippo)we for to meet our dolphin. Lifejeckets tied tight, because the pool is very ,very deep, we all got in the water. She swam by us and we stroked her belly. She was so soft, intelligent, and gentle. She had a perma-grin on her sweet little face. This sight, this experience of being so close to one of God's most precious creatures took over me. I had my own perma-grin through the whole session. Tears came to my eyes, not in a bauling state, but there were tears of joy present. I got to dance with her, kiss her, hug her, and take a ride on her belly. For a moment in time, there was a connection between this creature and I. Something so different than any human connection. I was embracing true beauty. Something that doesnt judge, something that has so much brain power and affection. And like that. It was over. It was time to get out of the pool and move on with my life. After the swim, I was given a very fishy kiss from a sea lion. We got some good professional shots by the photographer and rode the water taxi across the bay to paradise village, a crazy big resort with it's own shopping mall. It reminded me of Vegas, but out your backdoor there was the pool, behind it, the ocean. We met up with some friends and spent the day on the beach, drinking fruity, girly drinks. We walked down the beach till we got to a sea turtle hatchery. The babies were so tiny and sweet. All the people involved got three turtles each. We were giving these babies a chance to live. With each one I sent, I imagined the people I have lost in my life. For each, I gave the gift and breath of new life into this world. Even if they were just turtles. These turtles can live a long life of 150years. Longer than living thing. Watching the babies "leave the nest" with the sun-setting over the sea, was another tear jerking moment in my life. I went to sleep with a smile on my face that night.


Pretty much every day has consisted of the same harmony. Eat some amazing food, have some amazing frozen cocktails (and mojiots, Golly I love those things!) and making frequent visits to the pool and the beach. The weather is warm, the people are happy, and the mood is tranquilo. With two days left, I will have to have camaronnes mojo de ajo one more time, and buy that dolphin wooden sculpture I have been eyeing all week.

Summer is Over

Well friends. It sure has been awhile hasnt it? I started back to work in late April and have not written since. Kip's experienced the busiest summer we have ever had. The tourist season this year was booming and work was very lucrative. This is a good thing but the downfall was not enough time for adventure. I am in my third year of school and my initial goal is to acheive my masters degree in counseling/psychology. It's a super fun major to study but it takes a lot of time out of my days. Now that I am officially on vacay for 17 days(yes terrible sounding I know) I can finally go on another adventure! I am leaving tomorrow morning for Denver International Airport and flying off to Mexico. We are going to a small town called Sayulita which is just north of Puerto Vallarta. I cant wait to spend 10 days in the sun with nothing to worry about but putting on some sunscreen every once in awhile. Needless to say, I will be posting because I will have Wi-Fi at the vacation home. YAY! :)

Lindsay