Sunday, February 01, 2009

Hola!

I kind of went into a holding pattern in January. I tend to do that when I have something big coming up, in this case a vacation in Mexico. Also, life, specifically my job, was taking up most of my available brain power and time, and all I wanted to do when I got home was relax, have some dinner, and go to bed.


We just got back from seven days in Puerto Vallarta with our friends John and Leslie, and Kelly and Craig. It was a great trip, very relaxing, really fun. Bob broke his toe a couple of weeks ago running into a dresser in his bare feet, so that was bothering him, and as soon as we got to Mexico he came down with pink eye in one eye. Then the other eye. Things kept happening to him, to the extent that Kelly started keeping a list.



He was out in the ocean fishing with John and Craig, and a wave got him and pulled him under, and he swallowed a bunch of seawater. The list, so far, read:

  • Toe injury
  • Pinkeye in one eye
  • Pinkeye in second eye
  • Drowned, vomited in ocean

I got slightly sick the first day, and spent Sunday in bed. I got up and went down to breakfast, and sat outside briefly, but was shivery and unhappy, and decided to give up on trying to be sociable, and went back to bed. I spent most of the day sleeping; Bob and the guys had hired a boat and gone out fishing, and didn't get back to the hotel until around dinner time.




After dinner, he brought me bread and a candy bar, the only things that I could think about eating. The next day I felt quite a bit better, although still not 100%. That day I ate mostly rice, potatoes, and bread, and by the next day I felt mostly fine. Bob's pinkeye was getting better (he had some drops left from the last time he had it), but he had gotten blisters from his sandals.


The hotel was wonderful. It was brand-new, which was a little bit worrisome, but it was fine. Everyone was friendly, and the food was great, better than anyplace we'd been before. This was a very upscale place -- there was premium liquor at the bars, and there were several very nice restaurants on the property; we had a private a jacuzzi on the balcony and a huge freestanding tub in the room. Bob and the guys went out fishing one day, but other than that we only left the property once.

We hired a van and driver to take us on a tour of some of the small towns nearby; we went out for about four hours, stopped a couple of places to do some (very brief) shopping and have drinks one place. It was a great day.




I guess the next day that Bob and the guys were out fishing in the ocean, and a wave got Bob again, and ripped his (prescription) sunglasses off. So Kelly added to the list:

  • Blisters from sandals
  • Lost sunglasses

The next time he went out, I asked him if he wanted to take his religious medal off and have me hold it, and he said no, that was the only thing keeping him alive!

I got a bit of a sunburn the first day, but it wasn't too bad, and I was very diligent about sunscreen the rest of the week. I guess my own list would have been:

  • Sunburn
  • Got sick
  • Strained shoulder (no real idea what happened there, but it still hurts)
  • Couldn't open safe (had to get a security guy to come open it because I apparently messed up when I locked it one night when I was hurrying to dinner)
  • Caused tsunami of bath water

But wow, it was a great week in spite of all the stuff. We laughed a lot. I spent the week sleeping, eating, resting, and playing cards, an absolutely ideal, wonderful, relaxing week. Too bad it only happens once a year.

More photos here.

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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Good intentions

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together by good intentions." Augustine Burroughs, Magical Thinking

I had good intentions, but I guess I ran out of steam. And as far as excuses go, I got sick, and I fell. Twice. I guess the "sick" part was just a bad cold, but I stayed home from work two days (worked from home, though), and I still have a lingering cough that I'm trying to get rid of.

Tuesday morning I fell in the parking lot at work, slipped on the ice and fell to my knees, caught myself with the palm of my right hand, and then actually hit my face on the ground! I don't think I've ever done that before. My knee is bruised, my hand is bruised, my LIP is bruised, and I have a little scrape on my cheek. It took me awhile to stop shaking from that one, but I didn't tear my clothes or get especially dirty or anything, and I didn't chip a tooth or break my nose or any other bones, so I considered myself lucky.

And then, to add insult to injury, when I was getting the mail at home that same night, I slipped AGAIN, and this time fell on my butt. The ice I fell on that time was melting ice, so I also got soaked. And caught myself with my left hand this time, so I bruised that palm, too.

The good part was, though, that my boss had told us that if we didn't have any deadlines pressing, and didn't have any particular reason to come in, that we could work from home, or just take the day off. We had originally planned to work a half day anyway. So I took the day off and spent it wrapping gifts and making party mix to give to my dad and brother, and Bob's dad, as part of their Christmas gifts.

The one thing that I did stick to pretty well was my "handcrafted Christmas," i.e., giving people things that were consumable, such as soap and food, and not a lot else. Normally when I make stuff for Christmas gifts, I start worrying and feeling guilty, and end up buying things anyway, but this year, I really didn't. Everyone got soap--the girls (mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces) got soap, candles and tea, and the guys (fathers, brothers) got soap and party mix. Boyfriends got Starbucks gift sets with coffee cups and cookies.

So all in all, it worked out pretty well.

Barb is coming over today to exchange gifts and then go out to lunch (or maybe the other way around, depending on how hungry we are), so I'm heading upstairs to shower and dress.

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Monday, December 22, 2008

Advent Calendar - Fallen Behind

Okay, so I've fallen behind on the Advent Calendar. But I have one more giveaway to do, so don't give up. Later today I'll update the calendar and bring it up to date for the last few days before Christmas.

Soap Giveaway

Using my highly scientific method of choosing a winner, I wrote everyone's name down on a notepad, cut them out individually, folded them up, put them in my Christmas candy dish, closed my eyes, held the bowl over my head so I couldn't cheat, and picked one. The winner was Monique! After Christmas, when things settle down a little, I think I'll put some of my handmade soap up in my Etsy shop, so if you didn't win (that would be everyone except Monique), and would like to try it, you'll have another chance.

Check the Advent calendar for this week, and be sure to check any days you missed from Week One and Week Two.

Click the thumbnail above to go to the Advent Calendar page. Once there, click on the number corresponding to the day of the month. Some of the days will have details on little contests or drawings, so check each day for a special note.

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Advent Calendar Updates

I've been sick, and busy, and haven't been keeping up on the journal entries, but I updated the Advent Calendar today, so check it out.

Check the Advent calendar for this week, and be sure to check any days you missed from Week One and Week Two.

Click the thumbnail above to go to the Advent Calendar page. Once there, click on the number corresponding to the day of the month. Some of the days will have details on little contests or drawings, so check each day for a special note.

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Monday, December 15, 2008

Advent Calendar - Weekend & Monday

I'm home sick today. Several people at work have been sick, and Bob had a cold last week, and I finally got it. Yesterday wasn't too bad, but this morning I'm coughing, so I decided to stay home.

Bob is off today, so he went out to McDonald's and got me breakfast, then left to go look for a Christmas tree. When I went to the ATM last night to get some cash, it was either broken or turned off or something -- there was an orange traffic cone in the lane -- so this morning I gave him all the cash I had -- $50, and hope he can get a tree for that.

In my quest for a hand-crafted Christmas, I made a TON of soap this weekend. Well, not literally a ton, but a lot. I made: Oatmeal (oatmeal, apricot seed and honey); Oatmeal Spice (oatmeal, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey); Green Tea; Sandalwood Vanilla, and Chai Tea. I still need to make Peppermint, Cucumber Melon, and Orange Spice. Last night I wrapped a lot of bars, and I bought flat metal tins to package them in.

I like making soap, it's a lot of fun. I dread starting it, because it's kind of messy and takes up a lot of room, but once I get into it, I really enjoy it.

Saturday night Bob drew a name for the "Murder with all the Trimmings" gift, and Sharon won! I mailed the book out yesterday, along with a bunch of Christmas cards and a few CDs. They'll all go out in several batches, so if you don't have one yet, it should be on its way soon. I'm cutting off the CD offer, but if you want a Christmas card and aren't on my regular list, or haven't let me know this year, please do.

Check the Advent calendar for this week, and be sure to check any days you missed from Week One and Week Two.

Click the thumbnail above to go to the Advent Calendar page. Once there, click on the number corresponding to the day of the month. Some of the days will have details on little contests or drawings, so check each day for a special note.

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