Montezuma

Playa Samara

¡Amo Costa Rica!

We're back from the sea by the Nicoya Peninsula and the rain forests of Monteverde.
Some of the things we did are reflected in the photos (coming soon) but just in case, here's a little summary of what our time consisted of:

Surfing lessons, sitting on the beach, eating pineapple, reading in hammocks, taking siestas, kayaking to islands where lizards live, snorkeling, walking around, picking up seashells, drinking Imperial and piña coladas, putting on 50spf and still burning legs to a crisp, eating icecream, watching the ocean and drinking mango smoothies, deciding where to eat, buying bracelets made of macrame and coconut, making friends with doggies and kitties, looking for howler monkeys (and being a little freaked out when hearing them for the first time in the dead of night), going on hikes, looking for quetzals and sloths but only finding caterpillars, zip lining through the cloud forest, visiting the hummingbird garden, putting on lots of deet, joking about getting deet cancer, taking photos, having fun with my husband, brother, and sister-in-law, eating at Organico, buying used books, spotting the geckos on the ceiling, lying under the mosquito net listening to the ocean at night, waking up at 5 am and walking out to the beach, not wanting to go home yet...

See you in a couple weeks.....

WWAD?

I'm sure Admiral Adama would have been able to keep up with his blog even in the midst of pretend moving or a cylon attack. But I, alas, could not. For the past several weeks G and I have been on a emotional stress riddled rollercoaster as we packed up our beloved house and made plans to move to Ventura where G had accepted a job at the college. We went through rooms and belongings (you know all that crap you would never ever go through unless you were moving), had a massive garage sale, and discussed putting our house up for sale (which everyone knows is about the worst time to do such a thing.) After a virtual epiphany, G. and I realized that we would be sacrificing much more than we had anticipated. And, yes, we really did have a good life right where we were. So here we'll stay....until further notice.



P.S. I plan on getting back to a regular blogging schedule as soon as G and I get back from a quick little trip to Costa Rica! ...I wonder if Admiral Adama would take surfing lessons?

Is going back to your old job like going back to your old boyfriend?

No. At least I don't think so. No boyfriend ever sent me a paycheck or saved me from substitute teaching. Yay for old jobs!

Everything is OK now

Tomorrow's Saturday....

I've been drowning in the horrors of an occupation known as substitute teaching. The money, the flexibility of work days etc. are just not cutting it right now. I feel like I know how many teachers are driven to drink. After a day of 4th graders, my car instinctively wants to direct itself to the nearest dive. And it's only 3:00pm.
My loved ones keep telling me it will get better but I would like to know just WHEN will that be? Are we talking weeks, months, or years and years? Because I was hoping for something along the lines of days. Or even hours.
The carrot before my nose is money (yes, money!) to pay for Costa Rica and a possible move this summer. That's if I make it out of this school year alive.

Neon Golden

Leaves and Sunlight

"The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility"

I've been having a sort of Grey Gardens marathon this weekend...





"Didn't she look like a girl who had everything?"

colors + water

Don't Fight It, Feel It

Before


After!

*I know it's kinda hard to see but the walls look much better in their new shade of Garden Urn by Valspar's Seaside Retreat Collection.

Listening to good tunes whilst doing unfavorable jobs like cleaning the bathroom or folding mounds of laundry is essential. I chose some Primal Scream a la Screamadelica to help me through re-painting the living room (only part of it) and the endless amount of prep work; the worst being taping. Yuck! Why did I decide to do this?? Singing along even while taping off endless corners really helped me zen out but in a dancy way of course.

p.s. The 90's had it's own peace and love going on and I know P has some pictures to prove that we were pretty much diggin' it circa 1992. I may or may not post aforementioned proof.

Instead of blaming the darkness, bring in the light.

Sunshine and cool finds

G and I had a great time in Ventura exploring the old historic downtown yesterday. There were quite a few good places to eat, plus some record stores, antiques, and really cool shops of all kinds with great finds. I picked up an amazing ring (hand carved perhaps?) and a shiny bead necklace (that looks great as a bracelet) from one such place on Main Street called Sassy Sally's .


Sassy Sally's Owner & Desginer, Lindsay Miller



The owner of this self-proclaimed indie boutique, Lindsay Miller, is one cool gal. She revamps alot of vintage wear as well as designs her own one-of-a-kind pieces such as bloomers and her personal fave, aprons! Local artist creations, recycled material, as well as whimsical vintage pieces set the tone for this hip spot. Stop by and see her when you're in the area!

The adventures of Peapod

The Ruthless Hunter

vs. Little Peapod

While it is true that I love Clementine (as well as my other feline Elliott), it is painfully clear that she is a true bird killer at heart while I am a true bird fanatic. It is quite a conflict let me tell you. This morning I saw to my absolute horror that she had cornered a stunned hummingbird that had most likely flown into our back window. I shouted and rushed out the backdoor chasing after her with the poor little thing in her mouth. G totally came to the rescue though and chased her under the car where she dropped her victim, thankfully within G's reach. He carefully picked little Peapod up and held her in his hand in the sunshine where she could warm up. She continued to breathe fast, opening and closing her tiny eyelids (the tiniest eyelids ever!) while her tongue went in and out. She was one of the most precious things I have ever seen up close. We decided we couldn't just leave her in such a state so I ran back into the house to find a little box for a make-shift nest. I came running out again only to see G looking up into the one of the tallow trees where she had flown up to sit and rest on a tiny branch.
Sighs of relief all around!


p.s. Peapod is a Calliope hummingbird; the smallest in North America.