Morning

Humming Dan Fogelberg.....

It's going to be a day....there is really no way to say 'no' to the morning.

Playa's Got it All

J. and I walked .75 miles down 5th Avenue today in search of the French bakery we discovered when we were here a couple years ago.  J. had walked down this way before on this trip but it was my first time since we were here last and so much has changed.  There's a new high end mall including an H&M department store, Sephora and tons of other specialty shops. So many new things in just the two years we've been away.  I have to say I'm not a huge fan of the changes though I think they are to be expected - Playa isn't a sleepy little town anymore - it's a tourist mecca.  There are so many people here from countries all over the world and it's lovely, no doubt.  But it's really feeling even more touristy.

No fewer than 20 requests to stop and look at whatever.  They repeat the same lines 'hey, I remember you' or 'where are you going in such a hurry'. I try to remember they are trying to make a living and in a town where there are dozens upon dozens of places for people to buy exactly the same stuff, they do whatever they need to do to try to get you in THEIR store vs. another store - but still, it's annoying. J. says it's not too bad when he's just walking with his ear buds in - but with me in tow?  He's the 'Papa' (WFF?!) and they try to entice him to buy for his lady.  Even called us 'honeymooners'.  Seriously?

Anyway...I digress.  The walk was fun; the bakery was lovely and I even had a Starbucks iced tea on the walk - then a refill at the bakery for the walk back.

And there's this:  an Irish pub, drugs and a deli - all in the same building.  (The Drugs & Deli is in the middle right) -

Only in Playa.  

We ordered hamberguesas and fries from the restaurant next to our condo complex and they delivered them right to our door.  On china.  With cloth napkins.  $200 pesos (about $12.50 including a tip) and they even remembered ketchup and a salt shaker.  We took the dishes back when we finished.  

Tonight, I think we're leaning towards Blue Lobster.  Way more expensive than what we've been eating  - 

Or maybe we'll just get pasta or Mexican food takeout.  It's nice to just eat in - 

The owner of the condo gave the OK for us to stay until 2PM on Tuesday - which is really lovely. It will be like having an extra day here - we can wedge in some beach and sun time in the morning and still have plenty of time to shower, make final packing arrangements and then be ready for our van to us up.  So glad it's OK to check out late - makes the day much easier, especially if it ends up being a rainy one. 

Pretty proud of walking 1.5 miles (round trip) in 85 degree heat with 80% humidity.  J. said he was pretty impressed.  I'll go to great lengths for French pastries.  

The View From Here

is pretty awesome.

Sunday's flight was good and passed pretty quickly.  The only glitch was me realizing that I had left my medicine organizer in the kitchen instead of putting it in my carry on.  We pulled off the freeway and I debated about turning around and going back - but risking being rushed and late was worse than being without, so we kept going.  A confirmation of the decision was pretty quick in coming - the freeway was one lane quite a ways as they finished up a huge repaving project in Livermore-Pleasanton.  Thankfully, Sunday morning uber early was no issue but if we'd turned around and gone back and then come through that area later, it would likely have been a mess.

I'd planned to trek to WalMart on Monday and see about getting my Dr. to fax my Rx's here - but Jim (bless his heart) went to the Farmacia around the corner on Sunday evening and asked about what would be needed.  The Pharmacist said 'what do you need' and Jim FB messaged me for the list - and viola!  The three most critical medication were quickly replaced for a grand total ....wait for it....$31. Unbelievable....and including my cholesterol medication (well, one of them.  The other would be nice to have but it's OK to go without until we get home) which I was thinking I would do without.  Must haves are my Omeprazole and my Voltaren - so all three in hand before bed on Sunday.  Another confirmation of the 'don't turn around and go back' decision.

Monday it poured rain all day which was sort of a blessing in disguise.  I was tired and just enjoyed a day of reading and watching the West Wing DVD's we brought.  The forecast said rain all week but Tuesday morning was clear and it's been lovely - not anywhere near as hot as it is when we are here in July and not a mosquito in sight.  It's awesome!  Though 10 minutes in the sun yesterday with no sun screen left my nose and forehead fried.  Oh well.  A little color is a good thing.

We may head to Cozumel tomorrow if the weather is nice.  No way will I do the ferry in the rough seas we saw on Monday.

We've been sticking to our norm of eating dinner out.  Went to WalMart on Monday and got plenty of breakfast and lunch stuff.  $90 and that included lots of rum, tequila, mixers and sodas.

I always think we could live like kings in Mexico - and we've had the discussion again about buying a place - but when you add in condo dues and property management fees on top of the mortgage, it's just not something we want to tie up our $ in - we'd rather visit every other year for a few weeks at a time.  (Especially when I retire!!).

We've been in touch with H. and seems all is good at home, though he misses us and we miss him. Hard to be away from him - it just doesn't feel right.  But it is what it is and school comes first.

I made it through today with no nap which is even more amazing considering we spent time out on the chaises in the heat of the day - but we were well shaded and it's pretty cool with the good breeze.

The beach pic above shows rocks which were completely covered with sand last time we were here. The beach had been built up considerably from what it is now and it's sure a big change.  There are places where you can get in without the rocks but in front of the condo, the sand covering is missed. We see bulldozers, etc. and sure hope they will eventually build it all back up again - they had a huge 'wall' as a water break (made of packed sand) - there was so much sand filled in that the ocean actually started back many feet from where it is now.

They've also added large rope floats to mark off swimming areas.  There's a new lifeguard stand as well, though we haven't seen it manned nor any flags flying to signal the status of swimming (green, yellow, red or black to indicate if it's safe or not to be in the water).  The waves on Monday were huge (in the huge storm) and the waves now are not small - with a strong current back out into the water...and I'm no fan of fighting to get out of the water.  When we were at the beach as kids, swimming in an incoming tide and high tide were fine.  Swimming on the outgoing tide was a 'no'. Swimming at low tide was also fine but the water was 2-5 miles out, so we never walked that far to swim - we'd just wait until the tide came back in.  Tides here are nowhere near that big - but the pull out is pretty noticeable.  I'm settling for walking along the shore and getting my feet wet -

Might swim tomorrow, though.  The churn up from the storm is greatly reduced and the water was much clearer today.

Full day #3 is winding down - we are eating leftovers tonight.  Five full days left - it always goes so quickly....

Christmas Joy!

B. won't be home for Thanksgiving and I'm disappointed about that - he was invited to the wedding of one of his Basic Training buddies in Turlock.  I've been in touch with the girlfriend/soon-to-be-bride over the years and was really excited when B. agreed I could be his 'plus one'.  They are such a sweet couple and so supportive of each other - and I love how Facebook has made it possible to be in touch. The bride went on a church mission trip last year and we made a donation to the trip so she could load her suitcase with toys, etc. to take for the kids.  D. (the groom) told B. 'your Mom is amazing' - which I thought was so sweet.  We were happy to help with a worthy cause - and support this lovely young lady in her faith journey.  Sweetest couple...really just amazing.

But he waited too long and the airfares are crazy - so he's not coming.  I've been feeling disappointed but I am also proud of him because we offered to foot the bill for the ticket (as a gift, not a loan) and he declined saying 'no, I need to do better and do these things myself'.  So while it really hurt me to not just pay for the ticket no matter the cost, I agree that he has to start doing a better job budgeting and planning - and it's not the best thing parenting wise to always come through for him - loan or no loan.  Life's challenging and he needs to learn that on his own.  The hard way - and this lesson feels really hard on both of us.

I've been adjusting to the thought of Thanksgiving without him and it will be OK.

And he's been pretty clear that Christmas is out of the question - they are heading out for some big maneuvers in January and they have been told 'no leave' for Christmas.  THAT lump in my throat has taken a lot longer to work through - I really haven't been able to even think about Christmas without feeling all 'clenchy' and sad.  I understand it's his job; realize that someday, he will not be home for Christmas - but I'm not ready.

Last night, I messaged him quickly to let him know I would send back the wedding reply card with 'regrets' and would send a lovely gift from our family when we get back from Cancun.  He concurred that was the best approach and apologized again, saying 'I need to do better'.  And I replied 'yes, you do - but it's OK'.

Then he said 'on a much better note, I'd like to show you this' and in the message (Facebook) was a picture of his phone with reservations for ELP to OAK arriving 12/24!!  He is coming home for Christmas - only 5 days but I'll take it!!  I told him to 'BOOK IT NOW'! so he did.  Southwest will not charge him change fees and he'll have to pay the difference in fare - or cancel and keep the credit out there until he can use it (within a year).  It's a win-win!  I'm so, so excited to have him home 'cuz I really wasn't sure how I was going to do without him home.

So happy.

Pre-Vacation Activities

I’m still betrothed to Klink – he hasn’t proposed marriage yet.  Really, since I control him, I just haven’t figured out how to propose marriage yet.  The game continues to intrigue and partly because it’s just so sexist in some ways, it amuses me.  The knights leave trash all over the place and await ‘the ladies’ to pick it up for them.  Too busy fighting battles in our honor, I guess?  Don’t want to waste male energy on picking up trash when you could have the ladies to it for you and save your energy for battle.  The males also eat a lot and like it when the ladies cook for them.  Geez…..make yourself a sandwich!

J. and I are going through a Battle of the Sexes thing sort of.   The duvet cover we picked out together when we moved into this house 15 years ago is showing its age – so it’s time to pick a new one.  There’s no easy way to do this – not too masculine for me nor too frilly for him.  No outrageous colors that will compel us to redo the entire bedroom.  Hopefully not too, too expensive ‘cuz we are careful.  Overstock.com has a lot very reasonably priced but we can’t find ones we agree on.  Toss in that the bed is a California King – very few duvet covers in that size and while I think King would do, J. doesn’t –you can see this may take a while.

We could always turn it around – put the ‘top’ edge that is showing its age at the bottom and the bottom edge up near the pillows and see if that evens it out a bit and gets us through another year or two.  We both love what we have….and that would eliminate the stress of trying to find something we can both agree on.

I start each day with a copious list in my head of things I must do to prepare for our trip…and come home and crash.  This morning, I was making lists in my head of all the things I will do as soon as I get home shortly after 4 – and mid-teeth brushing, it hit me that I have a board meeting tonight….so 4ish arrival home is not happening.  Maybe a mid-day break for a couple of hours will allow me to get a couple things going.  J. has a massive list of things to do today and I’m counting on him to get them off the list.   H.’s car failed it’s smog check so we have to figure that out pretty quickly because his registration renewal is due shortly after we get back from Cancun.  Prescription refills have been phoned in and need to be picked up.  The grocery trip with H. that didn’t happen Sunday will happen tomorrow after work FOR SURE ‘cuz there’s not much food in the house he will eat.  We have meat in the fridge that needs to be frozen and/or cooked then refrozen for later. 

We’re going to try to take only the two large suitcases – and we can load them up to 70 pounds each since we’re flying Business Class to Cancun.  As J. said, though ‘who will want to lift that’?  Not us.  But with snorkel gear, pillows, clothes, etc. – it’s going to be a challenge.  Thankfully, I’m just taking minimal clothing – we can do laundry there and I pretty much live in my swimsuit and cover-ups mostly, anyway.

I came home for a mid-day break which was great….only it was sure hard to go back to work.  Our property tax bill arrived in the mail – Yowza – it’s a doozy.  On the plus side is home values are appreciating quite nicely in our area – but wow.  I don’t have quite enough saved up to pay the December installment (less than $150 short so no big deal)  - we will need to start saving a bit more monthly to be ready for next year’s shock.

Home from the board meeting - it went fine.  Three more days to plow through....and I feel like I will spend the first week of our trip sleeping.  All I can think about is sleep.  :-)  So I'll head upstairs and get some (I hope).  

Beach on the Horizon

Today's goal is getting to WinCo with H. in tow so we can do a good stock up shop before J. and I leave.  Normally, I'd be doing this shop next Saturday (the day before we leave) but there's a baby shower that day and I'm hoping to get there.  The day before we leave for 10 days.  It's a crap shoot if it will be a yes or a no but I'm going to try.  I have no gift purchased, no idea when I will get something purchased - but it's on my list so there's hope.

J. and I had a nice date night which included a really nice dinner out.  It was pricey and a huge treat and it made me realize how very little we eat out these days.  Takeout, yes.  Sitting at a table with linens and cloth napkins, food and beverages?  Not very often at all.  We also saw The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Gallo - it was so-so and we bailed at intermission.  It was a good play but not really as much of a 'production' as we're used to - and we both were OK with leaving.  We got the tickets for 1/2 price and we stayed for 1/2 the show - so it's OK.

I'm still having sinus issues like crazy and spent the night coughing up a storm.  This morning, I switched my regular Claritin to a Claritin D to see if that makes a difference.  So far, the only difference is that slightly off/sleepy feeling I always have when I take any product with the "D" ingredient.  So H. left to go help a friend 'beat a boss' on a game and we will make our way to Winco this afternoon.  Sonic will be involved - food and slushies!

I spent the morning charting out retirement scenarios and feel better - I'm trying to make it long enough to have one year of longevity included in my pension but that means another 7 years...which sounds like forever but - it's do-able.  We'll see.  At least I know we could manage sooner if we needed to.

My work calendar is pretty open this week which is good 'cuz I have a massive list of things to get done before heading to the beach.  Board meeting night on Tuesday -

I need to eat something and get showered and ready to run errands with H. .  We will be leaving him some money but I am determined to try to have things here that he can easily fix.  He will have a load of free time on his hands because two of his classes are partial semester and they end this coming week.  Next semester, he will add Chemistry and Physics to the mix - along with three P-tech classes.  He's starting to think about looking for a job - just 20 hours or less a week to bring in some pocket money so he's not draining his savings to cover his weekly cash needs (lunches, gas, a little free money for time with friends)....I'm suggesting he apply at Amazon (here in town) for seasonal work and try to work as many hours as he can between semester breaks.

He's doing really well in school and we are so, so proud of him...but the best part is:  he's very proud of himself and that's HUGE.  He's getting more and more confident that he can do this and that's a huge step for him - school has never been his 'thing' but he's turning that around.

Beautiful sunny day today - wishing for rain but enjoying the cooler, sunny weather that fall brings.

And I Am Betrothed to My Deceased Cat

Hello - at the very last moments of five wonderful days off work and I'm watching The Good Wife season premiere with my love and scratching my head in confusion.  I don't apparently remember much about where we left off at the season finale and I'm having a hard time keeping up.

B. just phoned - so I've officially spoken to him twice in one week which is a record since our trip to Phoenix.  He was curling up in the back of a bus with his Woobie (Google it - I'm getting one for Christmas!) and attempting to get some sleep - awaiting when he will next be driving soldiers to/from their current maneuvers.  He sounds good - though tired.  It looks like he will be able to come home for Thanksgiving and he and I will attend the wedding of one of his basic training buddies in Turlock on the Saturday after Turkey Day.  I'm so glad I get to be his plus one - from the minute we met them at the basic training graduation, I knew they would be married - and two and half years later, it's happening.  I love how Facebook keeps us up to date with people -

I admit I've been pretty darn lazy the past few days - I really don't feel great.  I started doing the vitamin routine again the past couple days so I'm hoping that helps.  I feel hopeless - I should go to the doctor but why bother?  He won't do anything or won't know what to do.  Or worse, he'll do stuff and miss a huge issue.  (He didn't diagnose H.'s Hodgkin's even though he should have).  I should change doctors...but that would mean traveling outside Tracy and I really can't imagine doing that. So I stay feeling pretty miserable and now that I'm facing going back to work, I feel bereft.  Going through the motions.  Day after day.

I've got to snap out of this!

I started a new game and I had to create neighbors and friend and find someone to marry - so instead of betrothing myself to a complete stranger, I used the ID I had for our deceased cat (Klink) and now I'm engaged to be married.  I named his game character Max.  It's fitting.  I'm enjoying the game and having a Knight named Max who frequently goes to battle to protect me and raise our 'status' in the Kingdom is kind of fun.  My only complaint is the game is a little sexist for me:  the guys do all the chopping of wood; breaking down stone and other 'hard' labor themselves while the women characters use 'magic' and summon knomes who do the work for them.  I guess a lady would never get her hands dirty and I need to remember the game is a 'period' role playing game - but still.  It irks me.

I went to SaveMart in search of Not Your Father's Root Beer (they were out) and bought $50 of meat. $5 for $25 - got boneless ribs, carne asada thin sliced steak meat and a couple small pork roasts.  I will make the ribs tomorrow in the crock pot and then I was thinking we could teach H. how to cook the thin steaks - that would give him protein in our absence.

Two weeks from now, we will be in Cancun watching the moon over the water and looking forward to 8 more nights in paradise.  I am really looking forward to that time away- stepping off the treadmill of work.  This few days off plus a weekend has been nice but there's nothing that rejuvenates me like the beach.  Nothing better for me in the world than salt water, sand, sun, surf....and margaritas, chips and guacamole, lobster, etc. -