Realization

My vacation on the west side of the island is over. It's left me with a lovely tan and a painful realization: I hate San Juan.  I love Puerto Rico. I hate the city.  the crowds. the waiting. the lack of parking. the pot holes. the trash everywhere. the shadowy danger. the impersonal everything. the street cats. the traffic  jams. the beggers. I am  NOT a city girl, and this weekend I realized that I'm supposed to live on the other side where everyone bikes, surfs, dives, and leads a slower paced people oriented life.  Conclusion: I am ()@#)@(#*)($* broken-hearted because I'm stuck in San Juan.

Perro Boca Abajo (Downward facing Dog)

El  dia de accion de las gracias -  para mi familia la  tradicion es tipico de Wisconsin: un dia lleno de pavo, mas comida  que todos pueden disfrutir, y  juegos de football sin fin.  Este ano era un poquito diferente para  mi, no era tradicional.  Me llevante y hice yoga encima de la cama.  Erica delBoarding House me  sirvo el desayuno  perfecto y locomi...en mi cama.... :)  Y despues, fui de surfing. 

Olas, sol, estrategia para la union de naturaliza y mi tabla. Los Packers ganaron, Taylor  Swift canto en los CMS's, las palmitas cubiertas en  mantequilla saben a gloria. Luego salgo  para escuchar  la banda de unos de los instructores.  Sin pavo, sin familia, sin el frio..... aunque no era tradicional, esa Thanksgiving era perfecto.

Addictive Personalities

Addictions aren't always  bad,  mine makes me stronger and happier. What is it?  Pushing limits (tagged onto achieving more than expected and impressing myself).   It's  a rush EVERY time!!! Why would I try to give that up??

Today's rush was my first real open water dive in 10 years.  As normal, I want to get better at my sport.  I am plotting out how much it would take to become a Divemaster.  Time, $$$, studying. I love dreaming.

 Here are my dive  notes from today:

Happy Birthday Abuela!

On Tuesday, November 15, 2011 my lovely grams turned  90 years old.  She cooks, she plays cards, she has the cleeeeeeeeeanest house in her whole town, and she's oober feisty!!! My first dream is to maintain  her quality of life for the rest of my life, and if I can accomplish that then my second dream is to live as long as she does (or grandpa - he's even older!!)

So let's analyze  birthday presents for grandparents (they make  sure everybody knows they don't actually NEED anything!!!).  My  lovely grandmother told me that she got 36 birthday cards this year.  WOW. I  don't think I've gotten 36 b-day cards in my entire LIFE much less in one year!  Living to 90 deserves recognition, being a fabulous person deserves recognition - my grams gets top marks for both.

Now  I get to brag, because she said of allllll 36 cards, mine was the best. Yes it was in  spanish  (with a translation on the back), but the apparent winning characteristics  were the accordion playing chicken on the cover and the polka that plays every time you open the card.  Apparently she has shown it to everyone that comes to her house and then made them dance with her!!  Hahahha, so the traditional Puerto Rican candies and the plantain and yucca chips took the back seat to a chicken card. Who would have ever thought.  Ha.

Happy Birthday Grams!!  Love you!!

Prioritizacion

Here's the thing about finding out you have a limited amount of time left....you figure out what you have to do REALLY REALLY REALLY fast.  Thursday:  Go to work with Frankie day.  Friday: Check out the ziplines, hit the hills in  the middle of the island, play with mud.  Saturday: Improv meeting with my  trainer to make a get fit before X-mas plan, followed by lots and lots of WI life organizing, and then  hanging out with Daisy  and her adorable puppies. Sunday: Scuba refresher class so I can dive all over the island before heading back to boring dive Wisconsin. Not tooooo shabby.

The End.

Surprising  must do list:

• Find spanish classes in Neenah
• Plan best PR X-mas evvvver
• Sell Suerte  (my car)
• Buy ticket home

Today was not a dream....the opposite in fact....the shattering of MY dream.  Today I found out I have to go move back to Neenah by December 31.  Legal complications... millions of dollars of risk... the end of this Caribbean fairy tale.  After a morning of tears, I'm coming to terms with the idea.   Anyone want to plan a snowboarding trip!?!?!?

Lovely Daisy

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday  nights I hang out with Daisy.  She's feisty like me!  She  makes me read out loud in Spanish. I quiz her on English words.  What a perfect duo!