Trace SUPing

Trace just recently learned how to swim and he can "float" now. His confidence to be more daring in the ocean has grown ten fold. After watching the kids on Friday night paddle together three to a board he wanted to learn as well. So I took him out Saturday morning. He did great considering how big and heavy the paddle was. He figured out the balance thing pretty quickly. I am not surprised since he is doing great surfing. He was laughing the whole time and Alex made sure she was there to help him and give moral support.

Soccer Practice Parents

Soccer practice is not only a time for the kids to run around but it's also a time for the parents to actually have a few minutes of peace, sit in the dirt and laugh it up amongst themselves.

Yes, we keep the kids behind a chain link fence here in Sayulita.

Dillon Riding Shotgun

We've been having very little surf lately so the kids have had a chance to go out and Stand Up Paddle a bit. This was also an opportunity to see if there was any chance that our dog, Dillon, would ride on an SUP. His girlfriend back in the States rides on her owners' SUP when they go out paddling on flat water so we figured we'd give it a shot too. Today, with a little chop, we hoisted Dillon on to an SUP and after a few wobbly moments and a look that screamed "WTF"? he sat down at the front of the board for over 20 minutes while Ashley and I paddled around. Awesome! Not sure if it was a one time thing but at least we have photos of it.

It's about time

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."
~ Harvey MacKay

Scared?

People are always asking us if we are afraid to live in Mexico and the answer is no. I am actually more afraid to go hiking in my old neighborhood with this big guy lurking around our street. Our neighbors across the street took this from their deck.

What Are YOU Doing Friday Night?

Friday after school seams to be a popular day to head out to the beach with the kids and family. Just bring as many kids as you can gather, add a bunch of surfboards, a few boogie boards, umbrellas, blankets, food, happy hour supplies and of course the family dog and you have a great evening at the beach.

Dillon Update

We haven't really given an update on Dillon lately and one of our Park City neighbors was inquiring about Dillon, so here you go "D".
Dillon is doing really well. He was getting quite a few bacterial infections in the early months, they were usually at their peak and ready to spread rapidly just as I was getting onto the bus to head to the airport to go to work for weeks on end, so Ozzy had to deal with it. We finally learned how to get it under control without having to visit the vet each time and getting on antibiotics.
His diet now is dog food, rice, veggies, hard boiled egg, coconut oil, Mila and the occasional chicken, beef or fresh raw tuna. He is quite spoiled when it comes to his diet and turns his nose up when we have run out of the good stuff and he just gets dog food. I am quite sure he will survive.
He did have a run in with a friend of ours dog. Dillon wanted to play with the dogs coconut and the dog was not too keen on that idea so went after Dillon. The dog bit through Dillon's ear and that was about it. Dillon is like Alex when it comes to sweetness and being friendly, chasing butterflies, but he handled the situation like a pansy and ran away.
He still loves the beach and playing in the flat water, though it is getting quite hot here and the sand will burn your feet if you don't wear shoes so I am sure that doesn't feel very good on his paws. He seems to be a bit more mellow and sluggish due to the heat. He just wants to lay on the tile and keep cool. I did buy clippers and gave him a mexican groom yesterday. I couldn't believe all the hair that came off of him, and he is no where near shaved, except on his belly. He seems much cooler and I love that we no longer have a Dillon hair and sand carpet 24/7.
The rainy season is around the corner and with that comes amazing thunder and lightning storms. Dillon is deathly afraid of and loud noise so a friend gave me some muscle relaxers for dogs and boy they work. I tried half of one out on him yesterday due to noise in the area, needless to say I think he will have no problem with the storms.

He wanted me to tell Parley and Fresca "Hi" and that he misses them.

Beach Clean Up Day

Ashley was in the States working so I decided it was time to give back to our new community for a couple hours. The kids and I reported for duty on a Saturday morning for a volunteer beach clean up day sponsored by Punta Sayulita. We spent two hours combing the beach for garbage of all sorts. To my surprise the kids didn't complain once about marching around in the hot sun. Just a guess but I think close to 50 folks overall spent their Saturday morning on the beach picking up what others have left behind.

Tide Pool Exploration Workshop

One of the things that is great about living here is that we not only get to learn about culture and language(and surfing) but we are learning about a different physical environment as well. The Punta Sayulita Foundation put on a free half day Tide Pool Exploration Workshop for kids. Octavia Jolley, who runs the Sayulita Sea Camp, was the leader of the workshop and she took the kids up the coast to search out sea life that we may or may not see every day. The kids had hands on experience with some things that they wouldn't have in Utah and met a bunch of new friends all before lunch.

Some Serious Balls

There have more than a few people who have said that we have some serious balls to have taken such an "Adventure". Well, here ya go!

Actually, a landscape designer asked me to put some of these concrete balls together in a few sizes. Kinda cool and different.

Yes, Another Quote

Surfing trip to San Blas

Fifteen years later....

When I first started Delta 15 years ago my intention was to get through training and be based in Atlanta. Or at least return to Atlanta as soon as possible. I just didn't think to go anywhere else. My mentality was to stay in the south, marry a proper professional, be a southern bell, etc.... All of my friends stayed in the south, except for one. I always had a stone in my gut when I thought about it, that life. It wasn't until training that I met one of my best friends, Carrie Miller. Carrie and I bonded as soon as we met. Carrie was a wild child from Utah, I was just a southern girl. Carrie and I were based in New York out of training and lived together. She only stayed in New York for a little while then went home to Salt Lake City. I said that I would never go there and that I was going to Atlanta. At about the four month mark I couldn't take New York anymore and put in my transfer to Salt Lake. I figured I would ski for six months and then head back to Atlanta. I got my transfer, moved in with Carrie and began what I didn't know at the time, but a new and incredible life in the west. (Carrie still gives my a ton of s@#% about my actions and comments about what I did at times, where I would and wouldn't live amongst other things.)

That move was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. And I owe it to Carrie. Without her entering my life I never would have even thought about the wild wild west. My life forever changed in the best way. I discovered the desert of Utah, river rafting, mountain biking (which I was terrible at) skiing which I love and had a lot of fun doing, music, concerts and festivals. I had boyfriends and learned what I didn't want to marry and look back and think what in the hell was I thinking. I learned to be free and have fun without any expectations. I went through hell at times and learned so much about myself and had an incredible group of girlfriends. I met my husband in Utah, through my one friend that left the south, have two wonderful kids and have left Utah to experience Mexico.

And 15 years later than I intended, a lifetime of love, experiences, friendships, travel, children, amongst many other things I am going to Atlanta to work, NOT move to. This was a hard decision to make because I love the Salt Lake base. Walking into the lounge to go to work is like walking into Cheers. For the most part, everybody knows your name. You actually look forward to going to work because you have a great crew. The Salt Lake base is like a big family that I hate to leave. And once you leave the Salt Lake base you may never get back. The airline industry runs on seniority. For an example, the oldest and number one Flight Attendant at Delta is 89 years old. Yep! This person probably started 20 years before I was even born. And just think of all of the flight attendants between him and me. And a good hand full of these flight attendants are in Salt Lake City. It is one of the most senior bases in the system. At 15 years I have only 7% of the base below me, and in such a small base that is about 40 people. Can you say "pond scum"? That is what I am in the Salt Lake base. That also means working every weekend, not getting what you "bid" for and working every holiday until I have about 20 MORE years. And because the base is so small, there is not room to swap your trips for a decent schedule. In other words, you have no life. I accepted this life when I lived in Utah because I wouldn't have to commute and could spend more time with my family. Now that I no longer live in Utah there is really no reason to work out of there. I realized my quality of life, trips and commute would be so much better if I worked out of Atlanta. And in Atlanta I have more than 40% of the base below me. I may not hold the schedule and trips that I want but with over 7000 flight attendants compared to 600 in SLC I have a much better chance of swapping to the trips I want and a schedule that better fits my life and commute. My trips would be even better if I worked out of New York, but Delta doesn't have and non stops there from Puerto Vallarta and I really cannot see myself working out of there right now.

I am excited. The thought of being able to be there for birthdays and some holidays, parades, kids special events, anniversary's, etc is actually beyond comprehension in my brain right now. There are three non stop flights from Atlanta to Puerto Vallarta a week compared to one a week from SLC. And you can fly just about anywhere in the world on Delta out of Atlanta. So bye bye to nine hour layovers in Green Bay, Omaha, Detroit, (which I don't mind because we get to stay at the Westin which is in the airport), Kansas City, Phoenix, Boise, Seattle (love the long layovers there), you get my drift, and Hello World.

So, in a round about way, a lifetime of experiences, an incredible family and a new country I am back to where I planned to be 15 years ago.