People In The Neighborhood

Remember this song from Seasame Street?

"Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood,
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
Say who are the people in your neighborhood--
The people that you meet each day?"

Each day we head into town I just can't get this song out of my head. We have been fortunate to meet and experience so many people from so many places during our time here. So many more than I could have imagined. It is hard to go anywhere without giving a wave, shout or a few minutes of conversation to someone you run in to. Sometimes it makes it hard to get things done when a trip to the store for tequila turns into an hour of socializing. I have to admit that the folks we have befriended are mostly, but certainly not all, "short timers" or the folks that have not been here all that long or on extended vacation. Many "long timers" have seen folks like us come and go each year and the effort to go out of their way to get to know us is understandably minimal. I can certainly relate to the "long timers'" view after living and working in a mostly seasonal town for close to 20 years. As you might expect there are "the nice, the generous, the slicksters, the social climbers, the sweethearts, the cool people and the people who the think they are cool, the dorks, the drama filled(something we had hoped to leave in the States), the creepy, the beautiful, the wanted, the unwanted, the crazy, the super fun, the boozers, the helpful, the paranoid, the kind hearted, the freaks, the angry, the organizers, the whiners, the good neighbors, the folks you don't want to make eye contact with and the folks you would love to have over for some drinks." It's basically just like home except here the town is soo much smaller than in Park City you kind of have to embrace just about everyone and get along in some way.

Grey Day

Today was the first day that is has rained here in Sayulita, during the day, since we arrived in October. I was working last week in the states and Ozzy was working here in the garage so the beach has not been in the plans as of late. After being in rainy SLC I was craving me some sunshine and couldn't wait to get out to the beach today, as well as the kids, Dillon and Ozzy. I awoke this morning to a rainy, grey day. We ate breakfast thinking that we would just prolong our beach visit until it "burned off". We actually loaded up the car with all the gear and I planned to sit under an umbrella and read, as the kids let out some much needed energy in the waves. You are at the beach and in the water, seriously like rain is going to hurt, right? After it started down pouring I thought that maybe I would rather stay home.

Actually we probably would have gone but I could just see the kids being cold and not into it so I put the kabash on the days plans. So we stayed home and it was very nice. It was like a fall day where you just stay inside and hang out. The kids and I spent some much needed time together doing "american" homework, reading books, playing blocks and other games, undisturbed, quality time. Then they watched a movie while I read and did some Spanish homework. It was quite pleasant. We had nothing to do and nowhere to be and didn't want to be outside. The sun was not pressuring us to soak upon her rays. Actually it was a perfect day to watch football. Too bad we don't have a TV and, oh yeah, football ended last weekend. Who played again?

The weather brought with it amazing sunsets yesterday and today as well. All of the dust is knocked down, the trees are clean, green and smiling and we are rested for hopefully a sunny day at the beach tomorrow. We love the sun but a rainy day now and then replenishes the soul and makes the earth smile:)

My Sayulita

So, we have had guests for the last two weeks. First Ozzy's mom and step dad came to visit, then my friend, "Captain Carrie" as my kids call her, came. Both visits were great. I was so glad that friends and family wanted to come and see where we live, our day to day experiences, and get a feel for our little village and lives here in Mexico. No one asked to go home early so that is a good sign.

Now that everyone is gone I am remembering why "I" love Sayulita and not wondering and worrying about what our visitors from the north think about where we have uprooted our family to.

Where to start....Might as well start in the morning..
-I gradually wake up while laying in bed watching the sun rise, occasionally one of my children will join me.
-I make my way out to the living room and look at the surf to see what the waves will be like for paddle surfing, grab a cup of coffee, open the doors to hear and gaze at the ocean, wake up and whale watch. There is usually activity at around 8 am. I literally sit on my couch look out to the ocean and if I see activity, grab the binoculars and watch. Yesterday I saw a whale jump entirely out of the water. It was pretty flippin amazing.
-Ozzy and I drop the kids at school and head out to paddle surf for three hours, depending on the day. This is a great time for us to do something we love together, without being interrupted by the kids every minute, and get either a great work out or get hammered, depending on the day, as well as visit with our local friends that are on the beach for their am activities.
-After lunch and homework we head back to the beach with the kids to release some of their energy, and usually meet visitors to Sayulita or friends again. But either way, it is more time to hang out together and as a family.
-In between all this time we are grocery shopping or walking around town to do something else. By being out and about means that you WILL run into many people that you know, so now your errands have turned into social time, which is great but now life turns into "Mexico time". No one here is in any hurry for anything. Your day could turn into anything.
-I love driving or walking and yelling out to friends saying hola, constantly being met by a friendly face that is happy to see you and vice versa. The kids love this as well, as they enjoy seeing their school friends as well as many other people around town.
-Another thing I love is the fresh Yellowfin Tuna that we have discovered at the fish market in La Cruz, about 20 minutes away. You can literally buy tuna caught same day, four fillets for around $13 US. We have become addicted and will never be able to eat or buy a $30 meal of any tuna dish ever again. It is insanely good and ridiculously priced.
-I love the warmth, wearing a bathing suit and being tan.
-I love the culture, the locals and the people that have chosen this lifestyle, I feel a connection to them.
-And to end the day, when I wake up at my usual 2 am, which I don't love, I love seeing the moons incredible refection on the ocean beaming through my bedroom window. It is literally out of a National Geographic magazine.
We need to take care of this planet on which we live, it is so full of beauty!!

This is what I love, there are many things that frustrate the hell out of me. That will be another blog post, maybe...

Ashley

Why Not Now?

Reprinted from the Daily Om
Waiting for Someday
Why Not Now?

All the joy and passion you can envision can be yours right now, rather than in a future point in time.

The time we are blessed with is limited and tends to be used up all too quickly. How we utilize that time is consequently one of the most important decisions we make. Yet it is far too easy to put off until tomorrow what we are dreaming of today. The hectic pace of modern existence affords us an easy out; we shelve our aspirations so we can cope more effectively with the challenges of the present, ostensibly to have more time and leisure to realize our purpose in the future. Or we tell ourselves that we will chase our dreams someday once we have accomplished other lesser goals. In truth, it is our fear that keeps us from seeking fulfillment in the here and now—because we view failure as a possibility, our reasons for delaying our inevitable success seem sound and rational. If we ask ourselves what we are really waiting for, however, we discover that there is no truly compelling reason why we should put off the pursuit of the dreams that sustain us.

When regarded as a question, "Why not now?" drains us of our power to realize our ambitions. We are so concerned with the notion that we are somehow undeserving of happiness that we cannot see that there is much we can do in the present to begin courting it. Yet when we look decisively at our existence and state, "Why not now, indeed!" we are empowered to begin changing our lives this very moment. We procrastinate for many reasons, from a perceived lack of time to a legitimate lack of self-belief, but the truth of the matter is that there is no time like the present and no time but the present. Whatever we aim to accomplish, we will achieve it more quickly and with a greater degree of efficiency when we seize the day and make the most of the resources we have at our disposal presently.

All the joy, passion, and contentment you can envision can be yours right now, rather than in some far-flung point in time. You need only remind yourself that there is nothing standing between you and fulfillment. If you decide that today is the day you will take your destiny into your hands, you will soon discover that you hold the keys of fate.

Next Post

It has been brought to our attention by more than a few followers that we have been slacking in our blogging duties. Our excuse? Just busy I guess but we will starting posting again shortly. Thanks for checking in and check back soon.

Differences

At about 1pm today I was in the middle of cleaning the house and washing bedding because Ozzy's mom and step dad are coming. Up next was rugs, clothes, kids school uniforms with a good Oxy Clean in the waiting. And then Ozzy mentions that the water pressure was low because it could mean that we are running out of water. And yes, we ran out of water. We phoned Tomas, with a hard "O", the property manager and he let us know that the water pump to our area of Sayulita was broken. So in other words, we get no water, but we can get a truck up here to bring us water. We had errands to run in Puerto Vallarta so we left hoping to come back to water. When we returned we still had no water and learned that the water truck cannot come until tomorrow morning. Oh well, what do you do, it is Mexico. We have wine, beer and my new mid day, all day, everyday lover, Don Julio:)

We did come back though to an email from our renter in Park City telling us that the dishwasher was broken. We are on top of it and are buying him new one as soon as possible but just had to laugh because here we are with no water to "HAND WASH" our dishes much less use a dishwasher. You could easily spend 1/4 of your waking life here washing dishes.

I was talking to a friend the other day that has lived here for a long time and she asked me how it was going here for us. I expressed a little discouragement at the difficulty but said that we still love it and am glad that we made this decision for our family. She quoted her husband, "If it was easy, everyone would want to be here". He was right on!

Surfing Video

A big swell came into Sayulita over the weekend producing some of the largest waves we've seen so far. Watch the clips of Ozzy paddling out and over some of them to get an idea just how big. He is on his 9'6" long oZoboard for comparison. Ashley had her camera rolling to catch some really great local surfers, waves and Ozzy getting into the mix on some small, some big and some really really big waves.



We have tried to fix the pixel problem with no luck. We apologize for the technical difficulties but we think you can get the general idea.

My First "Wave"

So, I have taken a surf lesson before and it literally kicked my ass, so I ended that career until now... Ozzy and I brought down oZoboards, which are Stand Up Paddle boards that we have been using to cruise around the bay. They are great for long distance paddling and wonderful exercise for the abdomen and arms. Plus you are able to get away from everything and just be on the ocean where is it peaceful. I was okay with all of that until I noticed how much fun Ozzy was having paddle surfing on his oZoboard. He got quite good since I was in the US working. I am not a competitive person but when I see someone having fun in an addictive kind of way I want to see what it is all about. So, today was the day. I put my previous surfing experience behind me and headed out to surf. Ozzy was there to teach and cheer me on, the waves were just the right size and the surf location was pretty empty. It is much easier to paddle surf as opposed to regular surfing. You are not exerting nearly as much energy, and it is easier to get on waves. So with Ozzy's help and instruction I caught three waves. And it was AWESOME. So much fun. The wave gets a hold of you and the next thing you know you are one with the ocean and it is gently pushing you along and it is like you are flying on top of the water. And then you eat total shit. But now you are addicted and you want more.

So, our new routine (I know I said there are no routines here but we are starting one) is to drop the kids at school, head to the beach to paddle and paddle surf for 2-3 hours, pick the kids up from school and it is up in the air from there. I have learned that people work here when it is convenient and doesn't interfere with extracurricular activities. But they do get their work done. They are just happier workers.

And it is good quality time with my husband doing something that we love together.

Since I wrote this I have caught two more waves. Yesterday we went out and the surf was way too big for me. Today it was perfect. I also think that my green Jolyn bathing suit is my good luck suit. Just don't catch waves when I am in black. But I will soon.

I love this place!!

This was taken at our neighbors, Jay and Elton's house. Jay lives here full time and Elton is a flight attendant for Continental and comes down for about a week a month. I was excited to finally meet Elton, and talk a little shop.

The kids have it so tough here.

First Mexican Christmas

As we have mentioned many times over in our blog posts we are constantly trying to "go small", simplify, live minimally, appreciate family and happiness. So Christmas was no exception. Unfortunately I was not here for any part of Christmas, celebration, activities, but there was a lot going on here to celebrate the holiday from what I hear. First off I bought a very small Christmas tree on the street, and it came with ornaments.

I had to do a little something. I left town right before everything started happening, stuff had to be made, preparation for parades, gifts at school, you name it. And I left it all on Ozzy. He totally stepped up to the plate as always and did an awesome job. Next was school activities. The kids had to make something very creative that would hold the candy that the Maestras were going to give them. I hear there was some spectacular stuff coming to school. Awesome Ozzy did a great job making the kids rocketship sleds.

Then there was the school christmas party. As we have mentioned before, there is not much money given to the school so it is a tradition that the kids dress up and go around town to the local venders and ask for money so that they can have their Christmas party. We didn't get the "memo" on the dress up part so our kids, and Maggie, were the only ones not in costume. Oh well, at least they participated in the begging.

On Christmas Eve the family went to John and Amy's for dinner, story readings, the traditional pinata beating. (If you ever have a pinata at a party and Alex is there make sure she goes last to give the other kids a chance. Especially if it is at the hosts party.)
So, Merry Christmas. We decided on only a few gifts for the kids.

We bought a dress
and Ariel doll for Alex and I think Trace got a matchbox car

and a picture of a boogie board which I finally found today. They were totally okay with that. Ozzy told them that Santa didn't get the change of address notification and that they would get stuff when I got back. Thanks to the grandparents monetary gifts, I bought them wet suit shirts, books and flashcards. They also received small gifts from the grandparents to open. They didn't know the difference in what they got, they just wanted to unwrap something. We were so proud of them and their reaction to the very small Christmas.
So, the holidays are over, the crowds are diminishing, the festivities have subsided, school is back in session and we are trying to get back on a routine. Who am I kidding? That word doesn't exist here, along with the word "now". But I love it that way.
I wasn't here for any of it, but I think that it was a pretty great Christmas, minimal, simple and goods times with great friends.

Nooooo! $%&*(#$@%^^

After this butcher job was discovered, a devastated Ozzy asked Alex "why?" Her response, "I couldn't see".