Lisette blew me away! To say we were proud parents is such an understatement. She made both of us cry with her performance. At intermission I wanted to dance around and sing "She's my daughter, can you believe how talented she is??" Somehow I managed not to grab everyone by the shoulders and claim mother status.
Obviously the Aida performance was last night. Our visitors arrived back in Buenos Aires from Iguazu yesterday afternoon. I had slept in and then basically hung around the house again. Leisure is my middle name when I can manage it. All three kids came home on the bus for the first time in forever. I taxied both of the girls back to school at separate times for their preparations.
Nicole played a palace girl/museum visitor/slave girl off and on through the play and she looked stunning! She's quite content to be our Soccer-Diva while Lisette lays claim to Actress-Diva. :-)
Directly after the play finished, John and I hustled home with Lon, Runez and Jake then jumped in a waiting remise to go downtown for his class dinner. We arrived at around 10:30 and they hadn't started eating yet. I practiced my Spanish with the wife of one of the students. Unfortunately she's from Brazil and with her Spanish also came a Brazilian accent! Lord help me! We managed though. LOL
Halfway through dinner I had to put on my nurse's cap. An older lady had fainted in the hallway right outside our dining room. At first glance, I started mentally preparing myself to start CPR...she looked terrible. However, she was breathing and her heart rate was steady - she was very pale and clammy. Found out she had a history of triple bypass and stroke. The ambulance took about 20-30 minutes to arrive. In the meantime she became somewhat conscious, answering some questions and giving us some health details. She was able to squeeze my hands on command and move her legs. So basically I just stuck around until the ambulance came, making sure she stayed alive. She did. John exchanged business cards with a gentleman who was a friend of hers...I asked him to let us know how she was. I'll pass it on to you guys when we hear.
Finally arrived home at around 2 AM and fell into bed.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Lazy Daisy
I fully enjoyed my quiet lazy day but I didn't get much done. I spent a great deal of time designing our Christmas card...a GREAT deal of time. Then John had to throw his two cents at it which meant I had to redesign part of it. Finally, finally, it was time to pay for it and - Boom! - they can't send the order down here because it weighs more than a pound. Sigh. I stuck that on a back burner until tomorrow.
The girls had play rehearsal again today and I brought in a big, actually two big, trays of sweets from a neighbourhood bakery. According to Nicole, all of the food was eaten instantaneously. Sounds like teenagers to me!
That's all to report today - the weather has been stunning, trees and plants are blossoming, I saw my first hummingbird of the season...ahhhhhh. :-)
The girls had play rehearsal again today and I brought in a big, actually two big, trays of sweets from a neighbourhood bakery. According to Nicole, all of the food was eaten instantaneously. Sounds like teenagers to me!
That's all to report today - the weather has been stunning, trees and plants are blossoming, I saw my first hummingbird of the season...ahhhhhh. :-)
Drawstrings
We've started the process of moving. Yesterday John and I set the dates for our move...we'll complete our Argentina Experiment in the next few weeks. I'm in a bit of a conundrum about it - looking forward to the next adventure but not looking forward to leaving some things and people behind here. Such is our life!
Our visitors headed up to Iguazu Falls yesterday. The house was so quiet last night with the girls at play practice, just John, Jake and I here. This morning all is quiet too - Lilian is taking the day off so it's just Buddy and I. I have the windows open to let the cool air in, the weather has been perfect.
I have to start sorting today. Clothing, toiletries, books, linens, then kitchen items we'll have sent on the Express Shipment which will meet us soon after our arrival in Virginia. The rest of our Household Goods we may not see until March. Obviously that means I need to select wisely. Time for a list! :-)
Our visitors headed up to Iguazu Falls yesterday. The house was so quiet last night with the girls at play practice, just John, Jake and I here. This morning all is quiet too - Lilian is taking the day off so it's just Buddy and I. I have the windows open to let the cool air in, the weather has been perfect.
I have to start sorting today. Clothing, toiletries, books, linens, then kitchen items we'll have sent on the Express Shipment which will meet us soon after our arrival in Virginia. The rest of our Household Goods we may not see until March. Obviously that means I need to select wisely. Time for a list! :-)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Ushuaia Continued...
Make sure you read the last one first!
When we returned to the train station, we found Quique Diaz (train owner) had left us a signed copy of the history of the "Fin del Mundo" (end of world) train. So cool.
Dinner was at a much less expensive, less touristy seafood restaurant. More crab for me!
Sunday brought us back to the mountain. It was cold but no rain so up in the ski lift we went. After a 15 minute lift ride, we arrived on the platform and started climbing. Supposedly there was a few different paths but we only found one and for the first half an hour/45 minutes it was easy going. The kids posed in a bog and on a rock and made snow angels. The snow angel episode inspired an older Argentinean woman to make one too - funny! The last ten minutes of hiking were tough. Jake ended up in a fit over his cold, wet feet and a cold, sore throat. So I stayed behind with Runez and Jake to nurse his feet back to warmth and to tell him to suck up his sore throat. The girls and men headed a little farther up the mountain but returned in time to find Jake all warm and snuggled.
It was a shorter trip down the mountain, especially knowing that delicious hot chocolate and chicken stew lunch was waiting for us in the chalet...along with a wood-burning stove.
Back at the hotel, the girls mellowed and the rest of us headed to the nearby beach to look for rocks and shells. We witnessed a Golden Retriever mix enjoying the frigid water to the fullest. It made me shiver just watching him swimming around. It may be Spring but the air temperature was near freezing. We found lots of rocks, some shells and Jake practiced skipping rocks while John showed what a rock-skipping artist he is!
Last night the entire city lost power for about two hours. Shortly after we lost power, we also lost the water in our rooms. It was already bedtime and we'd already brushed our teeth, so it wasn't too bad.
This morning John, Lon and Runez went for a half hour sightseeing flight. I slept in and refused to worry. Well, I tried really hard not to. For no other reason than I knew John needed to, I supported the venture. They all came back alive, we made it to the airport in time and now we're home! One more adventure checked off of our life's list. :-)
When we returned to the train station, we found Quique Diaz (train owner) had left us a signed copy of the history of the "Fin del Mundo" (end of world) train. So cool.
Dinner was at a much less expensive, less touristy seafood restaurant. More crab for me!
Sunday brought us back to the mountain. It was cold but no rain so up in the ski lift we went. After a 15 minute lift ride, we arrived on the platform and started climbing. Supposedly there was a few different paths but we only found one and for the first half an hour/45 minutes it was easy going. The kids posed in a bog and on a rock and made snow angels. The snow angel episode inspired an older Argentinean woman to make one too - funny! The last ten minutes of hiking were tough. Jake ended up in a fit over his cold, wet feet and a cold, sore throat. So I stayed behind with Runez and Jake to nurse his feet back to warmth and to tell him to suck up his sore throat. The girls and men headed a little farther up the mountain but returned in time to find Jake all warm and snuggled.
It was a shorter trip down the mountain, especially knowing that delicious hot chocolate and chicken stew lunch was waiting for us in the chalet...along with a wood-burning stove.
Back at the hotel, the girls mellowed and the rest of us headed to the nearby beach to look for rocks and shells. We witnessed a Golden Retriever mix enjoying the frigid water to the fullest. It made me shiver just watching him swimming around. It may be Spring but the air temperature was near freezing. We found lots of rocks, some shells and Jake practiced skipping rocks while John showed what a rock-skipping artist he is!
Last night the entire city lost power for about two hours. Shortly after we lost power, we also lost the water in our rooms. It was already bedtime and we'd already brushed our teeth, so it wasn't too bad.
This morning John, Lon and Runez went for a half hour sightseeing flight. I slept in and refused to worry. Well, I tried really hard not to. For no other reason than I knew John needed to, I supported the venture. They all came back alive, we made it to the airport in time and now we're home! One more adventure checked off of our life's list. :-)
The Bottom of the World
We just returned from spending three + days in Ushuaia, Argentina. Ushuaia is the southernmost city of the world and it is stunning! I'll add pictures when I've recovered from the trip a little.
Ushuaia was in Spring Heaven when we arrived on Friday. Everyone we met from the time we landed gushed about "the perfect day" - it was sunny and just slightly cool. We only needed a light jacket until later in the evening. We walked around downtown for a bit and had lunch before checking into our hotel for a very quick nap (we had to leave the house at 4:30 AM so desperately needed a power nap) then went back into town to take a boat trip to Penguin Island. I'm not sure if that's the actual name, but it works!
We saw Seal Island first, home to a huge family of sea lions and wanna-be penguins (but they can fly) then on to an island that the catamaran beached onto amongst a huge colony of penguins! Our penguins (chosen carefully among the many who wanted to be named by us, I'm sure!) were named Fatima, Spot and Bob. Our overall favourite was definitely Bob. Dinner was at a Tourist Trap but very yummy! One of the local dishes is a very spiny King Crab - yeah baby!!
Saturday morning was very rainy. We drove up to the ski lift that takes you half way to the glacier but the weather stopped us in our tracks. Instead, we had a hot chocolate at the chalet...smart, huh? We decided to go take the "End of the World Train" which took us around the National Park just outside Ushuaia. To prepare for our two hour trip, it behooved us to have some more hot chocolate (and a sandwich but it was cold, so the hot chocolate was more important!) While waiting on our hot chocolate, John struck up a conversation with a gentleman who sat beside us at the little cafe. They chatted for quite a while then the gentleman got up and brought me back a calendar from the gift shop! Wow! Very nice, I thought. Then John explained that the guy actually owned the railroad. WOW! VERY NICE, I thought! He proceeded to arrange for us to have our own private car on the train and we found more little gifts sitting on the seats within that car. It was exceptionally cool. The train ride was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, breath-taking...all you would expect from such a wild, wide-open frontier.
I have to take a break and get us fed, be back later with more!
Ushuaia was in Spring Heaven when we arrived on Friday. Everyone we met from the time we landed gushed about "the perfect day" - it was sunny and just slightly cool. We only needed a light jacket until later in the evening. We walked around downtown for a bit and had lunch before checking into our hotel for a very quick nap (we had to leave the house at 4:30 AM so desperately needed a power nap) then went back into town to take a boat trip to Penguin Island. I'm not sure if that's the actual name, but it works!
We saw Seal Island first, home to a huge family of sea lions and wanna-be penguins (but they can fly) then on to an island that the catamaran beached onto amongst a huge colony of penguins! Our penguins (chosen carefully among the many who wanted to be named by us, I'm sure!) were named Fatima, Spot and Bob. Our overall favourite was definitely Bob. Dinner was at a Tourist Trap but very yummy! One of the local dishes is a very spiny King Crab - yeah baby!!
Saturday morning was very rainy. We drove up to the ski lift that takes you half way to the glacier but the weather stopped us in our tracks. Instead, we had a hot chocolate at the chalet...smart, huh? We decided to go take the "End of the World Train" which took us around the National Park just outside Ushuaia. To prepare for our two hour trip, it behooved us to have some more hot chocolate (and a sandwich but it was cold, so the hot chocolate was more important!) While waiting on our hot chocolate, John struck up a conversation with a gentleman who sat beside us at the little cafe. They chatted for quite a while then the gentleman got up and brought me back a calendar from the gift shop! Wow! Very nice, I thought. Then John explained that the guy actually owned the railroad. WOW! VERY NICE, I thought! He proceeded to arrange for us to have our own private car on the train and we found more little gifts sitting on the seats within that car. It was exceptionally cool. The train ride was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, breath-taking...all you would expect from such a wild, wide-open frontier.
I have to take a break and get us fed, be back later with more!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Crazier!!
My Babies...notice Jake is OUTSIDE the enclosure...this is at Lujan Zoo just outside Buenos Aires. There were two tigers and a male lion inside this cage. We all (Jake too!) got to play with two baby pumas and a baby lion. Rode an elephant and a camel. Played with monkeys and ducklings and bunnies. Only in Argentina... :-)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Kinda Crazy
The school bus was 10 minutes early this morning! Ahhhh! Hair straightener was left plugged in, Nicole forgot her iPod and cell phone plus Lisette forgot a pair of flip-flops she needed. Jake's bedhead was barely under control when the Lisette hollered "Bus!" from downstairs. Thankfully, the bus comes by the house a second time so I dressed quickly and met them with the forgotten items when they came back ten minutes later. Whew!
I made the mistake of having a cafe con leche while I had my nails done, then drinking a Diet Coke before stopping for something to eat. My body went into shock. I've been weaning myself off of coffee and switched to tea in the morning. The double dose of caffeine (my tea doesn't seem to have the same caffeine effect on me) overloaded my system.
Lon, Nunez and I did some window shopping but shortly thereafter I felt like I was going to pass out if I didn't eat so I propelled us into a cafe and had a basket of rolls delivered ASAP. I had a Lomo (steak) sandwich with a big bottle of water. God Bless the Argentinean beef.
John joined us and a little later on this afternoon we took Lon and Nunez on a tour of the kids' school. They took pictures of the cityscape from the decks overlooking the river. Beautiful views!
Nunez made some incredible spaghetti sauce while I ran some more errands. We all sat down to a great meal with some dear friends...did I mention the awesome spaghetti sauce?? :-)
I made the mistake of having a cafe con leche while I had my nails done, then drinking a Diet Coke before stopping for something to eat. My body went into shock. I've been weaning myself off of coffee and switched to tea in the morning. The double dose of caffeine (my tea doesn't seem to have the same caffeine effect on me) overloaded my system.
Lon, Nunez and I did some window shopping but shortly thereafter I felt like I was going to pass out if I didn't eat so I propelled us into a cafe and had a basket of rolls delivered ASAP. I had a Lomo (steak) sandwich with a big bottle of water. God Bless the Argentinean beef.
John joined us and a little later on this afternoon we took Lon and Nunez on a tour of the kids' school. They took pictures of the cityscape from the decks overlooking the river. Beautiful views!
Nunez made some incredible spaghetti sauce while I ran some more errands. We all sat down to a great meal with some dear friends...did I mention the awesome spaghetti sauce?? :-)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Recaps
Sunday - birthday party for Jake (Nicole and I also attended) - funny Argentinean magician...
- BBQ at our friends' with Jake, finally some catch up time with Mary and a good beer after I wanted to throttle Lisette for fiddling away four hours instead of cleaning up the kitchen like I asked. :-)
This morning I picked up some new visitors of ours at the airport! Somehow they snuck past me while I waited for them at the one and only entry into the airport from customs. I must have been daydreaming!
We headed home and they had their mandatory two-hour nap. Then we went for the mandatory cafe con leche and sandwiches at the cafe down the street. John met us there after school and joined us for lunch.
We made some plans for the few days when they won't be with us in Ushuaia or on their side trip to Iguazu. Within a few hours, all those plans had changed. Flexibility is key here.
After dinner at our friendly family grill restaurant, we came home and ordered ice cream! The weather is perfect so we sat out on our backyard patio and enjoyed delicious Argentinean delivered ice cream. Now I'm exhausted and we still don't have a definitive plan for tomorrow! Tour Guide Shelley is slipping up on her job!
- BBQ at our friends' with Jake, finally some catch up time with Mary and a good beer after I wanted to throttle Lisette for fiddling away four hours instead of cleaning up the kitchen like I asked. :-)
This morning I picked up some new visitors of ours at the airport! Somehow they snuck past me while I waited for them at the one and only entry into the airport from customs. I must have been daydreaming!
We headed home and they had their mandatory two-hour nap. Then we went for the mandatory cafe con leche and sandwiches at the cafe down the street. John met us there after school and joined us for lunch.
We made some plans for the few days when they won't be with us in Ushuaia or on their side trip to Iguazu. Within a few hours, all those plans had changed. Flexibility is key here.
After dinner at our friendly family grill restaurant, we came home and ordered ice cream! The weather is perfect so we sat out on our backyard patio and enjoyed delicious Argentinean delivered ice cream. Now I'm exhausted and we still don't have a definitive plan for tomorrow! Tour Guide Shelley is slipping up on her job!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
International Day!
It was up early to take the girls to school for a play practice. I woke up and considered getting dressed before checking on the girls but my "Mom Radar" was up...and on target, as usual. They'd slept in. Ten minutes to get ready, no traffic so Momma moved it and got them to the school just a few minutes late.
John, Jake and I returned to the school a few hours later for "International Day" - full of games and country booths from all over the world. I'll try and remember as many as I can - there was Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland and the United States. Jake sang with the Elementary school, the girls sang with the Aida cast. We spent about four hours and enjoyed the whole time!
Tonight Nicole went with her friend Matt to a Youth Group gathering. The rest of us went to the best Chinese food restaurant EVER!! It's in Chinatown - yes, I've talked about it before - and it is awesome. I've now made believers out of Lisette and Jake too. :-) My work here is done!
John, Jake and I returned to the school a few hours later for "International Day" - full of games and country booths from all over the world. I'll try and remember as many as I can - there was Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland and the United States. Jake sang with the Elementary school, the girls sang with the Aida cast. We spent about four hours and enjoyed the whole time!
Tonight Nicole went with her friend Matt to a Youth Group gathering. The rest of us went to the best Chinese food restaurant EVER!! It's in Chinatown - yes, I've talked about it before - and it is awesome. I've now made believers out of Lisette and Jake too. :-) My work here is done!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Bazaar!
The Embassy had a shopping bazaar today! Mmm Mmm Good! Found quite a few treasures including quite a few Christmas gifts. Found quite a few treasures for me too! John went with me so it was nice to have him helping with the choices. He has excellent taste in most things and I'm learning to avoid asking him about other things. We're a good team! I also think he appreciates the fact that I really don't like shopping for the most part. :-)
I picked Jake up from school - he had Chess class this afternoon. We ran into his Chess teacher and he told me how well Jake is doing in Chess and offered to give him private lessons when the class is over. Unfortunately, I had to turn him down and explained that we were moving.
It's a quiet night so far but then, I just woke up! I lied down at around 5, almost three hours later....I guess I should have asked John not to let me sleep very long! Jake was on the computer, Lisette is in her room (?) and Nicole was hanging on the coach watching "That 70s Show" - dinner is non-existent. Guess that's my next move!
Ahhhh. Dinner has been determined! Today is "Mc Dia Feliz" - the one day of the year that McDonald's takes every penny paid for a Big Mac and puts it into the Ronald McDonald program. Last year they raised 27 million USD worldwide! Not my favourite sandwich at McD's but tonight I'll go for it. Jake's also going to have a Big Mac - for the first time! I'll let you know how that goes! BTW, being in Buenos Aires means we're having our Big Macs delivered! :-)
I picked Jake up from school - he had Chess class this afternoon. We ran into his Chess teacher and he told me how well Jake is doing in Chess and offered to give him private lessons when the class is over. Unfortunately, I had to turn him down and explained that we were moving.
It's a quiet night so far but then, I just woke up! I lied down at around 5, almost three hours later....I guess I should have asked John not to let me sleep very long! Jake was on the computer, Lisette is in her room (?) and Nicole was hanging on the coach watching "That 70s Show" - dinner is non-existent. Guess that's my next move!
Ahhhh. Dinner has been determined! Today is "Mc Dia Feliz" - the one day of the year that McDonald's takes every penny paid for a Big Mac and puts it into the Ronald McDonald program. Last year they raised 27 million USD worldwide! Not my favourite sandwich at McD's but tonight I'll go for it. Jake's also going to have a Big Mac - for the first time! I'll let you know how that goes! BTW, being in Buenos Aires means we're having our Big Macs delivered! :-)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Closing In
We have a lease in hand...now we just need to sign it! The hold off is just until we can word an addendum for renting the house unseen. That's my job this morning.
I was a work horse yesterday. Between finalizing some things for the new rental house, paperwork for registering the kids at the new schools, registering Jake for Before School Care and starting the process for withdrawing them here, I also did some list making for the moves and did some organizing for our trip to Ushuaia later this month. Overall I was really excited about those duckies lining up!
The weather has been so cold here! Hard to believe it's spring until I stand at our gate and smell the honeysuckle. Talk about stopping and smelling the flowers! John's been uptight lately, lots of school work for him, so when I open the gate to let him in every afternoon I've been making him inhale the scent too! It makes him smile unless he's in a hurry to pee! LOL
Kim's finally home from the hospital!! Now she's off her foot for two months and has very strict instructions to watch out for infection from Nurse Shelley!
My incredibly talented cousin Kyran has her second article in Good Housekeeping Magazine this month (I'm guessing it's actually the December issue) - pick up a copy and read her under "Bloggers We Love" - grab a copy for me!
I was a work horse yesterday. Between finalizing some things for the new rental house, paperwork for registering the kids at the new schools, registering Jake for Before School Care and starting the process for withdrawing them here, I also did some list making for the moves and did some organizing for our trip to Ushuaia later this month. Overall I was really excited about those duckies lining up!
The weather has been so cold here! Hard to believe it's spring until I stand at our gate and smell the honeysuckle. Talk about stopping and smelling the flowers! John's been uptight lately, lots of school work for him, so when I open the gate to let him in every afternoon I've been making him inhale the scent too! It makes him smile unless he's in a hurry to pee! LOL
Kim's finally home from the hospital!! Now she's off her foot for two months and has very strict instructions to watch out for infection from Nurse Shelley!
My incredibly talented cousin Kyran has her second article in Good Housekeeping Magazine this month (I'm guessing it's actually the December issue) - pick up a copy and read her under "Bloggers We Love" - grab a copy for me!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Ducks are Back!
I'm still working on getting them in a row. Now I'm starting with the lists. John put some kind of list maker program on my computer but I need to put on my list to find it and learn how to use it. Sigh. :-)
Yesterday was a day of small tasks. Tying up loose ends, making a few phone calls.
Kim is still in the hospital after her surgery. First it was for some excess bleeding from a nicked blood vessel (nothing too great but a tad worrisome) then she had to wait for today (hopefully) for a physical therapy consult before she can head home. They ran out of Percocet on the floor (whaaaaa????) so she was in pain for an excessive amount of time until they could find some. As a nurse, this drives me INSANE. Sigh. :-(
Yesterday afternoon I had a facial - nice! John wasn't answering the house phone when I was done so I decided to walk home. If I'd thought of it before, I would have done it anyway. He thought I was mad because I "had to walk home" but it was a really nice walk and a little bit of exercise too. Bonus! Silly man! He was grumpy from hunger and lack of sleep, while I got to sleep in after the ball...I'd have been grumpy too. LOL
Last night was cuddling with Nicole on the couch watching "House MD" and starting my lists. Oh, and I think we've found our house for next Spring! Once the lease is signed I'll post a picture!
Yesterday was a day of small tasks. Tying up loose ends, making a few phone calls.
Kim is still in the hospital after her surgery. First it was for some excess bleeding from a nicked blood vessel (nothing too great but a tad worrisome) then she had to wait for today (hopefully) for a physical therapy consult before she can head home. They ran out of Percocet on the floor (whaaaaa????) so she was in pain for an excessive amount of time until they could find some. As a nurse, this drives me INSANE. Sigh. :-(
Yesterday afternoon I had a facial - nice! John wasn't answering the house phone when I was done so I decided to walk home. If I'd thought of it before, I would have done it anyway. He thought I was mad because I "had to walk home" but it was a really nice walk and a little bit of exercise too. Bonus! Silly man! He was grumpy from hunger and lack of sleep, while I got to sleep in after the ball...I'd have been grumpy too. LOL
Last night was cuddling with Nicole on the couch watching "House MD" and starting my lists. Oh, and I think we've found our house for next Spring! Once the lease is signed I'll post a picture!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Weekend of Chillin'
I can hardly remember what we did on Saturday - I don't think it was much! Nicole ran around the city with her yearbook class taking pictures of Buenos Aires through the eyes of a 15 yr. old. If she ever decided to become a photographer, she'd be great! She has quite an eye already.
The rest of us just chilled. Sunday was more of the same until mid-afternoon when I had to go to the hairdresser's to get ready for a ball. Not my first ball but it was fun!
Last night John and I attended the US Marine Corps Ball! It was so cool! There were people from all different countries and affiliations. It was held at a Tango Show - dinner and show - down at Puerto Madero, on the water. As it was a ball, everyone was dressed to the T's. Tres elegante!
John had a presentation at school this morning so we had to leave the ball early...how very Cinderellaish, don't you think? :-)
The rest of us just chilled. Sunday was more of the same until mid-afternoon when I had to go to the hairdresser's to get ready for a ball. Not my first ball but it was fun!
Last night John and I attended the US Marine Corps Ball! It was so cool! There were people from all different countries and affiliations. It was held at a Tango Show - dinner and show - down at Puerto Madero, on the water. As it was a ball, everyone was dressed to the T's. Tres elegante!
John had a presentation at school this morning so we had to leave the ball early...how very Cinderellaish, don't you think? :-)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Fast Friday
It went by in a flash! As I signed onto the blog I had to remember what day it was...I was thinking it was Saturday already!
I spoke to Kim this morning before she headed to surgery. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure but she bled a little too much so they're keeping her overnight for observation. According to Cindy, she's doing fine though. Prayers please!
John spent the day at the Embassy so I fiddled around the house, mostly cruising the Internet for a home! More prayers please!
I did go and get a bunch of groceries, some of which Lilian made into a wonderful lomo (beef) dish. It's our favourite so I had her make a double batch.
The doc (our landlord) came by with some guys to look at some floor swelling we have. The bad news from that was the doc handed me a bill for some city services that we're supposed to pay. It's about $450 so that's an ouch! It's all in Spanish of course, so I'll let John figure this one out.
The girls had a soccer dinner to go to tonight. Now Nicole is heading to a movie/sleepover. John just left to pick up Lisette from the dinner and deliver Nicole's sleepover bag. Her social life makes me sleepy! Jake was cuddling with me on the couch playing his new Nintendo DS. Does he really have to become a teenager??
I spoke to Kim this morning before she headed to surgery. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure but she bled a little too much so they're keeping her overnight for observation. According to Cindy, she's doing fine though. Prayers please!
John spent the day at the Embassy so I fiddled around the house, mostly cruising the Internet for a home! More prayers please!
I did go and get a bunch of groceries, some of which Lilian made into a wonderful lomo (beef) dish. It's our favourite so I had her make a double batch.
The doc (our landlord) came by with some guys to look at some floor swelling we have. The bad news from that was the doc handed me a bill for some city services that we're supposed to pay. It's about $450 so that's an ouch! It's all in Spanish of course, so I'll let John figure this one out.
The girls had a soccer dinner to go to tonight. Now Nicole is heading to a movie/sleepover. John just left to pick up Lisette from the dinner and deliver Nicole's sleepover bag. Her social life makes me sleepy! Jake was cuddling with me on the couch playing his new Nintendo DS. Does he really have to become a teenager??
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Anti-Age War
I'm a guerrilla fighter in this one. Well, I don't have much of an arsenal but I'm doing what I can. Especially because it's cheap here!
Firstly, Jake's birthday day was fantastic! He had a Field Day at school, actually called "Olympics Day" where each class dressed in a shirt of the colour of one of the Olympic rings. Jake's class was in blue. He wore a Hawaiian shirt! He's so cool. It wasn't even what he had on when he left for school. The boy has a sense of style. :-)
**Side story** Nicole was telling me that her friend's little brother was talking about this Olympic Day at home and excitedly told his family he was going to be in the "Special Olympics"!! LOL
After school he had Tae Kwon Do so John and I picked him up with some very lame gifts (two chocolate bars and a pair of PJs.) He didn't fall for it when I tried to tell him that's all he was getting. Wisdom comes at the ripe old age of nine!
Dinner was out with two other families - friends of Jake's and ours. Back home we sang Happy Birthday to him and partook in my homemade Dr. Suess birthday cake. It was a triple layer chocolate masterpiece that just happened to lean a bit too much! Everyone enjoyed it, the other families headed home and we fell onto the couch. Day well done!
Today Nicole and I went to a dermatologist for some laser work. Nicole had a small red spot zapped on her face. She'd gotten it from a wasp bite when she was about 7 and had asked repeatedly to have it removed. Again, it's cheap here! I had some sun spots zapped. I'm not holding my breath but it would be cool if they faded away. Of course, after the laser zapping they're darker than ever! Sigh. LOL
Nothing else exciting today. Cloudy and a little cool. Now it's time for bed! Goodnight!
Firstly, Jake's birthday day was fantastic! He had a Field Day at school, actually called "Olympics Day" where each class dressed in a shirt of the colour of one of the Olympic rings. Jake's class was in blue. He wore a Hawaiian shirt! He's so cool. It wasn't even what he had on when he left for school. The boy has a sense of style. :-)
**Side story** Nicole was telling me that her friend's little brother was talking about this Olympic Day at home and excitedly told his family he was going to be in the "Special Olympics"!! LOL
After school he had Tae Kwon Do so John and I picked him up with some very lame gifts (two chocolate bars and a pair of PJs.) He didn't fall for it when I tried to tell him that's all he was getting. Wisdom comes at the ripe old age of nine!
Dinner was out with two other families - friends of Jake's and ours. Back home we sang Happy Birthday to him and partook in my homemade Dr. Suess birthday cake. It was a triple layer chocolate masterpiece that just happened to lean a bit too much! Everyone enjoyed it, the other families headed home and we fell onto the couch. Day well done!
Today Nicole and I went to a dermatologist for some laser work. Nicole had a small red spot zapped on her face. She'd gotten it from a wasp bite when she was about 7 and had asked repeatedly to have it removed. Again, it's cheap here! I had some sun spots zapped. I'm not holding my breath but it would be cool if they faded away. Of course, after the laser zapping they're darker than ever! Sigh. LOL
Nothing else exciting today. Cloudy and a little cool. Now it's time for bed! Goodnight!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Time Changes All Things
Including the clock! We're now 2-3 hours ahead of you guys. Argentina doesn't participate in Daylight Savings so don't call too late! And I'll try not to call too early! :-)
Sunday was truly a day of rest. Except I was up at 0430 to take Maria to the school so she could catch the plane back to Ecuador. Not my usual time of day but I did return to bed and sleep until the crack of noon! Okay, not quite that late but close!
Jake has been spending way too many hours playing an online game called "Adventure Quest" and his sleepover friend Manny loves it too. Manny and Jake had to be scooted away from the computer multiple times on Sunday to go and enjoy the beautiful day. By Sunday night, Jake had red, droopy eyes and almost fell asleep on the couch by 6 PM. Too much staring at the screen and too little sleep Saturday night!
The girls chilled. Saturday night at the park had been great and now they barely moved. Nicole's friend Matt (one of the boy soccer victors) came over to watch "Transformers" but otherwise all was perfectly quiet! Yeah!
Yesterday I went to see a doctor about a rash. Yeah, perhaps TMI but it's nothing exciting. He thinks it's eczema gone mad. Seems he's right as his prescription is drying it up. Yeah again! John went with me to the German Hospital (that's where the doc sees patients), which was a very good thing. I definitely would have been lost. The hospital was rather efficient - I was pretty impressed. There was no appointment, just show up and cross your fingers. I was seen after about a 20 minute wait max. He was a nice guy and we were done within another 20 minutes, prescription in hand. And free! Thanks to our insurance mind you! If I need to go back I'm sure I could do it without needing John...or not! :-)
Sunday was truly a day of rest. Except I was up at 0430 to take Maria to the school so she could catch the plane back to Ecuador. Not my usual time of day but I did return to bed and sleep until the crack of noon! Okay, not quite that late but close!
Jake has been spending way too many hours playing an online game called "Adventure Quest" and his sleepover friend Manny loves it too. Manny and Jake had to be scooted away from the computer multiple times on Sunday to go and enjoy the beautiful day. By Sunday night, Jake had red, droopy eyes and almost fell asleep on the couch by 6 PM. Too much staring at the screen and too little sleep Saturday night!
The girls chilled. Saturday night at the park had been great and now they barely moved. Nicole's friend Matt (one of the boy soccer victors) came over to watch "Transformers" but otherwise all was perfectly quiet! Yeah!
Yesterday I went to see a doctor about a rash. Yeah, perhaps TMI but it's nothing exciting. He thinks it's eczema gone mad. Seems he's right as his prescription is drying it up. Yeah again! John went with me to the German Hospital (that's where the doc sees patients), which was a very good thing. I definitely would have been lost. The hospital was rather efficient - I was pretty impressed. There was no appointment, just show up and cross your fingers. I was seen after about a 20 minute wait max. He was a nice guy and we were done within another 20 minutes, prescription in hand. And free! Thanks to our insurance mind you! If I need to go back I'm sure I could do it without needing John...or not! :-)
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Lose Some, Win Some
What a day!!
Started the day by taking the girls to school for their last day of the soccer tournament. Then back to pick up Jake and set up the house for John's return this morning. I won't tell you how I did it but we had to figure a way to get him into the gate/house with no keys. Whew! :-)
Then off to Game #1 - it was against Peru and would decide if the girls played in the final game or just the "Bronze Medal" game. They played brilliantly the first half but just couldn't get the ball in the net. Half-time score was 0-0. John arrived shortly before the half, luggage-free.
Second half, I was wondering if it was the same team. They (in general) stunk. They were sluggish and slow and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else but on a soccer pitch. Needless to say, they lost 2-0. The website says 2-1 so I'll have to verify that but I don't remember anyone scoring. What a bummer!
More tears. At least they were playing Ecuador for third place, they'd already beat them 2-0 earlier this week. Yeah, right!
Just a few hours after their sad defeat, they were back on the field. They hadn't picked up their pace and at the half, they were losing 1-0. I thought when Ecuador scored it would wake them up. I was wrong! Eventually, with some excellent effort from some of the players, the score was tied. The goal was actually scored by an Ecuadorian but it was a great incoming shot from the midfielder. The game ended with the tied score. On to Penalty Kicks. Remember what happened with those yesterday? Scary. This time the girls rocked!!! Our goalie stopped three shots and our girls only missed one. It was awesome! PKs are a tough way to win or lose but it was great for the girls to pull a win out of this one!
This afternoon, we happened to be back at the school for Jake and his friend to play. We timed it to watch the last half of the boys' championship game. We won!! In PKs again too! Two rounds and it was amazing. The game was hard fought and impressive. The celebration was intense. Very cool to be there for.
Now the girls are out celebrating at a local theme park that they booked for just the tournament kids. How cool is that?
Jake's friend is sleeping over too. My bed is already calling. Hope John slept well on the plane!
Started the day by taking the girls to school for their last day of the soccer tournament. Then back to pick up Jake and set up the house for John's return this morning. I won't tell you how I did it but we had to figure a way to get him into the gate/house with no keys. Whew! :-)
Then off to Game #1 - it was against Peru and would decide if the girls played in the final game or just the "Bronze Medal" game. They played brilliantly the first half but just couldn't get the ball in the net. Half-time score was 0-0. John arrived shortly before the half, luggage-free.
Second half, I was wondering if it was the same team. They (in general) stunk. They were sluggish and slow and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else but on a soccer pitch. Needless to say, they lost 2-0. The website says 2-1 so I'll have to verify that but I don't remember anyone scoring. What a bummer!
More tears. At least they were playing Ecuador for third place, they'd already beat them 2-0 earlier this week. Yeah, right!
Just a few hours after their sad defeat, they were back on the field. They hadn't picked up their pace and at the half, they were losing 1-0. I thought when Ecuador scored it would wake them up. I was wrong! Eventually, with some excellent effort from some of the players, the score was tied. The goal was actually scored by an Ecuadorian but it was a great incoming shot from the midfielder. The game ended with the tied score. On to Penalty Kicks. Remember what happened with those yesterday? Scary. This time the girls rocked!!! Our goalie stopped three shots and our girls only missed one. It was awesome! PKs are a tough way to win or lose but it was great for the girls to pull a win out of this one!
This afternoon, we happened to be back at the school for Jake and his friend to play. We timed it to watch the last half of the boys' championship game. We won!! In PKs again too! Two rounds and it was amazing. The game was hard fought and impressive. The celebration was intense. Very cool to be there for.
Now the girls are out celebrating at a local theme park that they booked for just the tournament kids. How cool is that?
Jake's friend is sleeping over too. My bed is already calling. Hope John slept well on the plane!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Tears of Frustration
The girls, not me. They lost today in Penalty Kicks.
It was a very well played game with the other team scoring at the very end of the first half. By then it was obvious that the teams were very evenly matched. About two-thirds of the way through the second half, Nicole got taken down inside the box and her team-mate scored the resulting Penalty Kick! Yeah! BTW, Nicole wasn't injured at all, in fact she said "It was fun!" She went flying!
So the end of the game came, tied 1-1. Lisette hadn't got any playing time (Poor Boo!!) and Nicole had been pulled off the field with just five minutes left so neither of my girls were taking the shots (you have to be on the field to take part in the PKs) which helped my nerves. They did rather poorly with the shots, missing 3 out of 4. The other team won 4-2 (3-1 PKs, 1-1 Game) and the tears started.
One more day, two more games. Say a prayer, light a candle, wish them the best!!
It was a very well played game with the other team scoring at the very end of the first half. By then it was obvious that the teams were very evenly matched. About two-thirds of the way through the second half, Nicole got taken down inside the box and her team-mate scored the resulting Penalty Kick! Yeah! BTW, Nicole wasn't injured at all, in fact she said "It was fun!" She went flying!
So the end of the game came, tied 1-1. Lisette hadn't got any playing time (Poor Boo!!) and Nicole had been pulled off the field with just five minutes left so neither of my girls were taking the shots (you have to be on the field to take part in the PKs) which helped my nerves. They did rather poorly with the shots, missing 3 out of 4. The other team won 4-2 (3-1 PKs, 1-1 Game) and the tears started.
One more day, two more games. Say a prayer, light a candle, wish them the best!!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
More Money for Nicole
She scored again! This time it was their second goal and they won 2-0 so it was just a "goal" meaning I don't owe her extra.
Here's the set up ~
20 Pesos - Goal
30 Pesos - Winning Goal
40 Pesos - Tie-breaking Goal
50 Pesos - Header Goal
She almost got a header goal a few times today. She actually scored first but it was called back because she was offside. Whew!
Lisette got to play for about half of the second half. She did great and saw a lot of action in the mid-field. She was pumped to be out on the field and ended up playing in a pick-up game with a bunch of the boys this evening!
Jake joined me at half-time to watch his sisters and cheer them on. He is an enthusiastic brother!
John passed his physical back in Florida...yeah all round for our family!
I zipped to the Embassy to run errands and follow-up with the doc for a nasty rash I have on my leg. We decided to surrender to a Dermatologist at the hospital...I'll see her next week.
Dinner was "Shepherd's Pie" - very Irish for our Ecuadorian soccer guest. She had two helpings so either she liked it or she was simply famished after playing in two games today!
Here's the set up ~
20 Pesos - Goal
30 Pesos - Winning Goal
40 Pesos - Tie-breaking Goal
50 Pesos - Header Goal
She almost got a header goal a few times today. She actually scored first but it was called back because she was offside. Whew!
Lisette got to play for about half of the second half. She did great and saw a lot of action in the mid-field. She was pumped to be out on the field and ended up playing in a pick-up game with a bunch of the boys this evening!
Jake joined me at half-time to watch his sisters and cheer them on. He is an enthusiastic brother!
John passed his physical back in Florida...yeah all round for our family!
I zipped to the Embassy to run errands and follow-up with the doc for a nasty rash I have on my leg. We decided to surrender to a Dermatologist at the hospital...I'll see her next week.
Dinner was "Shepherd's Pie" - very Irish for our Ecuadorian soccer guest. She had two helpings so either she liked it or she was simply famished after playing in two games today!
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