Beach, Yoga, Spanish, Potty

I have no photo's to share this week. Just an up date. I feel like I am just getting my feet under me now enough to head into what I like to call phase three of moving to Mexico. I've gotten through all of the initial moving in and O has acclimated to school really nicely and is now happy as can be there, phew, I'm so glad. She's even now almost completely potty trained. I tried it a couple of other times but it just wasn't happenin'. This time it was nearly magic. She saw her princessa panties which I'd been holding out on letting her wear saying, "princessa panties are only for when you go potty in the potty". It kills me to hear myself sound like such a mom. But anyways one day she decided she wanted to wear them and play downstairs and I said, "ok but you if you have to go potty call me and I will come down and help you." Fully expecting a big pee mess but willing to giv'er a try, I leave O to play in her room. A few minutes later I hear her yelling. And would you belive it a full on pooh in the potty. This may be a TMI for many of you but in parent land this is a big deal! After that I was like, no diapers again. She knows whats up. It took a couple of days to get the pee under control and we've had accidents with both and I do feel like I've been more intimate with pooh and pee than I've ever really imagined through this process but it's a means to an end, I deal with it more now, so that I deal with it less later, and luckily I like the smell of Mexican cleaning products so it clean up ain't so bad either, I mean as far as cleaning up poop goes. So moving along that is not exactly phase three but it shows you where we are in our adjustment to life in Cabo, ready to take on a little more.

So along with potty training, I've decided I'm stable enough to take on some training of my own part of my phase three. I went out and got myself some Spanish lessons. Two days a week and a conversation club on Monday Night. I am really excited. I met the guy while trying to get my Acta Constitutiva translated for my Company and he does lessons too. At first he was telling me that he is trying to get 10 people together for the Spanish class because mostly the institute focuses on English to native spanish speakers but they are looking to expand. He told me I was the first this year to sign up and as soon and he gets 10 we can get started learning how to introduce ourselves and say where we are from...Ah yahhhhh that could take oh say and eternity. And, OK I thought I'd better clue him in on my Spanish history. I've never taken spanish...well that's not true, I did take a semester in 7th grade but I am pretty sure my friends and I made it our personal mission to tourture the teacher and try to send her into a totaly mental break down...we were not nice...I was a mean 7th grader. Mean. But, I promise not to be so mean to my new instructor who I explained that I only speak street spanish...like enough to get by on the mean streets, and tourist corridor and yacht harbor and cruise boat marketplace of Cabo. He was like, well show me whatcha got sista?!? And I get a stuttery and nervous and I was like tell me what to talk about? So I told him all about me and my business and my daughter and how old we both are and I could've ordered some taco's and asked for the check and we hit our limit. But I am definately beyond beginner but missing the basics. So we decided on private lessons an idea I am very happy with considering the last lessons I took were with the what I called "California Rejects" California kicked them out, the were so...not smart (and I am really working hard to be nice on that). I could not stand the pace of the class and only lasted one session before I ran away screaming and decided to take up SCUBA instead. Good choice I'd say. But now its time. So I'm getting private lessons on Wed and Thurs from 10:00 to 12:00 and still have the opportunity to practice, well all over and everywhere I go, but also in the conversation club. I'm really excited about this because, if there is one thing I really want out of this whole experience, is to be damned good at Spanish and O too. So she's got her school and I'm doin' mine. Plus if I am conducting business here I'm really an a-hole if I don't learn it and I miss out on a lot of important stuff. So there you have it. I'm back in school.

Also in this journey through Cabo and a whole different life that I am trying to establish here, I am realizing that my priorities are much different than at home. For instance staying warm and seeing sunshine...jK that's a lil' jibe because I know it like just rained there and then it froze and then you got a snowstorm....fun guys. Perhaps you might want to tear a page outta my book and join me. JKing kids but that is kind of where I'm going with this. I have always used all of my spare time and cash to spend with my friends. So at home at least one day a week is dedicated to super fun with my super duper friends. I knew that friends like mine are irreplaceable but I had sort of thought that I might still be going out on my big fancy dinner and cocktails but without "my peeps" here as my mom calls it, it looses much of it's appeal. Don't get me wrong. I still can get away from my house and do stuff it's just more along the lines of taco's and a beer which is like $6.00 as opposed to $60.00 for the night. I've also realized that it is really important for me to stay in balance and really try not to get overwhelmed. It is easy to do here with so much new going on, and my technical difficulities that I have deemed entirely "not fair", and full moon crack my face open antics. I've picked up the yoga again and have even dipped into the meditation. I really love it. I've always loved yoga and even before I knew what yoga was when I was in high school and had lots of pent up anxiety I would take time out at night to stretch and breath to Enya under my neon swirly light. It wasn't yoga exactly but it did the same thing, balance and focus. I'm sort of in the same state I was in highschool. Trying to figure out who I am, and how I fit in here. So I've been sort of doing my own self guided practice at home, from things that I have learned in videos and classes that I"ve taken. Katie and I brought a couple of Yoga Journels to help guide our yoga practice while we drove down the baja, which we totally never did an ounce of practice, like not even in our minds, nada. We were more about imbalance and starting the campsite on fire and haveing fun and driving really fast down highway 1. But, I'm glad now that I have them and they actually were what inspired the meditation portion. But I've been feeling like I could use more guidence and a little more push. So I took up yoga classes too. They're in Spanish so I think that should pair nicely with my other schooling don't you? I had my first Hatha a (form of yoga I am most familiar with) today. And let me tell you this girl kicked my bootiay. It was awesome! I think I made the right choice, though I was hoping for a little bit in the spiritural side of yoga, but even if there was some which I don't really think there is I wouldn't understand it anyways...yet, maybe in a month or two I will be speaking spiritual spanish. It's all good though because when I had visited the studio the week before to check it out, an older woman was working the juice bar and she was so nice when she saw that I returned she hugged me and introduced me to everybody! Like that's not reason enough. Plus she makes me the awesome green juice stuff that is supposed to be good for digestion. It's the only way I like my nopales in juice form. The only downside is that they are closing next week for 3 weeks for Christmas. But a lot of people are so I guess it's something to look forward to after the new year. Oh man my body is hurting already. Nice.

Also along the lines of chilly for you not so much for me. Now is my fave weather. Cooler nights but gorgeous days. Not so hot you can't do anything. This October when we got here was REALLY hot and now it is perfection. O and I went to Cerrito's beach again and it is my fave beach for her and I. The waves roll in really easy for her and there isn't a shore break so it makes playing in the water sooooooo much fun. It has changed a lot as I said before and some people don't like that about it but I like the changes they are classy. There is a little restaurant that has a Jazz singer in the afternoons on Sundays. The restaurant has food and beer, there wasn't that there before and dundadada!!!! a bathroom! yayyyy. This is our place and O is so cute because everytime we go to the beach she finds a friend, so now she kind of expects it. So on our way there she asked, "Mommy do you think I will make any friends there?" awwww, "I hope so." So not long after we arrive she finds a little boy. She loves boys that are just a little older than her, I think it's cuz her fave cousin Matt is a little bit older boy. So she set her sights on this little boy with a face white with sunscreen building a castle and got soooooo excited. She gathered all of her toys and brought them over to this sweet little boy happily playing himself. She stratiegiclly sets down all of her toys around him and says, "Oh yes! We are going to have so, so much fun!" And the little boy was like, "ummmm, ok" I guess he'd hadn't come a across a Klimmek girl before. We know our fun. I asked him if it was ok that she played with him and we was like, "I'd be ok for a little while I guess." They ended up playing for the rest of the day together and holding hands and omg so cute. I made friends with his nanny, Nina. His mom was there too but was less interested in playing with him, so Dirkson, Nina, (Dirksons friend, who was a little older and rowdier and looked like a Zboy and was Italian and wore a little purple speedo, but I can't remember his name), O and I played in the ocean and on the trampoline (the restaurant also has a trampoline so when the kids get cold in the ocean they can still go nuts on the trampoline). I have a feeling we may see Dirkson and his friend again as they all live in Todos Santos. Turns out Nina the nanny is also the mother's event planner and may be interested in using me for some of their smaller events which I would be totally up for AND she is looking to rent her house out, AND she grew up in Todos Santos, moved there with her mom when she was 10. We had a just a few things in common to talk about. I love our beach trips, Ophelia is such a great catylist to meeting people on the beach. I'm out going by Ophelia's got be topped by ten fold.

So there yo have it. The weekly up date. Sorry no pics. Christmas with the Schmucks (my step mothers maiden name, I'm not being mean) is coming up next week so there should be some fun news from that.

Love a&o

Beach Buddy

Here are some pictures of O and a friend she made on the beach. Ella was her name and she was the same age as O and the perfect companion for an hour or two. We thought they could almost be twins. Same body shape, same hair color, different color eyes but the same amount of sassy and bossyness. They bossed eachother around for a good hour or two while I talked with Ella's mom. Both parents were originally from England but are now living in Cali. They've retained their accents and Ella even has a little bit of one even though she was born in the states. O quite liked the English accent and has taken to using it at will. She now also enjoys Charlie and Lola, the cutest ever cartoon and the kids on the show have English accents. It's extremely cute. So now she'll just slip into speaking "English". When we left eachother that day I had agreed to drive some girls into Cabo as they were being harrassed by some beach creeps who kept following them around. And as we were loading up, Ella's parents helped me carry all of my beach stuff and were amazed that I could carry all that by myself. "I have to otherwise we'd never go to the beach, and that is not an option." I've got a good beach system down and if O is cooperating and doesn't NEED to be carried and help a little it works out just fine. Going in is easier than comin' out cuz she's tired then and wants to be carried. But this time the two girls held hands the whole way out and were gleeful as could be. Until they realized that they were going to be seperated and the two start bawling their faces off. I get confused because suddenly my car is missing...wha' happened...oh just hidden behind a big white van...girls are you sure you still want a ride with me and the crying babe? I guess the screaming girls were less scary than the creepy dudes and they accepted the ride. I liked them little travelers from Eugene in for the week caught a cheap ticket and were staying at the Cabo INN for $30.00 a night. I always thought if I were to have come here on my own dime and stay like 15 years ago I would've stayed at the Cabo Inn. Anyhow thats all enjoy the cute pics.

Espiritu de Navidad

After ten pretty intense days of cooking for the Wench family, I decided that this weekend we were going to take it easy. I had made some plans to go out but canceled them to hang out with Ophelia to make cookies and decorate for Christmas. The transition into Christmas down here for me has been very difficult not because I am lonesome or missing my family and traditions, but because I keep forgetting that it is coming. I might be more nostalgic if I were at all aware that Christamas was in fact on the way, but its not cold here, there is no snow, no physical sign, no smell of pine. Ok well thats not exactly true Costco is selling Christmas tree's and when you walk past the tree cage you can smell them but I think of it as kind of a zoo for pine tree's they don't grow here, they don't live here they are just an imported attraction therefore the smell of pine just seems out of place and almost manufactured, like "fresh pine" scent car deoderizers, not fresh chilled scent of a good ole Minnesota Blue spruce. So the smell doesn't trigger thoughts of Christmas, its more just jarring, I sort of stumble in confusion on my exit from Costco and then I remember oh yah they're rehabliltating pines for christmas and once they are ready will release them into the wild...via car top. This is my reacation to all of Cabo's Christmas attempts at celebrating. The Santa decorations at Ophelias school are just confusing. To start, they had them up before Thankgiving. I mean everybody knows the rule No Christmas stuff before Thansgiving, but the day after, let loose, full on barage of Christmas cheer. But it is truely frowned upon to decorate or even play Christmas music any day before Thanksgiving. O's school had their stuff up a whole week before Thanksgiving. Thats practically still Halloween. And where's my Thanksgiving turkey and pilgrim stuff...oh thats right...they don't really do that here. Turkey is the Christmas meal, which by the way shocked me. Mexican restaurants here, the ones FAR away from the tourists are advertising Christmas Turkey dinner, say wha???? I would've thought Chili's Nogada or like a whole cabeza or something. Turkey just seems so gringo.

And at Ophelia's school thay have a sort of hobbit sized Santa really he doesn't even really look like Santa, more of a Kris Kringle meets Sam Gamgee if you ask me. In the middle of the school yard there is a large non-pinetree decorated with large sparkly ornaments, I quite like it and shall request to have one in my yard someday, with year-round ornaments which is completely acceptable since this is not infact a Christmas tree. Yards are decorated just like we do in Minnesota but again, it all seems so out of place. They decorate with snowmen and reigndeer. One arid yard in one of the barrios up by Betty's house actually donned a banner with a picture of Frosty that said, "Let it snow, Let it snow, let it snow", in english and just weird. Haha funny something left over from a yard sale. It just doesn't sink in. Aside from a little furrow of confusion Christmas ain't really happenin'.

I think though if there was more Mexican traditions then I could getting into it. I have to say I have been enjoying the Christmas music at the grocey store. All of our traditonal songs but in Spanish and I quite like that. Usually Christmas music starts to wear on me after a bit and here it feels like it is all new. I like to think of it as a mini little spanish lesson. And this evening as I was driving home I was noticing that they only light up the trunks of trees so it just looks like pillars of lights along the highway. Then I realized those aren't tree's they are cactuses. Well now, that's what I'm talkin' about, only the cactus was missing the tell tale cactus arm so they just looked like random pillars, but once I realize what they were, I liked them. Oh and they decorate their cars like reindeer or put wreaths on them. Now that is something I might even participate in. I think 68 might just be blitzen. And it's so slick they sell them on the busy side of the road. You don't even need to get out of your car they have a full selection for reindeer adornments sold right there at the green light that you just missed cuz someone was planning on decking out their haul (oh no I di'ent).

So I'm trying...REALLY hard to get into the spirit. Especially for my daughters sake. I don't want her say some day. "Oh I dunno, we used to celebrate Christmas, but that all changed once we moved to Mexico.
But I have to tell you, here is the other thing that I am contending. My rock, my main source of Mexican life info, My Betty is also a Jahova's Witness and as most of you know they don't celebrate Christmas. JW's don't celebrate much at all, I'm sure there is a very reasonable explaination for it for which I keep forgetting to ask due to the constant shock that she just doesn't participate in any of that. But here is the thing and I am "outting" her right now. She puts lights on her house! There I said it. Celebrater! Dec 25 is her Birthday though and she's using that as an excuse. She's in the closet though so I get no Mexican Christmas tradition insight from a closet Christmas lover.

So I thought to myself, we best be makin' our own. What do I love to do for Christmas, what are my favorite traditions. I grew up with split families. "My mom's side" and "My dad's side" I would switch off Christmas Eve and Christmas with one or the other. But then we began to grow new traditions that we liked so much that we couldn't ignore just because it wasn't my day with that family. Those events had to live on just on days other than Christmas Eve or Morn. Like Christmas with the Creagers, where we all draw names and for me this is my most important gift giving of the year. Everybody watches eachother open their one gift and we all have such strong personalities that the "just the right" gift is really important on this night. There is a sort of unspoken competition. More like a yogic compition, youare not compteting with others but with yourself to get the best gift for that person that you could possiably give. There is no price limit all is fair so long as not excessive like a car or large electronic device, which would be sort of frowned upon anyway because the goal here is creativity and pegging your person. For the most part we are all pretty easy. The only person who we all hated to draw his name was Mike. He was just so tough to buy for only because anything that he wanted he went out and got it. He always handled a pair of socks or a or funny hat with grace. It is for this same reason that we love to be on the receiving end with Mike drawing our name. He often procrastinated, had impeccable style and price was no object. If he drew you, you were getting something AWESOME most likely from Nordstroms or Brookstone or somewhere and it was always the perfect thing that you never in a million years would've gotten for yourself. It kind of became a thing to see who was the lucky one and what the lucky one got but really we all put a lot of thought into our gifts and for that it is really fun. But the real fun comes at the pre-gift giving dice game where the family gets ruthless stealing presents from each other and arguing about the rules and how long we should put the timer on for (usually it's based on how soon till dinner is ready). Here the object is to have the most tantilizingly wrapped gift so that yours is the most saught after. Again yogic compition all within youself, but the real compition is on the floor as you steal from you family member and talk smack across the pie tin holding the dice. I'm telling you this is good clean fun people and it is not to be missed. Ever since I can remember we have been doing this, this is the first year I am missing it since I lived in England.

Then there is the ever loved Adult Family Dinner, meaning no kids, not "dirty" family dinner. This is the night we choose some super awesome fancy place that none of us would get to eat at on our own. I am usually in charge of choosing. This is a job that I take very seriously. But it wasn't always mine. The tradition started at Gustinos a place in downtown MPLS where all the waitstaff were singers and they would pause service to sing some show tune or christmas carol and it was magic. We would do our christmas shopping at Gavidae Commons and then head up for the show and three hours of epic eating. Gustiono's closed down years ago and we haven't found another place with all of the classy singing but we have fun getting just a little acceptably sauced on cosmo's (well Kelly and I do) while Gramma sips on half a gin and tonic, Will tests out a White Russian and now all a toast of Prosecco to Mikey (a traditon I do belive will live on here in Mexico) and perhaps if we're at Inonni we'll do a little digestife of grappa and I'm talken the good stuff (that one won't live on in Mexico too fancy pants). We roll home after another night of epic eating and wonder how it is that we can enjoy 'us' so much when we just saw each other all the other day. Weird. Fun. Adult Family Dinner usually kicks off the holiday season for me.

The grand finale is usually the Girl Party. I can't even remember how long this has been happening. But this party is the rockenist. You take all of my faveorite ladies and when I mean all I mean people fly in for this one, or extend their ticket so as not to miss The Girl Party. You can pretty much be any girl who knows a girl who knows us and you are invited. It is open ended. We brilliantly decided to do a gift exchange in which you bring a gift that represents yourselfm that way anyone can particpate no need to pre plan, essental for this group of girls, if you wanna come you are in. We decided who gets the gifts dice game style. This is a little less good clean fun and can be very difficult to finish the game as the wine, cosmos's whisky and champange has been flowing and Anni's late with the appitizers and the only thing there was to eat was Barb's weird stinky cheese that was forcing everyone out of the kitchen and streight to the bar area kind of thing. And the chatting and catching up with people you haven't seen since last years girls party and sobbing about how much we love eachother and how this tradtion should never end, even when we are eighty. Then we all decide AGAIN that when we are old and rich one of us will buy a house or we all will and we will all live together like we did in college and take up smoking and whiskey if we haven't already or whatever other vices we choose, wear depends and hire a couple of hot nurses and a pool boy. ahhhh sigh, I wonder what sort of plans they'll make this year without me...and somewhere in there we might even open some presents. If we're all feeling good and sappy we might even throw a high low in there. Ladies I think we should this year... I send mine via email. I'll be your virtual guest.

And as I think about all of these events and all of my fave pieces of the holidays and believe me those are just a few highlights, there's the Hozzledazzle (as Quam calls it), Christmas morning eggbake and the December family birthday party and so much more. But as I look at it, all of these traditons are about the people and our history and have grown and morphed over time. There is not one thing that I can peg to start my own traditon here with Ophelia and I (oop except for eggbake we are doin' eggbake, I already found dry mustard so that shouldn't be a problem). So I'm making it up as I go along and I assume that is how they all get started anyhow. I had promise O a weekend of Christmas decorating and cookie making. We head over to the Cabo Walmart where I know they have decorations and assuming they might be a little more "Americany" and have cookie making stuff. The plan is chocolate chip cookies, which do not exist in Mexico, not real ones, not Gramma Marion, yellow nestle buttery gewy ones, and chocolate almond bark covered peanutbutter ritz sandwhiches (we should come up for a name for those cuz that is really long), which do not exist anywhere except in the Christopherson household and don't last long mind you. I am delusional with hope. I am thinkin' I have a lot of luck with the Chocolate chip cookies all I need are the chips and some baking soda and I've got the rest. I begin my quest and a very kind lady in a very large red apron that says, "ASK ME I SPEAK ENGLISH" pegs me as in need of assistance and gets three people to help us find Chocolate "Chispas"(cute). Ok not too hard even. How about baking soda???? Nope she knows it right off the bat. Not comin' in for another two hours. She shows me the blank space in the baking aisle and sure enough clear out of baking soda, they've got everything thing else but, even baking powder, but it is not the same thing. No alternative to baking soda. I give up on the Chocolate Chip cookies and bagged the idea of the almond bark ones as soon as a hit aisle 6 and new there was no way I was explaining Chocolate Almond Bark and getting what I wanted out of the deal so unless I saw them I was S.O.L. Here I've gone and done it again. Made a promise to my darling daughter that I cannot keep. Searching for an alternative I find the boxes. About 12 varities of pancakes, brownies and chocolate chip muffins. O chooses the chocolate chip muffin and I am lovin' that idea. All we need to do is get a muffin tin and we are done. A couple of bows and ribbons some lights and ornaments and we are outta there. This Walmart is the mexican version of a Super Walmart or at least I assume it is, I've never been to a Super Walmant. It's got everything from Chispas to car parts, I'm sure they've got muffin tins. A very nice lady took us to find them and guess what. They don't have muffin tins! Muffins not a huge hit in Mexcio, though I must say the very best muffin I have ever eaten is made right here in Cabo, maybe they are so good no one even attmepts to compete with the Cabo apple walnut muffin. I dunno something, no muffin tins, but they did have bread tins and that would work fine enough. My patience wearing thin we grab some decorating stuff and blow that joint, with a wing, a prayer and a pan! (Why do I keep doing that?) Felize Navidad we are INTO it. I don't have a christmas song in sight and I can't remember past the refrain how any of them go so we skip that part too. We don't have a tree, because I'm apparently boycotting the caged Christmas tree but more it's just that I'm cheap and lazy and don't want to deal with it. We decide to decorate the inside of the never-been-used-fireplace instead. The beauty of my three year old is that all this is so new that any thing I throw at her she's into, no preconcieved notions of silly christmas cookies and lame christmas trees. We're decorating the whole fireplace Yah! Now that's one chute Santa's not going to miss and who can resist a little christmas banana chocolate chip muffin bread thingy with a burnt top, because I can't control the heat on my oven. Yah! It's christmas and we are lovin' it!!! O helped mix and stir that girl loves to bake, I swear when she gets older we are going into business she does the bakin' and I do the cookin' for as much fun as we had together on this day I am so in for that venture! Check out her before and after burnt banana muffin bread thingy, it's...amazing. It's not your usual tradtion I'm making this #%@ up as I go along. But thanks to my daughter and a serious need for bonding we began a few of our own traditions. Who knows if we'll reinstate the burnt banana muffin bread thingy and firplace decorating next year but I will look back at this day fondly when remembering our first Christmas in Cabo.

Feliz Navidad everyone! Don't forget thank God everyday for your gift of friends and family and our traditions that unite us even when we're gone. Love to all. a&o

Starbucks so hot right now Starbucks...wait what???

... or at least in Cabo that is. Last night Betty, her client Al, and I went to the Starbucks opening. Even though Betty was feeling somewhat under the weather, she was SUPER excited for Stabucks to place its primero store in Cabo. I was more indifferent but intreagued as to what a Stabucks opening party might entail. I love a good opening party. Betty's friend is a part of a PR firm here in Cabo and that is how she got the invitation. Oh really...because even though I'm not all that interested in the Starbucks opening keep me posted on the invites cuz word has it Jean-Georges Vongerichten is opening a place soon at the Pamilla in Charlie Trotters old place...now thats a party I'd like to be invited too...good luck with that, but I did tell Betty if she sees that invite not to pass it up.

We met Al at the mall, He was sort of the same mind set and me, up for the interest and going because we were invited and any excuse to hang out with Betty is a good one. And a little curious to see if this was anything special. It was a Starbucks. A nice one with two levels and and upper outdoor patio with flat screen TV overlooking Squid Row. Nice way for all the AA'er to check out their old haunt and lement in the days of old while soberly sipping on their new addiction. Please don't take offense I worked in a coffee shop, I know how it works. Sort of along those lines but more like the exact opposite, Starbucks wasn't even selling coffee that night, they were just handing out samples, um, I'm familiar with the frappiccino and am not really interested in coffee cake for dinner, Al and I agreed that the bar next door was much more our style. We bellied up to the bar at an italian place where the hostess tried to hard, but still, it worked we were in for a margarita or two. And if you can belive it, I think this was my first margarita since I've gotten here. That's telling isn't it. I'm definately not doing much partying down here, just real life, plus I'm kind of picky about my margaritas. Even though Mexico is the home of the margarita, cabo is home to the tourist and often that can make for a crummy margarita. This was no different, a little too sour and a sticky sweet, but I had two. I think it was the honeymooning couple from Iowa who inspired me. The sweetest couple. I think I have a thing for honeymooners, I love them, they are so HAPPY and have stars in their eyes for eachother. I get goosebumps when they tell me they are just married. I didn't think I was such a sap but I'm met two honeymooners down here and I have the same reaction every time. Granted the first couple I met at the Giggling Marlin, the husband give me a lap dance during the show there, so maybe it's just a Pavlov's dog sort of association, ooo ooo, honeymooners, lap dance for me!!! But not this couple, they were so green, and innocent and lovely. I kind of immediately wanted to buy them shots and give them cigarettes. But I'm done doing that to people, partly because I'm broke and partly because I don't smoke anymore, but not because I don't want to. We just talked instead. She had never been out of the country before and had barely left Iowa. They were enthrawled with the fact that we all lived there. We first started speaking to them because they had mistaken Al for a doctor that they had shared a hot tub with the night previous at their hotel. They were a little embarassed when they found out they were mistaken. I broke they ice when I said, "Wow you must've thought he was a total pimp hanging out now with two totally different ladies than the night before!" Nice work Al! I just loved 'em. After two margarita's it was 8:30 and time for these party animals to head home. I did point them in the direction of the Giggling Marlin though...I knew they'd have a good time and that would wash a little bit of the innocence out of'em but just enough to be fun.

O's Amigo

Here are the pictures that Ellie sent of O and her bestfriend/boyfriend, the one who couldn't get her to love him, maybe because he's tryin' to cop-a-feel???? Hahahaha. Ellie laughed so hard at these pictures. It looks like their at a college party. They were so cute together. She still talks about him. Funny though she also mentioned her Children's Country day best friend Grant and some kid named George today. I think my kid is a little heart breaker. Enjoy!!!