Peek.a.boo

I'm here with a sneak peak of our new nest.
We found out today that it will be sometime before we have internet (or Directv) so I wanted to share these pics while I could. 
Apparently before you can sign up for services you must have a Colombian ID. 
We went to the Colombian Office (I have no idea where we went so I will refer to it as so) to complete the appropriate paperwork for our ID the first Monday we were here. 
Still no sign of the ID. 
So, until that happens we are living off the grid. 
I will do my best to get to some Wi-Fi spots and keep you posted.


Now without further adieu... our home.
(please note that the home has not yet been personalized. Changes will occur)














These are a few pics of our views including the beach and the Old City. 


This the Old City at night. The lights with the water provide the perfect view for an evening on the patio. 

It's time to sign off from the Hilton. It's been great, but its time for these Colombians to make Cartagena home.
ciao.

happy memorial day

and other random things...

• I hope you are all enjoying your 3-day weekend. Here in Colombia, we don't celebrate Memorial Day so it was another Lunes, Lunes around here.
• Today I found myself thinking back to our Memorial Day 2010. I think we stayed around Beaumont, grilled out, played in the yard with Bella, enjoyed some wine, and worked on preparing 885 East Drive for her future owners. Seriously, what a difference a year makes. I know I've shared this phrase a lot, but get used to it. It's still quite shocking for me. 2010-2011... worlds (literally) apart.
• In a previous post I discussed our attendance of a film at the theater. I shared the cost and unfortunately made a mistake. I stated that a movie theater ticket was 88,000 pesos. That would actually be $44 USD and not quite the deal I made it out to be. A movie ticket is actually 8,800 pesos. You'll have to excuse my error. I'm still wrapping my head around all these zeros.
• While you are enjoying a long weekend we had quite a short one. Matt had a training all day Saturday so our only day together was Sunday. It was a great Sunday though. Started with bloody mary's at breakfast, a day at the beach, and our traditional Sunday dinner at the steak house, Carbon de Pallo. 
• I scored these Ray Ban's at the beach yesterday.

• Don't worry. They are my beach sunglasses. I am not wondering around Cartagena solo trying to draw that much attention to myself.
• Drumroll please.... We are moving out of the HIlton and into an apartment. Tomorrow afternoon we are signing a contract and they are handing over the keys. 
• I feel a little like this...

• SO excited, with a lot to do. Packing up all the items from the Hilton, making lists (lotso'lists) of things to do, to purchase, and hoping it all goes down without a hitch. But don't worry, I am not taking any drugs nor I am 'so scared' like Jessie Spano.
• Moving to our new apartamento will mean a slight break in communication. We will not be available for Skype and blogging until our internet is all hooked up. So, I apologize in advance for the lack of posts, but it will be worth the wait. Promise.
• Adios from the Hilton. 

Yours Truly,

Eloise

sharing is caring

.... and I care about you all so I shall share.

Have you heard of Pinterest?

It's a site where you can catalog all of the things you love!

So, yes. It is much like bookmarking web pages on the internet. 

But Pinterest provides a really organized way to do so. You can pin items into different categories, share them with others, and get ideas from other "pinteresting" people. 

I've got design and DIY ideas, some inspirational quotes, and even some cute ideas for that big change that happens in your life when your family goes from 2 to 3(+)... but that is far in our future.

It's even a great place to make a wish list (hint, hint, Oh Matthew, do you read the blog?)

 (christian louboutin ... a girl can dream, right?)

I recently found this little challenge on Pinterest...

30 Day Photography Challenge


Day 1: Self-Portrait
Day 2: What You Wore Today
Day 3: Clouds
Day 4: Something Green
Day 5: From a High Angle
Day 6: From a Low Angle
Day 7: Fruit
Day 8: A Bad Habit
Day 9: Someone You Love
Day 10: Childhood Memory
Day 11: Something Blue
Day 12: Sunset
Day 13: Yourself with 13 Things
Day 14: Eyes
Day 15: Silhouette
Day 16: Long Exposure
Day 17: Technology
Day 18: Your Shoes
Day 19: Something Orange
Day 20: Bokeh
Day 21: Faceless Self-Portrait
Day 22: Hands
Day 23: Sunflare
Day 24: Animal
Day 25: Something Pink
Day 26: Close up
Day 27: From a Distance
Day 28: Flowers
Day 29: Black & White
Day 30: Self-Portrait

I accept.

One of my goals while in South America was to improve my picture taking abilities. 

So, why not start with a challenge on June 1st. 

It should be challenging, educational, and exciting (the story of my life currently...)

and

I promise to share all 30 days of pictures. Even when they are horrific, I am embarrassed, and would never post them to the blog if it weren't for a challenge. 

Because....

sharing is caring, right?

**Challenge Source**

kickin it with B

• She is still Beautiful Bella.
• She knows where the treat jar is in her new home.
• Bella loves spending time at the lake. She really enjoys watching ducks/drooling over them...
• But her anxiety peaks, when the Mama Ducks attack.
• She is still not a swimmer.
• She wonders what she ever did with herself when she was an only dog.

•  She is in love.

one thing

I'm slightly strange in the fact that I enjoy doing laundry. 
I like the fresh smell (when it's clean of course). 
I like being in control of how each item is washed and dried. (type A much?)
I like folding it while watching some reality show marathon. (guilty pleasure)
As tired as I am of the Hilton and as much as I want to do our own laundry.
I will miss this...

The way the Hilton girls iron/fold Matt's shirts.
It's perfection. 
Much like having a brand new shirt from the department store everyday.
Due to the fact that we have far overstayed our welcome, there isn't much I will miss. 

But oh, those perfectly laundered shirts

feliz cumpleanos.

Apparently an important occasion has come and gone without a recognition.

This blog had a birthday.

What a difference a year makes...

Eloise Gets Mad

There is not an Eloise book in the series with this title, but Eloise and I could join forces and get one written. 
I have no idea how Eloise didn't die living in the Plaza for all that time.
Probably because she kept her days exciting by crashing weddings and spying on hotel guests.
Doesn't she look a little naughty. My naughtiness has been limited to losing my cell phone.
She also had a dog & a turtle to keep her company.

We went to our "future home" again last night to see the furnishings. All the necessary security items were taken care of and there was just a few additional furniture pieces that were yet to be placed in the apartment. Apparently the final contract has been drawn up... But here is where I get crabby. The owner lives in Bogota. So, the contract has to make its way to Bogota (I've heard its being emailed, fairly painless) reviewed and signed by the owner and then make its way back to Cartagena. I thought for sure we would be living large in our high rise apartment by Friday night. While this is still a possibility, I have to be honest with myself and acknowledge I could be chillin at "el Hilton" on Friday.

I'm going a little nuts in the Hilton. I don't mean to be a Negative Nancy, there are definitely far worse places I could be right now. But today, I realized I have been under the umbrella of "homeless" since February 28th. That is nearly 3 months. 3 months we've lived out of a suitcase (or 10). I want to unpack.

And while Nancy is here I would also like to mention that I am super bummed about missing  Oprah's final show. Seriously, I have dvr'd every episode for the last 5 years. And her final season, I miss the last 6 weeks. 

Now, that I have whined a bit...

Matt and I had a nice relaxing weekend. Friday was a night in (at the Hilton) with a bottle of wine and some Breaking Bad episodes. 

Saturday - After Matt came home (home is used very loosely) from work we headed to San Martin (street with many restaurants, shops, etc). We ate some lunch and headed to the cell phone store. There was quite a language barrier to explain my lost phone, but thankfully Matt was able to call the English speaking rep. that is working with his company and he explained it to the teller. I also now have a zippered purse.

Saturday night we went to a movie, Pirates of the Caribbean.

1. No, the movie was not in Spanish. It was in English, with Spanish subtitles.

2. Movies are much cheaper here than in the States. We went to a movie Saturday night, tickets were 88000 Colombian pesos = approximately $4.50.

3. They have assigned seats in the theater.

4. It was nice. I kind of forgot where I was for a moment. Until I heard the unrecognizable mumblings behind me and realized there was constantly subtitles on the screen.

(I'm not sure if they (being subtitles) are that unnoticeable or I have gotten used to them as everything I watch has them)

Sunday - Matt and I traveled to the Old City. While we had gone our for some drinks in this part of town and I had walked through, we had not yet just spent some time exploring together. There is a lot of history here, but I will share that another time...

mostly because I don't know it yet.

It's a beautiful area filled with shops, restaurants, & gorgeous architecture. There are many vendors as well, but from what I have seen there aren't many parts of Cartagena that are not vendor filled. 

At night, the Old City is full of lights. Which is pretty great... since we have a nice view of it from our future home.

*home is still a loosely used term

El Dia Terrible, Horrible, Espantoso, Horroroso

A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

1. No, my Spanish is not yet at the level that I could just whip this translation out. I googled Alexander's Day to get the Spanish translation.

2. I did not wake up this morning and decide it was going to be a terrible, horrible, day. I believe in the power of self-talk too much to start a day off like that (plus, I'm supposed to practice what I preach).

Yesterday was kind of a bum day. I lost my cell phone.

Let me start at the beginning.

Wednesday evening, we went out with a group of friends to celebrate Katy's birthday.

(below is our amigos. Birthday girl is the adorable blonde)

Before I go any further with the story I need to explain something. My husband has a huge aversion to bags that don't zip. Beach bags, small bags, purses, carry-ons, he is not discriminatory. No zipper=no te gusta. I am not as focused on the "closure" of the bag. I go more for look, style, quality. For the past few years, as our amount of travel increased, Matt would often bring my lack of zippers to my attention. Although, we have only been in Colombia for 3 weeks, I have heard a lot about my poor choice in carrying around a bag that doesn't have proper closure. Guess what? Matt, you are totally Right.

Back to the story.

So, we had a lovely dinner with great food (the Italian restaurant has a chef from Italy who also lived in Boston for several years and everything is amazing), good wine, and great conversation. We sat outside on the patio, which is open to the street.  Throughout the course of dinner we had several vendors approach our table trying to sell us items (this is not uncommon, they come right up to your table and literally stand over you, mid-bite). I am not saying one of these vendors stole my phone, but here is what I know. I had it at dinner. My purse (without a zipper) sat next to me. Several vendors approached me. I had (quite a bit of) wine. And I left without a phone. When I realized my I didn't have my crackberry (I am open about my unhealthy addiction to my BlackBerry) Katy called it immediately and it was turned off.

So, I woke up the next morning, with a yearning for my phone (I haven't had it in my possession for a week. I felt literally sick about it. And I am sure this had nothing to do with the amount of wine that was consumed) and made my way to pilates. After pilates, I made my way to the Italian restaurant to see if they had discovered my lost phone. No one at the restaurant spoke English (the owner does, but he was not present). So, in my broken Spanish I attempted to tell them the story of my lost phone and ask if it had been discovered. They looked around for some time (so I am assuming they understood me) and then told me to return later when the boss was present. (While I am unsure if my wine consumption contributed to the loss of my phone or my longing for the BB, I am quite positive it killed all of my Spanish speaking brain cells, because I struggled to communicate yesterday). So, I trudged home pretty defeated. I received an email from Matt that we had a package at FEDEX that I needed to pick up. He gave me directions and I headed out once again. I asked the cabbie to take me to "la tienda de FedEx" and gave him the cross streets. When I got out of the cab, I didn't see a FedEx. So I walked up and down the streets, feeling quite anxious, and like a stupid American (no biggie, it's def. been shouted out at me a few times). Finally, I found the FedEx and my "stupid American self" couldn't figure out how to open the door. When I arrived, both the women working didn't speak any English.  So again I  searched to find my Spanish brain cells and managed to get out of there with the correct package.

This, as simple, as it looks made me feel much better. It was filled with a few things we realized we needed and Matt's bday gift, but it was a little piece of home that filled me with a  sense of comfort.

My husband went with his driver (who speaks Espanol) to the Italian restaurant on his way home from work and they still hadn't seen any sign of a phone. So, Matt called the cell phone guy when he got home and I am on my way to being back on the map and getting my next fix of my addiction. 

Although yesterday was a challenging day I know those will happen. That's life, right? It doesn't stop because you live on another continent and don't necessarily comprehend what's going on around you 75% of the time. But, what makes it okay is I have someone to lean on, my co-pilot on this adventure, and that makes the challenges totally worth it.

Below are some additional photos. With kind of a "Debbie Downer" post, I wanted to remind you all how fabulous it still is here.

(obviously, we were in need of some proper Colombian headgear)

Happy Friday.

Q&A

Okay, so here are some answers to all those questions that were asked before we began this journey and set foot into our home of Cartagena, Colombia, South America.


Where will you live?
Well, currently (as shown earlier) we are living in the Hilton Hotel. So, I guess I am still living like Eloise. Matt's company identified realtors to aid us in the process of finding a real home. Thanks to some veterans who have navigated this process we contacted realtors immediately and were able to begin the house hunt quickly. There are some different areas that were identified as appropriate to live in and after touring several spots in the areas we have chosen a home in Boca Grande, the more commercial area. There are shops, restaurants, and bars all within close distance which will make it easy for me to get around. The only drawback we have heard is the noise factor, but we are still young and looking forward to living in the "happening" place. While the "homes" are referred to as "apartamentos" they are really more of condos. Each apartamento is owned by an individual. So after we chose the place we hope to lie our heads, Matt's company take the reins. They tour the apartment and note changes they deem necessary. For example, all apartments occupied by employees must have two locks, a peep hole, 24 hour security, and be on a certain floor of the building. The apartment we chose was unfurnished, so the owners are currently in Cartagena buying the necessary furnishings. After this stage, the company deals with all the contractual components and then we will have a home and actually unpack, for the first time in a looooonnnnnngggg time. I am very excited to get settled and begin to really see Cartagena as home. Below is the building we will be living in and I will be sharing pictures of the inside as soon as I possibly can.


How do you get around? What is the transportation situation?
We will not be driving while living here (for good reason, it is intense), so we use a mix of public and company provided transportation. Matt is transported to and from work each day by a van. This van service is also available to wives and families, with notification. For example, last Sunday a van was arranged to pick us up and take us to the mall and then bring us back to the Hilton. Pretty slick. My main mode of transportation has been cabs. They are all over the place and very safe. There is not meter system here, so we were made aware that most cab fares to anywhere within close proximity are 5000 pesos (that's about 2.50 USD). To places farther out, it can be slightly more, but very economical. There is definitely some bartering that can go on and they have been known to try and charge "gringo" prices. Thankfully, so far, all of my cab situations have been confrontation free and I have not had to haggle. Cabbies tend not to have change, so I reserve my 5's for cab fares. I intend to do a lot more walking when we are in the apartment, but the Hilton is a little farther away from most of the restaurants. And let's be honest, with my sense of direction, I don't know that I am quite ready to head out with my very limited Spanish and figure my way around this place.

I borrowed this picture from Google images. This shows the size of the cabs (quite small) and an idea of their driving. I believe this man is rescuing some kind of animal from being hit. There are many stray dogs and cats and I have been a witness to near misses of making contact with them. I have a mini anxiety attack every time. (Side note: Matt has made it clear to me that I am not allowed to "rescue" and bring home any of these poor creatures).


What is the food and drink like?
The food and drink is great. They have all types of restaurants here, much like you would find in the States, steak houses, Italian, French, & an Australian joint. There seems to be a lot of red meat, sea food and I have discovered the chicken is not served as I expect it in the states. Often times with bones and skin, which isn't really my thing. The grocery stores has lots to offer, including Heinz Ketchup. 
These are my two favorite menu items at the Hilton...

As for drinks, the Coca Cola light is right up my alley. They also have a lot of fresh juices. Now for the adult drinks, we have been pleasantly surprised. We have spotted Cap't (Matt's drink of choice) and even some Jameson (for when the padres come to visit). They have a large variety of wines and serve vino tinto/red wine chilled here, which is refreshing in the heat. We drink a fair amount of cervesa here and have been pleased with the options. Last time I was at the grocery store I even spotted Bud Light (no Miller, sorry:)


What do you do?
(obviously this question is going to be very different for each of us...)
Matt:
"Van picks me up at 6 with about 4 other guys, drive 30 minutes to work.
Coffee man comes around to my trailer about 8am with a delivery service.
The project has two aspects, one is a refinery expansion that is new
construction, the other is a revamp of the existing refinery.  Currently
I'm working on the revamp.  At noon, I go to the lunch tent for a prison
style lunch.  Wait in line for about 5 minutes to get to a row of people
who throw some food on a plate.  Typically you have the option of chicken
or some type of meat, but every day its with rice, beans, salad, and some
type of fruit punch drink.  Its getting old already.  Need to get into apt
so I can bring lunch several times a week.  About 2000 people on-site now,
supposed to peak at around 6000 to 8000.  Van picks us up at 530 to head
home, traffic is pretty bad and we average about 2-3 near accidents a day
going back to the hotel."

Sarah:

I often don't know how to explain my days, but I manage to fill them with things. I recently joined a Pilates studio and take classes there 3 times a week. I spend time emailing and blogging to keep people posted and other than that you can find me poolside and reading. I also try to devote some time each day to Rosetta Stone. I have been lucky enough to meet some other lovely ladies and enjoy lunch and shopping from time to time. It's roughbeing a leisurely lady...
One of my goals while here is to study photography (really more of a crash course on my own, guided by some books I have purchased). However, I haven't really began this course yet as I have guilt every time I spy my photography books and realize I really should be learning Espanol first. 

(so thankful for my ipad!)
(disclaimer: I realized after posting this picture there appears to be some interesting possibly inappropriate text. A Visit From the Goon Squad is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, in my leisurely existence I have not resorted to reading pure smut.)

(one of the Hilton pools)

So, that is a brief look at all the answers we have found to the lingering questions that existed. Obviously there is sure to be many more questions & answers found as we navigate our Colombian adventure. 

Thanks Mom.

These...

are Mother's Day cards I purchased while in the States. However, they are not en route to the states, because I have yet to figure out how the postal system works here. And even if I did, I would probably be unable to convey what I wanted to the kind postal worker. 
So, if my upcoming week had a theme, it would be Rosetta Stone. 


Matt and I had a nice weekend that included a trip downtown to a dirty mercado, lots of food, our first Latin American dance experience, and a few hours at the mall. We are becoming more familiar with our surroundings, but have a long way to go.


That "vacation" feel is starting to wear off, but I don't think I will feel completely settled until we have ourselves actually unpacked in an apartment, with pictures hung, and internet/DirecTV installed. After "house hunting" we found a place we would like to call home, but that is only the first step. Matt's company requires a security check (looking for things like locks, peep holes, secured railings, etc.), the owner than makes the necessary changes, and then they work out the contract part. So, I am practicing patience. 


Another thanks to our moms,


The most amazing women we know.
Two women who instilled in us a sense of adventure... (they probably didn't know how much)
Who show us unwavering support.
Two woman who can bring smiles to our faces from miles and miles and miles away.


Thanks mom.
xoxo

Feliz Cumpleanos.

Happy Birthday to the only person that I could accompany on this adventure.

xoxo.




if you already read this and used the link, you will now find that my spirited persistance
(or lack of being able to let things go) resulted in uploading the video the right way.

pinky pinkston.

bella has a lot of nicknames.

Sometimes she was "pinky pinkston", due to her pink lil mouth (it is actually quite large, but you get the point)

She has taken the pinky pinkston to a whole new level.


This is not a fashion statement.
More of a home improvement project.
Bella is an active pup. And when excited she has been known to run in place like "Scooby Doo".
Think back:
old school Scooby Doo cartoons, when he would run from the monsters but he would be running in place and then take off.
That's Bella.
This did not fare well for my mother's hardwood floors. So after many tricks and rug purchases she found Soft Paws.
And they are a perfect fit for Pinky Pinkston.

FAQ's

Buenas.

Today was our first day of the rest of our Cartagena, Colombian lives. Matt went to the job site and Sarah ventured out. I went around with a realtor this morning to see some apartments and spent the afternoon with Katy, (my savior, but also known as a girlfriend of Matt's CB&I associate). She took me to the local mall and the old city where we enjoyed conversation, the views, and possibly some cervesas...

I thought I would show you our "casa", also known as the Hilton.
(I am much more excited to show you our long-term home, but we still don't have one yet. It is a process)

Way back on the "Tour de Love" we were bombarded with questions, that I had NO answers to. But I am now officially on the quest for responses to all those FAQ's. So, while I am working on compiling an answer to each those common questions about living, shopping, transportation, etc, I thought I would give an opportunity for any additional lingering questions. If you have one, shoot me an email or leave it in the comment section. Please note, the idea of being given a task, completing the task, and reporting back on said task will feel amazing. 

the first 48

Hola.


Well, we made it. With all our luggage I am happy to report. We have had a very busy first 48, so now I will attempt to start from early Friday morning to explain how it has all transpired. 
Here is the email that went to family Friday evening:

We are here/home.
Due to my lack of exhaustion and culture shock this is going to be an email written in bulleted phrases.

-Sarah woke up at 3 am this morning to begin watching coverage of the Royal Wedding. Totally worth seeing that breath-taking dress, but adding to my exhaustion.
-Got to the airport at 6am. Approached airport security at 7:45 am. Our luggage was a bit of a debacle. Special permission from managers was needed to take the additional baggage, so on, so forth. Thankfully, Josie, the woman helping us is from Bogota and loved that we were moving to Cartagena. I am happy to report each and every bag made it.
-In Panama we learned that Subway does not have the same fresh ingredients worldwide.
- You know those people that complain about Spanish being spoken in the United States... I think they should spend a day in a foreign country when signs/directions/etc. are not translated to English. Then watch them complain.
-We become completely confused when they were preparing to board the flight from Panama to Cartagena. No English. And everyone just stood in line. No rows or sections called. Just line up. Thankfully a nice American explained this to us and then we discovered he works with Matt.
-Misty, they serve free booze on the Panama to Cartagena flight. Not sure how that works out but Matt saw people ordering whiskey, wine, beer, no pesos or cards pulled out. Sarah was sleeping. Missed that opportunity.
-The baggage people thought we were on their honeymoon and that was why they had so much luggage. We tried to explain we moved here, we live here. Need to continue getting Rosetta Stoned.
-We took 2 full size extra row vans to get to the hotel. 1 for our luggage. 1 for us.
-Sarah will never ever be driving in Cartagena.
-It was neat to finally get to see our new "home"- the city itself. Being surrounded by the water is amazing. It's hot. But it cools down at night.
-Our luggage/life takes up a lot of space in our standard sized room. We haven't started unpacking yet because we couldn't figure out the Internet. No wireless in the room. Ethernet cord not working. Currently a tech is working on that....can you imagine? No Internet in the room. This is written from the lobby.
-TV. I got some CNN in English, lifetime network (liv here) that is spoken in English with Spanish subtitles as well as some channels that show some CSI episodes.

I think that's all we got. We plan on doing some exploring tomorrow, so hopefully we will have some pictures to share and then do some phone calls/skyping in the next week.
Have a great weekend!

Love you.
Sarah&Matt

So, that was Friday. It was an intense and long day. We woke up after a full nights sleep after that and a calorie burn we went to our first Colombian breakfast. Fruit, phenomenal... so fresh. We also had some delish Colombian coffee. This idea of fresh fruit and black coffee each morning, I can totally get used to. And with our views, I plan on enjoying both of these on the patio looking at this:

After breakfast, we unpacked what we assumed was necessary for the next 4 weeks and ventured out into our city. It is warm, within 15 minutes my washed, blow dryed, straightened hair was up in a bun. 

There are vendors all over, who approach you speaking Spanish, but leave you alone with an ignore or No Gracias. There are loads of places to eat, all different cuisines. I spotted some Nike & Addidas stores as well as a Tommy Hilfiger and Lacoste. Matt and I came upon some grocery stores (Yes, I will be shopping at a grocery store, not a mercado). Matt and I spent some time walking around and seeing what they had to offer. Matt felt a little piece of home when he spotted this:

I was also very captivated by the produce section. There was a whole lot of these:

There were some differences that I was not so comfortable with. At this particular grocery store all the raw meat was out in the open, as in anyone could walk by, sneeze, touch, grab, smack, spit on the red meat. Fish was the same way. I made a mental note not to by any meat products from this grocery store. Our walk took us along many more roads where we experienced the need for balance

There don't seem to be a lot of "rule of the road" in Cartagena, people drive the wrong way down one ways, pass in no passing areas, and are all over the place. We had to walk down this very narrow sidewalk as huge buses, both of the public transportation type, and open air party buses that are constantly running. This definitely made for an exciting walk through the town. 

We found another grocery store in the Boca Grande area that was extremely nice. More like a Whole Foods and no, their meat was not out in the open. We got some fresh fruit from this grocery store and finished out our 3 hour walk.

(this is our hotel from the street)

After resting up, Matt's co-worker stopped by and invited us out for some cervesas, dinner, and Rugby watching. There are some Irish men on this job site who are very passionate about their rugby. Matt and I were happy to join them. We had such a lovely evening and I had the opportunity to meet and chat with 2 adorable girls who accompanied their boyfriends to South America. They shared their war stories and what they have learned thus far. I can't believe how lucky I got to meet some amazing cohorts so early in this adventure, so thank you to those of you sending all your positive thoughts and energy our way!

We enjoyed the drink, food, and especially the conversation. As we prepared to leave and said our goodbyes Matt had a strange look about him. I asked if he was okay and he responded, "Yeah, I'm fine." Then, the color drained from his face, he bobbled a bit, and fell to the ground. Yep, my husband passed out. People rushed around him, got some water, and asked me about some pre-existing medical conditions. He came to, drank some water, got up to leave, and repeated the same act all over again. Finally after some drinks of water, he was okay and we all tried to come up with some reasons for this dramatic medical act. This has never happened to Matt before, so we chalked it up to some dehydration (???)

I happy to report my husband is completely healthy.

Tomorrow we are off to register our visas, open a bank account, and hopefully begin touring some apartments.

Our adventure has begun...

( Fact: Blogger is now acknowledging my South American location, so using Spanish terms while creating posts. Spell check: everything I wrote is highlighted as incorrect. Except numbers, names, and blogger. So this is my disclaimer.

I apologize for any misspellings.)