life with a recliner

I discovered this weekend that my strong opinion regarding recliners is not shared by the majority of the population. I'm unique. I was certain a large percentage of the people had an immediate and strong response to the word 'recliner'. Again. Just me.
Matt and I have been in the market for another piece of furniture to complete our living room. The random swivel chair and the couch were not creating the most fabulous movie/television series watching situation. On Matt's ride home from work he passes through an area that has several furniture stores. He spotted a recliner and felt that it was perfect for our casa. I never in my life thought I would own a recliner. I'm just not a fan {in case you didn't catch that from the first paragraph of this post}. I know they are wonderfully comfortable, but the look just does something to my brain and I have a bad reaction. However, going with the theme of our Latin American lifestyle {the flow, I'm going with the flow} and trying to be adventurous, I went ahead and gave the thumbs up on the recliner. With the side note, that this may very well be the only one the McQuinn's own. My husband came home everyday this week, staring at our living room, and discussing his future recliner, salivating about the idea of watching football from the recliner. There was a whole lotta of recliner going on. He carefully considered the price and determined a top number he was willing to pay.
Saturday afternoon comes, we had a driver in a truck lined up to take us to the furniture store and haul us and our new recliner home. Matt made his way immediately to the chair he saw all week in the window. When he sat down and attempted to test drive it by pulling the lever to release the leg lift {obviously I am completely unfamiliar with proper terms for recliners} we were informed that the recliner had to be plugged in. Note: something less attractive than a recliner, one that must be plugged into a wall. As the sales associate searched for the cords, we made our way through the store and spotted two more chairs. One leather, the other one some kind of fabric {Can you tell which one I preferred?} After my husband sensed that Sarah was not bringing the furry recliner home, he spoke with the associate about the cost, which was under his price limit. Then the Mr. Mc-liner who has been fantasizing over the idea of bringing home a recliner starts trying to barter... Did I mention the driver has his hazards on outside the store and is waiting for us? We had already established that we were leaving the store with a recliner. After the sales lady schooled him and made him eat his offer {that may be slightly dramatic, the sales associate was kind, but was not budging on her price, even when Matt pulled out the line about buying right now if she would sell at his price} I inquired about his negotiation tactic. He assured me 'that's what you do' and after a few more questions I discovered 'that's what you do' is from Matt's Book of Wisdom and not  by recommendation. Moral of the story: Bartering in furniture stores is not customary in Colombia



In the theme of the recliner we had a lovely relaxing afternoon. This is what it looked like:




We headed to the Old City to find a new spot to dine. {actually for the second weekend in a row we decided to try out a highly recommended restaurant without a reservation. When we arrived to our destination, they told us the restaurant was closed for a wedding reception... we're 0/2}
We took our time and wandered a bit....






We ate at a Peruvian restaurant and both had an amazing meal. We started out with some ceviche and each had entrees of fish. Matt had some kind of black rice & seafood and mine was served with a pumpkin puree {hea-ven}. I was too excited to remember to take a pic before hand, so for your viewing pleasure, here's what our plates looked like after our culinary experience.


Unfortunately, what was a wonderful dining experience, turned out to be a horrendous evening for Matt. He got food poisoning and was up on the hour, every hour after 12:30am. Poor boy. Yet, he still wants to go to the restaurant again.  look, I am not complaining, the pumpkin puree was that good folks.
So we had one of those wonderful Sundays that years from now we will think fondly of and wonder how it was ever possible. You know, the Sundays where you eat breakfast {& lunch} in bed, while reading the paper {on an ipad}  in between watching tv series marathons {Modern Family & Pawn Stars} and the news. We ended our Sunday with a movie {Matt sat on the recliner} and pizzas. Homemade pizzas.

As I look back over this post there appears to be a lack of adventure {although I might argue buying a recliner was an adventure} and a lot of random details. But those details are more for me. Because this weekend was one of those weekends, nothing extra special, but oh so nice & memorable.

design

happy friday friends.

My eight 40x40 canvas artwork inspired by Young House Love with the goal of adding a little color to our living room is complete. well, sorta.

My 'sorta' comes from the brown. It's most definitely working with a greenish hue, that is more visible in the daylight. This greenish hue comes from the fact that I 'literally' spent hours trying to mix the perfect brown. It sounds ridiculous as I type it and even more ridiculous that I didn't come up with the perfect brown. But in full disclosure, I became frustrated, wanted to project done, and chose to deal with my less than perfect brown. That is, until I hit up the art/electronics store and find the perfect brown in a bottle. The only mixing I'll be doing for a while is drinks.

This week I downloaded the August issue of Elle magazine. It's been a while since I enjoyed the pages of a fashion magazine. While I've seen fashion magazines here, they are obviously in Spanish and as much as I die for the pictures, I really do read the articles. Swear. Sidetrack.

Back to the magazine. I nearly drooled gawking at images like this

I was gutted when it hit me... I don't need an ounce of fall gear. No fall shopping para mi.  It was one thing living in Texas where I could get away with a sweater and some boots, but Cartagena. Not happening. 

So my northerner friends,

enjoy your fall 'back to school' shopping and know that you have one jelly {jealous} South American friend.

lucky

Today I saw one of my favorite Sex and the City episodes.

It's one of my favorites for many reasons,

but mostly because of the ending.

The discussion of mistakes,

fate & veering off course.

Change & Comfort

"Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away”

 - Carrie Bradshaw

This episode reminded me of something very, very, very exciting.

 I am proud to announce we have our first scheduled Colombian visitors.

Each of these beautiful people are Colombian bound in 114 days

Kathleen

Misty

Casie

Matt

Mikey

With all the changes it comforting to know that we have such wonderful friends

who are always in our hearts

and luckily

just a plane ride away

Let the countdown begin.

Beer, Pogs, & Dance

This is what a girl needs when she has spent the last 4 days battling a sinus infection with unfamiliar medications. This and McDonald's french fries. Yep. We broke down this weekend... Matt and I made our first stop at the Golden Arches de Cartagena {you can see it from our window, it was only a matter of time}. And it was good. Then we kept the familiar trend going by buying some overpriced cervesas at the grocery store. We packed our cooler with our Coronitas, some limes and headed down to the beach. The only thing we forgot was a bottle opener. Matt has had a key chain bottle opener that he kept around since college {actually probably since high school} for occasions such as this one. However, since we don't own any vehicles, he doesn't have his key chain, and he resorted to cutting up his hands using the Coronita bottles themselves to pop the top off.

While beaching it up on Sunday, Matt found a 'Pog' in the sand.  I vaguely recall in middle school, boys {did girls 'play' pogs? If so, I was not one of them} walking around with tubes of circular tokens. I still don't quite understand the 'game'... I thought it was more of a collection of sorts, but Matt quickly educated me on the error of my ways. Then he told stories of playing pogs with Justin Fisher. So Justin, I am not sure if you ever check this blog, but Matt wanted you to know, he found a pog.



Last week at Rumba we had a photo session. No. This one did not end up in the newspaper. 



And because I can laugh at myself, I even included a couple with our sick moves.



Was the title straightforward enough for you?

adventure

The other day four girls met for morning coffee.

Four expats; 

Polish, Russian, &  two Americans

Among many topics we discussed the changes that have been brought

into our lives the past few months,

the ways our days seem to be filled.

When one spoke we each nodded with the most 

empathetic understanding of feelings experienced.

How did we get here....

where a trip to the grocery store is an adventure?

Four different girls from different places.

Four girls with different experiences and different futures.

But right now, we are four girls who are sharing adventures. 

The Two B's

My parents currently have 3 dogs.

Bailey & Lola 

{their original dogs}

& Bella

{Bless them}

If you aren't familiar with Bailey & Lola

they have two very distinct personalities.

Bailey is regal, intelligent & loyal,

with a very sober, no-nonsense personality.

Lola is her exact opposite. 

An adorable & excitable terrier who loves attention.

So when I got this picture, I was shocked.

Apparently Bella's need to have constant contact

does not exist with only humans.

Bella has adapted quite well to Tennessee 

and Bailey & Lola's personalities.

Lola is her playmate, her partner in crime.

Bailey is her dependable companion, that friend

who you can just sit with.

And the fact that Bailey sits with her...

... well, that's the best part.

PS: Bella got some red nails

She feels much more chic & grown up in red nails than pink. 

back to school

Hola.

Matt worked both Saturday & Sunday mornings, so our weekend was pretty easy going. Saturday night we headed over to the Old City to check out a new restaurant. The spot we initially planned on going to was hosting a private party, so we made our way around and found Tango Feroz.

We shared a seafood platter for dos....

Yum.

Here's a rundown on the additional items seen in the picture.

The banana chip/bread-like item on my plate is a 'patacone'. This a a green plantain that is fried and then smashed. (You can read more about the process here) They are quite appetizing and on my 'To-Do' list {trust me, that will be post worthy}. I've seen them served solo or with some type of topping. I'm a topping/dip girl myself so I've got my eye on this recipe.

You can also see the remnants of Coconut Rice/Arroz con Coco on my plate. This appears to be a staple around here and can be found nearly anywhere. I have not yet attempted to make it. To be honest, I am not a big fan of 'cooking' rice. Eventually I will get around to whipping some up {because that's part of the experience right?}, but until then I know a few places we can go if we are in the mood.

Back to our dinner... This was our evening entertainment

These hip-hop dancers provided us with a show of their skills... and they got 'em. One guy was doing pushups with his legs completely extended as in 'not touching the ground'. There were lots of flips & break dancing moves. By far the best vendor show I've seen in Cartagena.

Today Matt and I may have become official Colombians {as much as we can be considered anyway}. Today we received our Cedulas, which are the identification cards we will carry here. We have been waiting for them for a while now and although identification isn't a huge issue here, once and awhile you will be asked to provide it. After my cell phone fiasco, I didn't necessarily love the idea of carrying my passport around, so now that we are locals, no worries.

Well now that we're official, it's time I officially learned Spanish. 

Example: Sunday morning I received a phone call at my apartment. Someone on the other line was speaking Spanish and I had NO IDEA what they were saying. Finally I told them that I wasn't understanding {in Spanish}. However they continued to repeat the same thing over and over again. This is what a language barrier is like & let me tell you... it is frustrating. Finally someone who spoke English got on the line and informed me that I had a driver here to pick me up. I had not requested a driver so we worked out that little predicament. After that fiasco you will be happy to know I'm taking Spanish lessons. Yep, back to school {do you sense a theme... we move, sarah becomes a student}. I am working with an English professor, one on one, three times a week. Today was my first lesson. I really enjoyed the tutorial and adore the instructor. We spoke in Spanish for the duration of the hour and I answered questions about myself and my daily routine. After hearing about my Monday, Teach wrote this note to my husband...

Now you can see why I adore her, right?

{the a,e,i,o,u... yeah we had to work on my vowels. I am not trying to make excuses, but the 1st grade teacher in me has a really hard time saying the long e sound for an i}

azar|random

Azar is random in Spanish {at least Google Translate says it is}....

Consider yourself warned... this is going to be one random post

{which was technically meant to go up yesterday, 

but due to storms we were internetless for the last 36+ hours,

 so in that time, it's safe to say the post became more random}

The downside of the rain is that it messed with my Internet.  This ama de casa doesn't like her internet messed with. However, the rain brought on one of the most pleasantly cool days I have had in Cartagena, as well as another day of pretty scenery. 

You may remember this post about my DIY living room artwork. Well, I've decided to move on to another project. After speaking with my design consultant {aka my mom}, I took some more inspiration from Young House Love and am moving towards this

I like the pop of color and in this white space some 'colorpops' are just what we need.  I hit up the art supply/electronic store this week and stocked up on all the 40cmx40cm canvas they had to offer.

At this point I have 6. I want 8. Hoping in a week they will have restocked with some new inventory... but who knows.

In the spirit of YHL(young house love), I created a 'mood board' to help me with my color inspiration for the canvas {based on the colors found in our ottoman provided by apartamento owner}

Drumroll please....

Ta-Da. My first mood board. Not gonna lie, it was fun searching images for just the right color. I came up with a coral,sage,eggplant,chocolate combo. I haven't began Project Colorpop yet. Matt has to work Sunday so I thought it may be a good weekend project.

An update to follow, unless it turns out horrendous, in which case I will pretend this post never happened. 

We all know Sarah likes her television. While many things have changed, my television watching habits {which you can read about here} are not one of them. On the English channels, they don't show near as many commercials as they do in the US. Take 'E' for example, you all know the ratio of Kardashians to commercials borders on ridiculous. In Colombia, I get a whole lotta Kardashian without as many lengthy interruptions. However, when the 21 minute 47 second reality show is over they still have nearly 9 minutes of time to fill up. 

Their solution: Music videos

This one is on a lot....

....which I find extremely annoying. I don't get it. And Javier Bardem's appearance makes it all the more random {kinda like this post.}

Not done with the television topic.

By definition, I guess I am a 'Gleek'. I DVR episodes of Glee and have been known to download a great mashup off i-tunes. So, when I found The Glee Project, a reality competition show whose winner gets to be a cast member on Glee I hit the 'Record Series' button. Last night, my choice competitor was up for elimination and had to perform a fav Elton John song to prove his worth....

Isn't he adorbs? Okay, so I may have a totally appropriate 'tvcrush' on him and would love to see him weekly on Glee...

Yep, I'm a Gleek.

Yesterday I stocked up on these at the grocery store...

Dasani flavored waters. Delish & the answer to my agua drinking habits.

After celebrating 10 years beyond high school many of our friends are beginning to move to the next phase... starting a family. Two of our very dear friends welcomed some precious bundles of joy into their families recently.

Trevyn Allen & Ellie Grace made their grand entrances into this big beautiful world this week. They are both the most darling babes and blessed to have such amazing parents. We are so excited to meet them! {in a few months} 

Five weeks from tomorrow, I embark on my American Adventure...

{excited}

and in six weeks I get to see these beautiful faces

These chickadees are meeting me in TN for a weekend of Southern Comfort. 

I am beyond excited. 

Ecstatic.

Or any other word that qualifies as beyond excited.

Well now, if you are still with me and somehow navigated through this randomness, I saved the most random for last. The other day when I was taking pictures of the clouds I took a shot of the beach. When I uploaded the pictures, I noticed that something was written in the sand.

Que viva pasto carajo

According to Google Translate...

Grass Living Hell

That's pretty random.

I'm just being honest

This is a blog about our South American adventure, 

a way for us to document all the excitement and experiences. 

But is also serves as a place to share the parts of daily life that happen in between 

all that adventure. 

Someday we can look back on this and remember the 

big & small details of our Colombian adventure.

So, I have a confession:

Sometimes I feel a little homesick.

Mostly it comes in small waves.

 {that being said it seems hard to be 'homesick' when you don't technically have a home...}

I miss familiarity the most.

Websters defines homesick as 'longing for home and family while absent from them'

That qualifies as well.

Now, please don't misunderstand. 

I am not attempting to gather self-pity or complain about my adventure. 

I recognize how absolutely lucky I am to have the opportunity to move to a country 

with a rich culture and explore it with my husband. 

But, sometimes my Bella, our family & friends, and some GMA would feel really nice. 

When this feeling comes along I find something to make me happy. 

Maybe its speaking on the phone, reading a good book, 

exploring this new land, or watching a funny movie.

Sometimes it's as simple as this.

Buying some flowers to brighten up my 'home'...

*** For those of you who aren't familiar, GMA: Good Morning America. I used to wake up and enjoy coffee with Robin, George, & Sam. I miss them too. 

Playa Blanca

On Sunday, Matt and I went beyond the beach across the street

{we traveled by boat}

 to see what else our new 'home' has to offer. 

White sand, crystal clear water, minimal vendors, and rum drinks served in coconuts....

I'm ready to go back next weekend.