31/366

My bags are packed

and I'm ready to go...

Day 31: You {again}

After finishing the majority of my large tasks yesterday
and running a few errands this morning
I decided I was going to take advantage of what Cartagena has to offer
and sit poolside.
{you see where this is going right?}
Well, I got a little more sun than I anticipated.
But sunburn is not the issue.
It is the atrocious sunglass marks I have on my face
{I swear I wasn't wearing them the whole time I was out there}
and the unreal lack of neck tan I'm rocking.

The neck is glaringly obvious in this picture. 
A scarf will not be leaving my neck tomorrow 
{except when I go through security.... forgot about that}
When Matt finished laughing at me
he pointed out that I do this nearly every time I travel.
Try to get in some last minute sunkiss-ed-ness
and end up one hot mess.
When he asked me what time of day I went out
and I replied, 'high noon'
the mocking began all over again.


I'm going to miss that boy.

Day 30: Nature

30/366

Today was one of those crazy pre-travel days.
But it was like 'pre-travel' on crack.
Because I don't know about you,
but most of my travels aren't the duration of 
four months.
Running errands, 
an adios lunch,
packing,
weighing luggage,
cleaning, 
laundry,
cooking,
and
waiting for the air conditioner man to bring some cold air to the living room.
{yes, again}
I also spent the day switching my ipad & Matt's ipad.

Some of you may remember we had an unfortunate accident with an ipad
{revisit that here}
so now the McQuinn's have an ipad & an ipad2. 
Since I am taking the laptop with me
it was necessary to leave Matt with camera capabilities.
Hence, switching ipads made the to-do list.
Today I spent a few hours restoring each pad back to factory settings
stressful...

and then restoring them again to their own individual ipad identities.
A Mr. & Mrs. if you will.
Stay tuned for more excitement tomorrow...
I get to call the Bank and let them know I am traveling to America & not to cancel my card for fraudulent activity!!!

29/366

Day 29: Fridge

This is what our fridge looked like this morning.

Then I received the following grocery list from my husband


- tortillas
- eggs (2 dozen)
- apples (18)
- oranges (10)
- granola bars (3 boxes of the hard kind)
- frozen pizza (2)
- gatorade (6 assorted, no red please)
- potatoes 
- peppers
- chicken breast
- ground beef
- peanuts (4 bags)
- pasta (the thin kind from a few nights ago if we don't have any more}

28/366

{six years}

Day 28: Light

{la galera, cartagena}

seis

two continents

two countries

four states

five apartments

one house

six years

Happy Anniversary

27/366

{our 3rd Christmas was a very merry one}

Day 27: Lunch

Oops, I did it again.

Missed a day of posts.

But I have to admit I've beens slightly distracted lately

preparing to leave for such a hiatus

and saying my 'Hasta Luegos"

Yesterday for lunch I met with Katy & Alice for more of a goodbye gathering.

Katy, my American/Colombian friend, is leaving Cartagena the same day as me for the States.

But she will not be returning. 

She has a wonderful opportunity in Australia

which selfishly is a no good thing for me.

To end on a high note yesterday,

we sat at the beach bar,

ate some lunch,

{I had ceviche}

soaked in the sun,

and shared some cocktails & laughs.

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of our wonderful day. 

I just enjoyed it.

Discussions of how different we feel now that we have been here for 9 months- one year.

Things we wish we would have done differently in the beginning.

And how I have no idea what I would have done had I not met Katy that first night.

In the spirit of a photo challenge, 

here's a picture of us from this summer....

26/366

See this box?

It’s taken quite the journey to make it to my kitchen table.

And I was so excited to receive it today that I jumped up and down and danced a jig for the kind doorman who presented it to me.

My mother sent this box Decemeber 8^th and the post office assured her delivery in 8 days. 

It arrived 49 days later. 

We had almost given up hope in a skype discussion a few weeks ago. 

But the next day Matt received a letter with my mom’s name in it.

{thank you universe}

If this is how you spell her name.

We went through a number of hoops...

{remember, this is Cartagena}

5000 COP,

a signed copy of our cedulas ,

but it was worth the wait

to celebrate our third Christmas this evening!

Day 26: Color

25/366

Today 3 more Christmas cards arrived...

... which makes me 3 times happier when I glance at the fridge.

Day 25: Something You Made

With the amount of time I've had on my hands lately, 
I've been able to complete a few projects.


Project 1: Cross Stitch

I found this idea in Martha Stewart's {November} mag.



Project 2: Canvas
surprise, surprise huh?

this canvas doesn't have a home yet,
but I love this song/saying
and since our wedding song is
Michael Buble's, Home
{foreshadow much}
and I'm preparing to travel
it seemed so very appropriate.

24/366

I made some progress in my Understanding Exposure book today,
while Rafael,
the kind, 
fast talking,
air conditioner man
spent nearly 3 hours 
making our apartment bearable again.
I was thankful.
Because this morning while I was blow drying my hair
I seriously debated changing my flight again.
But I didn't.
I can handle 
one more week
in the jungle. 

Day 24: Guilty Pleasure

Feel free to judge me.
But I loves me some Celebrity Gossip
Us Weekly
People
Perez Hilton
I read it all.
But that's not all
I also love Bravo programming,
including 
{most} 
seasons of the
Housewives...
Go on.
Judge away.

23/366

See this.
This is my open balcony door.
Why is it open?
Because my air conditioner decided it didn't really want to give out anymore cold air.
January 23rd - one hot mess.
Oh and while we are on the topic of air conditioners...
The one in the bedroom is randomly leaking water.

Day 23: Something Old

{Old City}

Day 22: Shoes

This pile of shoes are accompanying me to the US.

Did I mention I have a flight to North America in 9 days?

Ok, let me start at the beginning.

Remember Bella's tear in her ACL and that surgery business we discussed.

In the fall, when we were in the States

Matt and I visited with the vet regarding Bella's leg

and came to the conclusion that we would schedule the surgery in March

as plans were in the works for me to meet mis padres & Misty for a Disney World Spring Break

{i think beyond enthusiastic is the best way to describe my feelings about Spring Break 2012...

Did I mention Misty is a Disney World first-timer?

And yes, I am totally making her wear the pin that announces her first time status,

so the kind Disney World employees will bombard her with pleasantries}

Post surgery is supposed to be pretty intense so after some discussions,

Matt and I reached the decision that I would stay through Bella's rehabilitation

as to not leave the responsibility of healing our dog to someone else. 

Matt's next trip to the States will be in June for a Chicago wedding, 

so rather than flying back to Cartagena and turning around to come right back in June,

we decided I would stay through and we would be reunited in June.

March 2 - June 11.

But then that changed.

{welcome to my life}

When Matt started his crazy work marathon he mentioned the possibility of me

 returning to the US earlier than March.

After a lot of conversations about the issue

and assurance from Matt that I wasn't abandoning him

he would get more sleep

and we can survive 4 months of emails & skype sessions

I changed my ticket to return home February 1.

Our adventure continues...

22/366

21/366

Day 21: Reflection

My run of staying on top of my photo challenges and posts failed yesterday. Mostly because I drank wine and facetimed with this girl for 8 hours last night & this morning. And by this morning, I mean we finally ended our chat after Matt made an appearance when he woke up and prepared for work.

Even though our session was the equivalent of a work day,

it flew by.

Like 5 minutes.

20/366

{una revista & vino}

Day 20: Someone You Love

my overworked tired husband

A McVenture

It’s been over a week since Matt’s parents left and I have adjusted back to a quiet home, but I must say I much prefer the sounds of laughter and the feeling that loved ones bring.

We had such a lovely week together and made many memories. So many that it proves to be nearly impossible to recreate them with words.

Therefore pictures must be shared to help sum up the love, laughter, and adventures the McQuinns shared.

{castillo san felipe}

{la popa}

{cafe del mar}

{iglesia de san pedro claver}

While they were here, they reintroduced me to the pleasure of starting my morning on the balcony. 

So while I miss their presence, the sounds of laughter, and our 5:00 glass of wine, 

I feel like a piece of them is still here,

on the balcony with me, 

each morning.