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bella is one lucky boxer...
to have such kind and caring people in her life


today bella received a care package

from her dear sweet boxer auntie kate and boxer cousins kali & nico

i don't know who was more excited...
me 
or 
bella?

{literally i still don't know who was more excited}


thank you schetzsle family!

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

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}

Day 28: Light

{la galera, cartagena}

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....

Day 26: Color

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.

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.

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...

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.

Day 20: Someone You Love

my overworked tired husband

Day 19: Sweet

{Sweet is french toast for dinner}

Day 18: Bought

This is what I've bought most recently...

It's milk.
Yep
and it's in a bag.
Most* of the milk found in Colombia is in boxes or bags and in an non-refrigerated aisle across from the cereal.
Like this.

{photo courtesy of MJL}

This particular type of bagged milk is pasteurized & homogenized, so it is found in the trusty refrigerated section.

So, how does one obtain milk from a bag?

With this trusty contraption.
You throw the bag in the plastic rectangle with the cow, cut a corner of the bag and pour away.

Thirsty?

*when i say most, I mean all. I've never seen milk in anything but a box or a bag. I've surely never laid eyes on a 'carton' of milk. 

Day 17: Water

Day 15: Happiness

I would have to say that since my general latitude & longitude has changed I have thought alot about those simple things in life that brought my day just a little bit of happiness, yet were so often taken for granted.

This is one of them.

Any time Matt and I had a large list of tasks for the day, the first task was Starbucks. Road trips usually started at Starbucks. 

Those memories make me happy.

For some reason Starbucks puts me in a good mood.

Having a stressful day could somehow be turned around for me by taking a few moments to stop and get a latte {and don’t even get me started about Pumpkin Spice season}

Matt’s parents gifted us with a little bit of Starbucks happiness for Christmas. Thus far the bag of coffee just sits, unopened, near the coffee maker. 

Eventually the bag will be brewed 

{especially the way we go through coffee}

But until then, its sole purpose is to provide my day with a little bit of happiness.

Day 14: Something You're Reading

I’ve always been a bit of a multi-tasker.

Every morning while I blow dry my hair,

I listen to music & read 

Matt is mystified by my ability to do this. 

But hey, that’s just me.

This is my current stack of reading material.

The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy - Although most of my time in this book has been spent looking at pictures thus far, I have gotten to a bit of text. I think I can say in confidence that each time I open the pages of this book, I will smile.

Vogue: Espana - Matt surprised me with some magazines for Christmas, including this Spanish Vogue. I don't indulge in many magazines here in Colombia due to their prices. A magazine costs approximately 30,000 COP which translates to $15. Not exactly the impulsive grocery store purchase I was used to in the States. I have only looked at the pictures in Vogue {extremely happy when I saw a feature on SJP}. I've thought about taking it in to my Spanish teacher and asking for homework from Vogue. I would much prefer Vogue over the article I received last week on hobby helicopters.

InStyle - I've always loved InStyle.  Due to the rarity of its presence I'm trying to read it very slowly and savor the pages.

Understand Exposure - Matt got me a new photography book for Christmas. I am quite excited about diving in and listing it as one of my current projects. I even bought some new Post-It tabs. The teacher in me loves Back to School season.

{did I mention it's Back to School season in Colombia?}

ipad - seriously. 

I say a little thanks to my buddy Steve on the daily for the ipad. 

{Did I mention it's Oprah's Favorite Thing EVER?}

It's been a wonderful addition to my life. Especially since my life went to living on another continent.

English books are very hard to come by here and when you find them they are terribly overpriced {shocker.} 

I'm currently in between books on the ipad {recommendations welcome} and going through many of the samples I have downloaded.

I just finished The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow. It was a great book that follows the stories of several different woman centered around a popular bridal boutique in Michigan.  It had me thinking of my own dress shopping experience and all the special memories I created with my mother and the other special women in my life.

Also, if you've never read The Girls from Ames, by Mr. Zaslow, it's a must.

Note: Ames is the home of Iowa State University, my alma mater. 

Now I'm off to multi-task and see how many of these books I can put my nose in before bed.

Day 13: In Your Bag

Contents of Bag:

-  handy dandy wallet

-  make up bag

-  busted up map of Cartagena

(necessity, I’m sure many of you recall the Council Bluffs story)

-  pocket translator

-blackberry

-  post its & pens

-  Kleenex

-  grocery list & grocery receipt

-  lotion

-  Tinted chap stick & mango lip gloss

-  2ooo COP bill (equivalent of one USD)

-  Colombian gum (have I mentioned I miss Orbit)

Day 12: Close Up