New Year's Resolutions

1. Marry the love of my life this year!!!
2. Surf with Rob in Kauai.
3. Exercise every day and either do yoga, swimming, walking or working out. But some sort of exercise every single day.
4. Learn some new recipes. Become a better cook.
5. Take Coco on a walk or to the dog park every day. Give her a good life.
6. Overcome fear of flying.
7. Return to hula classes and my Ohana family.
8. Get serious about writing again.
9. Start column for East Sac News.
10. Submit at least one other article this year - preferably a travel article!
11. Find a teaching job!
12. Get back into arts and crafts, make cards, collages, etc. for fun.
13. Lose weight/get in shape for the BIG DAY!
14. Post more on the often on my blog, do more writing/photography entries.
15. Read more books, get into reading again.
16. Decorate and make our home more cozy and inviting.
17. More magic moments and fun for the sake of fun!
18. Get into teas more and kick the coffee habit for good!
19. Stretch every day, and write, speak, or think about gratitudes every day.
20. Enjoy being alive and all of the blessings in life every day.

Baja

Day 1: We got up at 5:45 am, left Karissa & Trav's by 7 am, and crossed the border by 7:30 am. We stopped for breakfast at La Fonda, and I got banana pancakes with coconut syrup. Yum!

We met up with our other Baja buddies, Matt & Michael at La Fonda. They ended up joining us for breakfast. Matt, a friend of Karissa's that she met while working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, also lives in Encinitas, is a teacher, and loves to surf. His wife Paula was supposed to come but couldn't get out of work, so he brought his buddy Michael, who came from San Luis Obispo. Anyway, after meeting up with these guys and eating breakfast, we caravaned it down to Punta Cabra.

The ride to Punta Cabra was long. It was a good few hours south of where we ate breakfast, and about 5 hours south of the border. Once we arrived at Erendira, the closest town to where we planned to camp, the paved roads became dirt roads. A bumpy ride from that point on.

From Erendira we drove north up the coast. The beaches were empty and the coast was rugged. It was an incredibly beautiful coastline. I couldn't help but think that the California coast must have looked like this 50 or 100 years ago. Just open coastline, no hotels, no crowds, and no highways.

The last thing we saw before arriving at our campsite was a huge herd of goats. And we're staying at Punta Cabra, which basically means Goat Point. How appropriate!

A few minutes later we arrived at our Punta Cabra, and we were elated. Not having ever been there before, we had no idea what we were in for, but we were very happy with our new spot.


This was our first night there, and our first sunset. We were all ecstatic to be there.

The first night Rob was in rare form. He had a few rum and cokes and decided to start speaking his mind. He told Michael he was a regular Joe, he told Travis he was a grouch, he even called my best friend a sourpuss! Then he said the dog, Bungee, was a sourpuss too. At least he was being equally opportunistic! Then he asked what he was doing hanging out with all of these white guys? So needless to say, I had my hands full that night. But everyone had a good sense of humor and we all laughed about it the next day.


Day 2: we woke up, made some coffee, and headed out to the beach to watch the waves. Rob was playing guitar and we all took turns hula hooping. It was a nice morning. Matt, Travis, and Michael wanted to take off to go surfing about an hour north of where we were camping, at a place called Punta San Jose. Rob went with them to take photographs. He was really excited to use his new camera. So the guys were gone, and Karissa and I had the campsite to ourselves. K took a little nap and I took a long beach walk, read my book, "Three Cups of Tea," and wrote in my journal. When K woke up mid-afternoon, we decided to get started on some Tecates with limes. We were off to a good start with our Tecates when the guys got back. We all watched the sunset together, then Matt made some soup, and we all sat by the fire eating soup and drinking tecates. Rob was mellow and still recovering from the night before so he took it easy with the partying. The guys were playing dominoes and it was Trav's turn to get the most drunk. They were pretty funny with their dominoes. Rob won the game. I think everyone else was too drunk or confused by the game or both to know what they were doing.

Day 3: On our last day at Punta Cabra the guys decided the waves were good enough there to stay, so they headed out to catch some waves. Rob and I and Karissa walked down the beach to watch them surf. Rob was taking photos from the edge of the exposed reef, and Karissa and I were checking out the tidepools. It was so cool watching the little crabs and sea urchins cruising around their little worlds.

That night around the fire everyone was going for broke. There was no drunk guy because everyone was going all out. Rob even did a back somersault with an open beer and didn't spill the beer! There was a lot of reminiscing going on because even though it had only been a few days, friendships had been formed and many memories had been made. Rob was jealous because we had said Matt's wetsuit hoodie was cute, so we wanted to borrow it. Matt obliged so Rob was in his glory in his wetsuit hoodie bliss.



Day 4: In the morning we packed up and headed to La Salina, where we were planning to celebrate New Year's Eve. After three days of no showers or toilets or running water, we felt we'd won the lottery having a shower, a toilet, and a nice clean bed to sleep in. We had a room overlooking the ocean and our own private deck, all for $35 a night! Karissa and Trav knew everyone at La Salina, which was nice too. Our rooms were upstairs, and downstairs was a bar, a restaurant, and a dance floor. Because it was New Year's Eve, the place was packed, mostly by retired Americans, and a few younger people, but from the looks of it, it was mostly all expats.
We got some drinks, margaritas for starters, ate dinner, and hit the dance floor. The music was mostly 80's (catering to the crowd I guess) but every now and then the band would play a good one, so we'd have to hit the dance floor. Karissa is completely Mexican at heart. She didn't care about any of the American songs, but every time a Mexi song came on, she was so there! She taught me her little Mexi moves, and when we left, one guy said we were the best dancers out there! What a nice compliment. Then again, we were the only women under 50.......
We miraculously made it to midnight considering how much everyone had partied the night before, and everyone was hugging and kissing. I gave Rob a kiss and Karissa and Travis a hug, and thought about how grateful I was for living through another year. Life had its ups and downs, but it's so nice to every now and then have a moment like that to remember how lucky we are to be here, to be alive, and going through this journey we call life.

Day 5: Got some breakfast at La Fonda then hit the wine country. Because it was New Year's Day, none of the wineries were open, except for La Dona Guadalupe's. The wine was terrible, and I'm no wine snob, but it was really bad. But the area was beautiful. And wine country in Mexico? Who would have thought? So just the novelty of it alone was worth seeing. That last night we were tired so we ate an early dinner and went to bed. We'd had a good run.

Pre-Baja CRAZE

So we arrived in Encinitas late-ish last night, and I thought we were pretty much in vacation mode at this point. But no. Granted, today was a day to do last minute odds and ends like grocery shop, get gas, get cash from the ATM, etc., so we knew it wasn't a completely cush day. However, Rob and Travis had about 118 pre-Baja secret projects going on that left Karissa and I completely baffled. Here is a loose timeline of the day.
9 am: Travis makes coffee, and pulls his new tent out of the bag. Rob helps Trav assemble new tent. They realize that the new tent is missing crucial parts, like a set of poles. Add trip to REI - to exchange tent - to the to do list.
10 am: Rob and Trav are outside completely unpacking Rob's vehicle, resorting everything and repacking it.
11 am: The guys are leaving to do their "manly men" errands. (Their words, NOT MINE!)
12 pm: Karissa and I get a call from Travis, they are at Smart & Final and want to know what kinds of drinks we might want. Tecates and limes we say.
1 pm: We get a call that they forgot toilet paper and paper plates. Can we get pick some up?
3 pm: Karissa and I arrive home with the groceries for the trip and they tell us that we bought WAY too much food, even though we only bought about a bag and a half of groceries a piece for 5 days for six people. They are convinced that with these new groceries everything will NEVER fit in Rob's FJ.
4 pm: Due to the influx of new groceries, coolers are being unpacked and repacked and unpacked and repacked again. It's getting exhausting just watching this. And no, they won't let us help.
5 pm: Reworking the camping gear, bags, clothes, food, etc, now that they have the coolers to contend with.
6 pm: Travis tells us he can't come to dinner with us. He's too stressed from all the packing and has to pay some bills, tie up some loose ends.
7 pm: They tell us we're waking up at 5:30 am to leave for Baja by 6 am.
And they call this a vacation???
I hope all of this was worth it. :)

Christmas break to-do list

1. Finish writing Christmas cards. Still so many left to write!
2. Take Coco to the dog park every day.
3. Finish Christmas shopping.
4. Clean the house.
5. Start reading "Educating Esme."
6. See friends I haven't seen in ages!
7. Buy more purple pens at office supply store.
8. Make a few more photo ornaments for family.
9. Pick up any last minute items for Baja trip!
10. Possibly get more Christmas cards made at Kinko's if necessary.
11. Walk at McKinley every day or go to the gym for yoga, swimming, or workout.
12. Call Saskia in Holland!
13. Go see a movie.
14. Read my magazines.
15. Go on a photo taking day with Rob so he can try out his new camera!
16. Wrap gifts.
17. Pack for Baja.
18. Hang photos on the walls.
19. Play piano.
20. Get resume posted on EdJoin and Subfinder!
21. Do some photo collages in journal.
22. Write New Year's resolutions.
23. Start on article(s) on dog park, and living in midtown for East Sac News.
24. Coco to groomer.
25. Get organized with school file(s)/supplies, etc.

I have so far yet to go.

Why is it that when one huge milestone is finally right in front of me, I begin to think of all the shortcomings I have, and start thinking about all of the ways in which I am not "there" yet? I am finally days away from getting my teaching credential after two year straight of eating, sleeping and breathing teaching. And instead of getting to enjoy this moment, my mind races straight to how much weight I want to lose, and how overwhelming it is to try to even begin getting there. And how I need to find a teaching job for the fall, and how I need to make more money than my nanny job will provide in the spring, and how I'm not as good of a cook as I'd like to be, or as clean or efficient or organized as I would like to be, and on and on and on. There is the version of me that I dream of, and the version of me that I am. It makes me really sad, because it feels like I always think I will be happy when I reach this next goal, and the goal is achieved, but instead of enjoying it, immediately all of my shortcomings come to mind and the joy is lost. Not that I don't feel joy often in life, I do. It's just that often big moments that I've highly anticipated in life have almost always been anticlimactic. Do other people experience this too, or is it just me? I am not trying to sabotage any chance at happiness I have in life, because I am often happy. But I have so many fundamental things about myself that I'd like to change. It's hard to know where to begin when you feel like you could improve in every possible way. And why haven't I written in years, or submitted anything in years? What is holding me back from running straight for my dreams? What's the worst that could happen? Another cranky editor can tell me that my writing is too abstract? Whatever. Life goes on. I want to take steps to be a better person. Not that I need a better heart, at least that part of me is good. But better motivation to pursue my dreams and not give up and believe I CAN. They say the hardest thing is to begin. They couldn't be more right. At least for me, it couldn't be more true.

Gratitudes, in no particular order

1. Rob and Coconut
2. My health, and the health of my loved ones.
3. Food and shelter and all of the bare essentials.
4. Sunrises, sunsets.
5. Swimming.
6. Beaches.
7. Surfing.
8. Friends.
9. Happiness and joy.
10. Writing.
11. Celebrations.
12. San Francisco.
13. My family, even though sometimes they drive me crazy.
14. Travel.
15. Learning foreign languages, currencies, and trying out new foods.
16. New and novel experiences.
17. Good books.
18. Islands magazine.
19. The Hawaiian Islands.
20. A good laugh.
21. Teaching, for many reasons. But everyday I learn at least as much as I teach, if not more.
22. Photographs, photography.
23. Good memories.
24. Hula hoops, and hula hooping.
25. My nieces, Abby and Maya.
26. Baby Camden.
27. Cooking, and learning to cook new things.
28. Good conversations.
29. Coziness.
30. A nice walk. A walk on the beach, even better.
31. The color turquoise.
32. Black tea with milk and honey.
33. Learning.
34. A good nap.
35. A good night's sleep.
36. The magic in life.
37. Adventures.
38. Surprises.
39. Sea life.
40. Dogs.
41. The dreams we have in life, and looking forward to having them come true.
42. Fires in the fireplace to keep warm in the winter.
43. My purple pen.
44. Good films.
45. Thai food.
46. Getting to speak French with my grandmother, Mimi.
47. Almost being done with school!
48. Trips to look forward to, like San Francisco, Baja, and Kauai!
49. Art projects, collage, etc.
50. Seeing old friends.
51. Hibiscus flowers.
52. Tropical beauty: the flowers, the scent of the air, the colors, the sea, the shells.
53. Hula.
54. Meeting new people and hearing their stories.
55. Creativity.
56. Hanalei, Kauai.
57. Encinitas, CA.
58. My cruiser bike!
59. Seeing the glass half full.
60. The joys of the past, the present, and those yet to come!
61. Frida Kahlo.
62. Mexico.
63. Cuba.
64. Brea finally coming back after being gone for so long.
65. Saskia in Holland, who I still miss all the time.
66. The San Francisco Chronicle.
67. My dreams to go to Valparaiso, Chile with Rob.
68. Google Reader.
69. Having fun!
70. Enjoying life.

Teaching, like life, has its ups and downs. Teaching can be the most wonderful and amazing job on the planet, and at the very same time the most sanity inducing job on the planet. The duality in itself is a little bit of a crazy maker, but it's also part of what keeps it interesting.
There's nothing like the feeling of teaching a lesson on something really interesting that I'm excited about, the kids are excited about, and everything goes as planned. I have a creative lesson plan and all sorts of ideas, and I can't wait to teach it. When everything goes smoothly, and you see the wonder and excitement light up their faces at the joy of a new discovery. These are the great days and the days that make the tougher days more bearable. But as much as I've complained about my bad days, as the old saying goes, sometimes there's a lot more to learn from your failures than from your successes. I've had some rock bottom low days teaching, and trust me, I have no desire to relive them. But I've learned a lot from those days, and what went wrong, and how I might do better with those situations next time. I think I want things to go well all the time, but the truth is, that will probably never happen. Also, the bad days make the just ok days that much better by comparison. but most importantly, those bad days should not be considered lost or wasted days. It seems as if (for me at least) it is only through great struggle that I really grow, and as much as I love those dreamy teaching days, I can appreciate the bad days too, and everything in between. I think that only in thinking that everyday has to be great or perfect will I suffer. My goal is to let go of always wanting things to go the way I want them to go, and just let things go the way they go. I mean, doing my best to do my part to do the best I can of course. But there is a lot of freedom to letting things happen the way they happen and being ok with it. Because all that any of us can do is do the best we can, right? And then let it go, and be ok with what happens because it is what it is. And whatever it is is ok.