Newspapers, Trips and TV..Oh My!

So, I acknowledge it has been quite some time since I blogged...but this time I swear I have a good reason, maybe even two...

I picked up a local gig, writing for a start-up online newspaper called  News Lake Atitlan which has kept me busy and hoarding my local stories to use for the paid gig. ;)

Not to worry though, I can share them with you now:

Tzununa Waterfall Hike Story

Perfect Day in San Pedro Story

Ken and I have also been out of town most of the last month - traveling to Las Vegas for a programming conference and adding on a trip to Sacramento to help out with a client and see friends and family.

Let me say that even if I had not gotten sick with the stomach flu and stayed in my room for three days straight, the transition from our beautiful rural lake town to Vegas would have been rough. As it turned out, it was even worse. Culture shock doesn't even begin to describe it -the excesses in every way were even more dramatic when coming from such a simple, peaceful place where people make do, usually happily so, with very little.

The Sacramento portion of the trip was wonderful for me - filled up my soul to see the faces of so many people I love. It just increases my appreciation for them all when I know I don't get to see them whenever I want. For Ken, the trip was quite different. In addition to working in the client's offices most of the days, he was working a great deal of the nights as well, trying to ensure as much was done for them as possible while we were in town. I really admire how hard he works and how committed he is once he starts a project - good enough is never good enough for Ken.

Oh, and I almost forgot! We were selected to be on House Hunters International tv show! They are going to be telling our story about moving from Sacramento to San Marcos, how exciting is that! We filmed one of the days while we were back in Sacramento, and it was absolutely exhausting. I have so much more appreciation for those programs now!

The film crew will also be coming down to capture our life here in San Marcos this month. Stay tuned!

Another Lovely Daaay

(This post is most properly read with Bill Withers in the background)

It started with our cat Belle screaming to be allowed to go up to the rooftop terrace. After prying my eyes open, I slide out of bed and opened the door - letting her, but not Osa, out to play up top. Osa cannot be trusted to stay within the terrace and immediately looks for a way to get beyond the walls.

I started our coffee machine after filling it with the amazing local coffee our friend Tim roasts himself, exactly to Ken's liking. As the coffee was brewing I did the dishes from the night before and opened up our large windows overlooking the lake. The air was chilly, perfect for yoga, so I changed and went upstairs with my mat.

The temperature stayed cool, the bugs stayed away, and I was in just the right mood so I went through just about every posture I know several times and added a bonus, finishing by massaging my face using some of the Thai Massage moves I learned over the weekend class. Belle was right at my side the whole time, somehow staying out of the way but slinking in between my legs and stretching along next to me. Afterwards, I sat with my legs crossed, soaking in the sun, and tried something new. One by one, I visualized the people that I love and miss back home, and sent them each my love and wishes for a good day. Felt good to connect, even if it was only on my end.

When the sun got too hot, I retreated to the lounge under the cabina and sat in the shade for a bit with Belle who crawled onto my chest and was purring loudly. I eventually tore myself from the perfect view and loving kitty and went downstairs to get ready for work.

I poured a cup for my sleeping hubby and left it next to the bed, and poured one for me with a little coconut oil mixed in. Grabbed my laptop, glasses, flash drive of Brazilian music and headed back upstairs. I love working from the roof.

The music was exactly as I remembered from the week before at Paco Real, a local restaurant owned by a Swiss man and his Guatemalan wife. Their two teen boys serve as hosts, waiters and sometimes even bartenders. ;-) When I asked him about the lovely song that was playing, he was so excited that I asked, explaining in great detail about the artist and offering to set me up with more of his music if we brought him a flash drive.

The sounds of rolling Portuguese and soft guitar as my background, I dove into an exciting assignment for a client who is building a wonderful parent engagement program for her county. I have been tasked with developing the evaluation plan, and those that know me know how much I love data and measurement - ensuring that those precious dollars are going towards the activities that help kids and families the most.

Ken came up and brought Osa along, trying to give her a chance under his supervision to understand what her boundaries needed to be. At some point, she escaped through the laundry room and Ken found her at our landlord's gate, very easily in the path of the three large German Shepards who live here. Last time for Osa.

Lost in my work, I nearly missed the fact that it was nearing time for me to start walking to town to catch my first group Spanish class. I quickly pulled together and devoured some oatmeal with chocolate, coconut and nuts and changed into a sundress because it was going to be a brisk, hot 15 minute walk to make it on time.

Climbing the long driveway to the gate at the road is usually enough to make me gasp for several minutes, but strangely today I practically ran up the path and my breathing was barely affected. As I walked down the "unnamed road" as Google calls it, I came upon a "pack" of about 50 small yellow butterflies who were on the ground and when I startled them, they spiraled upward around me, feeling quite magical. I ran into two such packs and dozens of others in other colors in ones and twos - by far more butterflies in one walk than I had ever seen. It left me with this feeling that something special was happening.

I came into Hostel Del Lago where the class was being held and ran into our friend and Tim the coffee guy's wife Osnat, who had just taught a yoga class. Tim came in shortly after to pick her up and offered to meet me after class to give me our next order of coffee and some new jam they made from a fruit, jocote, which San Marcos is famous for.

View from our "classroom"

There were four of us students and our teacher Andrew in what has to be the most beautiful Spanish class setting in the world. The time  passed incredibly quickly as we talked about the lake towns, culture, challenges...all in Spanish of course. Great, fun and safe environment for learning a new language.

After class, I walked with Andrew up to the Konojel Nutrition Center, a non profit that provides a healthy lunch for at-risk kids and elderly, along with an academically enriched after school program, nutrition education and two organic community gardens. I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of it. MUCH more on this to come. Check out their Facebook page if you're curious. Here are a couple of my favorite drawings the kiddos were working on today.

On my walk back home, it began to pour.  An older Mayan woman came onto the street from a path below and immediately cozied up to me as I was holding an umbrella. We walked closely together for our short journey on the same road, and talked about the rain and shared our names.

As we separated and I came down the hill, my phone rang and it was Ken calling to let me know he was walking to town and brought my raincoat. As I hung up the phone, there he was and then his phone rang again - the guy working on our quad needed to see us and we just happened to be around the corner.

While Ken talked quad parts in Spanish, I had a blast playing with their puppy and toddler and watching them chase one another. When we were ready to go, we both realized we were hungry and tried a new spot, La Paz.

Flowers on the table

The ambiance at the restaurant is enough reason to go. Surrounded with lush trees, bushes and lots of flowers, the cozy one room place was enchanting. We both ordered the veggie burrito and couldn't have been happier. Ken even commented it was the best vegetarian food he had ever had and wasn't missing the meat!

View of the gardens at La Paz

We slogged back to the town center in the rain and decided to splurge on a tuk-tuk ride back home. After a little more work and Facebook time connecting with friends and family, the day is coming to an end. Ken is starting a fire, mostly for the aesthetics, and I am signing off to go make chicken curry. I can only hope to have another lovely day when I wake tomorrow.

Ken on the path outside La Paz

Learning Thai Massage in Guatemala from a South African and a Mexican

In my previous post I made the bold claim that I am a not a hippie, however I realize my actions may continue to indicate otherwise until maybe at some point I will have to concede the inevitable.

The past few days, as a gift to Ken, I decided to take a Thai Massage class in the nearest town, San Marcos. You see Ken loves massages but 9 times of of 10 he is not satisfied with the level of pressure. The best massage he ever received was at  a spa we traveled to in New Mexico, Ten Thousand Waves. I HIGHLY recommend it if you're looking for a bit a heaven closer to the US than my beautiful lake. We have been trying since then (2001!) to re-create the experience and thought perhaps I just needed to do it myself - like cutting his hair. :-)

The timing of things coming together made me wonder if the universe really wanted me to attend. We were supposed to go to San Cristobal last week for Ken to see a doc to check out a mole on his back, but Guatemala's version of the DMV gave us a hard time and said if we left we couldn't bring our vehicles back - yes, I know we seem to have DMV issues everywhere. We are still investigating the issue to figure out how we are supposed to cross the border here.

So instead we made last minute plans to hit Antigua and it was amazing. By pure coincidence, we ended up staying at a small lovely hotel, Sor Juana, owned by a guy that has stayed at our place on the lake and knows our landlord. His mother is American from Palo Alto and he lived in SF for some time, so lots in common. We plan to have many more visits there (and I'll put together a separate post about the visit.)

After a great doctor visit and not enough time to enjoy but a promise to return soon, we left Antigua with plenty of time to make it home and relax a bit before the class the next day. Best laid plans. Halfway down the mountain to the lake, we blew a tire and had to rely on the kindness of our landlord to find the lugnut key in our apartment and drive it to us 30 minutes away in the dark in a storm - on one of the most challenging roads we've driven. Good times.

Arriving back about 10 p.m., I was delighted to discover that the class didn't start until 3 the next day.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but my teachers Zendrick (from South Africa) and Carla (From Mexico) immediately made me feel welcome. There were 4 students, so lots of personal attention.

Two of the students were a young couple from Blackpool in the UK and the third was a local therapist also from the UK. The couple had been through massage classes before, the young man even studying sports massage for a year. Not intimidating at all to be the only person not trying to be a professional therapist!

I soon discovered a challenge bigger than my self-confidence...my knees. After nearly 30 years of soccer and four knee surgeries, they were not happy with the positions required when working on a client on a floor mat. That left me feeling strained and somewhat awkward until I found alternate positions to work from.

I was extremely lucky in getting my partner, the local therapist. She was fantastic at providing feedback about what I was doing and how I was doing it.

At the end of the first two days of instruction however, I was a little puzzled about how I was feeling afterward. I would go into class each day feeling quite centered and positive, enjoy the class, but find that immediately afterward and into the evening, I was fatigued, negative, and not in a good place.

After talking to my teachers about it prior to the start of the last day, I got some great advice about how to clear away energy after working with a client. Today I suffered from none of those symptoms, instead finding I have more energy than when the day started and feel extremely positive. I think I may have to look into more of this kinda thing.

When Ken came to get me, our quad wouldn't start, so we went to a local place for a late lunch, playing with their dogs and having a great time. When we returned to the quad, it still wouldn't start and we had to leave it and walk back home in the light rain, actually kinda fun.

Favorite moment of the day - sitting cross-legged, the only American in the room, hearing the local Guatemalan pastor over the loudspeaker in the distance while we talk about Indian, Chinese and Thai energy work and yoga traditions. What a wonderful world.

I made my own sugar scrub and I'm not a hippie

I'm not paranoid or anything, but the closest town to where Ken and I live is San Marcos, known as the hippy town on the lake. So, perhaps I have been a little inspired by the people and culture here, but I assure you it is completely for practical purposes that I decided to create my own sugar scrub. I mean really, even if I wanted to spend $30-$50 on each jar of sugar scrub and hoard a bunch of them into my luggage, why would I when I can get the ingredients here fresher and much cheaper?

The idea came about one day when I was supposed to be writing and instead I was sucked into an internet hole that led me to a recipe for an amazing face mask. There were just two ingredients - tumeric and sandalwood powder. I just happened to bring tumeric so that I could make one of our favorite dishes, pho. According to this face mask article, not only is it great in pho broth, but it is a fantastic anti-inflammatory and excellent source of iron, manganese, B6, and potassium. I of course can't find the mask link but here's a link all about tumeric. I doubt you get many of the benefits by rubbing it on your skin.

I figured the other ingredient would be not problem, San Marcos practically reeks of sandlewood incense...but no such luck after visiting several places.

So I continued to take my baths without the amazing mask, settling instead for using my washcloth to mix together some coconut oil and sugar on the spot and use it to smooth and moisturize my skin. Then I saw my cousin Carie's post about using a food processor to finely ground sugar into a good scrub....hmmmm. My food processor is the only kitchen appliance I argued to bring with us, and I have been so glad I did!

So, the ingredients I used were raw sugar, tumeric, some cinnamon for scent, and coconut oil.

I started with the dry ingredients and actually thought the cinnamon stick would become a powder..no. That took taking the shards out and putting them in the blender then re-introducing to the dry ingredients in the processor.

Just fyi, that tumeric is some strong stuff. a little goes a long way.

After getting the dried ingredients mixed, I added the coconut oil...er paste. See, here at the lake, the temperature at which the oil turns to a paste is pretty much the temperature here in the middle of the day, So, depending on the day or time of day, I can tell the temp by looking at my coconut oil.

Don't freak out if it doesn't immediately look like a scrub. Just let the processor work it's magic and soon enough it will start to look like the expensive products on the store shelves in the states.

I knew there was a reason I saved all those jelly and sauce jars here. They come in really handy as containers for homemade stuff. To really make the process enjoyable, get your husband to agree to do the dishes. Tumeric with coconut oil is a messy business, you don't want any part of cleaning that up. I will say that watching Ken struggle to get the orange out of the processor bowl made me wonder what the concoction would do to my skin.

I got the chance to test it out this afternoon with a rainy-day bath. Having the ingredients pre-mixed was super helpful. I just grabbed a little bit and put it on the washcloth. I scrubbed the legs and feet, and no, I don't look like the poster child for tanning lotion gone wrong. I will say that I will likely stick to the same washcloth when using this mixture as it will probably not escape a stain or two. Let me know if you try it!

What I learned from my cats about living in Guatemala

Osa is the grey kitty in the back, Belle is the 15 yr old tortie 

We are coming up on our 90 day mark here in Guatemala, and we are starting to feel a little more at home. It is funny that while we were considering this move, one of our greatest concerns was the comfort, safety and happiness of our cats Belle and Osa.

Now, to be fair, Belle was not great on the trip down so we had reason to worry. We actually got her kitty xanax because of her attitude towards travel. And sometime, right about the day or two before we arrived, I got the dosage and timing just perfect. Oh well, I'll remember for the return trip.

On the eve of our milestone, I thought it would be fun to reflect on what I've learned from our cats about how to truly enjoy our time here in Guatemala.





Your People Make it Your Home
As worried as we were about the cats, they settled in almost the same day we arrived. They enjoyed exploring the place and finding all the cool, high spots where they could view their new kingdom and also the dark hiding spots where they could disappear when they wanted.

But soon enough, they were as relaxed as they had been at home. Belle sleeping and purring on Ken's chest every chance she got and Osa cuddling at my feet as I slept. As long as we were around, their world was as it should be.



Enjoy the View
It is amazing to me how little our cats can do during the course of the day. Our flat has one entire side that is all windows looking out onto our beautiful lake. Just in front of the windows, Ken created a sort of cat ladder/tree/lounge out of our plastic moving boxes that carried our stuff here.

The cats spend so much time on that thing, especially Belle. She loves to hang out on the top rung of the tree, surveying the lake and volcanoes, watching the boats go by throughout the day. Osa is more likely to be a little bit of a daredevil, jumping directly onto the narrow 6 inch window sill that serves as the base for the sliding windows. Luckily, Ken  also had an idea for that space - a series of bungee cords that act as a "kitty safety line" just in case one of them loses their balance or overestimates a jump onto the sill.

Notice the bungee safety line?

No wonder she's happy...that's catnip on the blanket

Bugs are Afraid of Us
When we were here at the lake last summer and I posted about the bugs we were running into, I felt really bad afterwards because all anyone seemed to remember about our amazing trip was how many spiders we saw. Now, don't get me wrong, you will run into more bugs here, period. But they were no where near the amount we saw in Costa Rica and quite honestly are on the whole less toxic then those we ran into in Tucson. We have come to a certain peace with them this trip, but that's another post.

This time around we brought our secret weapon...Osa. So the odd thing about this is that is truly was a secret, especially to us! Osa is such a scaredy cat when it comes to going outside or running into a dog (even the least intimidating one on the planet, Jack who is Ken's parent's dog.) So her behavior here was completely unexpected.

Instead of running away from the ants, moths, spiders, lizards or even scorpions, Osa is a boss. She prances around this place just wishing some sad bug would show it's face. Night time is her favorite time, she is on high alert, studying the walls, floors and ceiling for any movement at all. She loves to hang out near the bug zapper, hoping to grab one before it hurls itself into the blue light.

One night she was in bed with me while I was reading and she kept staring over my head. This went on for about a half an hour before it occurred to me that I ought to pay attention. Sure enough, there was a scorpion on the light fixture over my head. It was nearly impossible to see and it took me a while to spot it because it wasn't very large and it was dark on a dark fixture. I was soooo grateful for her that night!

Osa has a protocol. If it is a smaller bug like a fly, mosquito, or moth, she is generally pretty silent as she stalks and then eats the unlucky creature. Anything larger than that, and she is more excited about the potential for play, chirping and jumping and swatting the poor thing around. That usually alerts us to the situation and allows us to remove it if it might harm her.

The only problem with her method is the eating at night. She prefers to bring the bug close to me while she eats and one night that involved a poor spider that wasn't quite dead. Needless to say, it was still a shock when I woke up to the chirping and then chewing sounds of Osa near my head while she enjoyed the thing.

Scary hunter pose

A Smile/Purr Crosses Language Barriers
As part of the rental of our place, we have a couple women who come in twice a week to clean. They are always plenty nice, even when we don't really understand each other, but it was the cats who really bridged the language gap for us. Once they saw our cats and interacted with them a little bit, we were okay in their book.

The same concept goes when I am out on the road between our place and town. I'm not great at Spanish yet, and sometimes the people I run into don't even speak Spanish. The one thing that we all do here in Guatemala is say hello or some version of it. We also smile and nod when we say it.

Maybe I'm overly sentimental and naive, but I feel really comfortable in place where that is important to people...as long as my cats are here too.

Belle enjoys hanging out on the louges upstairs as well.

What a ham

Scratching is also a favorite activity

But mostly, just napping

Maybe playing a little 

And then more napping

Sometimes Good-bye is a Gift

It was about two years ago that I made one of the most painful decisions of my life, to walk away from my dream job and the place I thought I would retire. Those of you who know me from those days may be surprised to see me describe it that way, but it absolutely was.

There is something uniquely satisfying about a job that requires EVERYTHING you've got...each talent, each learned skill and all the creativity, passion and patience I could muster from a 20-year career. And to be able to channel all of that not to make some corporation more money, but pour it back into the community you consider home is special. It may be the only time I ever have it.

I truly love the people I worked with. Most saw their role as more of a mission than a job and we inspired each other to work insanely hard for a community that has a lot of needs - and so many strengths.

Most of the people in my professional life thought I was crazy to leave the private sector and go to work for schools in 2006. But I followed my gut and I did the same thing in August 2012 when I knew I had to leave.

It was embarrassing to me at the time to admit how much it hurt to leave and how angry I was over what was happening. I've been through a lot of tough stuff in life, and your heart is not supposed to break over a job. If the people I worked closest with hadn't been threatened by the leadership at the time, I'm not sure I would have had the courage to go.

I'm so grateful for the support of so many people during that period in my life, but especially my husband. It was one of those life-defining times where it could go either way and thanks to Ken I didn't get stuck in the bitter, angry muck. He simply refused to allow me to see myself as a victim.

Today we are living a life I could never have imagined. Our own company where I get to do what I love for clients who need and appreciate me...living in a foreign country on a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanos. I am almost afraid to enjoy it too much.

I wish I could say we got here because we smartly figured exactly how it would all come together, but it wasn't a grand plan - it was the result of choices every.single.day.

A thousand little moments where I decided to move forward, to forgive, to stay positive and to accept life, even when it didn't seem like what was happening was good. It is fighting to keep an open mind and heart in a world that doesn't always seem fair or kind.

In a twist of irony I see now that this incredible adventure would not have been possible without the intensely negative experiences that forced me to change direction. It also would not have been possible if I stayed angry and focused on how unfair it was.

Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going." I couldn't agree more.

Spanish School in Guatemala -Eye Opening

Since we know our adventure here will last at least through December (most likely longer), I decided that I wanted to get better at Spanish so I can get around easily and make some local friends. 
First off, Spanish is not the primary language here at the lake. We live among mostly Mayan/indigenous folks, not Latinos - those descendants of Spanish colonial rule mostly live in the larger cities here in Guatemala (and tend to be much wealthier).
If you were born in a town on one side of the lake you speak Kaqchikel  (Ka-check-Kel) and on the other side you would grow up speaking Tz'utujil (Su-tu-jill). Apparently, they are very distinctly different and it's common that in the next town over, you wouldn't be able to understand what they are saying. So, the supposedly unsophisticated Mayan here at Atitlan speak at least two and usually three or more languages. 
I was really excited to have the opportunity to work with a Mayan woman for my Spanish classes, and hoped to learn more about lake culture as well. On the first day I began the trek to the school. Here's a look back down to the building I started from and also the view up the rest of the property to the gate - both are MUCH steeper than they look in photos. Add that to the 6k feet level oxygen and whoa! By the time I get to the top and open the metal entry to the road to town, I am usually a little out of breath. I was feeling particularly sorry for myself one day about that part of my walk, and then I looked up from the road and saw a kid on a mountainside trail about 10 times more steep with a backpack on, hiking down to get to school. Humbled.




































My walk takes about 30 minutes depending on my stride and how much I am slowing to enjoy the weather and the views. Yes, we have a quad that I could drive but I am also trying to get a little more active. Each morning is perfect  - crisp and refreshing but not cold enough for a sweater. Here are a few photos from the walk:

The journey is beautiful and filled with the sounds of birds along the way. I'll have to record them next time and talk a little about the nicknames Ken and I have for the birds based on the how they sound to us.
I almost never run into a tourist or non-Mayan for that matter. It is usually a Mayan man or woman on their way to work. They always make eye contact and say some variation of Hola or Buenos Dias...always. My teacher asked me why gringos sometimes don't acknowledge people they see...I told her it was a cultural thing that also varied widely within a city in the U.S., but I much prefer the Mayan way of greeting each other.



The roads are rough and a little tight when there is a large truck coming through, so although it would be amazing to create my own soundtrack to compliment the views, I keep my ears open. Besides, I wouldn't want to miss the birds and the greetings!

One of my favorite sounds is of the wind chimes in this temple on the hill above the road. It was built since we left and I haven't had a chance to go up to see it and participate in their sunrise and sunset ceremonies, but it's on my list.

After about 2/3rds of my walk as I near the town of San Marcos, I come to the paved road...literally in pavers. At first this was confusing to me - isn't using pavers an extravagant way to pave your roads? Then I thought about the relative cost of labor and materials/machines. It is likely much cheaper to use pavers that can be made locally and use local labor. The average decently paid construction worker here gets about $10 a day, police and other government folk make about $20. A store owner in town selling fruit and vegetables hopes to make $15.

One of my favorite things along the way is this community garden. The day after I took this photo, I ran across a Mayan man working in there and we said our hellos.

The church in town, although not as fancy as some, is beautifully constructed in stone. This is the back side of the church that faces my path to school. It is a Catholic Church, which is the most prevalent religion here. The Mayan are also followers of Mayan symbols and mythologies and somehow weave them together in their world view.

This the first look into town along my way. The first building on the left is a store that sells food and further up on the right where the tuk-tuk is parked is actually a health food store that sells home-made granola, coconut oil, natural health and beauty products and stuff like that. In the distance you can see the "cancha," the gathering place for big town events that also serves as a semi-indoor basketball and soccer field.

Right as I approach the cancha, I turn to my left into what looks like a stone pathway smaller than an alley. It's a clever construction - if you can see there is a center lighter section with holes in it. That allows the heavy rains here to clear pretty quickly into gutters that run under the paths.
There are a couple stone pathways like this that run from the main road through town down to the lakefront where you can catch a boat to another town on the lake. Along the paths you'll find quaint hotels and restaurants, small stores and farm stands, massage and spa centers, and the usual trinket/souvenir places. It's pretty charming.

And this is where I take my classes - inside restaurant Fe there is a large courtyard and three small "classrooms" on the edges.

Most importantly, this is my teacher Irma. She is a lovely 18 year old girl that has no problem keeping me in line in our one-on-one class. She is quite funny, though this picture doesn't show that. I think she doesn't smile much in pics as her ID card was a part of one of my lessons and it looked similar. She has a been very creative with lessons, many times they are conversations in which I tell her about my life and answer questions about what I do each day. Other times there are games that break up the small amount of "stand and deliver" teaching. She asks me each day if I liked the class and if I want to make any suggestions for her teaching. Coincidentally, I have been editing a white paper on dual immersion teaching and learning for a client and it has been tremendously impactful to be a language learner in a foreign land. So much so that it deserves its own post later. :-)


Irma is wearing pretty typical Mayan clothing with a blouse (huipil) tucked into a wrapped skirt (corte) and a belt wrapped over the middle. She is sweet and very smart, although unfortunately with 7 in her family and two parents my age who are ill, she can't afford to go to school. :-(
She has been wonderful to work with and we have formed quite a bond. My classes end next week, but we have already made plans to get together at least a couple times a month so I can teach her English in exchange for some Mayan culture lessons.
We are also both soccer girls, so after the lessons, we're heading over to the field to kick the ball around. Yay!

Why No Blog? Busy Snowball!

Okay, so assuming anyone has even noticed that I haven't written since late June (besides Jana!) maybe you have wondered why I haven't been writing. I call it the busy snowball effect.

So at first the reason was time. My last post was the day my guy headed back to the states for some client work and my dear friend Liz came down to visit. It was her first time to Guatemala (first time any further than Mexico border towns at all!) so I felt a certain amount of pressure to ensure that she enjoyed the trip. Since my first trip to Costa Rica in 2003, my life was changed. My priorities changed. I saw a world of people, places and values that I never imagined existed and it expanded my world in a way that it could never become small again. I want that for everyone...arrogantly speaking, I think the world would be so much better for it.

So back to why I have not written. I am a big fan of the author Ekhart Tolle and his advice to be in the now- it is a near-constant theme for me. While Liz was in town, I was very much in the moment and writing about what we were doing together wasn't a priority, but here are a few highlights:

• Getting pulled over and fined by the police (another post on this later!)
• Wonderful walk/hike to Lomas de Tzununa
• Bee sting that could have been trouble
• Shopping in Pana and interacting with a highly entertaining young entrepreneur
• Shopping in San Juan and introducing Liz to a painter Ken and I know there
• Tuk-tuk and boat rides around the towns of the lake
• Meeting expats at the Maya Moon futbal matches of the World Cup

This is my buddy Liz - our first friend to take us up on an offer to come visit! Liz is a rockstar child advocate in Sacramento and that continued here...she was almost always striking up a conversation with a Mayan young person (and she is much better at Spanish than me!)

Truth be told, her visit taught me something about myself. As much as I like to think I'm tough - grew up in North Highlands, never been afraid of a challenge, there was a burden I didn't anticipate associated with being the person in charge, the person who needs to take care of things. Made me really appreciate my hubby and the peace he brings me, just by being the guy.

When Liz headed out and Ken flew back in, I enjoyed a couple awesome days in the city, drinking in the pleasures of city life.

 We also found our new in-city favorite place, the Radisson. Great price, location and this rooftop hot tub!!!

Ken and I went back to the lake for the one week we were together in more than a month, and enjoyed a small 4th of July celebration together as well as a 7.1 earthquake centered less than 50 miles away.

Scary to wake up to at 5:30 a.m. and it lasted longer than was comfortable, but gave me a lot more confidence about the strength of our building. Good to know that despite the lack of official gov't standards, our landlord made the building right. Most things around the area were in decent shape. Worst thing for us was our power and itnernet out for the day because it comes through San Pedro.

Poor us, off to Lomas de Tzununa and a day or working in the restaurant with amazing views and breaks at the pool!

This is Ken on a project conference call...and me...taking a break. I swear I work, just ask my clients!

The week went by too quickly and before I knew it I was on the plane to Baltimore to present at the National school PR Conference. I have to admit, I didn't have the best trip there....a little icky stomach combined with an over ambitious plan to use all free miles to get there made for a day that was not my favorite. After the 3 1/2 hour shuttle ride to the airport, I started the flight wondering how desperate my situation might get....working the dials overhead to get as much air as possible before take-off.

It never got horrific, just not...good. The highlight was that I was sitting next to a Guatemalan grandmother and her grand daughter and after playing a bit with the grand daughter and sharing my paper and pens with her, I was able to piece together a sentence explaining why I couldn't also share their amazing homemade feast of chicken and tortillas in the the ceramic bowl that also looked homemade. "Lo Siento, yo soy poco enferma" - not entirely grammatically correct, but I got my point across!

Sometime about 1 a.m. I landed in Baltimore and while I struggled some with the stomach thing, it was a fantastic experience - rooming and presenting with one of my besties, Kate -

And reconnecting with some of the best (and funniest) people I know who work hard for kids and schools every day.

And, this happened - my friend Music paid our friend Dan to moonwalk through a broken fire hydrant. Yes, it was mid afternoon and no, we were not drinking. 

Too bad we didn't have any fun while talking about the important issues facing schools and kids today. ;-)

At the end of the week, I was off to the other side of the US and my hometown, Sacramento! But that's for another post..

You've hopefully understood the "busy" part of my explanation for not blogging, but now for the "snowball." When I wait as long as I have, it snowballs...I feel bad that I didn't blog and then feel like posting it weeks after the fact is somehow not valuable...but I am sucking it up and promise to get you caught up quickly!

Enjoy every moment folks.

t