Roast Beef (First time buying it. I somehow got the craving and found a small package at the super market)
Turkey ham
Munster cheese
Fresh Mozzarella balls
Cream Cheese
Brie
Broccoli
Green Beans
Brussels sprouts
Sweet potatoes
Pre-cut carrot sticks
Celery sticks
Quinoa
Flour Tortillas
Chickpeas
Red beans
Avocados
A bag of spinach
Basil
Apples
Bananas
Sliced Pineapple
Half of a Papaya
Portbello mushrooms
Almond Milk
Coconut Water
2 beers
3 opened wine bottles (two reds one white in case you were wondering)
On my playlist:
The Black Keys
The Drive soundtrack
Snatam Kaur
Krishna Das
On my to-do list:
Work on a Pranayama workshop
A yoga practice focused on back pain and/or injuries
On my mind:
Easter Break!
I am counting the days till Easter Break. Heinz gets the entire week off so we rented a small romantic casita just for the two of us.
We are going to a nearby beach and the house is right by the ocean. Our plan is to not have any plans.
Well maybe just one and that is to finally finish my Murakami book. It is sooooooo good! and it's two books in one you know...so yes, it's taking me a long time to read it but I am loving every page.
I got Heinz the Photojojo phone lens series as a Christmas gift. They are really fun to play with and my favorite one so far is the Fisheye.
I was one of those books lovers that refused to make the e-reader jump. How could I trade the flipping-through-pages experience for a scrolling down device right? Well I did and I love it.
I am reading a whole lot more now. It's more practical and like I've said before, now I have access to many books I couldn't read before.
The first book I read was The Great Gatsby and now that I've read it I can't wait to watch the movie! Normally I am not that crazy about books turned into movies. There are just a few that I believe are narrated better in moving images than in words.
I get it, a great book is supposed to make a great movie, but I find that is rarely the case. Some recent examples are Life of Pi, the Millennium trilogy and some of the Harry Potter films.
And I have a strong opinion about this subject because I believe turning great books into movies is a way to feed a make-it-larger-than-life mentality: make it bigger, shinier, sparkly...and now blow it up and make it 3D!. Well, books may not be that visually appealing but they can be an amazing experience. Everything you see in a movie still happens when you read a book, it all happens with the help of your imagination.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with making the movie, my main problem is substituting one for the other.
But I will stop here because I could go on and on about this movies and books thing.
Anyhow, my expectations for the Great Gatsby movie are really high. I love.love.love Baz Lurhmann. I love his movies except Australia. I think Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies. I know every song, every line and cry every time I watch it.
The Gatsby story is not that long so I don't think he'll be cutting out parts from the book. He didn't in Romeo & Juliet...another reason why I love him.
He did Romeo and Juliet (Leo Dicaprio and Claire Danes) and I loved how he used the original written language. But that may just be me and a handful of reading geeks, I know of people who couldn't stand the use of the "thee" pronoun throughout the movie.
This was my first time reading Fitzgerald. Now, I may read particularly slow but this book made me read s-l-o-w-e-r. English is my second language and I may be fluent but this book had a lot of new words for me. Luckily the Kindle comes with a dictionary and whenever I found a word I didn't know I just tapped it and it immediately gave me its definition.
Disclaimer: This post was not, in any way, sponsored by Amazon and/or Baz Lurhmann. Although I wish they would send me books or movies to review this post comes from my experience with a Kindle my husband got me as a Christmas gift.
On Friday I was done with work by noon and got together with some friends to catch up on what's going on with our lives lately.
At 8:00 I had a dinner to attend. Heinz was feeling tired so he joined us for dinner but left early. I stayed longer.
Saturday we had plans to go the beach but at the last minute I had to substitute for a Yoga class so we ended up staying here.
We decided to stay in and go on Sunday.
Sunday we went to the beach where my parents, my sister and her husband had already spent the night. Some friends came too and we had an amazing time.
It was fun going to the beach, hanging out with my friends and playing with their (really cute) babies but I was happy Heinz and I got to spend some alone time the day before.
I don't care if we go out for for a quick bite, stay in and watch TV or even fall sleep together on the couch. There are things that are non-negotiable for me.
Spending some just-the-two-of-us-time with Heinz is one of them.
I told you my friends have really cute babies. This last photo is exhibit A.
Now tell me, do you have some non-negotiable weekend activities too?
Are they work-out related? family related? chilling out related? Is it watching a TV show? a sports game?
I think it's cool to figure out what things you are willing to negotiate and which ones you are not.
Not only on the weekends but also when it comes to what you want in life.
This weekend was particularly mellow for us...and I think I may know why.
We got an Apple TV for Christmas.
That little box made us stay home most of the weekend.
Glass -and wine- can make faces look distorted.
Netflix is rather new here in El Salvador and it was not until very -very- recently that their movies got interesting.
I don't know if you may know this but Netflix outside the US is different. We don't have access to the same choices.
The same applies with most streaming stuff. It's a pain.
Anyways...Netflix upgraded their entertainment options (adding more movies) and a very cool thing is that now, through Apple TV, we can rent movies on ITunes.
We could do it before but Heinz and I don't like to watch movies on our computers so we never did.
This weekend Heinz watched two documentaries and we watched To Rome with Love (yeah, I skipped the documentaries in case that wasn't clear)
Out of all Woody Allen's films these last european-city-movies have been particularly funny for me so I was looking forward to watching To Rome with Love.
The movie was entertaining but it lacked originality. I felt like I'd heard the stories before -not because I had- but because they were very predictable. There was a lack of sass and sarcasm which is something I love about Woody's writing. I was looking forward to a bolder script but at the end I got the feeling that Woody might have been in a rush when he wrote it.
Saturday we went thrift shopping and I finally found one (out of the two) night table I've been looking for since last year.
This baby is getting painted today.
We got it for 15$.
Sunday was church, movies...and NFL games....bo-ring.
While Heinz was watching the games I asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner...I got a silent stare as an answer.
It made me look forward to Super Bowl Sunday.
I hope your weekend was good, filled with fun stuff and no silent stares.
We chose a different location. This time we went to La Cocotera.
It's located in Barra de Santiago. It takes about 1h30 to get there if you are driving from San Salvador. It's an ecolodge that even has its own turtle release program.
The resort is small and private making it the perfect place for a couple's getaway.
If you are planning your wedding or just merely fantasizing about that special date I only have one advice for you. Choose a date that is close to a holiday...you will guarantee yourself an off-from-work anniversary your entire life.
Six years ago we got married on January 6 and from that day on, as every new year starts, Heinz and I mark a new beginning in our relationship. Celebrating our anniversary it's not about keeping track of the time we've been together. It's about taking some time to look back asking ourselves where we were this time last year, where do we plan to be next year, what trips do we want to make, etc.
Even though surf and kayaking were offered at no extra cost we decided to chill by the pool ALL DAY LONG. Heinz is currently reading Life of Pi and since I (surprisingly) got a new Kindle for Christmas we both kept our noses buried under exquisite literature. I am currently reading two books, one is The Great Gatsby because the movie is coming out and I cannot let myself watch the movie before reading the book and I am also reading Murakami's 1Q84 which for me has been a page turner and I mean this literally because its a paperback edition (a non traveler friendly one)
Talking about books...how would you feel about an IMakeMyself book club? would anyone sign up? Let me know because I'm really contemplating this idea.
This date marks another special day for me. This weekend was my first blogging anniversary! It's been a whole year since I started sharing my story through IMakeMyself and to all of you who keep coming back...thank you.
Thank you for being part of this 6 + 1 celebration.
Coming home has not been as dramatic as I anticipated it would be. I didn't want to leave Costa Rica after my Yoga Teacher Training feeling like I could only be "happy" while I was there.
At the training I felt at home, maybe the most at home I've ever felt, but I know that it has to do more with how I deal with being myself than with being in a particular geographic location.
I changed while I was there. Even Heinz told me he noticed I was different. He used the word grounded which strangely enough was a word that we often used at our teacher training.
I wanted to bring everything good that had happened to me to El Salvador.
I did.
Now my main concern is how to keep it with me.
I've taken a few steps to do it.
The most important one is that I've stopped myself from being too pushy. Before I left I was always on a rush to get things done, to do more and more things so I could cross everything out of my daily planner.
What I'm trying to do -and so far it has gone very very well- is that I rely on what my body and my mind feel more like doing than on a preconceived list of things that I should be doing.
I used to go to the gym, run, yoga, cook, write, work with a preset scheduled I had built based on everything else but my own demands. I wrote my blog posts early in the morning so I would "get it over with" as soon as possible. Not exactly the best way to approach a creative and emotional process right?
Now I try to feel more in sync with me. Maybe I'll keep writing in the mornings but if I do it it will be because that is what feels right.
The other thing I'm doing is getting rid of things. Since I came back I've been reorganizing closets, cabinets, etc. I feel cluttered!
I feel we have too much stuff that we don't use so we've been donating a lot of our clothes and things from our apartment that we don't use/need.
I'm also keeping basically the same diet that I had during the training: eating as much avocados as I can.
Besides the avocados my body has been craving fresh food. It doesn't mean that I eat only salads but I tend to add more greens or even eat green-only dishes. It's not something I'm planning on it's something that is simply happening.
Heinz has been craving these kinds of fresh foods too so we've been listening to our bodies and both of us feel everything is working better. Our digestion, our sleep, etc.
I also find myself needing to play music while I work. I have NEVER ever played music while I do anything. This is something completely new to me. I even find myself downloading music from Itunes. That was a first. I didn't even know how to do it!
Now, even though I talk about coming home the truth is I am currently blogging from sunny Miami. Heinz and I came here yesterday to spend Christmas and visit our family. This city has a special place in our hearts because it is where we got married.
My list of things to do in Miami include:
1. Finally trying out Bikram yoga! I have been dying to try it out but there are no Bikram studios in El Salvador. That is happening this week and guess who else is coming? The hubs! yes! Apparently the yoga bug has gotten into him too so he will join me in class.
2. Going for a run on the flattest terrain ever. FUN.
3. Surfboard shopping?
Apparently Heinz included a surfboard on his letter to Santa Claus. He's been a good boy this year so I think the reindeer are already flying with (or on) the board.
Will Ruth get a surfboard too? only the Christmas Sale knows.
Another thing that has kept me happy and very much excited about the holidays is our Advent Calendar. So far I've gotten a Runners magazine issue, colorful pens, swimming goggles, a Sparkly Soul headband, a mousepad, a lime shaped container, running socks, purple KT tape, bracelets, computer wipes and other fun things that escape my limited mind. Heinz has gotten a dinosaur, stickers, ear swaps, a dollar, Purell, Post-its and more.
I am keeping this tradition for good and I'm also publicly admitting that I underestimated Heinz and that he has managed to surprise me everyday with on-the-spot, I-really-needed-this, oh-you-were-listening presents.
For my Christmas (and final present) I would like Santa Claus to know that I love my hubby very much and having him with me is the best Advent/Christmas present I could ask for....but if a Kindle happens to await for me under the Christmas Tree I certainly won't complain.
A little more than a year ago I got Heinz some surf lessons as a birthday gift and he's been hooked ever since. He wasn't much of a beach person but since he started surfing we go as often as we can and this makes me very v-e-r-y happy because I LOVE the beach! I love it so much I would happily move there any day!
So, for our anniversary we couldn't think of a better thing to do than to take the day off and make ourselves enjoy some surf&sun sessions.
We are lucky enough to live in a city that is 30 minutes away from one of the best surf spots in Central America: El Tunco. This little beach town is one of the coolest places in El Salvador, it's filled with tourists -mostly surfers- and friendly locals.
The night before our anniversary we packed our things and drove to our hotel. Next day we woke up to this view:
We had breakfast and then chilled by the pool where I had a lovely michelada which I'm sure must have been made with love because it was SO GOOD!
Micheladas should be declared our national drink and no tourist should ever leave my country without having one. They are made by serving a really cold beer in a glass filled with ice, lemon juice, worcester sauce and hot sauce.
They are refreshing and delicious and even though mine was more than perfect I decided I would only have one as for dinner we had planned to have -best date night ever- pizza and beer!
Pizza and beer may not sound as the romantic dinner one would have for a 5 year anniversary but Heinz & me are definitely not the fancy dinner type of couple and even though people may find it bizarre/boring/sad we enjoy ourselves being this way.
We didn't exchange gifts (we almost never do) or did anything out of the ordinary in fact all we did was to have a pretty normal day at the beach:
Actually I had the delicious coffee while Heinz had some orange juice claiming he needed the sugar boost for his upcoming surfing session - Can you tell the sugar high from his smile? -
We walked around to enjoy the laid back vibe in this flip flops and boardshorts kind of place.
How cool is the supermarket name&sign?
Beach and healthy food?..sign me up!-
We returned to our hotel and walked by the beach
At dinner time we went out following the strict flip flop and boardshorts dress code and had the best pizza in El Salvador the world.
El Tunco Veloz is a pizzeria at playa El Tunco. Simply the best pizza E-V-E-R.
Even though we don't make a big deal out of it anniversaries are special to us, we may not dress up for it but we do embrace them as a day to look back and forward. Heinz is the best partner, friend, support and inspiration I can have (one day I'll tell our how-we-met story) and I don't need a special day to acknowledge that! Everyday I'm thankful that I made the decision to spend my life with him and remembering that I was smart/lucky enough to do it puts a smile on my face every time.
And just as I chose him he chose me and to realize that we are together by choice THAT for me is the true gift.