Good Bye Old Friends

I've been pretty crazy since my last post. I'm exhausted because I'm working frantically all day getting things ready so that not a single non-necessary item travels to Colorado (can you say obsessive?) and then at night I just lay there fixating on all the items I have to sort the next day. Not to mention that the frenzy perfectly coincides with the end of the school year and all that that entails-music programs, end-of year parties, going away parties, etc. etc.

So do you want to see our new house?

Nice, huh? We're pretty excited about getting there. My awesome sister-in-law has taken it upon herself to be our interior designer/project manager. She's in charge of making everything look beautiful before we get there-my kids are pretty much expecting an Extreme Home Makeover kind of experience. She's in charge of some bathroom remodels (including choosing all tile, fixtures, toilets, vanities) general cosmetic updates (new lighting, back splash in the kitchen, new fireplace mantel), painting, and furnishing the entire house. Do you have a sister-in-law that is that cool?

Anyway, back to the packing on this end. I've got it pretty much under control-in my own obsessive kind of way. The movers come next Wednesday and I'm sure they'll all be laughing at how much unnecessary work I subjected myself to. I'll post about that next.

For today I thought I'd show you some of the strange items I've become attached to over the years that I am finally going to part with here in Brazil. If you remember from a previous post, I'm not at all a pack rat, but I do have a few items that I get weird about. It makes me feel better honoring them here on my blog before I find new homes for them. I will never forget them.

Here's a microwave-vegetable steamer that we got as a wedding gift. Haven't used it in 6 or 7 years; it's staying here in Brazil:

Here's a body pillow that was Guapo's from before we got married; can you imagine the allergens? Bye-bye:

Ok, if that didn't gross you out, this surely will. Here's a positive pregnancy test from I'm not sure which kid, either Pedro (now 3) or Juan Carlos (now 7). I don't know why I couldn't part with it, but I couldn't.

And those would be the huge glasses that I got in 8th grade when I was 13 (23 years ago). I had to wear those beauties in Venezuela in 2002 for three weeks before I had my laser eye surgery. I hid in my apartment A LOT that month.

So long...

Here are some slippers that the hospital in Mexico City gave me when I had Pedro. I don't think I even wore them in the hospital and I haven't worn them since:

Farewell:

Awww, here are some flannel jammies that Guapo gave me for Christmas in 1997 when I was pregnant with Margarita. I wore them all.the.time. They just don't feel soft anymore.

Tchau:

Here's a raincoat/windbreaker I bought my first week of college (in 1992). I bought from the Gap for $36.00 and it wasn't on sale. It took me a few more purchases like this to realize that money didn't grow on trees and I went back to shopping sale racks.

I'll miss you:

I won't show you a picture, but I got rid of every non-white or black sports bra that I've been lugging around the last 10 years. I am finally accepting it: I am a boring sports bra kind of gal, only black and white from here on out.

If you have any reason why I should keep any of the above mentioned items, or if you would like any of them (hear my sarcasm here, people), please speak now or forever hold your peace!

Our Big News (Capital "B", Capital "N")

No, I'm not pregnant, but thanks for thinking of me that way. You know, after last week, I am would now be considered a "high risk" pregnancy because of my age. :)

After 9 years, 3 countries, 4 apartments and 1 house, 2 kids born overseas, umpteen maids, 2 foreign languages, and so much more, our Big News is that we are hanging up our passports for a season and moving stateside-specifically Colorado, more specifically the town where I grew up. Guapo is changing careers and we're going to try something new.

We're all very excited about it.

But, ending this chapter of my life is hard. It has changed me for the rest of my life and I will always be grateful we did it. I'm having lots of mixed emotions right now. Hopefully in the next 3 1/2 weeks before we fly out of here, I'll be able to write about it a bit.

(and, this is why my blog has been so Lame (capital "L") the last couple of months- it's been hard not to mention it when it's all I've been thinking about. Hopefully I'll still have things to blog about when we're in the good ole US of A)

And now, as you can imagine, I am in serious organizing mode. More later...

36 Years Young

Is it just me or is time going faster than normal? :)

Another year has gone by- luckily I'm still in my mid-thirties and not my late thirties, right?

I feel a bit lost today because Ballerina Girl and I usually go to lunch for my birthday and she's in the States for her niece's wedding. No one else besides my family knows it's my birthday. That's not totally true, the maid did bring me a gift which was so thoughtful, and my piano teacher texted me.

I can't believe I've been driving for 20 years now (only one ticket, thank you very much...ok, I have spent the last 9 years in countries where the cops don't pull you over unless they need money)...Only two more years until my 20th high school reunion...I've been out of college for 14 years...grad school for 12... only 4 more years until I'm 40? Aggggh!

Deep breath.

It's all good.

Changing the subject, here's the note Juan Carlos left for the tooth fairy the other night. I had to bribe the kid to wiggle his tooth out-have you ever met a kid who doesn't want to wiggle their loose teeth? Since it cost us $100 to get the first one pulled, I told him I'd give him $10 if he could get it out himself.

He wants a necklace with his tooth on it and the money. That's so Juan Carlos. Our tooth fairy is not that talented or creative, so she just left the money and the tooth, just in case he wants to make his own necklace.

Ok, back to my birthday.

Tomorrow Guapo and I are going to Recife for a couple of days without the kiddos for a little birthday trip. Should be fun.

Tchau!

If I lived here all my life, I would never tire of this...

...seeing awesome animals in the wild.

Last week when I was going to lunch with my boys at school, Juan Carlos pointed out this beautiful toucan to me:

He was eating these red berries:

How totally cool is that?

...and on a recent walk to the helicopter pad with Pedro, we ran into this little guy, just hanging around:

My kids are too cool for monkeys now-they thing Guapo and I are weird for wanting to go places just to look for monkeys.

I don't care what they say, monkeys and toucans are way more exciting than squirrels and the occasional robin we see in CO. (I'll admit the raccoons are cool though...and the prairie dogs-I do love the little prairie dogs.)