Olympic Mania

Man February is crazy. Crazy awesome though! Olympics anyone? Can I get a what what?

Okay I know some of you are bored by the Winter Olympics. And I’ll admit, curling is a little dull. And I’m not a huge fan of shooting things. But. BUT.

Have you seen this man?

I mean honestly, how can you not love that? So NOT boring.

And tonight, Shaun White, who needs a damn haircut but he is still AMAZE-balls. Can’t wait to see him pull the new trick.

shaun-white

No, I’m not rotating that picture. Because that’s how it’s supposed to be.

Anyway, I mostly love the Olympics is what I’m saying. I have a LOT of pet peeves about how NBC is handling the coverage, but mostly I’m just enjoying watching. We were in Singapore for the Beijing Olympics and it was a very different experience. We did get to see quite a bit of coverage, but oftentimes the focus was on sports that Asia is more interested in, like Table Tennis. Rightly so of course, but I missed hearing more about the other sports.  And the one thing I really missed was the little six-minute back stories on the athletes. We did not have those at all in Singapore, of course because they don’t have the time or the resources to do what a major network like NBC does in terms of coverage.  I recently saw someone (sorry, can’t remember who now) say on Twitter that they couldn’t believe how much they could care about somebody after just a few minutes. I completely agree. Personalizing each story is what makes you want to root for someone, don’t you think?

Oh and Canada? BC? Your advertising is totally working. I’d go to Vancouver tomorrow if I could. And I’m totally on board with those mittens.

red-mittens

On the verge

Sunday morning and I woke up feeling love in my house. There is nothing special about today, really. But I think that is what makes it so special. We’re on the verge of many major changes here, and watching the snow fall hard and fast on the lawn while a little dog snuggles up on the blanket next to me and a lovely man mumbles in his sleep, these are the things I really need to make me happy. What I know is that all I really need, for now, is this moment here.

Things change, but nothing changes, and sometimes I feel like I’ve been worried for so long. Worried about not having steady work, work that’s moving me toward my career goals, my life goals. Worried about what it’s doing to me, mentally, that I’m not handling it well. Worried that I’m not who I thought I was going to be when I was 16 and all I had were the words on the page in front of me and my whole life was there,  just in the distance, just out the front door. Worried that what I have, what I’ve made for myself here, and now, just isn’t enough.

It’s funny though, that me, such a realist, mostly a pessimist really, I remain optimistic. As soon as I put it out there in the universe that I was going to renew my efforts to find a job, even if it was just freelance work for now, things started happening. I have four five potential clients. I have an interview for a full-time gig tomorrow. I started volunteering for an incredible organization. And even if none of it turns into anything concrete, I’ve found a renewed sense of confidence in my ability to do my job, and even do it well. I find comfort in that, at least. And some of the worry goes.

Things will change, and with that I’ll find new worry I’m sure. The morning will turn to afternoon, and the snow will stop falling. The phone calls, the meetings, the routine conversations that determine the course of a life, those things will all happen, and things will change. But for now I find happiness, I find love, in a cup of coffee, a warm cozy blanket, a family. Because those are the things that make up this life.

Sayulita, Mexico

So, remember how we went to Mexico in December to celebrate my 30th birthday? Well I never posted about it, but that is all about to change. This post is mostly just for me to chronicle an awesome vacation, but also for you so you know that if you’re planning a vacay anytime soon, you should go to Sayulita. Because it is AWESOMES.

Sayulita is a little fishing village about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. There aren’t any big fancy hotels there, which is great because I think it minimizes completely annoying tourists (like myself I guess). Anyway, we used VRBO, which rocked, and found a house called Casa Angel. We went with my cousin and her husband (purchasers of the awesome yogurt-machine) and when split between the two couples, the house was very affordable.

The view from the street:

casa angel

The backyard, including private pool and amazing view of the ocean:

pool view

It was about a 15 minute walk down some serious hills and dusty roads into town or to the beach, so we tended to stay around the house in the morning and then walk into town for lunch/afternoon beach time. Some shots of the town and beach follow.

ChocoBanana, an awesome breakfast spot:

ChocoBanana

Dusty roads:

roads

Afternoon at the beach:

beach

chillin

Best fish tacos of my life:

fish tacos

Sorry that it’s a tidge blurry, but it’s the best one I’ve got – enjoying the sunset:

sunset

It’s been about a month, so it’s time for my next vacation now right?