Lazy Tuesday Part II

After successfully cleaning our house, Joan decided we should visit La Vina. Incase I haven't mentioned before, La Vina is his grandfathers property. This land is quite large, while Joan doesn't know the exact acreage, he does compare it to the length of 30 soccer fields but it could be more. This is the land that has views of the sea, the entire city and the mountains. This is the land he wants us to build a house on one day. As of now, it is all just land, nothing else. His grandfather has a garden at one entrance where he plants vegetables. Today, Joan and I went to the other gate, the one that entered on top of the property, mountainside.

Joan and I had to jump the gate because we didn't think to get the keys. It was hilarious and at moments a bit scary but Joan has done it lots of times before so once I was at the top he just picked me up over the gate. We walked for awhile, scoping out the land. There are a lot of wild flowers growing around and lavender plants. I'm not sure what to do with lavender besides make potpourri but I brought some home anyway.


We left La Vina shortly after walking the grounds and dreaming up what our future house will be like. Large rooms with floor to ceiling windows, an infinity pool placed in front of the sea where the edge of the mountain meets the sky. Joan is extremely excited about all these options we have and I know he won't disappoint.



Joan showed me this when we were at La Vina. He told me that this was an old house that the Romans lived in here when they went through Catalunya. At least, that's what his grandfather told him. I did a bit of research ( a very little bit) and found that it could've been possible. Interesting, yeah?

All in all it was a good afternoon.

Alison is visiting tomorrow and will stay until Thursday so I am very happy about that. I'm sure we will have many photos to go along with our adventures.

C.M.

Lazy Tuesdays

Lazy Tuesdays.

Joan and I haven't done much of anything today and that is perfectly fine with me. The weather today isn't the best for the beach so laying on the couch watching movies has been our activity of choice. I am determined to get some cleaning done today but all I want to do now is read.

Before ending this post I want to leave with a quote that pops into my mind at the strangest times only for me to realize later that it was exactly the right moment for me to remember it.

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
-Andrew Carnegie

Shabir's Birthday

Joan and I before the fiesta

I'm not even sure where to start because Saturday was completely insane and wonderfully fantastic in a few different ways. Joan and I, along with Albert, Jordi, and some new people I hadn't met before went to dinner and then out for Shabir's Birthday. We found Albert on the way along with his boss Jordi and his wife Laura (Both spoke a bit of English and were extremely nice).After some confusion about who sat where and if you wanted to sit inside or out, we all got settled and I got brave.

Joan Targas and Albert at Pinnochios

Normally at these functions I am pretty shy but something clicked last night and I just let loose (and that was without the assistance of alcohol) and was myself. Earlier, Pepi had decked me out in a stellar outfit and I did get my hair done so that amped up the confidence considerably I suppose. A guy I had met once before sat by me. I had met him months ago at Abacco along with his British girlfriend and they were both pretty nice. He and I talked practically all night about the university he attends in Barcelona which is the same one I am looking at attending, his life in Blanes, his girlfriend,etc. The best part was that I felt comfortable speaking Spanish around him and the rest of the group. Jordi and Laura were very nice and asked me questions about America and how I like life in Catalunya. I talked freely with them, Albert, Jordi and Albero in Spanish/Catalan as well.

After dinner and drinks and giving Shabir his gifts, we went to the Irish Rover, Shabir's pub. It was a wonderful time and I introduced everyone to my drink of choice, "Sex on the Beach".

My sex on the beach with Moet & Chandon in the background

At the Irish Rover

Shabir, Me and Laura at the Irish Rover

Joan performing "My Way"

Paaarty!

As the night progressed I spent a lot of time talking with Laura. She is a broker here in Lloret but lives in Girona. She is muy muy simpatica. Her husband has lots of money and lots of cars which he invited Joan to see sometime. Laura is also a supporter of Obama and shares my dislike of Bush. She called me a "smart American". Joan and the guys sang karaokee and Joan even sang frank Sinatra's My Way once again. At 4 a.m. the bar closed. After taking Jager shots and singing one last song we left. Everyone was still in party mode so we went to Disco Hollywood.

I have never been here because Joan normally doesn't like going to touristic places. However, he and Shabir know the owner/manager so we were let in for free and were given free passes for drinks. We all parted ways for a bit and Ana and I hung out by the bar. Not 5 minutes after we arrived an Italian man came to hit on each of us, in Italian. I told him in Spanish we couldn't understand him and he could not understand us. Ana told him I was an Americana and his eyes got wide and said "Ohhh English....ok. ok...." "Have a boyfriend?" I told him we both did and before he had time to respond Joan came up and said, "Sorry man, she is with me." They shook hands and the guy shrugged and walked away.

This is where the night got more interesting. Picture this: All the guys have been drinking all night. Joan has been downing jack and coke like water and Shabir has kept the wine flowing. This other friend of Shabir's, Albero joined us at Disco Hollywood. Now, he hit on Ana and I both at dinner but after he had a few drinks he told him how sexy Joan was and how he was his boyfriend. I tried to explain that in English that means "mariposo" and that he couldn't mean he was gay. He didn't listen and kept shouting "oooo Joan is MY boyfriend! Not yours". Joan was drunk so he shrugged it off. Well, at DH Alvaro was dancing provocatively with Joan and to make fun of him, Joan was dancing that way back. Jordi joined in and so did Shabir but it lasted all of seconds. We were on the dance floor talking etc when this overweight Spanish man approached Joan and asked him if he wanted to have sex with him. No joke. Joan told him he wasn't that way and was just joking around with his friends. The man laughed and shook Joans hand and then kissed it. Joan tried to be polite but I could tell he was extremely uncomfortable. The man then went up to Jordi and asked HIM if he wanted to go back to his place. Jordi said no and the man put his arm around Jordi, kissed his hand etc. I went up to Jordi and put my arm around him and said "Ven Aqui guapo" and led him away. The man followed us and went up to Joan and said, "Well, how about a 3 way with you and your girlfriend?" That's when I thanked the man but declined and said we had to go. Incredible.

We left shortly after that to try and find a taxi. So there we all were, outside waiting for a taxi, thinking the gay parade was over when Alvaro tried to kiss Joan. At that point Joan had enough and was quite ready to go home. We said our goodbyes and got a taxi home.

All in all it was a night full of laugher and making new friends. Next Saturday we will do the same but in Barcelona. Let's see how that goes.

Joan and Jordi sharing peace

Salut.

España is good to me

I have been feverishly posting, ranting and raving about my move back to the states lately but today I had a realization as I was about to start complaining again-"don't worry". It just popped in my mind and I thought, I don't have to make any decisions right now. I'm in SPAIN and I need to focus on my life here. So enough about my future and more about the present.

The weather in Lloret has been, for lack of a better word, indecisive. Rain, sun, wind but as long as there is more sun I think I'll be okay. I taught in Girona this morning and It went very well. Rosa is making great progress with her English and I think today she was even surprised at herself. Tomorrow I will teach her husband who is also making great strides with English.

After I went to the meatshop to spend time with Maribel and Yolanda. There are a lot of Germans in LLoret this month and a lot of them come to the meatshop for traditional German goods. Maribel and her husband are fluent in German and Yolanda knows a bit as well. So after hearing this everyday for months, I have picked up a few words as well.

Good day-Guten Tag / Morgen

Goodbye-Auf Wiedersehen

Yes-Ja

No-Nein

Thank you (very much) -Danke (schön) / (Vielen Dank)

Have a good holiday!-Schöne Ferien!

rare steak-das blutigen Steak

pate-die Pastete
It is only a start but I'm happy with it so far. However,I do need to focus on one language at a time before I even try to learn phrases in German! In other news, Pepi is back from Andalucia and brought me mas ropas from Zara y Stradivarius and Mango. I am so happy we are the same size. I will need them since Alison will be here on Monday from Philidelphia, we are planning girls nights out in Barcelona! I cannot begin to tell you how stoked I am for that.

Alison and I a few months ago in Lloret

Joan is in Stanstead today and will be back tonight. I think the next time he goes I will be able to go as well and we might be able to pull off a trip to London for the weekend. I won't hold my breath but it is a possibility.... Hope things are muy bueno wherever you are. Ciao Bellas.

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.

Joan and I are considering moving to the states next year. A lot of factors come in to play and there are many things we have to consider. We are 'making numbers' as Joan says and researching all our options. One of the things we must consider is our mode of transportation. We obviously can't bring Joan's car to the states as it is a huge expense and a major headache to do. I sold my car so that is out. So, I have nominated myself as the official automotive expert in our relationship and so it is up to me to find a good quality car that will probably last us a long time.
Here are some options I have found:

1. 2008 Honda Civic Coupe

$16,245 It has a lot of the features we want for a good price. The gas mileage isn't the greatest but it is one of our cheaper options.
2. 2008Volkswagon New Beetle
$18,550 This is not Joan's first choice but a car I have grown fond of since two of my friends have them and I've gotten the chance to ride in them plenty of times. The gas mileage is good (23/32 mpg) it has leather seats, dark tinted windows,cold weather package and satellite radio.

3.2008 Volkswagon Jetta S
$19,944 This is one of my favorites. This car is black, with black interior, includes the cold weather package,sunroof,rear side airbags,ipod adapter and chrome mirror caps, It gets 21/29 mpg and tiptronic gears.
4.2009 Toyota Camry SE
$23,505 This car is one of our more expensive options. It includes the basics, automatic and gets decent gas mileage as well (24/26 range). It is a good car, good for the snow and would last us awhile if we wanted it.

5.2008 Jeep Patriot Sport
$22,480

This is my favorite option. This Jeep gets 26/30 mpg,black pearl coat with dark gray leather interior. I included Automatic transmission,convenience package which includes hands free communication,security alarm,daytime running lamp system,car cover and adjustable roof rail crossbars. It has heated front seats (which are so nice in winter) deep tint glass,remote key less entry,speakers,cd player, air conditioning,all season tires and a full tank of gas!

Of course I will do more research and we will test drive these cars once we are over there, however It will be hard for me to find something I like more than this. Some of my friends have recently purchased cars (you know who you are ladies) and can offer some advice.

I am mainly writing this post for my handsome,intelligent and very generous boyfriend who I know would love one of these cars for our big move to the states. wink wink.

Hope all is well where you are.

I'm going to be the next Tiger Woods

Sunday afternoon ended up being the best day. Joan and I met his family for lunch at a restaurant instead of at his parents home. I had never been there but heard Joan talk about it many times before. It was brilliant and another new favorite. We had wine accompanied by the best Calamari I have ever had before. It was so delicious, I could have some now and it is only 9:45 a.m.! After, I had paella and that was also amazing. Joan and the rest of the family had arroz negro. It is rice but the sauce is made with squid ink giving it that black coloring. For dessert we all ordered something different so we could pass them and get a taste of each. Sergi ordered vanilla ice cream in Orange juice, Toni ordered a pyramid of chocolate mousse with orange slices, Joan ordered chocolate cake filled with hot melted chocolate and macadamia ice cream and I ordered chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and almonds.

After lunch Joan's parents had the idea to go mini golfing. In the past I've been known to sink a few holes in one from time to time but yesterday I sank 5 and the first 6 holes I got the ball in with only two tries. I won the game, followed by Sergi and lastly Joan.

The rest of the day was spent lazily watching episodes of True Life, "I'm Happy to be Fat" and "I'm an alcoholic".

It is now Monday morning and my Spanish class was canceled. Clara called me this morning and she has a dreadful case of the flu. So now I can relax until 10:30 when I go to have my coffee and at 11:30 I meet my student to teach him English today.

Hope your Monday is bright and beautiful.

Some Favorite Photos

Abuela and I on the beach

My favorite tapa, patatas bravas!

Joan and I at our favorite place.

Mi abuela insisted on a kissing picture. mortifying.

Abuela and I at some random hotel she found and wanted a picture

Santa Cristina

By the coves in Lloret



Joan and abuelita in Barcelona

Random Posts Lead To Procrastination

Last night Joan and I went out on a date. Nothing fancy, but dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, La Campana. This place is amazing and any of you who make it to Spain to visit me WILL be going there at least twice while you're here. It opens at 8:30 and there is usually a line to get in. We're always there at 8:25 to claim a place. There isn't a menu really, everyone gets the same thing so it makes things much faster. No joke, we went in, sat down,got our food and ate it in 30 minutes. We rushed out at 9 before the video store closed so we could rent a movie. We chose another Guillermo del Toro film, El Orfanato. I highly recommend it. It is a bit scary but it is done so well and by the end you are almost in tears. It is in Spanish which I love, but unfortunately I still must depend on the English subtitles.

Saturday morning in Spain is beautiful. The weather is warm and just begging me to go outside and enjoy it. Unfortunately Joan's father called an hour ago and "asked" Joan to go help his grandfather at La Vina, the family's land not far from here. Joan's abuelo is planting potatoes this afternoon and needed help. New Sunday morning rule: No answering the phone until 2:00 (the time we have lunch with his family).

So Joan is there now and I told him I would clean up the house and get things done so we could enjoy the day after lunch. I know I will take advantage of this relaxing afternoon because tomorrow I have Spanish class y despues I am teaching clase de Inglés to a new student at a las once y media. I am nervous but also excited about it. The rest of the week I will be knocking out my to-do list which is a mile long.

I really need a financial adviser/therapist/friend to talk to about everything. I always feel bad rattling off my small problems when earthquakes are happening every 5 minutes in China or children have gone missing etc but I suppose life cannot stop everywhere. I must soldier on.

Hope everything is muy bien in your parts of the world.

A prep talk

I am 45 minutes into Saturday and really should be in bed. Joan is on his way home from a dinner with his friends from University. It's nice to have the house to myself. I rented Enchanted, took a long hot bath and made myself a nutritious dinner. I also made a lot of phone calls home courtesy of Skype. I talked to a few friends of mine from back home, one is doing very well and the other just got a DUI. I don't talk to them much anymore but now and again it is nice to have a flashback and talk about "the good ol' days." Very relaxing and all that but I am ready for my sweetie to be home.

Tomorrow I am helping Joan's mom for an hour or so since Pepi is on vacation. Joan will be working with his father as usual. After that, hopefully SLEEP will be the top of the priority list.

C.M.

New Projects

My busy schedule has suddenly changed and I'm now free all week. I don't need to work with Joan because a course was canceled and my help isn't needed. I did go to Girona this morning to teach Jordi but he canceled on tomorrow because he has to go to Barcelona for a dissertation. So I have tomorrow free and Thursday and Friday afternoon as well. I know work will be upon me soon, things change so quickly that I want to take advantage of my days off.

Today I didn't use the computer until 11 p.m. this evening. Something I am quite proud of. It is my only source of communication so I can't completely rule it out but I am trying to cut back. When Joan arrived home from work this evening we went for a long walk. Finally we are doing what we always say we will. I am hoping we stay that motivated from now on. We did negate the workout a bit though by having dinner out afterwards but the rest of the week I have planned healthy dinners that Joan is still sure to love. (I hope).

There are lots of things I want to do tomorrow. Some things I have to do ( according to my goal list) and things I absolutely want to do. For instance, taking my Spanish homework to the beach (weather permitting) and studying. Research how to publish a children's book, I have started one but never got around to finishing it sadly. I also want to keep the house in order and work on some more tricks with Barney. At the end of the day I will treat myself with a dose of facebook, PerezHilton, CNN and of course Blogger.

Joan drugged me with a "herbal sleeping pill" and I am now starting to feel a tad bit drowsy. damn. However, it has been three nights without a nightmare so they must be good.

C.M.

Back to Life. Back to Reality.

My grandmother has gone back to Florida and Joan back to work. This morning, I even went back to Spanish class after a week of vacation. Lunch with Joan's mom and now back home contemplating e v e r y t h i n g I have to do this afternoon.

This week I have a feeling I will be working a lot. I am teaching English four days a week now, which I am actually looking forward to. Speaking of, I should get those lessons ready and quit procrastinating.

I hope to post more these days, I really missed it when I stopped for a bit.

Hope all is well.

C.M.

Hen in the House

My grandmother is here.

She arrived Monday and is leaving Sunday. We have had an eventful week. The highlight had to of been Wednesday when we took a bus from Lloret to Barcelona for a tour. Our guide was terrible, spoke mostly German so we couldn't understand much. We arrived to Barcelona (near La Ramblas) at 10:30 and got off the bus with the other people. She handed us a map with a time on the bottom (4:30) and then she left. Apparently we should not have gotten off the bus. We didn't book the tour, Joan's mother did, so we had no clue what to do. I called the company, they tried to call her but she didn't answer. So, grandma and I spent the day in La Boqueria, walking down La Ramblas and the like while the rest of our tour was seeing Park Guell and the Gaudi Buildings etc. Joan's mom got her money back so all was good but It was stressful for me.

Today we have been taking it easy. The weather is helping, nothing but rain all day. Right now grandma is sleeping, Joan is reading his pilot manual and the repair man is here fixing our broken water heater. (Yes, no hot water this morning).

Tonight we are going to dinner with Joan's family and tomorrow we are off to the airport. Monday I have Spanish class and Tuesday to Friday I am teaching English and working at Cavok. So tomorrow and Monday afternoon I will be very busy getting things together for the week. Besides that I am worried about registering for class because I still owe $2000 to Northwest, I'm worried about saving money now and still being able to travel which I'm starting to be realistic and don't think Joan and I should do. I really have no right to complain or ask for anything because Joan and his family are helping me out so much. Without them I wouldn't have the shirt I'm wearing now or the couch I'm sitting on- in this flat I never would have known existed! Ahhh life. I just want Joan to be in Pilot School, us both to have good jobs making good money and being able to travel and minimize all the worries in our life.

Speaking of worries, two nights in the last two weeks I have woken up from nightmares crying. This has never happened to me but lately it is the norm. The dreams are basically the same; I lose Joan. Something terrible happens or something takes us away from each other. I won't get sappy or go on about anything but I don't like these dreams and feelings and need to find a way to get over them soon. Poor Joan, waking up at 2 a.m. with a soaked pillow and scared out of his mind as to why I'm bawling like a mad woman.

Well, I hope to update again more when I can. I hope things are well where you are.

C.M.

Brief Update

I'm skipping over the second Paris post because I've told the story about our trip 32937o23 million times and I just don't want to write about it. Those of you who are really intrigued, feel free to ask me in a comment or email or what have you but I don't expect that to happen so...feelin safe.

On to other things...it has been awhile since I posted and I have gotten incredibly lazy but since I've kept this blog since December and this is the first major gap between posts, I'm pretty proud.

My grandmother will be here on Monday and I have so much to do still. When her visit was 6 days away I didn't feel the pressure to clean, get the guest room ready etc so I've been letting it go.
Tomorrow is Friday and since I will be working with Joan I really will have Saturday and Sunday to get EVERYTHING done. The reality of my procrastination is setting in. You may be thinking, stop writing about it and go do it but...well...it's 10:30 now and I just don't see the point.

Maybe I can give a brief rundown of the events that have transpired since Paris.

1. In two weeks I will be teaching English four days a week to Rosa AND her husband so more money for me! Also will be working at Cavok every Thursday and Friday afternoon so that is also good.

2.My other sorority sister Nicole is visiting in July as is our friend Adam from Hungry and Xander from Northwest. July will be a busy month.

3.August my friends Nikki and Eryn are coming to visit for my birthday and that is going to make my summer!

4. Last night we went out with Jordi and Diana. It was a great night and Joan actually sang Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. He made a big show, jumping up on the chairs and twirling the mike, he was quite the showman.

Now it is time to play with Barney and do other unproductive things until it is time for bed.