POD "Go Big or Go HOME!"

Bigger is better and everything is bigger in the United States: the homes, the trucks, the portion sizes, the people. Nope, we sure don't mess around when it comes to size. Which is exactly why I started lizzing (That's laughing and wizzing at the same time... thank you 30 Rock for my new word that will SO come in handy now that I'm pregnant.) as soon as my brother walked through the door with his new "flashlight."

Now, I use the term "flashlight" loosely, because i'm not so sure this piece of equipment should be categorized as a flashlight. Let me clarify a few things to better help you understand WHY my brother's evening entrance was just so funny.

First of all, my brother lives about 100 feet (not yards, FEET) through the woods from my parents' home. There is a pretty clear walking path that is used to walk to and from the houses. Most people, especially someone who KNOWS the path, wouldn't need the additional light of a flashlight. You've got the lights that shine in the yard of his home and the motion sensored flood lights that kick on in the yard at my parents.

OKAY, let's say you feel the need to bring a little extra light. Grab a pocket flashlight, a pen light... hell, use the light from the screen on your phone. In no way, shape or form does this 30 second walk call for a spotlight.

So can we talk about the flashlight now? Well... it's a little excessive. Trevor, like many other manly Americans (cue Tim Allen grunts), has a tendency to think..."go big or go home." So when he spotted this beauty and all its nifty features, he couldn't resist. The thing has a "spotter" setting. As in, spotlight. As in, it can "spot" a freakin owl in a tree 3 football fields away. (Poor owl will probably fall from its tree, blinded... but...whatever.) It's got folding legs. LEGS! I've always wanted a flashlight that I can also use as a step stool! It's got a strap. How convenient. When your hand has gone numb from carrying the 30 lb suitcase, you can just strap it to your back. No, you haven't got a flashlight lighting your way anymore, and now you've thrown your back out, but SHIT, it looks cool! All your buddies will be jealous! (They'll be impressed, that is, IF, fumbling through the darkness, you DO ever make it to your final destination. Oh, and if you don't, and you're forced to camp out for the night, you COULD actually use the "flashlight" as a weapon to beat off hungry wild animals!) Wow. I've almost convinced myself that I need one of these. SO many uses!
Stool
Table
Show-and-Tell item
Weapon
Portable light house

:) So yeah. It was a funny entrance. Straight out of a sitcom. All he needed was some canned laughter. OH and I took a few pictures to help you get an idea of the SIZE of this thing. The first photo was just a re-enactment of the grand entrance. As you'll see in these next two, I've used a NORMAL sized coffee cup to give you an idea of its grand proportion. Wish you could have been here to see it in person.

POD "Trace Evidence"

Now where on earth did that Dunkin Donuts egg and cheese on a croissant go? I have no idea! I mean, surely IIIII am not responsible for this disappearance. I have an alibi! I was sitting right here in the front seat of the car, minding my own business.

What's that on my stomach, you ask? What? I don't see anything ... These little brown flakes? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm OKAY, OKAY. ONE minute it was there and the next it was gone! Did I eat it? MAYBE. I forget. I don't remember what happened. It all happened so quick! What do you mean that's not going to hold up in court? Well fine then, I need to speak to my lawyer!

POD "Deja... Snow"

So yesterday afternoon I sort of had a bit of a dejavu moment! Some of my loyal blog readers may remember that during last year's visit to Maine I was treated to a light dusting of snow. WHAT?! In APRIL?! It's SPRING! I just couldn't believe it! I even took a photo for the blog as proof!

Well, mother nature, knowing that I never got to see any snow this year in Spain, COULDN'T let me down this year. So, after that gorgeous sunrise yesterday morning, it clouded up, and you could see the storm approaching from across the lake. It started as a light wintry mix. Pretty to see, but of course it wasn't going to stick. Right??? (Doggy dandruff)
Wrong. It started sticking. :)
Annnnnnnnd by the end of the day... we had two freakin inches!
Interestingly enough, my parents' home is at JUST a high enough elevation that although we had snow (that accumulated), a bit further down the mountain there was just a wintry mix of mostly rain. Not your typical Easter weekend weather, but I've got to admit, I didn't mind ONE bit. :)

POD "Some Things Never Get Old"

Long trip... tiring.
Dead bird gift upon arrival... interesting.
Unhealthy travel food comboed with lack of sleep... mildly nauseating.
Waking up at 5 am two days in a row... well... ask me in a few hours.
Seeing this view from the kitchen upon waking up this morning... priceless.Some things just never get old. :)

POD "A Traditional Welcome Gift"

Well! After a really, really, LONG 9 hr flight on an uncomfortable C17, (it'd be a pretty long trip even if I WASN'T six months pregnant!) I arrived safely in Dover. I crashed for a few hours and in the morning taxied it to my waiting rental car. I drove an hour to Philly and caught a flight to Manchester. STILL, I wasnt't home. Mom was there to pick me up and drive me the last 2 hours home to our spot on the mountain in good 'ol Maine. PHEW! So good to finally be at my destination. I cannot believe that coming up the steep driveway to the house, there are still patches of dirty springtime snow left over from the once tall banks that were there this winter!

Anyway, upon our arrival home, my mother, already inside the house, told me that she had my Maine photo of the day. You see, apparently the cats or dogs (or both???) were so excited to have me coming home that they pulled together and left me a traditional welcome gift. How thoughtful?! It was placed neatly, well, SEMIneatly in its gift bowl on the kitchen table. I bet they were grateful in the morning when my mom put the doggy door in for them. It was the ONLY way their plans of surprising me wouldn't be spoiled!
Poor bird. I told my mom to make sure it was dead. She tried to comfort me by telling me that it was probably dead when they brought it in the house. She was lying. Let's be honest, my UNH crime scene investigating friends, if this doesn't scream "signs of a struggle," I don't know what does.
I was grateful for the VERY generous traditional welcome gift, but we just went ahead and disposed of it when they weren't looking. :)

POD "To the States"

Today, after many days of waiting for the best flight, I'm hopefully going to be on my way back to the good ol' U.S. of A. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get on flight and feel free to toss up a lil prayer that all goes smoooooothly.

Ahhhh the States. I've got a list a mile long of places I'd like to go, things I'd like to do, and most importantly, things I've gotta eat! Buffalo chicken wings, Dunkin Donuts, and crab rangoons... here I come! :)

Hopefully my next POD will be from the OTHER side of the Atlantic!!!

POD "Good Luck, Garden!"

So our gardens are looking pretty fabulous this year. I've got to give some credit to a few people though. Our dear friends Heather and Justin were kind enough to pass many of their plants on to us when they discovered they'd be packing out to PCS. Our gardener, Antonio, took it upon himself to plant a few colorful flowers all on his own. Bravo, Antonio. Bravo. And lastly, I've got to thank Mother Nature who has given us a MUCH sunnier and drier spring this year.

Now, the question is... what are the gardens going to look like when I get back from the states in 2 weeks? Do you recall last year that we tried to plant a vegetable garden? And how I was NOT smart and put it in RIGHT before I left for the states? And how I got stuck in Dover an extra week thanks to a volcanic ash cloud? And how the frustrated dogs DUG the whole thing up while poor Matt worked doing the day? No? Don't remember? Does the this POD from May last year refresh your memory at all?
The GOOD news is, we NO longer put any plants of value in the ground in the backyard where the dogs play and dig. All of our beautiful gardens are in the front yard now. SOOOO if Matt can just remember to give them a little love and water... we should be good! Right??? :)

POD "A Photo Op"

Yesterday Matt surprised me with an unexpected box in the mail! I had some suspicions he'd been doing some shopping since I'd spotted him on Ebay a few times, but wasn't quite sure what he was up to. WELL... THIS is what he was up to!

A NEW CAMERA!

Don't worry, my trust handheld Canon isn't going anywhere. That is a fantastic little camera for travel and slipping in the purse for events. However this is going to make for some amazing photos! I guess, what with all our photo taking, he decided that we were justified in the purchase. Not to mention, the new addition to the family that will soon be here! We will be able to take so many great pics of our travels and our little man. Once, of course, we figure out how to USE the thing!

I'm off to Maine soon for a little vaca to see family and friends, but as SOON as I get back, I'll be starting to tackle the learning curve that comes with any new technology. I can't wait! :)

Cachin' in Vejer

On Saturday, Matt and I decided to spend the late morning in Vejer. Why Vejer? Yes, I've been there before and I've done some exploring, but I just LOVE that little town and I haven't really had a chance to see it on a weekend morning. (The town has a WHOLE different feel during the weekday or during siesta. SO quiet!) We ALLLLLLLLLLLSO happened to have reservations in Vejer, at Califa, my FAVORITE restaurant around!

We did a little geocaching while we were there. What's geocaching? Google it! It's a fun (international) hide and seek game, but also a great way to explore new territory! It's been a while since we've geocached, so we weren't very successful finding the cache. HOWEVER, we DID see some new areas of Vejer I've never seen, so THAT in itself made the geocaching all worth it!

Anyway, lunch was fabulous. When is it NOT? And of course I (ahem... WE) took lots of pictures for you. :) Enjoy.














Ummm these last few photos Matt thought you all might enjoy. What are they? Oh, just my pregnant @ss trying to climb the steepest flight of stairs EVER. :) There were worse photos that involved me on all fours, but I omitted them for your sake. Trust me. PS. This lovely staircase goes up, around the corner, and keeps going! I took a few breaks, but I made it. :)

POD "Thank You Commisary!"

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. That was my big project this Friday afternoon. That and going to the store to get some vanilla ice cream to make the project complete.

Yesterday I was VERY excited to see rhubarb at the commissary. It's not usually there, so on the rare occasion I DO see it, of course I have to buy atleast 2 1/2 pounds. I think next time 5 lbs may be in order... but... I didn't want to get greedy. That would have probably been all the rhubarb they had! SO, being the generous person I am, I didn't hog it all. I just made an emergency phone call to a girlfriend so SHE could go get the rest. :)

Once she told me that she was making a strawberry rhubarb pie... I just couldn't stop thinking about it! I'm not a BIG pie person, but if i'm going to eat pie, it's strawberry rhubarb ALL the way. Of course, as I made the pie, I also had to peel and eat about 4 stalks. With salt. I know, I know... why not sugar? It's not a pregnancy thing. It's a Tom Clow thing. Blame my dad for my strange eating tendencies. :)

So yeah. Yummo. I sort of want to skip dinner and go straight to the pie and ice cream. Thank you commisary for having rhubarb!

POD "Prego Shado"

The POD today is my PREGO SHADOW! You see, somedays, when I'm getting my "walk on," I don't feel all that big! I feel good! In shape, healthy, maybe even semi-athletic... and thennnnn I catch myself in a mirror. Or WORSE! A SHADOW! CRIKEY! I look like an oompaloompa! :) Ah well. The good news is that I'm almost in third trimester land I still feel great!

POD "Chilling on the Patio"

The POD for today is just a simple picture of da puhppies. 9:15pm here, after a BEAUTIFUL 80 degree spring day, and they STILL aren't ready to come in. They are LOVING this cooler evening weather and the start of longer days. I can't blame them. :)

POD " A Taste of the Quilt to Come"

Today was the MOST amazing day! I went with my friend Shelley to pick out fabric for our lil man's baby quilt! Shelley has (SO GENEROUSLY!) offered to make a baby quilt for us and we couldn't be more ecstatic!

As many of you know, our baby room's theme is celestial with stars, moons, suns and deep shades of blue, purple...etc. :) SOOOO we dug through rows upon rows upon rows in this tiny, but FANTASTIC, lil fabric shop in Puerto, searching for JUST the right patterns, prints, colors...etc. to piece together for the PERFECT quilt.

Here's the bag of colors we left with! I just cannot WAIT to see the whole thing done and I'm SO excited to be receiving such a special keepsake! Of course, there will be pictures of the finished product, but for now, all I can give you is a taste of what's to come!

S Words and Fun with SNAILS! :)

Snails are so great. They're strange, slimy, sleepy, slothful, succulent (as I now know after living here in Rota), stimulating, and a whole slew of other S words. I mean, they are comPLETEly underrated! Well, atleast to Matt they are.

The other evening, I was lounging on the couch while Matt finished cleaning up the paint supplies used in the nursery. I could hear the sound of water running through the pipes and assumed Matt was outside rinsing out his paint brush. All of a sudden, I was summoned to "COME QUICK" to the patio and "BRING THE CAMERA." Matthew excitedly bragged that he had my "photo of the day" ready and waiting. Little did he know, his photo of the day would turn into a full fledged photo SHOOT! :)

I rushed to the patio, camera in hand, to find him leaning over the drainage grate in our lawn. A snail. Albeit, a very LARGE snail, but still... just a snail. Did I really haul my prego arse off the couch and make a mad dash for this? I wanted to remind him that snails don't move ALL that quickly and that he probably would have had time to get the camera himself. :) But I didn't. I just snapped a few half-hearted shots and headed back inside to the comfort of our worn doggy-dog sofa.

WELLLLLL, that wasn't good enough for Mateo. He took the camera and spent another 30 minutes in the dark snapping away. After a while, I even called out to the strobe light in our backyard and asked if he was okay. :) Finally he came inside.

I must admit. He got some cool shots. Here they are!

SLIMY: Check out that SWEET slime trail through the painty-purple water!

SATISFYING (and accd to Takoda, SMELLY): Takoda was NOT missing out on the evening's entertainment.
SOCIABLE: It's officially a party now.
STIMULATING: Hell, did you know that snails could even be motivational?!!!
When life decides to throw you a big fat roadblock, what do you do?
Give up? NO.
Go around it? NO. Takes too long.
YOU CLIMB OVER THAT roadblock like it ain't NUTHIN!
And you just keep on truckin along...

:) Oh snails. We heart you.

Spring Break Week: Un Paseo en Rota

This week, I'm lucky enough to have a week off from work! The kiddos are on spring break which means no tutoring and no subbing! I woke up to fabulous weather so to kick off the week, I decided on a nice relaxing afternoon stroll in Rota. I just needed to get off the base and have some quiet alone time to think, people watch and relax! :) We all know that once baby man arrives "me time" will probably come few and far between (did I get that saying right?) so I am treating myself now while I still can!

So to document my afternoon for my family and friends who enjoy living la vida fantastica along with me... of course... I took some photos! Disfruta!(Enjoy!)

After just a smidge of walking my bladder was calling to me, so I found a nice bar where I could give the baby a little more room (if you know what I'm saying) and get a snack! I settled in the shade of this small little plaza (Plaza de Andalucia) and snacked on some olives with my coca cola.

Wait... the menu says they have chocos fritos. Well of COURSE I have to order some! For those of you who don't know, chocos fritos are fried cuttlefish and if you're a calamari fan, you'd like these too. They are great with lemon! :)

Enjoying the view from my table.

After my salty snack it was time to slide next door and pick out a little gelato! :) YUMMO! I opted for a cup of nata con oreo (cream with oreos) and strolled with my sweet treat through the streets, headed for the ocean boardwalk.

While lounging on this long tile bench and overlooking the quiet and tranquil beach, I licked the cup clean! The beaches are SO peaceful this time of year. Rota is SUCH a fun place to be in the summer, but the beach will be swarmed come this time in July!

The one of the many entrances to the beach from the old town. :)

Time for a stroll on the shore!


Before heading back to the car, I just HAD to plop down in the warm sand and take a break to enjoy the waves and sun. Ahhhhhhhh. I didn't want to leave! I procrastinated by taking a few belly shots. Here's one. :)

On the way back to my car, I noticed a cute jewelry store that was still open despite siesta hours. I popped in and checked out the charms. 3.50 euro for all three! How could I resist!

What a fantastic afternoon. Now to head back home and take my puppies out for THEIR explore time. :)