Rafael

At Ojo, our waiter's name was Rafael. I mentioned to Jason that I always liked that name but this particular Rafael didn't fit the Rafael I had pictured in my brain.....so of course Jason asked...and our conversation went a little like this:

Me: Well, he's tall, has longish dark wavy hair, piercing black eyes, chiseled features, muscular torso. He's not wearing a shirt and the top button is undone on his jeans.

Jason: Hmmm, you put a lot of thought into this.

Me: Well, I would never marry him honey....he's not as smart as you!

Jason: Is that why his top button is undone? He can't figure out how to button it?

Me: And he'd never make me laugh like you can either.

WW -- Santa Fe

An old mural painted above the entrance to a hotel
A processional, with singing and incense and rose petals being thrown

Had to stop in and get our New Mexico Starbucks Mug (OK, we're goobers, every time we go someplace we get a mug from SB...my brother has sent me some from overseas also)
I think the church is St. Frances of Assisi...the main square is built around the church and it's quite beautiful inside.

Ojo Caliente - Posi -- our last day there

On our last day to Ojo Caliente we took a short hike from the resort to the ruins of the Posi-Ouinge village. In about the 15th Century the Indians of the area (if I remember from the pamphlet, the Tewa Indians?) combined the 'summer' and the 'winter' tribes and built a thriving metropolis in the area just above the springs.

This shot is after climbing a pretty steep, rocky incline above the resort. It was just "skipping through the daisies" for my rock goat hubbie, me, not so much, but I did it and was happy when I got up there. The rest of the hike was easy-peasy.

So we looked and looked for a village. Thinking we'd find something like the Cliff Dwellings in Southern Colorado. All we found were these curious numbered markers and a lot of pottery shards. Finally I said to Jason, "I think this is it, let's see what the map says." He didn't believe me until we got the third numbered marker....we opened the map and the markers told us where we would have been if the town was still there. (FYI-pamphlets with maps in the lobby of the Ojo Caliente resort) Seriously, it was pretty darn cool to be standing in a place where ancient peoples made their homes.

Some of the nice flora of the area, lots of cactus.

And I'm always amazed how flowers will take root and bloom. This one was intertwined with a dead tree branch.

It was a very peaceful hike. A great end to a great weekend away together.

And We're Outta Here....

Because we are leaving today for our awesome weekend away to Ojo Caliente Springs I thought I would spend the day getting "things" taken care of. It didn't go so well. Mostly because I don't stand up for myself.....

First I went into a local place, just behind our neighborhood, to get a wax and pedicure. They switch off ladies and I have never had the pleasure of this one particular person. I laughingly said, "wax my whole face" meaning chin, upper lip and brows.....because really, who waxes their ENTIRE FACE. Well apparently people do because all of the sudden wax was going places where even Santa Clause doesn't grow hair. On a dry, slightly sunburned face....that doesn't feel so good. So my whole face was bright red and slightly itchy by the time she was finished with me. And hubby pointed out, shiny and strangely smooth (not nicely smooth, strangely smooth). Oh yeah...AND they charge you a LOT to wax your whole face.

My hair was also in need of some assistance. I normally don't go into those quickie places because, well, maybe it's my hair? but I've never gotten a good haircut. So why did I think yesterday was going to be different? I showed her a picture and she went about cutting and cutting and even thinned it out a bit....none of this I can see because I wear glasses and have to take them off when they cut. She's done and instead of:

I got:





Not that he isn't darling, but not the haircut I wanted. While I was looking in the mirror, I did the tucking my hair behind my ear thing and...get this...she physically removes my fingers from my hair and places it BACK in the position she styled it. I felt like four years old. Even though I didn't get the hair I wanted I paid her AND TIPPED HER. While signing the charge slip I again (and it was an automatic gesture) went to tuck my hair behind my ear and...you are so not going to believe this...SHE 'TISKED TISKED' ME. In some weird compulsive way it was so hard for me not to TUCK. It was a relief to get out of the hair place, get to the grocery store and tuck away.

I do have a normal lady I go to, but she made me mad the last time. I told her I wanted to grow my hair out and she argued with me that long hair doesn't go with my face shape. And she's right, but I'm the customer and I was thinking convenience in the whip it up in a pony tail type of way. So she 'relented' and still cut my hair short in the front and left it long in the back which pretty much looked like a MULLET. I made my sister in law cut off later that day.

Where are all the fun gay guy hairdressers? I do believe I may have to trek into the city from this point on.


The good news? I did get a fabulous pedicure and had them match the nail polish to my cute new flip flops:


So now all is good with the world.....

I may or may not post this weekend, I'm not even sure they have an Internet connection there. I think the town is so small they don't even have a traffic light. It will be bliss to be with my hubby of almost 16 years (officially 16, May 29th).

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend to the rest of you!!!!

WW -- what have I been doing with my time?

5/5 stars...really disturbing, kind of in the Mystic River realm

4/5 stars -- funny and cute

3/5 -- made me cry

3/5 made me cry too (ok, so I cry a lot)
4/5 This we actually saw in a theatre...like a grown up date and all. Funny, and cerebral. It reminded me of my relationship with my own father. He was on the brilliant side, me, not so much. Like the movie, we dealt with each other with an abundance of sarcasm...for example --a conversation I had with my father that went like this:

Dad: Tess (he called me Tess, Tesa, or Tracey, depending on his mood) You are like an old woman, you worry too much.

Me: Well someone has to be an adult in this relationship.

This movie has a couple conversations along the same realm. Certainly made me laugh.

I'm thinking I quite haven't gotten the whole Wordless Wednesday concept down.

I'm UGLY and had no idea!

I was listening to the radio the other day and the "hosts" or whatever you call them were talking about getting out of speeding tickets. I, myself, have gotten out of a few, twice in one day. The last ticket I got out of, I assumed it because I was wearing my scrubs, before that I just assumed that it was because I have that "I can do no wrong" innocent look.....BUT....and I am horribly devastated....it turns out, according to a police officer who called in to the show....that they give the tickets to the pretty girls and no tickets to the ugly girls because they don't want to seem biased......So, let's see, I've gotten out of about 7 speeding tickets in my life....that must make me pretty darn UGLY.

No, I will not be posting a picture of myself.....ever again....and I have hidden the mirrors under sheets in case I may crack them.....

Ok, now on to more serious issues...Jason (who does NOT find me ugly by the way) and I are celebrating our 16th year wedding anniversary -- WOO HOO (23 years together....we were CHILDREN when we met). We are taking a road trip and I thought I would make a 21st century Ipod version of the eighties (when we met) mixed tape of love songs....soooo, your assignment, should you choose to participate, is to let me know what your favorite love songs are so I can beef up my Ipod selections....oh and you have to let me know why too.

Here's to hoping you get speeding tickets...now that you know it's really a compliment!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday isn't going to be so Wordless because I haven't posted in awhile....To the point that even Aimee and Colleeno posted before I did...gasp and that Ms. Martha had to nag, I mean, remind me to post....(love you Ms. Martha and thank you for the yummy lunch and conversation).

The other day I get a call from a recruiter for the ARMY....
I burst out laughing! Then I told him I was a fat housewife with two young children just now going back to school AND I was going to be FORTY in June (shhh, now that's our secret). He said..."We'll get you into shape, our cut off is 42 and we need nurses.

So I said (which, I usually do with pushy telemarketers) "send me the info".

Seriously though, it's not the money, not the serving my country thing....it was that wow, being away for 6 weeks in a boot camp where they force you to exercise that would really get me going...

Do they have spas? So you can get a nice mud wrap after a day of boot camp military drills?

Hey if they did, sign me up!

I am so NOT military material....I'm not even military wife material!

Now on to pictures from mother's day which was very nice by the way...my brother and sister in law flew in from the East for the weekend.




The Grandmas, who don't like to be called Grandmas....(Jason's mom is called YaYa which is Greek for Grandma, however they are not Greek...she just liked the way it sounded and my mother likes to be called Lita the end of Abuelita, Spanish for Little Grandma).

Mother's day Flowers...thanks Gina and Jose and the other set from my parents....



Proof that Spring is on it's way!

Expensive Coffee

I thought I was being indulgent by paying more then 10$ for coffee from Ubergeek Coffee (and thanks Jenn, it really is yummy). But there's this coffee called Kopi Luwak that sells for $120.00 to $600.00 a pound. Here's the ick factor, it's first eaten by a tree-dwelling cat-like creature called an Asian Palm Civit. Somehow the outer covering is removed and digested while the rest of the bean is passed through whole and perfectly ready for roasting.

What I would like to know is who was the one to decide..."hey look, that creepy looking animal just pooped out some beans, maybe I should roast them and try them"

While discussing this with Jason, he said, "That guy must have been totally 'jonesing' for a cup of brew"

Or maybe (my theory -- yes, Jason and I really do talk about nothing important most of the time) was that two guys, half-drunk started daring each other.

Notice neither Jason nor I assumed it was a woman who would do something so disgusting.....

Anyhow...This rates right up there with Rocky Mountain Oysters no matter how many times someone tells you how good it tastes, I can't get over where it's been before it's been in my mouth.

While Jake's at soccer practice, Isaac plays on the playground. Today there was a little girl from India playing with him and I hear him ask her if she speaks English. Well she asks (in English by the way) "What's English" So Isaac yells at me:
Mom What's English?

I answer, "It's the language we speak"
He asks, "What's language"
I answer, "It's the words we say"

so he asks the little girl If she uses English words. She answers yes. So they play a little bit. A bit later she in her mother speak to each other in their native tongue and then Isaac yells to me, "Hey mom, they speak Spanish too"

He makes me laugh.

This post is brought to you by the letter.....

I took my final today in OB/Pediatrics and woo hoo I aced it (96) combined with a fab grade I got on my paper I got a 91% in the class, which in nursing school is a B....woo hooo.

More importantly....I don't have to go back to school until August....three whole months OFF.

Here's a quick look at my fun summer-time, pool-side reading....I know you're all jealous....

Ramblings and a bit of complaining....

I got one of those calls yesterday, not a person, but a recording to call this certain number and it wasn't a sales call. Since I've gotten that call everyday for the last week, I decided to call back TO COMPLAIN. Turns out I was late on a bill; a bill I never received and on a loan that I set up for automatic withdrawal (man I love technology, it has really helped my credit rating). So, I pay over the phone but then start getting all paranoid....what if it was a scam; I just gave out my routing and checking account numbers to some random guy...what the heck was I thinking...isn't that how those scam artists work...Maybe I'm not so savvy...maybe that's how those people get to people like me....

So I called the number on my original paperwork and they verified that all was legit...whew. Next time I think I'll just find out what the call was for and then tell them I'll call the main company, or ask them to send a letter. I hate being paranoid....it's so not my nature.

So my brother's coming out here next weekend (with his beautiful bride) for Mother's Day. My parents just arrived this week so he planned his trip to correspond with their arrival...BUT HE DIDN'T TELL ME IT WAS A SURPRISE FOR MY MOTHER. So, I blew the surprise. I went to visit my mom and step dad at his sister's house, yesterday after school and asked them if it was okay if I had Mother's day brunch at my house so I could do double family duty (Jason's family and my family) especially because Jose (my brother) will be staying here....My step dad, his brother, brother's wife and his two sisters (also there) all started talking at once and I finally got the point that this was a SURPRISE FOR MY MOTHER....ooops. I will now have to do something fabulous to gain back favored child status. Oh, who am I kidding, even though I'm the oldest and have provided them with two adorable grand kids, Jose went to war so I'll never regain that status (ok, just kidding, she doesn't really play faves, it's only my brother and I that do that to each other).

Prom's around the corner, nothing I really have to think about right now because mine are 8 and 5 (I would personally like them to stay at those ages, thank you very much) But I was reading Sandra's blog about her husband's experiences as a police officer and have now decided to move to the most northern regions of Canada and home school my children. Again, with the paranoia, maybe I need meds? Anyhow, I do talk to my kiddos about such things as drug and alcohol usuage, particularly with driving (in terms they understand) but I think I may have been overly dramatic? aggressive? convincing? because one day we were all playing outside and my oldest whispered to me, "Mom, those people down the street are smoking"

I give him my, "Yes, that's so unhealthy, and bad for you and I hope you never start" speech.

He says, "Are you going to do anything about it?"

Like what?
So I tell my kiddo "I can't very well ground them, or take away their video games"

He answers, "well you should at least call the police"
hahahahaha
OHHHHHH
I have to then explain, while smoking is bad it is not illegal.

I really hope he carries his overly righteous, rule following mentality throughout his teen years.

The younger one, terrifies me.

two entries in one day...I need a life!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

You Are a Snapdragon
"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Ok, yeah, that does describe me...


I'm wandering around the blogosphere instead of doing my 200 practice NCLEX (nursing boards) questions and Clinical write-ups...Yes, I know, I'm so proud to have mastered the art of procrastination....anyhow, I found the above on a fun blog and thought I would steal the idea for mine...with the snow outside I wanted something flowery and springy...and yes, I am aware that this is one darn long run on sentence..but whatever.

Let me know what flowers you guys are!

Happy May Day

May 1st? Snow! What?