Let's recap 2016, shall we?
January
- we (I) started freaking out about our "big plan" like literally as the ball was dropping on New Year's Eve because it was suddenly 2016, and that meant we had to start actually checking things off our giant to-do list rather than just daydream about becoming beach bums like we had been for the 4 months prior
- we spent two weeks in Nicaragua because that's where we were originally planning to move to and had already booked a "research trip" that we turned into a relaxing vacation instead... The trip was great, but it made us even happier to be moving to La Cruz because Nica was way too hot!
February
- we (I) decided we should "probably get married before we move" ....as if we didn't have enough to do already! We got engaged the previous May (while vacationing in La Cruz!) but hadn't set a date yet. It seemed smarter to get hitched while still in the states because who knows how alla that stuff works in Mexico?! (Honestly, what it boiled down to is that I am lazy and didn't wanna research how to get married in a foreign country.)
- we both left our jobs (after putting in our notices 6 months earlier)
- we finally obtained our Mexican Visas... A major "this is really happening?!" moment
- I talked a lot about needing to pack and start downsizing but didn't do it
- I started giving away my winter clothes
- I started packing several times and then stopped because I'd come across some sentimental something or other and I'd spend an hour looking through baby photos and then be too tired to continue "packing"
- we had the most fun wedding / going-away party in the history of ever!!! Our (my) "vows" were hilarious, and I literally danced down the aisle to a Bruno Mars song. Because, duh...I'm allergic to being serious.
May
- we sold our adorable river house for asking price
- we sold both cars and bought a mini van
- we sold, donated or gave away 90% of our possessions with the help of my estate-selling mama
- we loaded up the van and our pup and drove the 2,800 miles from Seattle to La Cruz...making a few stops along the way
- we tried to figure out how this whole "living abroad" thing works
- we ate a lot of tacos
- we got tan
- I nearly died by way of heart attack thanks to the "nopes"
- Bloo needed minor surgery and I remained totally calm about it
- we nearly died of mosquito bites, suffered through miserable heat, humidity, mud and thunderstorms
- Ty survived the biggest storm of our lives by being totally manly and not being a scaredy cat at all
- a lot of restaurants closed down and the town just seemed kinda grim and blah
- we made a lot of friends!
- I got homesick and depressed and cried a lot because I felt purpose-less and essentially homeless and unimportant and I gave up a career I loved to follow Ty to a foreign country that I was struggling to find my place in all because he was having his second mid-life crisis before the age of 40 and I was questioning the "why" of it all........
- I turned into an anti-social turtle/hermit crab hybrid and became too anxious and nervous to do anything without Ty
- all of the Gringos showed up at the same time. Like, we literally went to Mega one day in November and every shopper was suddenly a white person
- we started Spanish classes and I realized how friggen long it's gonna take to become fluent
- restaurants started opening back up after being closed all summer and La Cruz started feeling alive and buzzing again
- my family came to visit us!!!
- we moved out of Simply Baku and into a new place
Yes, that's right... We moved AGAIN! This is our sixth move in less than 5 years mostly thanks to Ty...but at least this was an easy move. When you only have one van-load of "stuff" and you move into a place that's fully-furnished, moving ain't so bad.
We spent the summer and fall at Simply Baku helping the staff spruce up the place before high season.... We refinished all of the wood shutter windows (20+ panels per house!), repainted the exterior of the casitas, refinished gate doors, helped with yard work, guest bookings, pup-sitting, errands, etc. etc. The pools recently got refinished, the garage doors are being rebuilt, new pathways have been paved, new bodegas are being constructed... And Baku is looking fabulous! Our friends are staying there in March and I'm excited for them to see it...
When we moved into Baku in May, we knew we'd have to find another place to live before high season started because we'd be taking up a rental space meant for guests to book.... We assumed we'd be renting a small place nearby, but then we were approached with an opportunity too good to pass up. Marianne's long-time friends own a stunning, beachfront, vacation rental property on the outskirts of La Cruz and they needed someone to manage the property and live onsite, so they could stay in the states and not have to come to Mexico as often. So, instead of paying too much rent on a cramped apartment in town, we're renting out the main house of a sprawling, magical "estate" smack dab on the beach and renting out the other units for the owners.
We've only been here a week and a half, but things are going well enough so far. We're getting settled into our new digs and new routine, we're getting to know the staff and the resident pup, Luna, has turned into my little shadow... Someone please pinch me, because our life doesn't seem real.
Sappy side note: As a creative person who loves to customize/design/remodel/decorate houses, it is very strange moving into someone else's house. Yes, it's convenient to rent a place that is fully-furnished and already decorated, but it's also very weird having no control over your "home" and your surroundings and not being able to customize spaces to your liking.
I was a homeowner by the age of 21, so for the past 10 years I've had that really comfortable feeling of "home" and pride of ownership and privacy and all that... But, I've essentially felt "homeless" since we moved here and it's a really depressing feel for me. (Ty, of course is unscathed and fluid as always.) There have been many times where I've broken down in tears and said "I wanna go home" only to be reminded that we have no home to go back to... It's definitely been a big downside to living in Mexico for me... I feel like I'm been tiptoeing through someone else's house for the past 7 months. I honestly don't feel like I have fully relaxed since I've been here because of it. But, don't tell anyone that I actually have feelings!
Jardin del Mar, as our new place is called, has been mostly unoccupied for the last two years while the family took a break from the rental business, but now that we're starting it back up again, Ty and I are in the process of thoroughly checking each of the six rental units to upgrade outdated, rusted, broken or mis-matching items and deep-cleaning everything. Never ever did I think I would be scrubbing mold off a fridge with bleach and a toothbrush, dusting palapa rafters, doing loads of laundry and pulling (someone else's) hair out of drains on Christmas Eve. But... that was my day yesterday because we had guests arrive from Canada last night and I wanted Casa Palapa to be as clean and comfortable as she is cute!
The owner's family is here for the holidays taking up most of the other rentals and we have two other bookings arriving for New Years Eve weekend, and we've been handling all of the behind-the-scenes goings on that are required to run a rental business...so we've been very busy since moving in. We (I) have been acting as graphic designer, webmaster, writer, booking manager, photographer, social media manager, interior designer, problem solver, and just all-around badass boss lady. Because...have you met me? There have been several days where I've sat in front of no less than 3 screens all day like a multi-tasking rain man working my nerdy magic all over the place while Ty brings me food and water as if he's a pit crew boss and I'm racing in the Indy something or other.
It's been such a strange way to spend the holidays though... It doesn't feel like Christmas in the slightest. Ty's going to the airport today to pick up some Baku guests and I plan to do more room inventories and admin work. I'm currently sitting on the couch in my (Ty's) pajamas with wicked bed head like I would any normal Christmas morning, but I feel like I gotta make myself presentable here soon since we have guests around and whatnot. Weird.
I hung up our stockings about a week ago (the only holiday stuff we kept) but they're looking pretty sad and empty this morning. I plan on being doted on and spoiled and snuggled with and kissed and cooked for and treated like a Christmas queen today though because Ty loves me soooooooooo much and his gift to me today is undying love for his awesome wife! (Actually, I've been threatening him for days with homesick tears if he doesn't make my day special and he'll do anything to keep me from crying, but whatever...same thing.)
Feliz Navidad to you and yours! Much love from your favorite weirdos south of the border!! And also...book your vacation for 2017 and come visit us! Duh.
Sappy side note: As a creative person who loves to customize/design/remodel/decorate houses, it is very strange moving into someone else's house. Yes, it's convenient to rent a place that is fully-furnished and already decorated, but it's also very weird having no control over your "home" and your surroundings and not being able to customize spaces to your liking.
I was a homeowner by the age of 21, so for the past 10 years I've had that really comfortable feeling of "home" and pride of ownership and privacy and all that... But, I've essentially felt "homeless" since we moved here and it's a really depressing feel for me. (Ty, of course is unscathed and fluid as always.) There have been many times where I've broken down in tears and said "I wanna go home" only to be reminded that we have no home to go back to... It's definitely been a big downside to living in Mexico for me... I feel like I'm been tiptoeing through someone else's house for the past 7 months. I honestly don't feel like I have fully relaxed since I've been here because of it. But, don't tell anyone that I actually have feelings!
Jardin del Mar, as our new place is called, has been mostly unoccupied for the last two years while the family took a break from the rental business, but now that we're starting it back up again, Ty and I are in the process of thoroughly checking each of the six rental units to upgrade outdated, rusted, broken or mis-matching items and deep-cleaning everything. Never ever did I think I would be scrubbing mold off a fridge with bleach and a toothbrush, dusting palapa rafters, doing loads of laundry and pulling (someone else's) hair out of drains on Christmas Eve. But... that was my day yesterday because we had guests arrive from Canada last night and I wanted Casa Palapa to be as clean and comfortable as she is cute!
The owner's family is here for the holidays taking up most of the other rentals and we have two other bookings arriving for New Years Eve weekend, and we've been handling all of the behind-the-scenes goings on that are required to run a rental business...so we've been very busy since moving in. We (I) have been acting as graphic designer, webmaster, writer, booking manager, photographer, social media manager, interior designer, problem solver, and just all-around badass boss lady. Because...have you met me? There have been several days where I've sat in front of no less than 3 screens all day like a multi-tasking rain man working my nerdy magic all over the place while Ty brings me food and water as if he's a pit crew boss and I'm racing in the Indy something or other.
It's been such a strange way to spend the holidays though... It doesn't feel like Christmas in the slightest. Ty's going to the airport today to pick up some Baku guests and I plan to do more room inventories and admin work. I'm currently sitting on the couch in my (Ty's) pajamas with wicked bed head like I would any normal Christmas morning, but I feel like I gotta make myself presentable here soon since we have guests around and whatnot. Weird.
I hung up our stockings about a week ago (the only holiday stuff we kept) but they're looking pretty sad and empty this morning. I plan on being doted on and spoiled and snuggled with and kissed and cooked for and treated like a Christmas queen today though because Ty loves me soooooooooo much and his gift to me today is undying love for his awesome wife! (Actually, I've been threatening him for days with homesick tears if he doesn't make my day special and he'll do anything to keep me from crying, but whatever...same thing.)
Feliz Navidad to you and yours! Much love from your favorite weirdos south of the border!! And also...book your vacation for 2017 and come visit us! Duh.
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