Freckled and Sorted Out

*begins with deep breath*
It's been awhile since I've sat in my own living room, on my own computer and without the buzz of my family roaming around in the aural incarnations of sunblock-searching, score-checking, reservation-making and nap-taking. I loved it.

To say that it was a great trip still seems to falls short. We had great weather and better company and the best part was that I feel like I sorted through a lot of stuff that had been queued to the back of my mind until that illusive, "quiet" minute. Did I need to be in Cabo San Jose to do this? Probably no, but I'm not kvetching...

After a long break, I figure the best way to recap is to put up some random pictures and explain as best I can. There will be other little pieces that pop up here and there but if things look sparse to you, try to remember that all we really did was sit on the porch, go out to eat, sit in the sun and watch movies. Occasionally someone would go for a walk, jump in the ocean or observe strange marine life phenomena, but mostly it was the first part. There were naps too. Ok, I have to go to work tomorrow so let's get to it:

We, as a family, are not big on the midday sun. The guys overheat and the ladies disintegrate into a coconut scented pile of ash. Instead, lunch and a shady siesta are de rigeur. This day was salads from Sardina Cantina, which also makes a mean Crown and Soda if you're in the hood.
The final product!! Note the hot lilac, aubergine and red pepper argyle tie I that I found as a canvas! I think this went over pretty well. He was pretty nervous when he saw the tie box but judging by how nice the house smelled before dinner every night, he was happy with what came about. So was Brother, who I am thinking walked away with the D&G.Mom, however, trumped me with THE Dad gift. This is a real triumph because he is notoriously hard to shop for and I think this may be all Dads. She got him a watch that tells the temperature and tides. He is such a gadget guy and was thrilled. We would ask him for weather updates throughout the rest of the week and he and Mom would both just BEAM.

*Also, no pics but I got some very nice items as well. Dad got me a big box of L'Occitane goodness and a beautiful pair of jade and turqouise earrings (you'll be seeing these a lot). I think sometime circa 1995, Dad walked into a Bath & Body Works before Christmas (brave) and walked out with a basket of Sun-Dried Raspberries lotions and potions. HUGE hit. Now he gets me something of the sort every year but it's managed to stay in my taste range. He's good.
Mom got me a wallet/clutch so I would stop walking around like a "not-so-accident waiting to happen" and of course my boots and bag. Brother was the one that really went above and beyond this year- a BEAUTIFUL wood Ercolano jewelry box like the ones I've fawned over at Tree's for the last 15 years. I could get used to this successful brother business, particularly since he also includes odds and ends like a whisk key chain and two new magnets- "You Say Lazy Like It's A Bad Thing" and what amounts to being a crazy cat lady magnet, only in French. Which makes it infinitely better. Brother and I took a night to switch iPods and get through several of those happy yellow labels. He brought me to "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" by Okkervil River, "Your Arms Around Me" by Jens Lekman and "After the Party" by Little Brother. That last one is a definitive Brother pick because it is not something I would have ever heard otherwise and he laughs to himself while he watches me listening to it. And I like it so the formula works yet again. I also think he's a new convert to Bon Iver and Radical Face- Thanks to Jonk for giving me some beautiful music to barter with!

Poor Mom got a touch of Montezuma's Revenge on Thursday:( I then went a little overboard at the supermarket for supplies. Liquid and pill forms of both Pepto and Maalox, four bottles of Pedialite, and two "Cup O Noodles." We're all pretty grateful that it ended almost as quickly as it came on but she took it easy for a couple days. Hence Brother trying to teach her how to make instant soup... he being the family expert:)

Happy Feet

Doesn't do it any kind of justice. I slept with my door open every night (half my wall) and when I inevitably woke up around 3 or 4am, I would walk straight outside. Deep breath of fresh air and just look up at lots and lots of stars and down at the sheen on the water. Then I ran back to bed and got back under the duvet because it is a desert after all and when the sun is not out, it is too cold for a Bears jersey and a no pants dance.

The Christmas tree Mom checked all the way from Memphis to Mexico which we then decorated on Night One while waiting for Brother. She even cut out a piece of felt to use as a tree skirt. See the box under "tree skirt"? Empty Corona bottles.
Good Morning Mexico- tough to leave this behind...but still glad to be back with a salty dose of clarity in tow.

And guess what? I'm hostessing a NYE dinner party tomorrow night so there will actually be RECIPES soon. Any suggestions?