A match made in heaven

Nicole writes…

Please refer to my post last year for the first installment of this tale.

If you recall, there was a mysterious wall thumping that seemed to originate from the shared wall between Michele’s and my room. We never did report that we (despite thorough investigation) found no cause. We inspected behind furniture and the pictures hanging and found no secret hole where a little knocking gnome lives.

Cue night one of this trip, where in true viejita fashion I was asleep by 9. I woke from my sleep around 11 to the sound of vomiting, got up worried it was Luca, found him to be soundly sleeping, and returned to bed. I assumed I was dreaming.

Around 1am Michele asked me if I was ok because she heard me vomiting. It turns out she too thought the kids weren’t well and checked on them only to find them sleeping.

Nope, none of us vomited. Yes, all of our GI tracts are intact. It seems that the vomiting was just the unruly ghost that haunts our shared wall.

That same ghost also peruses the freezer on a regular basis and leaves it open. Perhaps it is a menopausal ghost with an affinity for the drink who occasionally needs a blast of cold air to cool her down.

We will continue our dedicated investigation and keep you all posted.

The mystery continues….

Are you married? No, divorced.

And your friend? No, she hasn’t found the right one.

And these are your children? My son, and her nieces.

But, Do you work? Yes.

A series of casual questions posed by our lancha capitan as we made small talk yesterday morning before leaving to San Juan. 

As the conversation progressed I was reminded that many women around the world, and moreso most women in this region, are not able to stop work, and travel across the world for two weeks, just because.

This, amongst many other things, makes me overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings of;

Family who encouraged me to pursue a career that allows me to financially survive without a partner. 

Family who supported me through a divorce. 

Family, and a best friend, who support me in caring for and raising my son. 

The opportunity to introduce my son to another country and culture. 

A lifelong friend that encourages me to travel to and experience new places. 

That same friend who is a master planner and because of that planning, this trip with all of it’s intricacies, has gone so smoothly.

For the industry of the human race; the innovative ways that things can be done with such limited access to supplies and such difficult terrain will never cease to awe me.

This body, that even when I haven’t done the best job in it’s conditioning, continues to allow me to move around in this world.

For the family God sent me to, the people I am blessed to be surrounded by, my sons beautiful soul that God entrusted to my care, the free land in which I was born, and the opportunities I was afforded to get me to today.

But back to where it started; this gorgeous day, atop this magnificent volcanic lake. Experiencing all of it BECAUSE of these blessings.

I got a romper. It has a droopy pouch where the crotch should be. It screams yoga retreat. I love it. I’ve always felt like a hippy and now that I look a bit less circus-tent-like in loose clothing, I’m going to dress like one as I’ve always desired. Yes, I’ll continue to bathe. Yes, I’ll shave. No, I won’t smell like patchouli. Real friends let friends wear drooping-crotch, diaper-like rompers and they don’t say a word. You hear that Michele? They don’t say a WORD 😂