As Long As We Are Together....

Minnesota.

2012-01-02T02:16:00.002-03:00

I am in Minnesota, yes, it was a fast decision, no, I am not going back to Chile, and yes I will write a better longer post later on. I wish everyone a very very happy new year, I hope 2012 brings everyone exactly what they wish for!

So, This is Christmas??

2011-12-24T15:33:00.000-03:00

Feeling quite Scroogy today. Thought everything was going to go smoothly, but obviously nothing in this family can ever go smooth. Last year we spent Christmas Eve with Ro's mom's side of the family, so this year I told a cousin on his dad's side that we are going there. In my mind I see this as completely fair. Apparently not, and now I am the worst person in the world, and the world is going to end tonight. Just once I would like them to think of the last time I got to spend Christmas with MY family!! And I would also like them to remember that Rodrigo has NEVER spent Christmas with MY family. So, sorry if I ruined your entire life by deciding to spend Christmas with the FAMILY, because the other side of the FAMILY is still FAMILY!!!! Now, off to do laundry because I need my winter jacket, sweatshirts, and wool socks to be dust free for next week. Merry Christmas everyone!

Grocery Store

2011-11-21T02:03:00.000-03:00

Ro just started his "practica" so he has had to cut down from working 30 or so hours a week to 16 hours a week. This means that we are poor. We have to go to the grocery store only for the necessities every other week and can only spend maximum 20.000 pesos (roughly 40 bucks) if Ro makes that much from a weekend of work. If not we have less. This week we bought 2 jugs of water, 1 tray of ground turkey, 1 tray of ground beef, one bag of frozen chicken breasts, 20 eggs, 1 bottle of juice, 1 bottle of cheapest brand (acuenta) pop, a package of Q-tips, a loaf of bread and a bag of sugar. Sometimes after a trip to the grocery store I feel like we bought tons of stuff, but this week because I know our cupboards freezer, and fridge are getting bare I feel like we bought nothing. I was looking forward to being able to buy the stuff to make pumpkin pie, but we couldn't. Anyways, while we were at the grocery store looking at the prices of stuff I saw a tub of powdered Gatorade mix. I looked at the price, it was 7.590 pesos!! That's almost 15 dollars!!! 15 dollars for 7 liters of Gatorade! And not even real Gatorade, the koolaid like crap!!!

After seeing the price of that I stopped wondering how I could be spending so much money at the grocery store. I need to find a cheaper place to buy eggs and meat. I will not buy eggs at the feria because they sit in the heat and the sun all morning before I get there. Well, I hope everyone had a great weekend.

My TOP 10

2011-10-01T17:04:00.000-03:00

I have been thinking of doing a post like this for awhile. I know I have been a really bad blogger. My life is so boring and my mind is pretty gray. I haven't really had anything interesting to write about. Or anything that I am allowed to talk about. *Lynnith!!! Your fault!!!* Anyways. On my mind right now?? Hmmm... my future trip to the states for said thing I am not allowed to talk about!! And for me, April isn't that far away. That's what I have to keep telling myself. A lot can happen between now and then, but I feel like nothing interesting will happen. I have been thinking of my Top 10 Favorite things. So because I haven't written a list in oh so long, here we go!! Enjoy!!

Top Ten Things I Love and Can't Live Without!!

(Obviously no people or dogs will be on this list)

My Sony PRS-600 digital Reader. I love it. Of all the things my husband has ever bought me, this is my all time favorite. At the moment it is my absolute favorite belonging. If anyone that loves to read and travel doesn't have one, I seriously recommend getting one. The one that I have has a few faults, it has a glare, no Wi-Fi connection, and it was really expensive, $300USD. (The price for these dropped only months after I got mine, now they are only $150) I am planning on selling mine to get the new version when I am back in the states. I am going to stick with Sony. But, Barnes and Noble and Amazon both have great readers.
Facebook. Yes, I said it. I am a creeper, I can't go more than 2 days without checking up on people. I love Facebook. I love being able to talk to my family and friends back in the states, I love being able to see pictures of my niece, and I love playing stupid farm animal games.
Skype. Love Skype because it helps me be more connected with my family. My sister and little brothers and my bfff all have Android phones (I'm so jealous I want one too!!) and being able to hear their voices makes my day. I even get sad when they have to go to bed and I know I'm going to be up feeling lonely.
Blue October. This doesn't count as people does it?? : P Absolutely love them! I can't listen to the Foiled album without time warping in my mind back to 2006. I fell in love with them then and I have fallen back in love with them again. I am putting their new album on my ipod as soon as I finish this post!
My crochet hooks. Crocheting gives me something to do with my hands while I am thinking or worrying. I love it. I love taking a ball of yarn or plarn and making it into something fun and useful!
My stainless steel water bottle. I bought it a few years ago at Target in the states and I still use it daily for water. Instead of buying plastic bottles everyday I reuse my water bottle. It really isn't much, but small things like that that I can do so help the environment make me feel happy inside.
Crest Whitening Plus Scope toothpaste. My mom sends me this from the states... usually. I haven't received anything from home for a long time and I don't have any of this toothpaste left. I don't know why I love this toothpaste. I have been using it since 2006. I just love the taste.
Vanity jeans. I have been buying Vanity jeans since 2004. I LOVE them. I currently have 4 pairs of the same style, one in dark was and rest just regular. I always buy a few pairs when they are on sale when I am in the states. They are so comfy and never to short!! :)
My giant Food Network chopping knife. Especially since watermelon season is right around the corner this knife is freaking awesome. I use it for everything, cutting potatoes, squash, veggies, and apples! I also love the paring knife that came with it!
My Avia 5509 Trail Running shoes. I love them! I have had three pairs of them now, and I'm sure as long as they keep on making them I will keep on buying them!

My Wonderfully Fun Weekend turning into nothing more than a huge FLOP!

2011-09-17T14:56:00.000-03:00

So, I was going to delete my post from yesterday because I am so angry about how things are going, but I decided to just write a new post. Yes, 2 posts in 2 days, when was the last time I did that??
Yesterday I wrote about the bbq we were having and how excited I was to spend some time with friends. Well, apparently I have NO friends. Everyone that said they were going to come, didn't. Two of Ro's friends came. None of my "friends" came. To make it even worse, six of the people I invited didn't come because they all went to a fonda and were too drunk to come. They didn't even invite me. So, what did I do last night?? Sat around drinking beer by myself while Ro and his friends talked about the same thing they always talk about every single time they come over, some great amazing trip they are going to take. They have been talking about this for years. YEARS and it never ever ever ever happens. So, you can see how I would be bored with this subject. The only part of the conversation I took part in was telling them the different sites I have used to buy cheap plane tickets. Woohoo. I did play a few songs on Beatles Rock Band by myself. Fun fun. Yes, I am complaining about my pathetic life. I am truly sick of this no friend life... no not even that.. this no friend that I can count on for everything. I just want to go back to MN and know that I will have at least two people that won't let me down. It may seem like a stupid reason to be complaining, but I really do feel like shit. This is not the first time this has happened. I'm so sick of fucking Chileans saying yes to something and then not fucking following through. I am soooo at the end of my rope. If I leave this country it won't be because of my husband it will be because I cannot stand the loneliness anymore. I can't stand not having friends that I can rely on. I can't stand it.
Continuing on. Today we were supposed to go to Ro's grandma's, but they would rather we went over there tomorrow. Not a big deal. So if I wouldn't have spent all my extra spending money on the stuff for my flop of a bbq last night, I could have bought stuff to do some baking to entertain myself today. But instead I am writing a completely negative blog post about my pathetic life. Tonight maybe Ro will want to watch a movie with me or something. We will be turning on the grill again because obviously I have tons of meat that didn't get eaten yesterday.
Hopefully tomorrow will be fun and everything will go as planned. I guess we won't be going to the beach, but maybe we will go on Monday instead. Well, the sun is out so I better go wash clothes.

Chicha, empanadas, asados, and springtime!!!!

2011-09-16T16:20:00.000-03:00

Spring is definitely in the air!!! September brings Santiago back to life, everything turns green, trees are full of blossoms, and it is a lot warmer. My husband has a love hate relationship with this season because of his allergies, and it is almost funny to me when we walk by a "sneeze tree." This is the kind of tree that fluffy pieces of white shit fall from it. Almost immediately after walking by it Ro sneezes. September is also the month where Chile celebrates its birthday. And from the 1st of September the smells of asados float around the city every weekend. You will also see kites in the air everywhere!

My long weekend started earlier than most people's here in Santiago. Yesterday, we only had a half day at work and then a small work party with wine, empanadas, and some Chilean folk music. I have today off because where I work they are pretty much broke and couldn't afford to give out a bonus to the workers so we got the day off instead. Not a problem for me because the bonus was probably going to be around 15 US dollars. I would rather not work. Anyways, here I sit on the computer waiting for the evening when the fun begins! We are having an asado here at our place and Ro's family is leaving for the beach in a few hours before that happens. So, we will have the house to ourselves for the weekend. Tomorrow Ro will work during the day and in the evening we are going to Ro's grandma's and probably to a fonda. Zoe of course will be standing around people's ankles all weekend begging for pieces of meat and chicken. She is prepared for the fiestas, Ro bought her a huaso dress this morning. On Sunday we may of may not go to the beach. Depending how we feel after 2 nights in a row of drinking ourselves retarded. If we do go, we will probably be going to another fonda there and then come back to the city on Monday. Hopefully it will be a very fun weekend. Coming back to real life on Tuesday will be a bitch, but for now I'm going to go and enjoy every bit of the long weekend!!!

Zoe now in her cute costume! : P I just need to get some red ribbons for her ears.

This will be Zoe after with her food coma!

Have a great weekend everyone! Stay safe, if you are gonna drink like a fish, swim home, don't drive!!!!

Green Crafting= something for me to do without spending money... except maybe on a bottle of wine :)

2011-08-27T17:04:00.000-03:00

My life may once again flip upside down next week and everything will change... again. You would think a person would get used to this, but I never will. I keep hoping for the best and finally get a plan for the future and everything comes crashing down. I understand that this sounds so "poor me and my difficult life" but I really have no positive way of explaining how I feel especially since I don't feel all that positive at the moment.

So, until I know if life will come crashing down on me, again, I have to keep myself busy. Today I am doing laundry and I have plans to get our table cleared off so I have a place to work on things. Currently I am working on making some "plarn." Plarn is plastic bags cut up and tied together to make "yarn" that can be used to crochet into some market bags. Ro and I save almost all of our plastic bags from the grocery store and we have way too many right now. We reuse them for garbage bags for the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, but we have accumulated way more than we could use in a year for garbage. I think I have enough right now that I will be able to use for 2 or 3 market bags. Eventually I would like to have enough market bags that I will only have to use the plastic bags at the grocery store when we need garbage bags.
I am also working on a scrap yarn project that will probably not be finished for a very long time, since it only uses scrap yarn and I haven't been buying yarn very often. I have ideas to speed up this project. Ro and I are going to the feria tomorrow and I think I will buy a few old sweaters made out of chunky yarn. I plan to unravel them so I have some extra yarn to use just for the project I am working on instead of waiting til I have enough scrap yarn to finish the project. I will try to post pictures of my projects as they are coming along. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Again, I find myself here at the wee hours....

2011-07-24T02:57:00.000-04:00

Can't sleep... again. So what should I do?? Write a blog post... if this keeps up I might actually be good at writing at least one post per week. The week has been pretty uneventful. We were short people at work all week so it got a bit hellish, but nothing I can't handle. One week til the end of the month which means payday is on its way!! Which also means that the bills will be due soon, what a win-lose situation. But, I guess if there was nothing to pay, there would be no point of working, right? Except to buy plane tickets so I could go home to visit whenever I had the chance. I sent out a few job applications this week, hoping to find something better than what I have now because I hate what I have now.
I made an apple pie last Saturday, it was pretty amazing. A bit of the crust burnt and fell off, but other than that it was perfect. I even took a picture on Ro's phone, but he probably already erased the picture so you are just going to have to imagine the most perfect apple pie you have ever seen. Something like this:

Unfortunately, I didn't have any tiny birds to crimp the crust... that must have been why some of it fell off and burnt.
Happy weekend all!!

If....

2011-07-16T04:49:00.000-04:00

As I cut right to the chase, excuse my randomness.

I am 23 years old... even though I have been accidentally telling potential *insert any English institute name here* students that I am 22 only to remember 2 minutes later that I am now 23 and have been for over a month and feel too stupid to correct myself.
Apparently I have a mysterious accent when I speak in Spanish. Is that a compliment? Apparently my Spanish is "really good, for real!!" yeah, sure.
I have perfected a recipe for syrup because my husband has decided that it is okay to eat breakfast food for lunch. Finally... what was taking him so long???
My dad's side of the family will be awake all night tonight walking in the Morrison County Relay for Life. Maybe next year I will be there with them.
It really is freezing here and all I want to eat is ice cream. I have started freezing the little cups of yogurt that I used to buy for breakfast so that I can eat it at night and pretend it is ice cream. I am 23 years old and I am pretending that frozen yogurt is ice cream.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the most amazing movie I have ever seen in my life. I only almost cried 3 times and I am so glad that I wasted 12 bucks on a large popcorn, 2 pops and 2 poor excuse for a Hershey's bar.
I go on Google Earth and put in my parent's address, sometimes I pretend that I am seeing a live picture. I then drag the map down without zooming out until I can find where I am now. If the inet is being stupid or SIL is downloading the latest Justin Beiber "music" it takes more than 10 minutes.
The past participle of bought is not boughten, but I have told at least 5 students that it is.
I am addicted to Anagram Magic. I play everyday at work. I also sign on to Facebook, messenger and Twitter while I am at work.
Sometimes I think about leaving Chile and never coming back. Every part of it except leaving Ro seems so easy.
I cannot get a cellphone plan in Chile because I am too young. My little brothers have a cellphone plan, they are 18 and 20.
When I hear a song that I like, but don't know on a commercial I Google until I find it, but I never download them.
Apparently there isn't going to be anything else on this channel on TV until 7:30 in the morning.
There was a "temblor" today and I thought it was just me going crazy until someone asked if I felt that.
I have been feeling extremely jealous of a lot of people lately and I think it is so stupid, but I can't stop the feeling. I think I feel this way because nothing is going the way I plan it to.
The sound of raining pouring on the roof used to be a soothing sound for me. Now it just wakes me up worried wondering if I left any clothes hanging to dry or if the roof is going to leak and my bed will get soaked again.
The first 21 years of my life I managed to never see a vehicle crash with a dead person laying in the highway, the last year and a half of my life, I have seen two.
I bought Monopoly for approx. $14 dollars and wish I would have bought the $18 version instead because mine came with boring pieces instead of the classic metal pieces. Now I can play Monopoly, but I can't be the car!!! RIP OFF!!!
The first time I tried a sopaipilla I was disgusted that my at the time boyfriend put mustard on his. Every time I get one now, I put mustard on it.
I haven't been out of the city for 3 months and 2 days.
The cordillera after a night of rain is the most beautiful thing that you can see in Santiago in the winter time. :o) It's raining right now!!
Sometimes I wish I could be in Bozeman, MT again starting the 13ish hour drive to home, MN.
I'm going to bake an apple pie, and turkey tomorrow, so I better go to bed... when I say tomorrow, I mean later today as it is 3 minutes to 5am....

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Sometimes I have Ideas

2011-06-25T01:42:00.000-04:00

And I think abot writing them down. In my mind they would be great subjects to talk about on my blog, but in the end I don't write any of them and then when I feel like writing something I have nothing good to say. I guess another update is due since I haven't written anything since MAY!!! Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about all the things I am missing being here instead of in the US. I mostly feel this way around this time anyways because it is summertime in the US and everyone has the most things planned in the summer. I missed my little brothers graduation ceremony and party. I also missed the drunken bike ride... I think I wrote about it somewhere way back when. I also missed 2 grad parties for my cousins. And now I have nothing to write about because I'm sick of listing the things that I am missing. Unfortunately I am a bad blogger. Maybe my life will suddenly be come interesting enough to write about sometime in the future, but for now your just going to have to be bored out of your minds with my boring life. In other news, I get paid next week and I am getting a cell phone. My husband has 2 weeks off for winter vacation in July and I, the one that didn't work for about 9 months last year, am JEALOUS!!! Sigh.... I hope everyone has a nice weekend and for those of you down here in Chile I hope you have a nice LOOOONGG weekend!!! :o)

We Landed On the Moon!!!

2011-05-29T00:45:00.000-04:00

So, I have been a very bad blogger lately, I blame my job. Actually on slow days at work I could probably squeeze out a quick post, but I just don't.
Today I woke up and left my brain in bed to sleep. The past few weekends I have cleaned even though I hate doing it. For some reason this place is just dirty all the time. Yes, Ro and I do leave huge piles of clothes laying around during the week and no they aren't dirty. Because we are only allowed to wash clothes on Saturdays and Sundays we wear our clothes more than once before they get washed. Our dishes have all been washed by Ro's mom this week because the faucet in her kitchen is broken and by the time we made our dinner and eat its 11 PM and you know, you can die if you wash dishes outside, at night, when it's wintertime, in Chile. And since I have a cold and am considered on my death bed, I am not allowed to do the dishes at all or eat ice cream. I eat the ice cream anyways. I also haven't been drying my hair with the blow dryer and have gotten some evil MIL glares, but this is my life so I choose my battles and if she wants to wash the dishes so I don't die then I let her. I will forever keep my crusty blonde hair away from the frizz inducing blow dryer though. Now back to the dirt. Literally, it is dirt. Or dust whatever you want to call it. Our house is really dusty. All the time. I can sweep the floors in the morning and in the evening you can see the fresh layer of dust on them. I am currently trying to figure out why people even put white tile anywhere here because it doesn't stay clean. I am still trying to figure out why they put shiny tile outside in some places in Providencia when they know it is going to rain every winter. Rain+shiny tile= giant slip and slide. Or cause for embarrassing unnecessary wipe outs. Not by me of course, I am too cool to fall down in public places when I am 100% sober. ANYWAYS white tile, dust, our bathroom floor. I can't keep it clean, the sink is also white, when I come home from work a layer of dust. Good thing I never invite people over to my house and MIL has to worry about her house being clean when I invite people over. I have a feeling that the dust is for the wonder cloud of smog that sits over Santiago, but it still bothers me. I don't have any rags to clean with so I have been using old odd socks, they actually trap the dust wonderfully, but they don't keep it away. It that possible??

On another note, Ro and I finally got to go grocery shopping so we will no longer be eating buttered noodles and green beans every single day! We spent more at the grocery store than we have ever spent at one time. I only felt guilty and regretted it for 20 minutes. After I had everything put away and saw that we won't be eating buttered noodles and green beans for a long time, unless we want to, I felt a lot better. I just wish we could have our own garden and I could buy meat from my uncles like my parents do in Minnesota because the meat that we buy looks questionable 90% of the time. It hasn't killed us yet though so I won't complain.

I guess I don't really have much else going on in my life right now. Work.... well my first month is almost over!! Payday is this coming Wednesday!! Woohoo!! I stupidly washed every single pair of my pajama pants so now I have to wear shorts and long socks to bed. Not that I am worried about my fashion, I have gone to bed wearing a thin pair of pj pants under a thick pair, beautiful purple socks, a long sleeved tee and a champion sweatshirt on top. I can't wear the sweatshirt out anymore because a certain someone always spills food on himself and the mustard stain isn't in a very hide able spot. I have been thinking about wearing my gloves to bed. I'm talking bright red gloves, the kind I would wear ice fishing. At least we have a heater in our room now. Ro works overnights on the weekends so I have to try to keep myself warm all by myself... should be pretty fun tonight without pj pants. I am only allowed to have the heater on for 20 minutes, but at least its something. Enough so I am warm enough to fall asleep.

I'm not even sure what else to write about. My life seems to be a bit boring at the moment. We are getting a new cupboard thing. We designed it. So we will finally have something other than banana boxes to store our food and dishes in. Except we don't have dishes. I guess I should say glasses and a few random Ziploc containers and a few containers from the margarine we reuse. Hopefully after June 8th, we will have some dishes. If hubs didn't get the hints about what to get me for my birthday then I guess we will just have to eat out of the margarine bowls until I can buy a set of dishes.
Okay, before I start rambling. Nighty nighty, hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!!
Here's an adorable sideways video of my niece because it fits in perfectly with this post... not really.

How Am I Supposed to Feel??

2011-05-14T01:28:00.000-04:00

Two weeks at work have gone by pretty quickly. I have to say that I probably don't like my job very much, but it is a job and time has been going by faster now that I have something to do. Mother's Day came and went. I didn't even talk to my mom. What a horrible daughter I am... actually I was busy and she was busy that day so it just didn't happen. Ro's mom's side of the family came over on Sunday for a BBQ. It was mostly uneventful until it was announced that all the women in the family are going on a trip to the south of Chile. Since I was not invited to go, I am lost and confused as to where I stand in this family. Obviously I am a woman... so apparently I am NOT in this family?? I can't help but feel like the only purpose I have in this family is to have a child. In fact it was made quite clear that certain people in the family want to be a grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt, but then again, I am not in this family.... so they can go find someone else to make children for them. Sigh.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN but everyone else can read it too!!

2011-05-03T14:24:00.002-03:00

I hope you're all ready for this because I am a bitch right now, so hear me fucking ROAR! I have been getting vomit for comments on my posts and can't quite understand why this person continues to come back to my blog. I let the first comment go, but when they came back and posted a comment on my last 4 posts I wasn't having any of it. I am in no mood for someone to shit on my blog and I am in the perfect mood to let it out. Now, I do love receiving new comments on my posts, but this is fucking ridiculous. Really, I would never go back to a blog if I didn't like it to begin with. I have copied and pasted the comments right here so you don't have to go back and look for them.

1. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Countdown Has Begun!!":

damn ure so stupid..u just keep amazing me.

I wished u had better writing skills so I could keep reading thru ur dumbness..

really. its like my degree in english meant nothing when I can't fully undesrtand what u said and spot HORRIBLE grammar mistakes that not even my first grade english students make. Grab a book, or two.. and maybe you will get out of misery and get a decent job.

2. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "On a Scale of 1-10, I'm a 56!!!":

siempre eres tan negativa.. y tan bipolar.. odias todo aqui pero tambien odias todo alla.. es como que no tuvieras ningun lugar en el mundo. te recomiendo visitar un psiquiatra antes de que te mates por que un dia tu pololo llego una hora tarde

3. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Settling In":

also please use commas and periods while u write.. it always looks as ure puking words.. which u propably are

4. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Can't Help It, I Feel Completely Screwed Over!":

HAHAHAHA because a company should save your position and lose productivity only because you decide you don't want to be in chile anymore. I keep reading ur posts only to find out that u become more stupid as I read. Funny thing is, if u had been working in the states.. instead of claiming ur finiquito, u would have been facing a lawsuit cuz of leaving ur job.. what an stupid bitch

5. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Countdown Has Begun!!":

URE SO BIPOLAR.. get ur head right! if not living in the us is so hard u shouldnt go back? i'm not trolling around.. but giving some advice... U need A THERAPIST... hope u find out what u want

Dear Anonymous,
If you do not have the balls to put your name on here maybe you should grow some. Let's start with this. This is MY blog, MINE, so if you do not like what you are reading, then please stop fucking coming back and shitting out comments on my blog. Now let's move on.

Comment number 1.
I am glad that my stupidity amazes you. I would like to let you know that if you think I have bad writing skills, look at your own. Quit calling the kettle black!! The correct spelling is "through," not thru, you, not u, you're, not ure. I'm pretty sure that my readers can understand what I am writing, and I am also pretty sure that I have never written anything saying I have perfect written English and will never ever make grammatical errors. I would also like to let you know that if you are going to talk the talk, then you better walk the walk. If your English is better than mine, then maybe you should actually take the time to write properly when you comment on someone's blog especially if you are criticizing their writing skills.

Comment #2.
I am not 100% positive that this is from the same writer, but I'm about 95% sure it is. Hello, did your wonderful English skills fail you so you couldn't write that comment in English??

Comment #3.
What the fuck are you talking about??? There is a period or question mark or exclamation mark at the end of my sentences. Also, forgot ONE comma in the entire post. Do you think YOU should be telling ME that I should be using commas when you clearing lack the ability to capitalize the first word of the sentence and you break up and end your sentences with .. If you lack the ability to write sentences in English I think that maybe you should seriously question the education you stupidly paid for. You are the one "puking words" not me!

Comment #4.
I didn't "decide" that I don't want to be in Chile anymore. My grandfather died from brain cancer and I went back to the US to go to his funeral. I didn't decide any of that. If that had happened in the US, I wouldn't have been fired. I would have been given days off without pay. How would I know this?? Because it has happened to me in the States, I had to leave work for 4 days to travel to Montana for a funeral. Maybe check your facts before you write something.

Comment #5.
I'm so glad you think you aren't "trolling around" in all reality, you are.

From here on out, I will not be posting your vomit comments. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time writing anymore. In fact, if I were you I would just stay away from my blog all together because clearly I am upseting you and I wouldn't want to do that now, would I??

Sincerely,
ME.

On a Scale of 1-10, I'm a 56!!!

2011-04-28T14:54:00.000-03:00

So, remember my feeling of being screwed over. Well, it turns out that I actually was completely screwed over. Not only did I not get my job back, but they failed to pay me for all of the extra in office classes that I taught and now since I don't have a contract with them, I don't get the money because they fucked up. So maybe it's only 11,000 something pesos they owe me, but really the amount doesn't matter! On a scale of 1-10, I about a 56 in the pissed off section. At least I start my new job on Monday!!! Sucks that I have to wait an entire month before I get paid though... I could really use the money now!!!!!

Settling In

2011-04-25T21:13:00.000-03:00

I have been in Chile for a week and a half now and it has been kind of uneventful so far. I now have a job and will start on the 2nd of May!! Woohoo!! I am kind of excited that I landed a full time job this time. That means more money and less bored time. I have a long list of stuff I have to do this week before starting my job next week. Along with my long list, Ro has a list of things he needs to do, so Friday is going to be a long day of taking numbers and waiting in lines. Other than that, I have been busy just trying to get this place organized! Ro's family went to the beach for the weekend and we had the place to ourselves which was nice... except it rained. The few days we are able to wash and hang out our clothes to dry it rains. So, we didn't get caught up with doing laundry and we also had to move our bed out of the way because once again we have landed ourselves in a place that leaks. FIL's solution? Oh, just put buckets on the ground it will be fine. So our tiny one foot by one foot bedroom is now reduced to an 8 inch by 8 inch bedroom because we can't use that part of the room for anything. Nice. One day I'm just going to win the lottery and *POOF* I will have a house that doesn't leak with enough room for a bed, dresser, and closet!

Can't Help It, I Feel Completely Screwed Over!

2011-04-19T15:08:00.000-03:00

So, two months ago I had to leave Chile very quickly and with little warning. At the time the place I worked, which I won't mention here as much as I really would LOVE to, they told me that everything would be fine and I would be able to continue working as soon as I got back to Chile. Well, a week after being in the US I started getting emails saying, "When are you coming back, we need to know." Of course my broke ass had no money for a plane ticket so I really couldn't give them a date. I did tell them that I was working on it, and they did know ahead of time that I was probably going to be gone longer than a month. Of course I wasn't getting paid for it and I thought everything would be just fine. WRONG. I continued to get nagging emails twice and sometimes 3 times a week. Finally I received an email telling me that I had to write a letter of resignation otherwise I would be fired for abandoning my job. I was told if I didn't write that letter I would be fired with no re compensation... probably meaning the "finiquito" so, I wrote the letter. Then I had to print a bunch of shit, sign a bunch of shit and scan that shit and resend it back to a few different people. I was told I had to do all of this for MY benefit. I was also told that this way I would be able to be rehired as soon as I got back to Santiago and would be able to start working right away. LIES!!! Now that I look back, I am pretty sure that I did them a favor by doing all that paperwork shit so they didn't have to pay some tax shit on me when I wasn't even there working. I also believed with all of my heart that they were going to hire me back as soon as I got back to Santiago. WRONG. I received an email saying that they would love to hire me back and loved having me on the team but unfortunately they can't hire me back. I would like to put in here that I can understand where they are coming from that I was gone for over a month and it was probably bad for the company to save my spot and blah blah blah! But really, I can't help it. I feel completely screwed over, not to mention I am pissed that they would PROMISE that I could start working as soon as I got back to Santiago when really they weren't going to fulfill that promise! So, yesterday I was crabby and angry and job hunting AGAIN!! I feel like all I ever do in life is job hunt!! I sent out one CV and what do you know, they called me back. So, I have an interview tomorrow and this would be the reason that I can't say the name of the company I worked for because.... I am trying to work at a different location of the same company. Smart?? Probably not....

Back!!

2011-04-15T23:55:00.000-03:00

So, here I am back in Chile. I have decided that this is pretty much the perfect time of the year to travel from the US to here and probably better going from here to the US. The weather is pretty much at the same temp and its not such a shock as going to Minnesota in the middle of December 2 days after spending the weekend at the beach in Chile! So, in the future I may possibly plan my trips more around Spring and Autumn.

Overall, the flights went pretty good. I didn't get any sleep Tuesday night. I think mostly because I was staying at a friend's house and because I was kind of nervous/excited/completely restless!! So, when we left for the airport at the ass crack of dawn (3:40am) I was already feeling completely exhausted. I made it into the airport, no problems and say and waited at my gate. I did try to buy a bottle of water at a vending machine and it wouldn't take my $5 bill so I ended up paying with my debit card.... at a vending machine! Whoever thought that up is pretty effing smart! Yes, I could have walked farther away from my gate to an actual little store, but I always stay as close to my gate as possible. ALWAYS. My flight out of MSP Miami was pretty uneventful, I dozed off for a little bit and the lady sitting next to me asked me about my "Kindle" which happens to not be a Kindle at all. In Miami I got all sorts of confused in the airport. I was in concourse D and I had to get concourse J and somehow I ended up following signs and I was walking outside. I did turn around to ask some grouchy airport person who snottily told me to follow the signs. Thanks asshole, I'm sorry to trouble you... After I got to where I was supposed to be I realized that I was out of security and had to go back through after I checked in at the TACA counter. Well, TACA's counter didn't open for an hour so I had to sit on a bench and later got crowded off my bench by some hoity toity Brazillian who was bitching about how all 12 of her bags/boxes wouldn't be able to fly with her that very day and some of them would arrive at the airport the following day. Her carryon was a Fisher Price singing potty chair. Not that you care, I just found that a little odd. Anyways her luggage and 2 people she was with pretty much zoned in on my bench. Not that I am against sharing a bench with people, but seriously was it necessary for them to scoot as close to me as they could until I was pretty much off the bench. I'm sure it would have been a little less rude to just say, "Hey my 12 pieces of luggage and 2 friends are way better than you, so will you please get off this bench and go sit in that unoccupied piece of space on the ground?" Thankfully TACA opened their counter as I was getting shoved off the bench so I could get back in the airport. I must have looked very suspicious or something because they made me go in that body scanner thing and I didn't see a single other person have to go through that thing. Which of course made me feel awkward because I have never been in one of those and had no idea what to do and probably looked like a moron. Oh well. After I got into the airport I only had 2 and a half hours of my 5 hour layover left. I was hungry so I wandered around and decided that I better just get McDonald's because I really wanted a strawberry shake. I ended up not getting a strawberry shake. I sat by a big sunny window. When I got to my gate there was a lot of empty spaces on the benches so I found a spot to lay down and take a little nap. When I woke up it was almost time to board. I sent my goodbye text messages and updated my Facebook status one last time. The flight to Lima went really well. I ended up having a 3 seat row all to myself and I slept at least 3 hours of the 5 hour and something flight. In Lima I only had an hour, but the flight ended up boarding and leaving late so I had time to sit on a bench and listen to some lady talk about dog shit and some specially formulated dog food that is supposed to make dog shit easier to clean up. Yes, this is when I got my ipod out and wondered what the fuck is wrong with people and how the hell do you even get to the subject of dog shit while sitting in an airport? Anyways, the flight from Lima to Santiago went well. For some reason I thought it was going to be a 5 hour flight, but it was really 3 hours and 10 minutes. Again I totally lucked out and got a 3 seat row all to myself! It kind of made me super excited. I slept most of that flight even though there was a lot of turbulence. I got woken up at least 3 times by the flight attendant because I was laying across the seats and I had to sit up and put my seat belt on. By the time they made the announcement that we would be landing in 24 minutes I was crabby and wanted the flight to be longer just so I could go back to sleep. I was excited though by the time we landed. I flew through the airport and passed almost all of the slow walking Chileans. I even passed some of them twice after I stopped to try to make my hair look halfway decent in the bathroom. Then I went through customs faster than I ever have. They asked me what kind of food I have in my bag, I said candy, then they asked why I have three big knives in my bag and I said to cut stuff with. Then I flew through those doors with my bitch face to try to keep the taxi drivers away from me, but smiled as soon as I saw Ro and they were on my like flies on shit. Seriously... did they think I was smiling at them??? Even after it was 100% clear that I was with Ro, they still continued to ask if I wanted a taxi. We finally got out of there and made it home. Which I have to say is one bug fucking disaster. There are even dirty dishes that were dirty before I even left!! But I didn't care at the moment and I will be making Ro clean those on Sunday because that's just fucking disgusting! Finally made it to bed at 5:30am and didn't wake up til almost 3pm, Ro went to class at 4 and I read a book, but when he got home I was sleeping and he had to climb through the window because he locked the door when he left. Yes, if you come to my house you can break in through the window, you can also reach up the doggy door and open the locked door. Safe right?
Well, that's about all I have to say. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow and hopefully resting on Sunday!!!

Countdown Has Begun!!

2011-04-12T17:00:00.000-03:00

Alright, I am still packing. Nobody should be surprised by this though. I have my two check bags packed. One is sitting at 42lbs and the other 48lbs. I am allowed to have 2 bags that weigh 50lbs each, so right now I still have some stuffing room!! So far today, I have unpacked, and repacked my bags trying to get the weights right. It wasn't easy to get as far as I have. Usually space is one of my main problems, almost more than the weight problem, but now I am having a hard time NOT stuffing socks and rolled up teeshirts into every nook and cranny! My carry on suitcase still isn't packed, but I am starting to feel good and not so anxious about this.

Last night, I had to say goodbye to my niece. She doesn't really understand that I am leaving, but I told her yesterday that she will be able to see me on the computer again. Of course I started bawling and she didn't understand that either and said, "Auntie has owie?" I said no and gave her a kiss and after that she said, "All better?" Sigh. I love that little goober so much and it sucks that I don't even know when I will see her again. But at least I know that I can see her on the webcam and she can sing me the abcs or twinkle twinkle, or one of the songs she makes up as she goes which is usually of course to the tune of the abcs and twinkle twinkle.

In a couple of hours I am going to watch my little brother play baseball. This will be the last high school game I get to watch. I was lucky to be able to see him play a basketball game back in February. Next time I see him, he will be a college student. After the game, I have no idea what's going on. But sometime tonight I will be in the Twin Cities at my friend's house. Since I have such an early flight and I where I live is so far away from the airport, I will say goodbye to my family tonight and my friend will be bringing me to the airport. This will be the first time that my mom hasn't dropped me off at the airport, but I am feeling like that might make the whole goodbye thing a little easier.

Well, I better get this packing thing done. Time to go back to the bottom of the world.

Crunch Time!!!!

2011-04-07T16:02:00.000-03:00

I hate packing. I don't know how many times I have written that in this blog. I think I have written it right before every single one of my trips. But for anyone who missed out on that, I HATE PACKING!!!!

So, obviously since I am thinking about packing and writing about packing... and currently... not packing, you all know that I have my ticket!
I didn't choose either of the 2 options because I found one right in the middle! So, yay!! I did end up buying the ticket off cheapoair.com and now I'm kind of worrying about the whole baggage thing. I am flying 2 different airlines, American and Taca, so I don't really know what the policy is going to be on baggage. The flight I have on American is just from here to Miami I looked at the website... but it really wasn't helpful enough for this dummy. Taca's site however was much more clear.

When I came back here, my bags were extremely underweight. I threw everything in my bags the day I called to get my ticket date changed. When I checked into the airport in February, my bigger bag weighed 13 kilos and the smaller one weighed 14 kilos. The bags are allowed to be 25 kilos each so I left myself plenty of room to shop and also dig through some of the stuff I have here to see if I love it more than the last time I was home. I am also planning on packing 2 more of my favorite blankets since its going to be winter in Chile soon.

And I was planning on making som curtains because I am on so talented in the sewing department. Actually I am pretty good at sewing if I can get the sewing machine to cooperate with me in under an hour. I also have the wonderful mearsurements from my hubby. The window in the kitchen I need to make a curtain for is from the tip of his right middle finger to the left side of his face wide, and two middle finger to elbow lengths tall. I can't remember how big the other window is, so he is probably going to have to remeasure it for me.

Now, I better be off to see how heavy I can make my carry on bag.

Flights! Flights!! Flights!!!

2011-04-04T23:51:00.000-03:00

The like always bittersweet time has come again. Back to Chile I go. So, searching for flights begins. I don't have enough money to buy a ticket directly from any airline so I search everywhere. Any cheapo site, I look at. So, far the cheapest cheapest in my budget is an insane 28 hour total trip time. A flight from Minnesota to LA for a 2 hour layover, LA to Costa Rica for a 6 and a half hour layover, then Costa Rica to Chile. The next cheapest, but at the top of my budget is only 19 hours total trip time. MN to Miami, 6 and a half hours in Miami, Miami to Lima, then Lima to Stgo. So, there you have it... I have 2 choices. Do I suck it up and take the lengthy flight to save a little bit of money? Or do I go for the shorter flight for a little extra $$??

If anyone knows any good or really bad sites to book tickets off, please let me know!!! : D

Well, I better get packing!!!

Birthdays

2011-03-21T15:06:00.000-03:00

Of the five birthdays Ro has had since we have been together, this is the very first one where we aren't together. Way back when Ro was 20 and in the Montana, he couldn't drink legally, but then again, neither could I. But for his 21st he was excited to go out to celebrate and was finally able to get into the bars in Bozeman. So, being such a wonderful girlfriend, I stayed home by myself and watched Moulin Rouge while he was out enjoying himself. I didn't mind because earlier that day when I was giving him a birthday present, he gave me a present. A pretty little diamond ring. Yes, on his birthday he gave me a ring : ) Anyways, I stayed up late all alone that night while Ro was out partying with his friends. He called me when the cars closed so I could go pick him up. Of course I had to pick up the rest of the carless Chileans that were all living together in Bozeman. The next year, we were together in Chile to celebrate his 22nd. I'm pretty sure if I remember correctly, his birthday landed on Good Friday which happens to be the only Friday during Lent that Ro's family doesn't eat meat. Not only that, his mom made fish. Ro hates fish. nice right? We also celebrated his 23rd (something memorable happened : )!!!!!) and 24th together in Chile. I think I'm doing pretty good if we are 4 for 5 on his birthdays. : P Happy Birthday to my lovely, loving husband!!

It just so happens that Rodrigo's 23rd birthday landed on a Saturday. So of course, we were celebrating and partying and having a lot of fun. At that same time, my sister was most likely in a lot of pain. I called her to wish her luck... she was kind of bitchy. We had a 3 hour time difference so there was still a chance that there would be a double birthday. : ) But of course Little Miss Rae decided that she wanted her own birthday and didn't want to share. So, while we were still partying I received an email with picture of my brand new baby niece!! Of course I haven't been with Evalie on any of her birthdays, but tomorrow will be the first! In fact she is here today playing with me... sitting right next to me on her "puter" that doesn't even work. But she likes copying me : )

Here's a picture of us from 2 weeks ago. It's hard to believe alllll that snow is melted now!!! : D

Now off to make a pretty cake for a pretty little 2 year old!!!

Home.

2011-02-25T02:36:00.000-03:00

I'm going to keep it short and sweet.
My flight went great, had about 95 and half problems at the airport before I got on the plan as they were announcing the last call for flight 146 to Atlanta. The problems caused my goodbye to Ro to be way shorter than I wanted it to be. It was a smooth flight, no problems, I didn't get much sleep, but I never do unless I take a few benedryls and I didn't. Got to Atlanta, went to through customs, no problems and I caught the first flight to MN.
SO, here I am!! : ) I missed Minnesota soooo much!! Well, we had my grandpa's wake today and I'm exhausted!!! Nighty night hope all is well wherever you are!!

here I am.

2011-02-22T13:16:00.001-03:00

My flight was overbooked last night.
I couldn't get on the plane.
They told me to come back.
So, I have to go back tonight.
My grandpa died last night after a year and a half battle with brain cancer.

I've Got a Feeling....

2011-02-20T02:48:00.000-03:00

that vodka.pl was a bad idea....
alcohol+mood swings must be bad.....

anyways...... I'm going home.... well according to my TITLE home is anywhere where I am with Ro. But, really..... NOT!!! I'm going to MN. :( I'm going to be away from Ro.... AGAIN!!!! for who knows how long..... well I know.... until I make enough money to buy the ticket back to Chile... oh how fun!!! :(

Stuck.

2011-02-18T13:07:00.000-03:00

I have been feeling a lot better since my last post. I had my trip to MN planned out, but everything is constantly changing in my life. I was planning on going home May 10th and staying for both my little brothers' graduations and my birthday and just enjoying a little MN summer again this year. Things change. My grandpa who has been battling brain cancer since July of 2009 had a seizure on Wednesday. This morning he was put into home hospice care. I can't stay here. I thought I could stay until the end and fly home for the funeral, but I think if I do that I will regret it for a very long time. So, I have a feeling I will leave for the states next week. I have no idea how long I will be there. I don't have a return ticket. I was planning on buying one in March when I had enough money saved. Since I don't have enough money saved right now, I'm kind of screwed. I'm not sure what is going to happen. Maybe I'll win the lottery and everything will be ok.

Life Hunting

2011-01-28T00:23:00.000-03:00

Usually I write about job hunting, but now I am life hunting. I am going back to the US in May and I don't even know where to start. I don't know where to go for one, should I just try to find something in Minnesota?? Or should I go back to Montana and try to find something there?? Or maybe should I go somewhere new?? So, my first problem is where? After I decide that, then what? Where will I work?? Live?? It took me almost 3 months to find a job the last time I was in Minnesota and I ended up working at a place I used to work for the Christmas season. I can't wait til Xmas season to work again... how would I survive???
Sigh.
I know I have over 4 months to get my shit together, but I would rather start figuring stuff out sooner rather than later. I really would love to go somewhere new (of course in the US) and start a new adventure, but I'm kind of scared that I'm not as brave as I once was. Life has changed me in the last 5 years I probably don't have what I used to have to just get up and go where ever the wind takes me.
Well, wherever that is, I just hope I can find a job and try to get my life in order. I know I'm not "old" but I'm getting any younger, and I think its about time to get life straightened out.
Not much else to say.

Change My Face

2011-01-23T00:02:00.000-03:00

Again. Why? Because.

Mostly because I don't know how I want my blog to look, I changed it. Please feel free to leave a comment, I do like constructive criticism, but if you are going to be mean, just back off. I am trying to think up a better title, but I have no creative juice at the moment.

Now, to continue on with my life, Ro's parents and sister are at the beach so we get to house sit kind of until next weekend. We aren't going to stay here every night, but we stayed last night. Ro's dad stocked the fridge with melon for me before he left. Have I mentioned that he does little things like that for me every once in awhile? Yes, I have an awesome FIL. Anyways, I have been sitting around here all day wandering to the back where we will probably be living very soon. The future looks very gloom. Our little corner of the house has 2 windows. One in the bathroom and one in the kitchen and they are tiny. Sigh. Won't even go there... moving on!

So, Friday morning our water got shut off. Now, I already lived through the no electricity so I might as well live without water. Life experiences are about experiencing things right?? I mean, how will I ever be able to tell my grandchildren what it was like to live without running water if I never have??? Hahaha. Yeah, I'm not very dramatic about it because you know what? It won't kill me. I am not a diva, and I have a shower here that I can use. My only problem is the toilet, but I'm working on that. I have been saving 5 liter bottles from the water that I buy so I'm going to fill them up here so we can at least flush the toilet.

My final thought... observation would be a better word. As always, this is my observation of where I have been so of course this doesn't cover every other place in this entire country. H and C, red and blue.... what am I talking about?? The knobs to turn the water on of course!! In this house, the bathroom has an H on the left knob and an H on the right knob. WTF?? The shower, the blue knob is for hot water, the red one is for cold water again. WTF?? That is just in this house. I have been to houses that have Cs on both knobs, houses that have just red on the knobs. That is all.

Party Like a Drug Dealer, Lights OUT, Alarm Clock, Is that Your hand in MY bag?? and Potato Surprise!!!

2011-01-13T18:07:00.000-03:00

I don't know how to keep my blog from being anything but random, so I guess I'll just roll with it. Oh well, I love randomosity anyways...

Once upon a time in a land far far away.... not really. Back in Augustish, Ro told me that he found a house that we are going to live in. We live there now. Before moving in I was aware that Ro's friend lived across the street. I was told that it was a nice neighborhood, not too loud. I am pretty sure Ro's friend, let's call him N, told us that knowing he was lying because he really wanted Ro to live across from him because I'm pretty sure he has a secret gay crush on my husband. In fact, after making fun of Ro so much and calling N his boyfriend, he has even started saying it. Anyways, enough about that, back to what I was talking about. My neighbor is a drug dealer. Feel free to try to convince me that I am over reacting. I have a list... my favorite of course.
How I Know My Neighbor is a Drug Dealer
1. He only leaves the house for an hour or two at a time.
2. He drives a Mazda 6, I don't know if that's a good car or not, I just assume these things.
3. Today is Thursday, he has had a bbq everyday this week including Sunday.
4. It doesn't matter what day it is, or what time it is I never get a break from hearing people yell, "Claudioooo!!" Then proceeding to bang on his front gate until someone answers.
5. Every single weirdo I have seen on this "pasaje" have gone to his house.
6. He has marijuana plants growing on his patio table. These I really wasn't snooping when I saw them. I was trying to put the curtain up in the extra room upstairs and looked out and there they were.
7. The cops tell him exactly how many times they have had to go to his house in the last month at least twice a month. They have only gone because of noise complaints.
8. He also has a white "drug van." It goes out of his house between 3am and 4am and comes back between 6am and 7am.

SO there! He's a drug dealer. Now back to the point about him. Tuesday Ro and I got home at 10pm. He was having a party. Like loud music, glasses breaking, bbq and other smoke drifting into my bedroom window, and his car was parked in front of OUR house. He does this all the time, but it really pisses me off when he does this for his "parties" especially when he gives us the evil eye when we ask him to move his car so we can park ours. Anyways, this loud party went on until almost 3am. I like to think I made them turn off the music but my head isn't that big. At 2:50 I had enough and went downstairs to close windows because I thought it would be quieter with them shut. All the windows downstairs are sliding windows so since I was slightly crabby I slid the front window shut as hard as I could and it made a really loud noise. The neighbor said, "Chuuuu" and then they were quiet and everyone left. See how powerful I am!

I spent 3 days without electricity, I took 3 candle lit showers, and oh boy was it fun. At least it wasn't the water that got shut off.

I have a new schedule until the 6thish of February so I have to wake up early and go to work at 8:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It really isn't too bad except I have to work a long day on Mondays and Wednesdays, so it has been kicking my ass. I have come to HATE the sound of our alarm clock and I hate the fact that snooze is only 4 minutes.

Yesterday, when I was on the subway with 2 of my coworkers, some creepy man stood right next to me. We were talking and I notice my water bottle was bouncing up and down in the front pocket of my messenger style bag. When I looked down, creepy man's hand was in MY bag! He was trying to steal from me!! Jackass!! So I jerked my bag away from him and was a bit scared at the moment. I gave him a death stare and he got off at the next station. Looking back I wish I would have screamed as loud as I could and grabbed his hand, preferably with two fingers in each of my hands, then I could have pulled them apart as hard as I could. This just shows me that in my mind I am an awesome ninja, but in real life I'm just a pansy. Sigh.

Before I make this too long, I will talk about the lovely dish I have made to feed my husband today. Of course we don't have any normal food so I have to experiment. So far, only one of my experiments have been amazing enough that I have made them again. I actually made my rice with margarine and curry powder dish several times so far this year. But today's menu? Potato surprise. This "involves" (from my sister Lynnith) potatoes and onions that are kind of slice/chopped. Ninja skills aren't required for this, but laziness and speed are key. Then I sprayed a pan and added a little extra oil for good measure. Actually I added it because it makes me think that nothing can possibly stick to the bottom of the pan. Of course everything always sticks, always. Then I mixed like a liter of water with a pack of powder cream of asparagus soup. I put a couple handfuls of bow tie noodles on top the potatoes and onions then poured the soupy mixture over the top then I put it in the oven. Some of the noodles burnt, but over all it tastes kind of like shit anyways. Definitely not going pro chef. I can't make my own recipes. I can follow and change some recipes to make them better, but I would never be able to make my own things.... Welp I'm going to watch a movie.

P.S. My neighbor is having a party.... AGAIN. Surprise surprise!!!

I would like to write about many things that don't relate to each other and since this is MY blog I will. Thanks. Very long title. I felt I needed to add that.

2011-01-04T00:37:00.001-03:00

Part 1.
I would like to describe this computer. I am saying this because the thing isn't mine. Well it kind of is... its like a 4th hand computer. I believe this model came out in 2005. It is a beastly thing, 17 inches I think. It does not have a built in webcam, so I have to connect one to one of the many usb ports that sometimes work. Sometimes. It doesn't have a mic, so I also have to plug that in... its the one for Guitar Hero World Tour. Oh, of course I have to plug it into another of the sometimes works usb ports. The touchpad mouse dealio doesn't work, so I have to have one plugged into the usb port that does work. The laptop doesn't stay charged so I also have to have it plugged into the wall the entire time I have it on. So its pretty much a desktop computer. I don't hate it, but I strongly dislike it. I have wanted my own laptop for years. I thought that 2010 was going to be the year. THE year when this 22 year old finally could say, "I have bought my very first computer!!" Obviously that didn't happen. I have had my eye on a Sony VAIO at Best Buy for a long time, but by the time I get it, it will probably be considered a dinosaur. The reason I am writing this is because I haven't been able to video chat with my family properly for awhile and it drives me bat shit crazy. I can sit and watch my niece play and listen to her tell me about her ducks and boats and owies and ask," waz dis?" "waz dat?" over and over again, but I can't reply to her, I can't say anything to her. I can just sit there and make faces at her on the shitty webcam and nod my head yes or shake it no. Not fun.

Part 2- Shannon's Original Plan for 2011
Continue to work. In July, apply for the permanent resident visa, wait for that while working lots and saving lots, apply for the K-3 visa for Rodrigo and as soon as everything goes through, move to the US.
*EDIT, We of course would both be studying at the same time as soon as everything was cleared in the US, I would probably start winter semester of 2012, and Ro fall semester of 2012.

Part 3- Thoughts about FAIL of Original Plan for 2011.
I would like to state that I feel like the ruining of said plans are because someone.. won't mention names, doesn't think about me. Doesn't think about my feelings, doesn't think about my family, doesn't think about what I want in the future. It probably isn't so, but I honestly feel this way. I am after all only a woman, also a baby because you know you have to be what?? 30 before you can be considered a somewhat adult.... After discovering that I feel like this, I started to wonder how far it would go, what will happen the next time my plan is put into action?? When will MY opinion be considered before MY life and plans are changed by someone else.

Part 4-
Said person is not my husband just to make that very clear. At least I don't think it is my husband who did this. I really hope it wasn't his doing. Anyways, FIL has decided to take things into his own hands. Ooops I mentioned names.. kind of. Rodrigo will be going to college in March and FIL will be paying the bill. Yes, this may be a strange thing to get upset about and get angry about, but I have my reasons which will come out in time. So, Ro will be going to a technical degree in nursing, a 4 semester study. We will be moving back in with his 'rents fairly soon.
EDIT#2, My FIL buys me watermelons so I can't really stay mad at him...

Part 5- PIL's new house.
The PILs moved out of the house we shared a month before we moved out of it. The house they moved into kind of has an apartment connected to it. There are 2 bedrooms, a dining/living roomish kitchen and a bathroom that scares me because when you turn on the faucet water starts squirting out in random parts of the house. So, at least we won't be sharing a bathroom with SIL again. The "apartment" is connected by a door that we of course would keep shut and locked. We will share a tiny space for hanging clothes to dry. I consider this a ginormous downside because MIL washes clothes every single day and washes things that aren't even dirty so I will never have space to hang my clothes. Another downside would be the fact that our bedroom doesn't have windows. I don't know why this is a downside, but it kind of gives me the creeps.

Part 6- Why I feel pissed about ruining of MY plan.
a. Nobody asked me, nobody asked us, nobody talked this over.
b. I hated living with my PILs and I'm sure I'm not going to like it the second time.
c. I feel like this was done only to keep us in Chile. 2 weeks ago when Ro told his dad he wanted to study nursing his dad thought it was stupid and was 187% against it.
d. I can just see MIL pointing and laughing like the wicked witch of the west.
e. It worries me what will happen after his 2 years of studying... what more will be done to try to keep us here?
f. WHAT ABOUT ME?!?!?! I want to study too!! I want to be able to see my family too!!! I am a person tooo!!!!! Doesn't my opinion count?!?!? Can't I at least try MY plan first?!?!?!?
g. What comes next?? Will they try to pay for a birthing plan and buy all necessaries for having a child to try to keep us here?? I would love to see them try!! My uterus will purposely remain empty until we move to the States.. payback is a bitch isn't it??

Part 7-
Today I was in an elevator. I teach my class on the 6th floor. After class, when I got in the elevator, I couldn't go down because you need to scan a card and because I am only an English teacher, I don't have a card. We went up and up and up. When we got to the 16th floor I started to think about what was below me... a layer of metal and then nothing. It scared the crap out of me and I almost had a panic attack. I was going to get out of the elevator and walk down the stairs, but then when I saw out the windows I was even more scared. Apparently I don't like tall buildings.

That is all.

2011...

2011-01-02T22:51:00.000-03:00

Today is the second day of 2011. Last year I saw this path that Ro and I were going to be taken, I was confident about it, and ready to do everything to make it happen. Then today that changed. So, I'm completely blown off course and quite pissed off about it. But life's bitch, right??

So, anyways, we will start packing our shit... again and move back into the in-laws' place again and life should continue on a different path than what I want.... again. Sigh. 2011, you didn't give a very good first impression.

Let my just write the typical last day of the year post.

2010-12-31T20:39:00.000-03:00

How do you measure a year? I hate the movie Rent, but I do like that one song. 2010 felt extremely long to me... I thought the older you get the faster the years fly by. Let's go alllll the way back!
January 1, I actually can't remember if I even stayed up til New Years, I know I was at the cabin fishing with the usual crowd.
January 21st, I landed back in Chile after being away from my Ro for 4 months, our longest separation. We once again lived with his parents, but we were very hopeful of me getting a job and moving out.
We filed for my visa on the 24th or 25th of February. Yeah. 2 days later the earth went a rumbling and those plans were shattered. We didn't hear anything about the visa until I had already gone back to the States for June and July.
June 12th, my youngest uncle was married, the last of the family. So I had to be there, the papers for my visa came 5 days after I left Chile. This kind of luck was the theme of my life in 2010.
Anyways, spent an amazing summer at home with my family and my dog, missed my Ro, but knew when I was going back, we were going to be super close to moving out!!
August 10?? ish I landed back in Chile. With Zoe!!! :) IT was almost great. Ro "fell asleep" so he said at the airport and I was very pissed off with the dog that needed to pee and of course the usual harassment by taxi drivers at the airport. Of course I didn't have my cellphone loaded so I couldn't call him. By the time he came and got me, I was almost in tears. Yes, wonderful welcome home day.
August 31st, Ro signed the rent agreement!! We moved in the next day! And so we have our own house!!
September came and went. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We had minor problems with the house we are renting, major problems with the landlady and neighbor. I remain believing that he is a drug dealer. The cops have gone to his house for complaints 3 times since we have lived here. We didn't call, but it always scares me that he will think it was us.
October, can't think of any major milestones except I got a call on a job application. FINALLY!
November, I started working, we were FINALLY able to fix the calefont and ended our caveman showers for a little bit. Of course, we had to pay 50% of the fixing cost which is BULLSHIT because it didn't work when we moved in. Good thing we lied about how much it cost to fix!!
December. Still working, but I picked up some in office classes for some extra $$. Discovered that I love my job and I love the people I work with and I am actually excited to go to work most days. Except Mondays... never Mondays. I spent my very first Christmas in Chile. I really didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
And now I am going to be spending my first New Years here. I will finally get my first New Year's kiss from my husband!!! :) I am also wearing yellow underwear and I'm going to walk around the block with a suitcase. Happy 2011 to everyone!!!!

Ghosts of Christmases Passed

2010-12-24T04:55:00.000-03:00

I am an English teacher, but honestly I'm not sure if these are ghosts of Christmases Passed or Past. Forgive me. I did fail English several times in high school. Yes, several.

Here I am in Santiago Chile, most of the bloggers that I have "grown up" with, for lack of a better word, the bloggers that I have read, and those who have read me. They have all decided they are not longer writing the "expat blog" the kind of blog that talks about the things that at first may be hard to get used to. I haven't yet wrote that post. Mostly because this is my first Christmas in Chile. I knew it was going to be rough and I knew there was going to be plenty of things to write about that still fit into the newcomer category. So, expect my post sometime in January. For now I want to go back. As far back as I can remember.....

So here I sit, technically it really is Christmas Eve, but to me it is still the eve of Christmas Eve. My husband was working, but now is up in bed listening to music and trying to fall asleep. I am here in MY dining room making cut out cookies and listening to Christmas music. Which I will honestly say has brought me to tears a lot of times. It is 20 minutes to 4 at this moment. 4 am... I am drinking wine. I am doing something that I am pretty sure every other expat has done since they have been in Chile, but I haven't done. I opened a bottle of wine. I have never drank a full bottle and tonight, I will. I am not doing it just to get drunk, I am doing it because I can. Yes, I will probably piss drunk by the time I finish it, but for now I am doing ok. I have half the cookies made that I need to have. I have more of the wine drank. Woohoo.
I have to honestly say that yesterday and this morning, I was very bitter. I was extremely jealous of all other expats that get to go home for Christmas. Yes, I was. But now, I have come to terms with myself. Mostly because I know that it is 100% impossible for me to get home for Christmas, don't correct me if I'm wrong. There are no other flights that I can possibly take to make it home to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's family. I know the schedule, Delta and Lan both leave between 8pm and 11pmish... Continental and COPA have a flight to Panama at 2am ish. Please don't correct me if I'm wrong. That's all. My only options. I'm here. And that is that. So, instead of writing about now, I'm going back back back. As far as I can remember. Well, let's start with my baby book, most of the photos, I don't remember, but I can still tell about them.

My first Chirstmas, I was a little over six months old. I had the chicken pox, so did my sister, and possible 2 or 3 other cousins of mine. I couldn't walk. I probably had no idea what Christmas was. My second Christmas, I was walking and talking. From what other family members have told me, I could talk full sentences since I was about 18 months old. On Christmas Eve I wore a little black velvet dress that matches the one my older sister was wearing the same year. I have a bunch of pictures from that Christmas Eve, my Godmother Kay took a picture of me with her giving me a bottle of beer. I also have a picture of me with my fat bottom lip sticking while I was holding a stuffed bear. And a picture with my mom, she was holding me and I was trying as hard as I could to open a candy cane. Very cute. The next Christmas, I don't remember. In fact there is a space that there aren't photos that I have seen very often to tell me about it, but I do remember the Christmas when I was fiveish, maybe six. You see, we lived in many houses while I was growing up, so I'm not sure what happened most of the time, but I do remember we were living in "the farm house." This was the house that my grandparents built and most of my aunts and uncles (there are 10 not sure who) but they were born there. We lived in that house for 3 years..ish. I remember this year because I got a pink snow suit, a jacket matching the snowpants. My mom got a Kirby vacuum. I also received a Barbie Fold 'n Fun house. I think. I may be mixing some Xmases together. Maybe my Godmother and her husband and 2 kids were living with us.. I think.

A little further down the years, we moved to Htown, the place my parents are still living now. In this house, I first stopped believing in Santa and my sister and I were privileged to walk home from church and bring the "Santa" presents out and set them up quick before my little brothers got home. We each got a sled that year and had fun sledding down our older neighbor couple's hill. My sister sprained her ankle trying to stand sled down the hill. When I was 15, at my mom's side's Xmas we all were drinking Captain Morgan. For anyone that doesn't know me very well, Captain Morgan was, and has been my drink of choice since this time. My cousins set sail with Captain Morgan, I only had the few "sneaky" drinks. Good times.

A few years later when I was a senior in high school, I spent my very first Chirstmas away from home. As this was 5 Christmases ago, I remember very well. But, for many reasons. The first reason, I remember this year was because my cousin Carol gave me a car for Christmas. Yes, a car. I had tears in my eyes when she handed me the title and I didn't have enough words to show how thankful I really was. So after my mom's side's Christmas party, my parents drove to the cities to get my car. They brought it back to me a few days before Christmas. It just so happened that I was going with my grandma to Montana for Christmas. I got to miss an entire week of school for this trip. The day we left Mn to got to Mt, my parents brought me the car. It was snowing, but my mom, even though my dad was kind of cranky about it, let me take my new to me car for a little drive. It was great. I felt like a spoiled princess, not only did I get a car for Christmas, I got to go to Montana for Christmas. So I took my 1995 Lincoln Continental for a spin and then jumped into my aunt's truck with my grandma to head west. It was a nice trip, mostly. We decided to stop at this shithole hotel I really can't remember the name of it, but I think it was close to Steele, North Dakota. Anyways, the power went out in the middle of the night, well we got there in the middle of the night so the power went out somewhere between then and 9am when we woke up and realized we should have been on the road a couple hours before that. Anyways, we made it to Montana all in one piece. I was so excited to spend Xmas there. It really was great, I would like to repeat it. I spent most of my time with my cousin Justin, who is a bit older than me, but we had a lot of Captain Morgan.. I mean fun :)
I remember most of all wrapping presents at his dad's house and him handing me a Captain and Coke saying, we might as well start early. We went to church Christmas Eve and stood in the back of church because it was packed, but it didn't matter because I was already buzzed. After that we all went, my uncle, my grandma, Justin, my aunt, and I, back to my aunt's house for Christmas dinner. We had shrimp, it was amazing. And somehow we finish 3 bottles of wine and half a bottle of Captain before my cousin and I headed off to one of his friend's house for more celebrating. I don't remember the next day, except I got some Victoria's secret lipgloss and lotion from my aunt. I loved that lotion I kept it in the glove compartment of my new car:) I wonder if they still have it.... Anyways. That was my very first Christmas away from my family. I called my grandma K's house and said hi and talked to a few people. Little did I know, that that wasn't going to be the only holiday in my life where I would do the same....

That brings us to the Christmas before I met Ro. Chirstmas of 2006, I had graduated from high school and moved to Montana. My aunt and cousin, the same Montanans as the story before:) they stopped on their way to MN to pick me up in Bozeman, Mt to bring me to MN for Christmas. I had made a bunch of candles for presents the night before. I pretty much woke up threw the candle and my bags in the truck and off we were, bad weather was on its way. My aunt spent the entire trip in the back seat of her truck while us younger ones drove. I have to say when my Justin and I get together, we feed off each other. My aunt was mad when we got to MN, she said we picked on her and teased her the whole way. We did. It was a snowy drive. I do remember one part very clearly because I was driving. It was kind of slippery, but I was going about 60 miles per hour. Ahead of us someone went into the ditch I immediately lifted my foot from the gas and didn't panic. My aunt was asleep, but then jerked forward and yelled, "SLOW DOWN!!!" I knew better than to hit the brakes. I know she wanted that after she yelled again. I tapped the brakes and we slid, fishtailed, a bit then slowed down. My cousin took over driving after that. To this day I will say, and I'm sure my cousin would stick up for me, I knew what I was doing. But because I was only 18.... anyways we made it to Mn. I celebrated Chirstmas with my family and we all headed back to Mt before New Years. I met Ro on the 8th of January of 2007. And from that moment my life has been all about "us."

I spent Christmas and New Years away from Ro in 2007. I went to the parties, but felt like something was missing. NOTHING has been the same since then. I always felt like I was missing something, everyone else had their partners, but I didn't for Xmas. I worked Xmas and New Years, and missed out on "the cabin" that year. But I did experience the first time my younger brother got drunk with me. It really was great. Our parents were up north so we had a party. The following year I was only in MN for a month for the holidays, so I did make it to the cabin. I went to the cabin for my first time. I missed my Ro, but I did have a great time. I went ice fishing, one of my cousin's and his friend took me spear fishing for the first time in my life. It was great we drank, had fun, and fell asleep way before 12.
Last year, Christmas of 2009, I spent with my family again. We had just learned that year that my grandpa was diagnosed with brain cancer. I spent that year with my family and Ro was once again in Chile. I went to the cabin again. And of course it was a great time. I drank and had fun with my aunts and cousins and everyone that was there. At one time we were in a fish house with 3 Shannons!!!! Well 2 Shannons, and one Shannen. : ) Great time!! So, that brings us to now. Here I am. I have finished my bottle of wine, but the cookies aren't done yet.

Merry Christmas everyone. I send my love from here. I may only be 6000ish miles away, but I am away, and I hope everyone has a very Merry Chirstmas!!! If you go to the cabin, remember me, and think of me because I really do wish that I was there!!!

Thankful

2010-11-26T15:52:00.000-03:00

Yes, I am a day late in writing this, but I wouldn't have anything to write if it wasn't for yesterday and this morning. So, I am thankful that yesterday is OVER!!! Not that it was a bad day or anything. The evening, night, and morning that followed are the story. Last night when we got home from work then Lider, we noticed that my dog was glued to a cabinet in the kitchen. She sat there wagging her happy little tail. Then got up ran along the cabinet and laid down and wagged again, at first I thought she was just being slightly retarded, because she does that sometimes. Then of course Ro said, "What if there's a rat in there?" Well, there was a mouse in there. A little ugly black one. Because I am afraid of things that are smaller than me and move faster than me I decided to take action by standing on a chair and holding a broomstick as a weapon. Ro decided to be brave and trap the mouse in the kitchen with a body board or boogie board or whatever they are called. Then he went in the kitchen and the mouse ran under his legs and he screamed like a school girl. So, we of course had to call for backup. Ro's uncle came with his brother in law to kill the mouse for us. Nico, Ro's best friend, showed up later. Since yesterday was Thanksgiving and I of course wanted to have a video chat with my family, I just stood on a chair while talking to them and let the men handle the mouse problem. My family was busy celebrating so I didn't get to talk much, but while I was talking Ro scared the shit out of me by acting like the mouse ran out of the kitchen towards me. I of course screamed like a school girl and was swearing at him while my family laughed. I said goodbye to them and the mouse was still in the kitchen so I went and watched. They were trying to smoke the mouse out of the cabinet when out came not only the mouse, but a few corner spiders. Apparently there is a nest in the cabinet under the sink. I would say that I am 10 times more afraid of spiders than I am of mice so this just made my night! After all visible spiders were killed and the mouse too we went to bed. It took me a long time to fall asleep and shake the creepy crawly feeling. I would have loved to have taken a shower, but I wasn't in the mood to heat up water for my caveman shower. Today everything was going fine, I was cleaning up the ashes in the kitchen and washing the dishes. Then I was on a video chat with my mom and niece. :) She can say my name now and she's such a ham!! Anyways, we were talking about what I was going to do for Christmas and about how I'm going to get a tree and make it all glorious and sparkly and set up the little plaster or clay Nativity set that I have. I then went to get the set so I could show her. We keep it in a shoe box. I opened it and almost had a heart attack. Instead I chose to panic and grabbed the bottle of windex that happened to be sitting close by. I sprayed the spider, the nest and the egg sack, closed the box, slid it off the table into a plastic bag with a wooden spoon, tied the bag and threw it outside in direct sunlight so it would bake to death! At least that is what I am hoping!! So now, I need to get ready for work, I itch all over again, and all I can think about is how we must buy Raid and lots of it and how I am going to spray every corner and dark place in the house. We probably should buy 2 cans right away. Sigh.... I hate spiders and I hate mice, so I am thankful that yesterday is over!!

Life

2010-11-18T15:02:00.000-03:00

So, I haven't been a very good blogger. I have a hard time finding things to write about. Work has been going good so far. I am happy with my job. Zoe spent a week at her boyfriend's house, but nothing happened. Well, she tried to get with a younger male dog and he was too little yet to do anything. So, we are waiting til the next time she goes into heat and the little dog will be old enough then to breed with her. So, no puppies. I was kind of excited about it, but oh well. Other than that I haven't had anything to write about. I have been very homesick lately especially now with the holidays coming up. I probably won't be on here much anymore, at least until I have something to write about. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!

Teaching English and Zoe

2010-11-04T00:52:00.000-03:00

Before I started this job, I was sure that I wouldn't like teaching English. Yesterday was my first real day of work and I was supposed to have 4 classes, but I didn't have any because no students in my level showed up. So, today I wasn't really sure if I was excited, but I definitely wasn't as nervous as I was yesterday. I had 3 out of 4 classes today. And honestly, teaching English isn't as difficult as I thought. Because I don't have a high level of Spanish, I have students that have a higher level of English. The classes are fairly simple, and if we finish the lesson a little early we can all just sit and talk. So, as of now, I like teaching English.
I only work part time right now. Not that I wouldn't love to work full time, but the place I am working doesn't need anyone full time right now. So, I took what I could get and I'm happy about it for right now.

In other news, Zoe went into heat and tomorrow she will meet her boyfriend and hopefully some love will happen. Her boyfriend's owner has been breeding Yorkshires for many years and I am very glad that we have him and our vet to help us with this process. This will be her first litter and Ro and I aren't sure if we will have her bred again. Zoe comes from a very fine family line and over half the dogs in her family tree are champions. This is one of the main reasons we have chosen to have her bred. We paid a good deal of money for her and I really want her blood to continue being contributed to the Yorkshire breed. We don't plan on breeding her every time she goes into heat. And I personally don't want to have her bred a billion times. If she doesn't have any complications then maybe we will breed her again next year. After that we are probably going to have her fixed. I am really excited that one of her puppies will go to Ro's grandma. I am also planning on keeping another little girl for Zoe to have as a companion because I feel like she gets lonely now that she doesn't have my parent's dogs to play with. I have been doing a lot of research, and our vet has been very helpful. I think we are ready for this, and having a part time job for now will probably be a good thing. Well, that's all because its late and I'm tired. : )

Working!!!

2010-10-25T20:15:00.000-03:00

Last Thursday I received a phone call from the place I had an interview at the first week of October. It took them long enough!! But, I now I have a job! My first job teaching English in Chile and I am kind of excited about it. I couldn't find a full time job so I took what I could get and will be working 5 to 9:15 Monday through Friday. This institute just happens to be located about 10 feet (really little more, but not much) from Rodrigo's taxi base. I have to take a colectivo and then the metro and then Ro will pick me up at the metro and bring me to work everyday. He will also be bringing me home everyday, so we will be working pretty much the same hours, Ro will just go to work earlier than me. I am happy that I finally have a job because we really need to buy some things for this place. A couch or some chairs for the living room would be nice, and since our TV died it would be nice to have a new one of those. Those are Ro's main concerns. I on the other hand will be buying immediately a new cookware set because my "non stick" saucepan is very much STICK and is rusting... I didn't know that could happen. I am hoping to buy a nice new set and a few other things for the kitchen as well.
This house seems to have more and more problems and tonight Ro is going to talk to the landlady because he has had enough. Last night I was turning on the califont, which doesn't work very well to begin with, and since I have to immediately turn on the hot water when I have it lit, I did. Only problem? The pipe under the faucet started leaking like crazy!! So we had to turn off the line for all the hot water in the house. Which made me super happy because the only reason I was turning on the califont was to take a shower. So, Ro gave me a shower last night. It was a much faster caveman shower because I had him to pour the water on me so I could use both hands to wash myself and my hair. I should have had him do that a long time ago because now he sees how damn difficult it is. Since I refuse to take a cold shower like he does and he doesn't really want me to anyways because I will get sick and die from the cold water, now he knows exactly what I have to do just to take a shower. So hopefully very soon, the landlady will have everything fixed for us and we won't be so stressed out about this stupid house.
Well, I don't really have much else to talk about. So, until next time!!

For Dad, with love.

2010-10-18T13:42:00.000-03:00

Once upon a time, many years ago, I was little, maybe 5 or 6 years old.. Back then time went by slower and life was simpler. Christmas Eve was THE day of the year. What kid doesn’t love the day when they receive a bunch of presents and looked forward ONLY to the toys?? I was that little girl. I had my list to “Santa.” Most of my requests at that time had something to do with Barbies. I loved them and having more and more sets and accessories for them was the best you could get for Christmas. At the time opening the present and immediately playing with it was THE goal of the night. At the time I never thought about how much time it took to set it up and put it together. Maybe there really were more instructions then what came with my mom’s new vacuum, but I was more worried about my blonde Barbie (at one time I probably had a name for her maybe Dacia or Allison, but I do remember she came with paint to decorate her own “cowboy” clothes) sleeping in her new bed in her new house. I remember that my older sister’s present was a Barbie Camper and my two little brothers each got a remote control car. All toys obviously weren’t set up and “ready to go” right from the box. The cars needed the stickers and batteries put in them, the camper needed to be put together and have stickers put on them too, and my Barbie Folding Fun House needed the most time. It had a LOT of pieces in the box and needed to be put together before it would fold up. My mom helped with the sticker for the boys, Dad put the batteries in and got to work on the Barbie stuff. Yes, on Christmas Eve, it was probably 11pm way past any little kid’s bedtime. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but my dad sat down and put it all together for me. I played with it that night and for a long time afterwards.

Later in life, when I was 16 years old I got my first car. It was a gift from a cousin and I loved it. My beautiful 1995 Lincoln Continental was my prize gift that year. My dad and mom had to drive to Minneapolis to pick it up for me. They also had to do all that title stuff to put the car in my name and set up the insurance for it. They brought it home the same night that I was leaving for Montana with my aunt Karen and my grandma. That was my first Christmas that I didn’t spend with my parents. In fact, it is the only Christmas that I haven’t spent with my parents. This Christmas will be the second and I have a feeling it will be very hard for me, but that’s another story. My dad drove my Lincoln home and I just home from a basketball game, I think. It really is funny how hard it is to remember things from not so many years ago. I had all my stuff packed and we had my aunt’s truck packed for the long drive to Montana. Before I could go though I had to at least take my new car for a spin! It was snowing and I took the car to the end of the road and back. At that time my car didn’t really have any problems, but later the transmission died. Of course my dad took it in to get it fixed and also to get a new windshield for it because it had a crack in it when I got it. He fixed that car for me and I ran it until I couldn’t anymore. Of course when I crashed it in January 2007, there really wasn’t much I could do to fix it, but I drove it with the thing still and now it sits in our yard, covered by weeds in the summer, leaves in the fall, and snow in the winter. After that I had already semi moved to Chile and only needed a car when I was in Minnesota. Last year when I went to the US with Rodrigo, my dad and uncle fixed up a “work car” for me. This work car really wasn’t for work. My uncle used it to drive a quarter mile each day to the Kasella Concrete yard. It had a layer of dirt inside because that quarter mile happened to be a dirt road. I cleaned that red beast up and Ro and I drove it for the summer. Of course we had problems with it. One time it just decided to stop on 15 in St. Cloud in the middle of rush hour. Of course rush hour in St. Cloud really isn’t too bad compared to other places I have been, but there we were in the middle of the summer on a day that was hotter than hell and super humid. Dad came and tried to start the beast, but it just didn’t feel like starting. He called triple A and had it towed to a garage to be looked at. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it. From then on it started when it felt like it and sometimes not at all, but I still drove it. When it started getting cold, and Ro was already gone back to Chile, my dad fixed his “work car” for me. This car had been sitting in the yard with the Lincoln for some time, but he got it running for me, fixed the starter and put in a new battery for me. This car at least had heat. Of course it wasn’t beautiful and I did get laughed at by some guy driving a brand new Mustang at a gas station once, but I didn’t care. It got me from point A to point B. Most of the time.

These days, my dad really can’t do that much for me since I am a billion miles away. But when I go home, he takes me fishing and usually I don’t even have to put bait on the hook and I never have to take the fish off the hook, unless they are sunnies or something small. When Ro was in MN with me, he took us fishing, Ro caught an eel pout. Eel pouts are very ugly fish covered in a very smelly slime and usually they are only caught in the wintertime, but Ro caught one in the summer because he wanted to be cool. Of course Ro had no idea at the time what he was catching and I am sure even today he would have a hard time telling the difference between any kind of fish, but I think he knows what an eel pout is now. Anyways, Ro was reeling in the fish and Dad caught a glimpse of it. “Son of a bitch!” was what my dad said. Of course Ro started to feel nervous and thought he did something wrong, but it wasn’t his fault he caught that ugly thing. Dad netted it and brought it into the boat and of course Ro had to have a picture with it. I had never seen and eel pout caught in the summer time, neither had my dad. So dad got his pliers and picked the fish up with the pliers and handed it to Ro and took a picture. Dad also drove us to Canada that day on the boat, just over the border quick and back. In the winter, we went back up to that same lake to ice fish over New Years. Ro was back in Chile, but my mom and I, Shannon, Shannon and my aunt Judy were all in a fish house drinking something good talking and fishing. Yes, 3 Shannons in one fish house. We did even though we didn’t do it on purpose manage to as my uncle says, “get things all bunched up nicely.” We caught a fish. Yes, WE, meaning 3 of us, caught the same fish at the same time. Obviously we weren’t paying too much attention to our lines at the time because my mom caught the fish in the mouth and the fish proceeded to struggle and swim around and get snagged up on my line and my aunt’s line. Of course we called Dad, who was in a different fish house, to come and help with this mess. After everything was untangled and we were went back to fishing Dad went back to his house, but came back whenever we screwed something up.

This is Ro with the eel pout, the picture doesn't do it justice though, they are much more disgusting in person.

So, today, I would like to wish Dad, one day early, Happy Birthday! Thank you for all you have done for me, and mostly thank you for helping to make me the person I am today. I love you and I miss you! Have a great birthday.

This is Dad and little bro Carl, it was Carl's birthday yesterday!

This is the only picture I have with my dad. But you can see he's waiting for me to turn around so he can take a pic too and text message it to my mom. :)

When you visit my house

2010-10-12T23:30:00.000-03:00

I don't have a lot of visitors at my house and after I reread this and thought about it, it really probably is a good thing.
When you visit our house, first you will notice that the neighbor lady will come out and see what is going on. She acts all dramatic like she thinks you are actually climbing over her gate and about to rob her house, then she mutters, "Ah, you scared me." After that she goes back into the house. I think she is just nosy...
When you enter our house, you will probably not notice or you probably will that the house is a mess. You have probably 5 chances out of 7 of coming in and wondering to yourself what the fuck happened in here. I fail at being a good housekeeper. I hate cleaning and as soon as I have everything clean I feel like an hour later it looks horrible again. I think this may have to do with the fact that I have a tiny house. If I had a bigger house everything wouldn't get so cluttered so fast. I also never make my bed unless I wash the sheets not that it matters because visitors don't really go in my room.
You will also notice that there is a red piece of yarn tied around one of our chairs, if I was you, I wouldn't sit in that chair. I was thinking of making a warning sign for it because I'm sure someone will sit in it and break it 100% before we around to getting it fixed. I would just put the chair away somewhere, but I don't have a somewhere to put it. Also, the toilet seat cover is broken so when you pick it up you have a good chance of standing there holding a toilet seat cover in your hand and wondering to yourself, "How the fuck does this happen?" I don't know how it happened, it just did and now its broken and we are going to buy a new one soon, I think. You probably won't notice, but there is a melted \ / shape on the top of my washing machine. That's because one day I turned my hair straightener to 410 degrees F and set it on my plastic washing machine. Yes, I am so intelligent.
I also have to say that I have ADD when it comes to being a hostess. We never have alcohol in our house. Yes, we drink, but when we do, we drink it all. So a quick trip to the little liquor store a couple blocks away is always needed. After returning from the little trip, I will bring out the rum, coke, and ice then wander off while you wonder where the hell your drink is. Usually Nico (Our neighbor and Ro's friend) will just go into the kitchen and get classes and make the drinks. Then when I come back I will pick up a drink like I made it and didn't forget about anything. If you come on a bad day, we won't have very much food in the house, but I am pretty good at making snacks out of anything. I mean all you need is an apple and manjar or peanut butter and wahoo a snack. Or onions, flour and beer and wahooo onion rings!!! Usually though, if we know we are having people over we will have completos and we always have chips and golf sauce. Also, if you drop food on the floor one of two things will happen, depending on what you dropped I will just say, "Don't worry, Zoe will eat it." or Zoe will have already grabbed it and if it is a grape or an onion I will grab her back legs and lift her into the air and give a little shake so she drops it. Anything other than a grape or onion, she can eat. She's part goat, I think. If you spill a drink, she will drink it, but I try to keep her alcohol consumption to a minimum since the last time someone dropped a glass of wine and she drank almost all of it up before we could get it cleaned up and she walked into things for a half an hour before passing out in the middle of the living room floor. Bad dog.
If you want to play Rock Band, I am always willing and after a few drinks I even sing! But, I do have to tell you that sometimes our TV fades to black so we have to push pause while I give it a good slap or kick and the color will come right back and we can continue playing for a few minutes. Sometimes this happens a lot, sometimes it can go a whole hour without fading to black. Also, don't be fooled, I really do suck at Rock Band and usually will fail out before people who are playing for the first time, so make sure Ro is home so he can do the secret button pushing thing and set it on No Fail Mode. Then everyone can be happy and we can continue to play the whole song and probably not get more than three stars because, I really do suck.
There is a big chance that instead of playing Rock Band, I will bring out the cards, dice, and Jenga Xtreme. Usually we play Bull Shit with the cards, and the loser has to drink a half shot... be careful... you so don't want to drink HALF a SHOT, OMG! I really don't mind losing as much as the others. In fact, I wouldn't mind taking a whole shot for losing. We play Greedy with the dice I think some people call that game Farkle too and of course the loser has to drink HALF a SHOT!! Hahahaha! After we get a good buzz on we pull out Jenga Xtreme where the loser has to drink HALF a SHOT!!! I think this is the best part of the night. I love playing games. If presidents and assholes wasn't so complicated for the Chilean man brain, I would try to get everyone to play that game because it is a way better drinking game!!

Well, apparently I started writing a blog a few hours ago and was too busy watching the news to finish it and now I don't even know how I was going to finish it...sigh.

Changed my face again... and my Simple Sunday.

2010-10-11T23:24:00.000-03:00

I was having issues blogging and someone commented that it might be the background so I changed it. I hope you like it.

It's Monday, but I'm gonna write about Sunday because I like days like Sunday. Ro and I slept in and woke up because our room was hotter than hell. The sun was out and it didn't really matter that the heat woke us up because we needed to get moving anyways. Of course we are out of gas again and I didn't have time for a caveman shower, so I washed my hair with cold water, jumped in the shower rinsed off and got the hell outta there before I froze my ass off. We went to the feria and I was super excited because I didn't go with Ro last weekend and we finally have a little money to buy food. We spent 10,000 pesos, about 20 bucks and came home with oranges, strawberries, bananas, apples, kiwis, potatoes, tomatoes, avacados, onions, carrots, cucumbers, a potato masher, garlic powder, oregano, and one bottle of flavored bubbly water to drink while we wandered. We have a lot of fresh food now and I am kind of excited. We just need to buy some sugar and cinnamon and I'm going to make me a yummy apple pie!! Going to the feria is fun for me, I hate when it is packed and start freaking out if Ro or I get lost in the crowd, but I love the smells of everything, all the fresh produce, popcorn, and the spices!! :) I love it! After that we had lunch at Ro's grandma's and then went back home to put away all our food. Then we took a nap. I love Sunday naps : ) After our lovely nap we decided to drink some beer which is always fun. Ro's friend came over and they went to go buy some more rum at 1am.. yeah. We watched Role Model and it was hilarious!! Then once again I found myself awake at 5am wondering what the hell I was thinking so we went to bed. Today was not as lovely as Sunday because someone had his crabby pants on... ALL DAY! Ok, I'm going to eat an apple and go read in my warm bed while I wait for hubs to get home. Hope everyone had a great weekend!! : )

Well

2010-10-08T16:18:00.002-04:00

For some reason I am still having a frickin hard time getting blogger to open and let me write a new post!! But it looks like today is my lucky day.

I still haven't heard anything from the place I had an interview at last Monday. So, I am moving on, I sent out my CV this morning and now I have to wait again. And again. Always waiting. In the mean time I have cleaned my house a few times, done the dishes a billion times, and now I'm making bread.

I don't have anything new or any thoughts to write about so I am posting this so you all know that I am still alive and still living a very boring life!

Have a good weekend everyone!!!

WORK DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-30T21:27:00.001-04:00

I have been trying to write a post everyday for the past 5 days. Apparently both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are hating me right now and don't want to do anything I try to make them do. Anways!

I am still alive. I had a job interview on Monday and I haven't heard anything back yet, but I am still really hoping that I get the job there because it would be perfect because I would work like 5 steps away from Ro. Not that I need to be right next to him 24/7, but it would definitely be nice to have a ride to and from work everyday. Since I haven't heard anything back, I am starting to assume that they found someone "more qualified" which means they found a Chilean with an English teaching degree. They are more qualified than me because I am a degreeless loser. So, as I wait patiently for a call back from that possible job and an email back for an interview at another possible one, I have been once again left with more time on my hands than I really need. I have watched Phantom of the Opera twice. And have searched the house high and low 3 times for Moulin Rouge, but I still can't find it. I am starting to think that Ro hid it from me so I wouldn't be able go on one of my Moulin Rouge rampages where I watch the movie every single day and burst out singing along with it...or randomly burst out singing one of its songs as I go about my normal day... I only do that sometimes. Not very often. I have also been for lack of a better verb, scratching the floor with steel wool. Ro's dad dripped a lot when he painted the walls so now it is my job to scratch it all off. Unfortunately that means that most of the wax comes with so I will soon have to learn how this cera roja crap works and how to take care of this kind of floor. Or I won't. I haven't decided. It would look "rustic" if I just left it. A little shabbiness never hurt anyone. With all the scratching comes a lot of red dust so I have to sweep and sneeze a lot too. Other than that, life has been going by just the same as always, slowly. It is once again the end of the month so Ro is working a lot taking advantage of all the shoppers who seem to have ran completely out of food after the 18th celebrations. Rent is paid, wahoo! I have a home to live in, we still have gas to cook and shower with, and we even have a few noodles and half a bag of mashed potato flakes in the cupboard to eat. So, for now we are alive and well and only waiting for something great to happen.

Ro's uncle and his girlfriend have been in Santiago for almost a week now, they live in Puerto Montt. They have been telling us of how wonderful and "country" life is down there. I am jealous and have been plotting in my head ways of making Ro take me down there to live. They can buy a 50 kilo bag of potatoes for 3000 pesos! Not that I really ever need THAT many potatoes at one time, I don't think I would even be able to carry it, how lumpy and uncomfortable! But the thoughts of leaving this city and moving somewhere less city have been polluting my mind and I think if I could get Ro to see how life could be, he would like it too. Anyways, I don't really have anything else to write about... I made brownies the other day and burnt the bottom and edges, but the middle tasted just fine. : )

The Celebration is OVER!

2010-09-21T17:28:00.000-04:00

I didn't take any of these pictures. I got them off google.

To start out September 17th, we started in the evening. Rum and Coke with potato chips and salsa golf. (ketchup and mayo mixed together)

+ +

7:00AM September 18

11AM Woken up by Ro's dad who came over to paint the downstairs of our house. One huge cup of coffee plus

and constant thoughts to self that included, "I am not going to throw up, I am not going to throw up!" And "I CANNOT barf in the blue toilet!" And, "I am never trying to keep up with the boys again!"

I managed to keep my face out of the blue toilet. Yay! But, then I realized that I needed to take a shower and get ready because we were supposed to be at Ro's grandmas for a bbq at 1:30.

2:30pm we arrive at Ro's grandma's and are immediately served an empanada.

Yum, that helped me feel a little bit better. After downing the empanada and a glass of coke, I was offered....

Chicha, wine and other forms of alcohol. I sipped on a glass of chicha and was offered

choripan. This is like a spicy sausage and at the bbqs that I have gone to with Ro's family this is always the first thing served off the grill. I ate one, Ro ate 3. He is obsessed with choripan, he probably could have eaten 10 if there would have been enough.

Next came lunchtime. We had the various types of meat, beef, pork ribs, and chicken. I had a chicken leg and a small chunk of beef. I love eating beef that Ro's uncle cooks on the grill because he doesn't cook the life out of it and it is still a little bit pink. YUM! Ro's mom's side of the family cook the meat like it has the devil in it and the must rid it of all badness it turns out chewier and harder than the deer jerky my dad makes. ANYWAYS... After lunch, Ro and I decided to go back to our house so I could lay down and sleep and try to feel better. The was maybe 5pm... While taking a nap Ro took advantage of the fact that I was sleeping and put his PC in our bedroom even after I specifically said that that computer was never ever allowed to be hooked up in our bedroom. So when I woke up even though I did feel better, I was crabby. So I went downstairs to drink some water and get ready to go back over to Ro's grandmas for the rest of the day.

I bought myself a 5 liter bottle of water for the weekend. I drank 3 glasses in a row before we left to go back to Ro's grandmas house.

At about 8pm we were all sitting around the table, of course drinking. I had another glass of chicha and then decided I needed to try another drink. I know there is a name for it, but I don't remember what it is.

It was basically white wine with chopped up peaches floating around inside. YUM! We watched some special of the bicentenary and after that Ro decided to go back to our house to bring a bunch of games. He brought the Xbox 360 and the guitar, drums, and microphone so we could play Rock Band; cards; dice; and Jenga Xtreme. We ended up playing dice and cards until 4am. So, we went home and went directly to bed!

Only to be waken up at 11am because Ro's dad came over again to paint. Sigh. So, I got up and decided that I was going to make pizza. I don't know why, but it just sounded really good, and we had almost all the ingredients. Ro and I went out to find a store so we could buy some cheese and meat to put on top the pizza. We drove all over and ended up going to a little tiny store. We bought cheese, ham, salami, and mushrooms. Of course we also bought 3 empanadas because while we were in the little store the empanada man came and we couldn't resist. So we ate an empanada while I was getting the pizza ready.

Yummy pizza!! Then at about 8pm we went back over to Ro's grandma's with Ro's friend Nico. Nico fixed the cd thing for their computer because the little girl broke it and shoved bread inside it. We were going to play Rock Band, but we decided to watch Tomb Raider instead. Then we watched the movie Wrong Turn. It was kind of dumb. After that we started drinking some more rum. Of course we also had empanadas de queso with pebre. More yum. At this point I felt as though I was going to explode.

We played cards for awhile and then dice and then suddenly it was 5am! And Ro remembered that we have to wake up and drive to the beach to pick up his mom and sister. So, off to bed. Before going to bed I downed a gallon of water, some Tylenol, and Pepto Bismol.

After feeling like garbage and sticking my face in the blue toilet, we made some sandwiches and headed for the beach. Blah. My guts were screaming at me the whole time, but we stopped in the middle so Ro could buy some new sunglasses. He also bought himself an empanada and me a bottle of Fanta. Ro ate half the empanada and gave me the rest. When we reached the beach we were given beer and that actually made me feel a lot better. Then we had to sit down for lunch. Which just happened to be leftover bbq from the night before. I had the smallest piece of chicken and some beets and some kind of bean. I was so ready for a nap, but we still had to drive back to Santiago and of course it was going to be a long ride home because a lot of people went to the beach for the weekend and were also driving back to the city. On the way back I had some more Tylenol and more Pepto and tried to sleep. Then Ro told me to keep him awake because he was tired and falling asleep. I gave him some Pap and played rock music and talked to him to keep him awake. On that ride home, I realized that people here apparently don't replace their brake lights when they go out and almost pissed myself twice because we came up to some of these fuckers very quickly and thought we were going to hit them. The ride wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but when we were pretty close to Santiago the road was very plugged and we hadn't stopped completely, but I could have walked faster than what we were moving. By this time Ro had drank the whole bottle of Pap. My fault. And all he could think about was our blue toilet. We finally got to Ro's parent's house to drop of MIL and SIL and the nasty little thing they call a dog. Ro went straight to the bathroom and I went straight to Zoe. Zoe didn't come with us, she stayed with Ro's dad instead. After that Ro told him mom that we are leaving right away and she got mad that we weren't going to stay for teatime. We finally got back home around 7:30pm and I tried to clean up the house a bit, but failed and just put my pjs on and went right to bed. And now, the weekend is over and I am very very glad because I'm sure I easily gained 10 pounds this weekend and I really don't think I could eat another empanada.

Um.....

2010-09-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

Last night my husband and I were playing WWE in our bed. This can be dangerous because our bed is very old, very creaky, and we have been know to break it. Anyways, he started it. He stopped while holding my ankle and trying to pinch me in the thigh skin where it really really hurts. Then he started laughing. Lucky for me he didn't pinch me because I have been known to knee him in the nose and other places after he pinches me in the thigh skin. I was kind of confused, usually I have to fake that I am laying on my arm wrong to get him to stop and let me readjust before he continues. He held my ankle up and said, "Look at this hair!!! Its like 3 centimeters long!" then he said, "Oh my god, don't you ever shave anymore?!"
Then I took the opportunity to "accidentally" kick him in the other places. I asked him (in a very angry voice), "How do you expected me to shave my legs when I have to take an almost caveman shower?"
Then he said, "You can't shave when you take a caveman shower??"
Me: "Your face 8 billion less square inches than my legs and you don't shave your face when we you take a caveman shower!"
Ro: "I don't shave in the shower."
Me: "Well I do!!!"
Ro: "Can't you just shave without water?"
Me: "Can't you?"
Ro: "Yeah, but it hurts and leaves red bumps"
Me: "And what do you think it does to me!?"
Ro: "Okay, okay, I'll buy gas tomorrow."

The moral of the story is, I no longer have hairy legs, but Ro still has a hairy face. Its not like I don't shave just because I don't feel like it.... like some people.....

Brands

2010-09-15T17:14:00.000-04:00

As I currently ponder our next trip to the grocery store, I have been thinking about brands and how I have very little knowledge of the brands here in Santiago. Almost all of the stuff I buy here, I usually buy the cheapest brand, or the brand that Ro's mom always had in the house. In Montana, I would always buy the cheapest of everything except when the penny pincher coupons came, then I would use those and buy whatever the coupon was for. In MN, I ate whatever my parents bought, and if we were to move back there, I know what to go cheap on and what not to. So here's my list of what I bought there, and what I buy here.

FOOD

Ketchup
US: Heinz Chile: Carozzi or JP

Milk
US: Cass Clay or the cheapest at Sam's (1%) Chile: Lonco Leche sin lactosa semidescremada
   *I don't drink this... yuck! But Ro does.
Spaghetti Sauce
US: Ragu traditional or Hunts mushrooms Chile: Carozzi salsa lista or Mama Mia
   *occasionally spurge and buy Great Value veggie.

Bread
US: Cash Wise Split top wheat Chile: Ideal integral

Noodles
US: Sam's Bakers and Chefs elbow mac. Chile: Carozzi espirales or spaghettini

Soup
US: canned Food Club Chile: powder Maggia

Mayo
US: NEVER MAYO always Miracle Whip!! Chile: Hellman's Light

Mustard
US: French's Chile: JP

Mashed Potato flakes
US: Idahoan Baby Reds Chile: whatever's cheapest
   *usually make em from scratch!
Orange Juice
US: Minutes maid frozen concentrate   Chile: Andina or Watt's 100% jugo
   *Ro doesn't drink this....

Powder Juice Mix
US: Kool-Aid Chile: Livian
   * I don't drink this very often....

Rice
US: Minute Chile: whatever's cheapest
   *I fuck it up everytime...watery or crunchy...sigh

Margarine/butter
US: Country Crock/ Land o Lakes Chile: Next margarina/never butter...

Ranch Dressing
US: Hidden Valley Ranch Chile: Great Value (Walmart brand)

Honey Mustard
US: Newman's Own Chile: Great Value

Barbecue Sauce
US: Sweet Baby Ray's Chile: Hunt's or Great Value
   *have a great homemade recipe!!
American Cheese
US: Baker's and Chef's Chile: Santa Rosa Cheddar
   *It's not really cheddar....

Canned Tuna
US: Chicken of the Sea Chile: Robinson Crusoe

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES

Napkins

US: Mardi Gras Chile: Lider brand

Toilet Paper

US: Charmin or Cottonelle Chile: Lider or Comfort

Paper Towels

US: Scott Chile: Nova or Elite

Dishsoap

US: Dawn Chile: Quix or if I spurge, Dawn

Toothpaste

US: Crest Chile: Ro uses Colgate, I always bring Crest!

Floor cleaner

US: Mr. Clean lemon Chile: Lysol disenfectante, the blue kind.

I am sure there are more things, but I can't remember right now. And as far as fresh fruits and veggies go, we buy most everything at the feria. We buy carrots, potatoes, kiwi, bananas, cilantro, tomatoes, and onions at the feria. In the US, we have fresh food from the garden and trees in the summer and fall, canned food from the garden through the winter and store boughten frozen or canned fruits and veggies also. In the US I buy canned mushrooms, here we buy fresh mushrooms at Lider or Jumbo. And we rarely buy meat because we can't afford it, but when we do, Ro's uncle has some connections and gets some beef for cheap. In the US, I eat the beef my dad raises and it is obviously much more delicious. All other meats that I eat in the US like fish, venison, pork, or chicken usually comes from the stockpile my dad has in the deep freeze. The fish is obviously caught by us or a relative, the venison usually shot by my brother, pork from and uncle that raises pigs, chicken from an uncle or frozen chicken breasts from Sam's.

Well...

2010-09-14T16:56:00.000-04:00

So, we are out of gas again, I thought the califon was more broken, but we are just out of propane. For those of you that don't know, the califon is the thing that heats the water, its hooked up to the propane tank. Ours happens to not work properly it only half heats the water, but at least we have warmish water to shower with. Except when we run out of propane.
At the moment we just have one propane tank that we use for both the stove and the califon. So, we have to drag the tank into the bathroom, hook it up, then go into the kitchen light the califon and back to the bathroom for a shower. If we want to use the stove, we have to drag it into the kitchen hook it up to the stove and cook. Eventually we will have a smaller one that we can fit under the kitchen sink so I don't trip on it and that one will be used just for the stove. Then we can leave the larger one in the bathroom. I'm not sure what to do about the califon. I think we should talk to the landlady and explain to her that it is a piece of shit and also tell her that the 2nd plugin thing in the kitchen doesn't work so that she can get them fixed. Ro doesn't want to because he doesn't want to cause problems. Well, I strongly disagree, we are paying to rent this place, we were told that everything worked properly and we were also told that a new kitchen window was going to be put in because the one that is there now is broken. I also don't think that we should have to pay the August electric bill since we moved in on the first of September.... but hubby is going to pay it anyways. He really needs to learn about renting from someone... we have rights even if we are renting the house from someone, he just doesn't understand because he has never rented before.

Anyways, this post is supposed to be about the hmmm... shower... bath.... throwing buckets of water on myself... whatever that I had to do this morning because we are out of gas. I think it is hilarious and was laughing at myself through the whole process. Here's my play by play hehehe.

Step one, heat water with electric teakettle thing.

Step two, pour hot water into bowls and pitchers, just fill each thing half full. I filled the teakettle 3 times before I had enough water.

Step three, get all your clean clothes ready, find your towel, and take strip.

Step four, wash hair with cold water. I stood over the side of the tub with my head upside down so I wouldn't get myself wet with the cold water. Brr!! I had an instant headache from washing my hair.

Step five, squeeze as much of the freezing water out of your hair as possible and condition.

Step six, take one bowl of half hot water and add cold water til its full. Get in bathtub, sorry if none of you are enjoying a lovely blue tub. Crouch down like a cave man and splash your legs with the water. Lather up and rinse. This should use 3/4 of the bowl of water.

Step seven, splash remaining water on arms and lather up.

Step eight, take a pitcher half full of hot water and add cold water. Rinse arms and pour the rest into the bowl you just used. Add a little bit more cold water... to make the hot water stretch a bit.

Step nine, kneel in bathtub, don't slip and bash your elbow on the wall. Dunk your head into the bowl and sort of rinse the conditioner out of your hair. Then take the bowl and pour it over your hair and try to rinse some more out.

Step ten, take the other bowl and add cold water dunk your head in again then pour it over your head.

Step eleven, take the final pitcher of water add cold water. By this time you should be pretty wet and you can stand up later everywhere else. Then rinse with the last of the water.

Not only does taking a shower/bath like this save gas, it also saves water. Unfortunately it isn't very comfortable and it feels like it takes 5 times as long as taking a normal shower.

But at least I am clean and I have clean hair!!! :o)

I better get back to scraping the cracked paint chunks off the walls!!! We will be painting soon!!! The paint is in the living room and I have been resisting opening it and painting just one streak on the wall so I can look at the color for 2days!!!!

Cooking with nothing... Recipe

2010-09-13T16:15:00.001-04:00

At the moment, Ro and I are broke, mostly because I don't have a job and because we just moved into our own place and had to buy a lot more things that we realized. But, we are making plans to get out of this hole in the near future. For now, we have the bare essentials for groceries and have been eating noodles everyday that we have to cook here since we go to his grandma's house on Saturdays and the other on Sundays for lunch. Well, today I am not in the mood for noodles! I am sick of noodles! So, I dug out everything we have for food and realized it was pathetic and that we can probably unplug to fridge to save energy. So, here is a new recipe I just invented and am waiting for it to be cool enough to taste it.

Mystery Monday Meal

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 chicken broth cube
1 packet of baked chicken seasoning that came free when we bought mashed potatoes one time....
the last cup of milk
the last of the rice, approx 1 1/2 cups
2 in by 1 in chunk of cheese
Aluminum foil
Neosporin burn cream
Hot pad or cheap dish towel, preferably hot pad....

Mix chicken broth cube, seasoning packet, and warm water together.
Add rice and milk.
Pour into baking dish.
Cut or tear cheese into small pieces place on top of everything.
Put in oven, be careful not to burn your finger hairs off when lighting oven, it smells bad.
Realize that you probably should have covered dish with aluminum foil, pull out dish, be careful not to burn your finger, if you have a hotpad this won't be a problem, if you are using a towel bought from the kid that stands between McDonalds and Lider asking for money and selling towels, be careful because they are very thin and the printed pattern on them melts.
Put back in oven bake for 30 min and check on it. Poke with a spoon, if the rice is done, pull it out, if not leave in oven til the rice is done.

Hopefully enjoy......but if its gross, sorry.

Never, ever, ever!!!

2010-09-10T17:48:00.000-04:00

*Its quite possible that culture shock may be getting to me again...so,
*If you don't want to read bitching then go away and read some other blog about someone that is overjoyed with their perfect life!

I hate being a housewife and I see no reason ever that I would ever need to do this again!! I hate cleaning by myself, I hate cooking by myself, I hate making the bed by myself! But more than anything, I hate the feeling that I have when my husband is working and comes home tired. I hate the feeling that I need to be the one that cleans and takes care of everything just because he is working. And I really really hate the fact that he takes complete advantage of the fact that I am not working! So, for that reason, I am going back to job hunting and have a fresh handful of CVs printed out. In the mean time, I have cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, living room, and backyard. I have washed all of the clothes that need to be washed. I have organized my dresser and closet and realized that I own very very little clothing. Sigh. But I do have a nice collection of shoes, though none of them are anything really amazing.

Now that everything of mine is unpacked, my hiking backpack that I just bought keeps looking at me. My mind is wandering and I know this feeling. The feeling of wanting something different, the need to pick up and go somewhere. That damn travel bug has been pestering me.? Well, I guess a mini-vacation is going to have to be planned. I don't care if we go for a weekend to cajon de maipu as long as we get out of this damn city! I can't even go to sleep at night without laying in bed thinking about what the hell is going on in the street. I swear 500 cats live on this street and for some reason I think our backyard is the headquarters of the cat's nightly mayhem!! First it starts out with cat fights under Ro's taxi that usually ends in a pile of cat shit and piss that I have to clean up the next day so my "special" dog doesn't eat it or drag chunks of it into my house. Then they proceed to the backyard, if they make it past the fight. It must be some kind of entry fight.... the backyard is filled with the whores and the night goes on with the horrible screeching that comes from cats procreating, if you have never heard it, LUCKY YOU! I lay in bed and try to think of horrible ways to get the damn cats to go away. I want to set a trap and catch them and bring them to the vet and get them all fixed and release them into the wild, and I mean like halfway from here to the beach not in this city.

On another note, I have been doing other things to keep myself busy in this crappy housewife situation. Today I am making bread. At this very moment the dough is "resting" ...I guess from all the hard work that it has done today. Within the next 2 hours I will be munching on warm bread with melted butter oozing out of it! I have also decided to get back into crocheting and finish the blanket I started a hundred years or so ago. It was so long ago, I don't even remember what more I need to do before I put it all together. I have also been considering crocheting some kind of net like bag to stuff our grocery bags in. We do have a few of the reusable ones, but we use the plastic ones in the garbages instead of buying garbage bags, so sometimes I don't like using the reusable ones. And right now, they are taking up way too much space in one of our 3 cupboards, so they need a new home. Okay I better get shit done.

Moved... belated post!!!

2010-09-03T14:29:00.001-04:00

We MOVED!!!! Finally! Well, actually we moved a week ago, I just have been too busy to put up a post! I have been busy because it was a three family move. Ro's parents and sister moved out of the house we were all sharing so we had to help them move, then Ro and I moved out of that house into this one. Before we even got settled in this house (not quite there yet!) we had to help Ro's aunt, uncle, gramma, and two cousins move into the house we were just living in. Yeap, lots of moving, lots of helping. Although most of my helping was to watch over the little 18 month old cousin. So here we are! In our nice 2 bedroom house. We have the downstairs organized and the only thing left to do down there is hook up the washer and for some reason that has been causing problems... something about the faucets that are supposed to hook up to the washer not being the right kind. I say just change the damn faucets, but everyone says why change them if you can find the attachment parts... somewhere. Well, we haven't found that somewhere yet. So, no washer and a mountain of dirty clothes. Our house looks a bit pathetic right now. We don't even have a couch. We have a "pouf" as Ro calls it, just your average bean bag chair and we also have this foam thing that Ro sits on... it can be folded out into a bed. I am pretty sure it is some kind of common child's room accessory. So, our first big purchase for this place will most definitely be to buy a living room set. We have a beautiful old table and chairs set. I love it and I am so glad we found such a great deal, 70,000 chp for the table and six chairs! We are very grateful of the gifts that family has given us for our new place. His grandma bought us a washing machine and it came with a free microwave. We also received a medicine cabinet type thing and a little "balon de gas" from his aunt and uncle. My parents bought us, well me, a kitchen in a box set for my birthday so we have everything basic that we need for the kitchen. His parents gave us their old fridge and stove and his dad is going to buy the paint for painting the downstairs. It is going to be so nice once everything is finished. The upstairs of our little house is still a mess. Our room is pretty big and we have our dresser and bed organized and set up. We have two closets, neither of them in our room, but one is going to be for me and the other for Ro. The closet in the extra room also has a big storage space above it, so Ro will have that place to put all the crap I told him I didn't want in our house. Like his bag full of random cables for charging things, old phones, old phone lines, old cable boxes, crap that I would have thrown directly in the trash because it just takes up space. He also insisted on bringing a broken keyboard, not a computer one the musical kind. It is missing 17 keys and doesn't work. Why he needs something like that, I have no idea, but he insists that he can get it to work...not that that will matter because of all the keys missing. After moving I realized just how must stuff we have. I am trying to get the clothes organized because we have all of our summer clothes packed into our suitcases. Sigh... we have way too many suitcases. Hopefully I can get everything put away in the closets and we put the smaller suitcases inside each other and store them under our bed. It will take some time, but eventually our little house will be a home. : )

*If anyone knows a good place to buy material for a good deal, please let me know! The back door needs a curtain ASAP walking past it to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night creeps me out!!

Oh YES I am Blonde!

2010-08-26T15:07:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night, we were at our new place scrubbing and cleaning. Well, when I say "we" I mostly mean that I was. Ro was more worried about trying to break a lock off the back door and drinking beer with his friend.
*Note to self, do not let husband invite friends over when the goal is to get things done!
Anyways, Ro and his friend decide that they want to try to see if the car fits in the little parking spot. Well, I was pulled away from my scrubbing and scrubbing to stand by the front door to make sure he didn't back up too much. So, stupid little me takes Zoe and puts her in the house and shuts the door. Instantly my brain tells me to try to open the door. "SHIT!" Yeap, definitely locked us out of a house that is not quite ours yet, and the only key that exists to open the door is hanging on a hook on the stair case. Did I mention that it was 1am?? Well, if I didn't, there we stand, locked out of the house, my dog locked in, in the middle of the night. Good thing I opened the windows to air the place out. Unfortunately, this is Santiago, Chile, pretty sure there isn't a single house in the city that doesn't have bars over the lower level windows. If we were in Minnesota, I would have had Ro shove my ass through the window, here, we have to stand outside the window and look at the creepy doll key chain and the only keys for the house hanging there 15 feet in front of us. Good thing that Ro's friend lives right across the street. So, he went and searched his house for something long that we could use to try to fish for the keys with. While he's gone, I get Zoe to jump just high enough that I can grab her sweater and pull her through the window. Ro's friend comes back with a long wooden stick, its nice and light so not to difficult to hold steady. But, of course, its too short, so we have to use masking tape to stick on the only other thing that would add length, a metal rod. Heavy, yes, but for it worked. Ro and his friend held the wobbling stick and we all stood there like morons trying to get the stick to catch the key chain and pull it back. Ro knocked it off the hook and thank goodness it fell straight down and didn't take any detours while it fell. It landed in the perfect position the doll and keys landed at an angle so that the chain that connected the doll and keys gave a good spot to pick the keys up with the stick. Ro got the keys on the first try. It only took a few minutes to get the keys and get back in the house. Yay!! : ) Now, Ro and his friend have something great to show how dumb I am.... sigh.

Four Leaf Clover

2010-08-23T20:53:00.000-04:00

I found a four leaf clover in the front yard, after that I got a hit on a possible job, after that I found out that : D we are moving on Friday and after that I decided that I was going to win the lottery! Sigh... I think I used up all my luck from that pretty little four leaf clover, we didn't win the big prize, but we won 3,660 pesos. Hahaha! Something is better than nothing. Today, I had a kind of job interview and now I have to wait to be called to set up another final interview. Now I am waiting for Ro to get home from work because we are going to Lider to buy a car full of cleaning supplies and going to spend some quality time in our new place scrubbing it until it shines. I wanted to go while Ro was at work, but we don't have the key and the person that has the key isn't home. So, Ro told me to stay here and relax, read a book, watch movies, and plan how I want to decorate the new place. HA! Me decorate??? HA! Besides the fact that I only know what colors I like together, we really don't have anything to decorate with. He told me to think about which way I want to put the table in the dining area and which way I want the bed and everything in the bedroom. Problem. I have only been in the house one time, and really how am I supposed to know what is going to look good if I don't go there and just try it out then move it if it doesn't look good??

And that's really all I have to blog about today. What a boring life I live! Well, unless you want to hear about the spider nest that we found behind a bookshelf that was not only full of dead spiders, I'm guessing the victims of the 2 owners. Bleh! Arana rincons give me the creeeeeeeps!! Ro stepped on them, but I doused them with plenty of Raid...every few hours. Yuck!

In which we end up staying at Ro's uncle's house til 4am.

2010-08-22T13:58:00.000-04:00

Of course the supply of wine had a lot to do with it : ) Nothing like a yummy glass...or 2 or 3 or 6 of Chilean wine. Yesterday was Ro's cousin's birthday party and we went for the usual family before the friends event. But it wasn't the usual. Ro was working so I wandered there all by myself and hung out for a few hours with everyone before Ro arrived at 10:30pm. By then the rest of the family except the grandparents were still there because they were staying overnight. Of course it was the usual me sitting there trying to understand the conversation and just replying yes or no when asked a question. Then Ro's parents and sister left. Ro's uncle turned to me and said "ok, now we can talk right??" Um... a little awkward. His family seems to know that Ema never talks to me and never lets me speak for myself because she thinks I don't understand anything in Spanish and can't say anything in Spanish other than si and no. Of course my pale face turned red. I didn't realize that they all knew and mostly because Ro works with his uncle and I guess word gets around. So, after a few more glasses of wine we talked and talked and talked. Ro showed up and had some birthday cake and pizza and some wine of course. And we talked and talked and talked all night! We talked about getting moved into our new house. We talked about the bones of humans that were recently found and dated back like a bazillion years. We talked about earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. About college and wanting to study. Of course the usual topic of when we will be adding a bundle of poop and giggles to the family came up. Where are we going to move. What we would do if we won the lottery. We talked about how Ro is interested in learning more and more languages and how I would like to study to be an herbalist. We talked about how the earth is heating up and how in 15,000 years there is going to be another ice age. And on and on and on. Sometimes it was hard to understand how the conversations switched. Pretty soon it was 3am and time to tell the boys at the party they had to go home. Of course they didn't really leave til almost 4. By the end of the night Ro's aunt, grandma and his aunt's mom were the only ones still awake in the house and of course the girls. By the time we finally got home the sky was starting to get that morning glow and I was exhausted. I fell asleep and didn't wake for anything! I guess Ro's dad woke him up at 8am to help move stuff from the house into the car because : D they are moving out today!!! Last night was the last night of living with them!!! So, its 2:00 and I'm ready for a nap!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend!!!

And they MOVE OUT before WE do!!!!

2010-08-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

Rodrigo's family is moving out!!! They have decided to rent another house closer to Ro's mom's mom's house. (Aka. Mami) Since MIL goes to Mami's house every single day, and Tito (FIL) has to drive her there almost everyday as well as drive SIL to college he finally decided they would move closer to save on gas. Mami is getting older and as happens in old people (old people no offense) things start to fall apart. So, for the next year or so, they are living in a house closer to Mami's. Like 2 blocks away. They wanted us to live there too because there is an "apartment" built in the back of the house. Well, the apartment really is just another kitchen and a 2nd bathroom, there isn't really anything that makes it our own space. We would still have to "share" mmm I think that is the wrong word... the backyard and washing machine. But, we said no. I guess they just don't understand that we want something that is OURS and to be able to live how we want without being watched and have our every move criticized. Anyways, they are moving out!! : ) They started moving yesterday and the living room is very very empty. They moved their table and chair set and brought back the set that was in the house they are renting. Ro and I are going to buy it! And its beautiful! Its older so it was built very well and its in really good condition with new fabric on the seats of the chairs. I think its too big for us... we don't really need 6 spaces. But, its only 70,000 pesos and I think its pretty! : ) So, broke Ro and I, and really I mean broke broke! Are going to be living here in this house by ourselves for a few weeks. And hopefully for only a few weeks, until we can move into our little house a few blocks away. Ro's other gramma, Gueli is going to move into this house with Tia S and Tio JC and their 2 kids. So, we are caught in the middle and I have to say I am a little bit scared. If we don't get the money to rent the other house, we are going to be left with no other option but to move into the "apartment" of the house Ro's dad is renting.

On a less stressful note, I sent my CV out to a possible workplace, and now I am waiting for info about the interview before I start working. As always the name of the workplace will not appear here, but I don't see anything wrong with telling you all that the possible job is teaching English. And I won't leave it out... to children! I have the possibility to teach 6 to 11 year olds, or 12 to 16. I have no idea what to do!! I do love children and babies, but my experience with Chilean children is a bit different. My experience with Chilean children consists of playing with Kote, Ro's 1 year old cousin. Pretty much she walks around talking and babbling in baby Spanish which is really hard for me to understand until she drops something or gets her coche (stroller) stuck in a corner and says, "chucha" (fuck) then I laugh. Or she picks up the smallest piece of lint, fuzz, paper, or whatever off the ground and hands it to me. My only other experience is holding Ro's other cousin who is 3 months old, oh and I fed him a bottle one time when he was just a week old and burped him the wrong way. I don't know what the wrong way is so I can't really explain that to you. ANYWAYS, I never know about the jobs I get when here until I try them out. So I guess I should just wait for the email about the interview and make sure they don't blow me off because I am too young, don't have a TEFL (or whatever) or don't have any kind of degree. But at least I am going to try!!

Its Warmer Outside....

2010-08-14T14:35:00.000-04:00

This house is cold. Uncomfortably cold. Outside in the sun its very nice and even feels warm enough to only wear one sweater. In the house, I wear a tee shirt, a button up sweater or long undies shirt, and then a thick warm sweater over the top. Yesterday I opened the front door and front windows to try to let some heat into the house. And since I was home alone I thought I could do whatever I wanted. But, it is not like that. Apparently it is weird to sit in the sun and let the sun into you house around these parts. Everyone that walked by saw the door open and the windows and looked at me like I am crazy. If people know I'm a gringa, usually they give me that "crazy gringa doesn't know what's right and wrong" look, but a few people in this neighborhood just think I'm some weirdo that sits outside on a bench in the sun... doing nothing at all with the little dogs laying on the sidewalk enjoying the warmth... and of course the front door wide open. Well, MIL came home and about threw a fit. Apparently its not ok to have the door and windows open.... and to let her precious little fucker of a dog outside. She quickly scooped him up, shut the door and brought him in to give him a bath. I guess being outside makes a dog dirty??? While Zoe and I relaxed and enjoyed the sun. Of course I could hear her calling Tito (FIL) and telling him what craziness I had been up to. Of course Tito just laughs and that almost always makes her even more mad. Anyways. Today I am planning on going outside and reading in the sun. :) I can't get my nose out of my book!! If anyone is looking for a good read... well, 7 good reads I HIGHLY suggest the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon! And since she must not trust me to care for her bratty dog, I can leave the front door open and let Zoe run about as she pleases. :) She usually doesn't do any running here, but napping in the sun is a hobby of hers.

Nothing much else is new around here. I think we are going to the feria tomorrow and buying a bunch of cleaning supplies. :) I don't think I have ever been so excited to clean in my life. There will be pictures of the cleaning!!! After the feria we have a birthday party for Guelli, Ro's gramma, and that should be fun because I haven't seen everyone yet since I have been back and they will all be there! It will also be fun because Ro's uncle J.C. bought the other uncle C. a bus ticket to Santiago so he could be with his mom on her birthday. We haven't seen C. in a long time because last year he moved to Puerto Montt... or maybe a small city close to that?? Not really sure. Anywho.. off to enjoy my book and the SUN!!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

I'm Back!!! :D Finallllly!!!

2010-08-12T15:22:00.000-04:00

So, after my not so terrible because I got to see family that I never see delay in Atlanta, and the other delay that made our flight 2 hours late and from one gate to the next the last hour we were waiting, I am in Chile. Well, I have been in Chile since Tuesday morning, but after all that fun, I was completely beat! I was nodding off on the car ride home which is very very strange because my husband is a taxi driver and drives like a bat flying out of hell. Usually it takes me weeks to get used to the hustle and bustle of Santiago drivers, but I was past the point of caring. It wasn't a bad flight at all. I spent like 4 hours with a nice little family in the airport. They had been in the US since before the earthquake! There was 4 of them, a mom and her three kids. They all spoke English and Spanish. So it wasn't boring at all waiting for my flight out! The flight was good, I had a window seat and even though I sat next to a smelly man, I was just happy to be on my way to Ro!!! I gave Zoe her medicine and she passed out almost instantly. I however did not. I maybe slept 4 hours total on the flight. The one good nap I got in I was abruptly woken to very rough air and lightening outside my window. I only panicked for 10 seconds.... maybe 30 hahaha. I just closed the window and went back to sleep. Well, tried to. When we were getting closer I was getting nervous about Zoe and all the requirements and paper work. I looked it all over and then again and again. I had to sit at the SAG desk for a bit and the lady looked at my papers and in Spanglish told me that since I had a health certificate, Zoe didn't have to be quarantined through them, she just has to stay in our house for 21 days. I of course won't be following that because : D Ro and I will be moving before that!! So, she's coming with us!!! Before I get too excited about that, I have to tell you all that I slept for 8 hours Tuesday, then went to bed at 9pm with Ro! He's so freaking warm if he wasnt in my bed I think I would freeze to death overnight! Ro went to work yesterday morning while I was supposed to be packing except I didn't even wake up til 11am! Yeah. I think I am caught up on sleep now! After work Ro picked me up and we went to..... ~~hell~~ I mean the extranjeria. It was beyond packed, in fact I have never seen it that packed before. There wasn't a seat open, there wasn't even room to walk to a spot where we could see the number counting thingy. It was at 73 when we got there and my number was 143. We got there at 1 and stayed there til 4.... fun fun. I was very worried abotu going there because the paper that I had the temporary one that you get when you have to wait for that other paper telling you to go to the extranjeria was expired and I never received the other one before I left for the US. So I was thinking that I would have to start all the crap over again. But our number was up we went up there and he printed it off and stamp, I now have a temporary visa!! After that we went to the mall for lunch. I love that Ro gets the exact same sub at Subway as me. We can just get a footlong and they even put half pickles and half cucumbers for us. Ro also puts ketchup on his half and I put avacado on mine. Ketchup on a sub : P what a wierdo!! After that we went to see the house!! And its UGLY!! But, after seeing it in person versus photos and ipod taken videos, I can definitely make it 50 times better. It really just needs paint, cleaning, new curtains, and some area rugs.... lots of area rugs. But after that it won't be so bad. I think the blue tub, sink and toilet might even grow on me after a bit. The only serious problem I see is that it smells horrible! If anyone knows how to get the smell of cat piss out of a house please let me in on it! I will try anything it smells soo bad. I was thinking of just pouring baking soda everywhere to try to soak up the stink. I think a few days of that might help. And all my excessive cleaning with bleach might help the stink too. On a side note, MIL thinks the house is perfectly clean. And thinks I am crazy for wanting to clean the walls and floors. Especially the walls. She thinks I should just paint over the dirt and dust. I can't wait til next Monday because we are going to the feria on Sunday to get a bunch of cleaning supplies and Monday I get to start cleaning. At least I will have something to do while Ro is working. We are going to the international police next Wednesday in the morning to do whatever it is I have to do there... I really don't even remember and then I think to the registro civil to do that ID paperwork?? I really don't know.... hahaha. If all goes well, we will be moving our stuff into the house, and the 31st will be our first night in our own home!!! I am planning a delicious meal for our anniversary since we both would rather spend it in the new house cooking together than going out to eat somewhere. Anyways off to being bored.... I am proud to say that I am 100% unpacked from my trip, this has to be a new record for me... usually it takes me a week... sometimes 2!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Am I in Chile?? No I am not.

2010-08-08T11:54:00.000-04:00

I am not in Chile yet, but I will write about my flying day from hell brought to me not even exclusively by Delta. You see, yesterday I was not the only one. So, I will write now, just in case TOMORROW when I fly out of ATLANTA, yes, I am in Atlanta, Georgia, in case tomorrow I experience even more "fun" than I did yesterday.

To start off with, I said goodbye we drove to Minneapolis thinking we were going to get stuck in tons of road work. Hit none and thought it was my lucky day. Um FAIL. I was flying standby with a Delta Buddy pass and I was supposed to fly on the 4:00pm flight out of MSP to ATL. Key word may very well be supposed to, but just wait for it! To begin, the 4:00 flight was delayed 30 minutes because the plane that was supposed to come in hadn't arrived yet. So, Zoe, the dog, and I are sitting by gate F 12 waiting for them to call standby passengers. We didn't make the list for that flight and were shooed off to gate F 10 for the 5:10 flight. Well, that one was also delayed because they were waiting for some other plane to come in and land. We waited and waited and then they called my name! I had never been so happy in my life because I HAD to make that flight in order to make it to the flight out of Atlanta to Chile. So we get on the plane, stow away my backpack get Zoe and her travel carrier tucked under the seat in front of me. The door closes, they tell us to turn off all electronic devices, the engine turns on and..... then turns off they open the door and a man comes aboard and pulls every single standby passenger off. 37 people... including me. Why? Well, because the 4pm flight was having problems. It was broken and so they were putting all the priority people onto the plane in our places. Sigh. We get off the plane go over to the other gate again and wait. I also called my mom bawling because I was sure I wouldn't make it to Chile and had NO way to get in contact with Ro. She sent him a message. Well, as soon as we all got to the gate for the 4:00 flight, they tell us that they already fixed the plane and were boarded and ready to go. So, the plane that I got off now had people that were supposed to be on the other one and they were all shuffled up and then they were trying to send off the 4:00 plane with empty seats. Well, luckily, I got on that flight. We took off at 6:30. Yeah.... almost on time right? No. Well, I made it to Atlanta, ran with my 40 pound backpack and dog carrier in tow to the gate where the 10pm flight to Chile was boarding. Well, there were people being taken off that flight voluntarily and given $600 and hotel and food for the weekend so I knew it was bad. Obviously I didn't get on that flight. So, I called my mom with the last of my quarters and she called my uncle in Florida for the number of my cousin in Atlanta's phone number. I then called again to see if she was going to be able to help me out. :) Thank goodness she did! This part of my mom's family I hardly ever see. I am pretty sure I have seen my cousin like 2 times in my life. But, she picked me up and here I am until tomorrow when I am almost guaranteed a seat because the flight has 75 empty seats. So, thank you Emily, over at Don't Call Me Gringa if I wouldn't have read her post and packed extra underwear in my carry on, I might have had problems!!! :D I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'll put an update as soon as I get settled in Santiago!!!

I Do, I Do, I Do Believe in Spooks!

2010-08-05T23:57:00.000-04:00

So, out I went on the four wheeler with my brother to the hill that has a good view of the Northern sky. We thought we would be able to see the Northern Lights because we heard somewhere that it might be possible to see them here in MN tonight. Fail. To get to the north hill, we have to drive down through the woods and back up into the field. To the left of the woods is an old cemetery, to the right in the woods is a swamp. I closed my eyes the whole way through the woods, thank goodness I wasn't the one driving or I might have had a panic attack. Yes, I am afraid of the dark. But, I was watching the History Channel, oh I love the History Channel I wish we had it in Chile, anywho... they have a show called, Afraid of the Dark and that show says that it is human instinct to be afraid of the dark. So there!! Anyways, we weren't able to see the Northern Lights so we came back and I practically ran to the house. Now I'm here safe and sound in the light making rainbow cupcakes because I have nothing better to do. :o) It smells amazing in here and I can't wait to put chocolate frosting on them. Evalie is coming over tomorrow and I bet she's gonna love the cupcakes :o) <3 her!

Bananas, Goodbyes, and Youtube Teaches Me to Pack.

2010-08-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

My niece stayed with us for the weekend. This is birth control at its worst and best. The screaming, crying, and tornado effect following her around seem to be doing a good job at curbing my baby fever. But, the hugs, smiles, silly faces, singing, dancing, and talking seriously spikes the fever. Evalie is such a doll and such a little monster. She doesn't sit still for 2 minutes, even in her sleep she wiggles.

Yesterday we went of a tour of goodbyes. First to the nursing home to say goodbye to my grandma Berger and then out to the farm to say goodbye to my grandma and grandpa Kasella. So, it was a rough afternoon. I didn't take any pictures at the Kasella's. A year and half is a long time to be away.

On another note, I have learned some packing tips from Youtube, and I honestly think I'm doing good. I have one bag packed with most of my clothes and all the stuff that has to go in my check bags. I am still kind of confused about the flying with a pet thing, so I will have to call Delta because to me that seems ridiculous that I have to pay 200 bucks for my dog to fly and that I don't get to bring a carry on bag. Anywho, back to washing my clothes and packing everything I won't need til I leave on Saturday.

Little Trip to Duluth, MN!!

2010-07-30T13:31:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday my aunt asked me if I wanted to ride with her to Duluth, which is about a 3 hour drive, so she could drop of her daughter who was going to be staying with another aunt for a few days. So, after my brother got off work on Tuesday he drove me to my aunt's house. While we were driving, just out of Royalton, we noticed that there was definitely a storm going through. It looked like the worst of it was already passed, but damn was it dark! We got to my aunt's house and the sky was just sick looking. I got out of the car and he said he was gettin the hell out of there. So he booked it for home. Well, I walked into the house and my uncle asked me why car didn't come in, he can't be driving through a tornado warning!! Well, we were in the car, so we couldn't hear the sirens going off. He didn't make it home, he had to stop at my other aunt's (I have a lot of them...16 to be exact) house and take cover. We weren't going to be able to get on the road anytime soon. The satellite picture we saw on the inet showed that the storm covered the entire way to Duluth. It was a huge storm, it reached nearly from Sioux Falls, South Dakota up to Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. It was a big long diagonal line of reds and oranges and yellows. So, we waited out the storm, listened to the radio news. And finally the storm moved east and we were able to get on the road. So we got up to Duluth when it was dark out and drove over the hill into the city full of lights. It was very pretty. We pretty much went right to bed when we got up there. We woke up, went out for breakfast and then went down to the lake to enjoy a few hours before heading back home. I did bring my mom's camera so I have a few pictures. It was a nice day and I spent my time sitting in the rocks looking for beach glass, agates, and other treasures. It was nice to bake in the sun and I'm not too sad that I didn't go in the water, because it was freeeeezing! I got a nice collection of beach glass and now i just need to find a small clear jar so I can put it all in there and bring it to Chile, it can be a decoration. Maybe I will start to look for beach glass in Chile. It is actually kind of fun. Alright here are the pics :o)

Typical pic of the lift bridge.

yeah....

Another of the bridge, but farther down the shore.

If you look closely there's a boy/man on that big cement...thing. He was doing back flips off it.

Playing with the beach pebbles. :)

Me and the scenery.

Blood.

2010-07-27T01:02:00.000-04:00

I have received postcards from the American Red Cross telling me about blood drive dates ever since the first time I tried to give blood when I was 17 years old. Key word there was tried. The first time I was able to give blood was my senior year and we had a blood drive right inside my high school. We could get out of class to go to the gym and give blood. It was kind of a big deal if you went to give blood, then you could show off your I GAVE BLOOD! sticker, had a reason to be lazy during class and a good excuse to say you were "sick" and needed to go take a nap in the nurses office. Well, the blood drive just so happened to fall during the swim season. My senior year I was the captain of the swim team at my high school and we were training for the Sections swim meet, but our coach gave us permission to give blood since it wasn't a meet day. So, I skipped class to go and give my blood so I could be cool. Well, unfortunately I didn't have high enough hemoglobin (iron) in my blood to donate. So I didn't. But, a few months later there was another blood drive in Holdingford and my BFF Madge went to the American Legion to give blood. That time, her iron was too low, but I was able to give blood. So I did. It took a whopping 4 minutes to take out whatever amount it is that they take out at a time. I guess my blood was happy to be on its way somewhere to save someone's life. I do remember when the nurse handed me my arm and told me to keep pressure on it while she went to check on the person in the bed next to me. She came back and was going to put the bandaid on and I was ready to go. Well, she pulled off the little gauze pad she gave me and apparently my blood didn't clot like she thought it would. It was grossest and coolest thing I have ever seen. My blood spurted up out of my arm like almost an inch. Hahaha at the time I just laughed at the nurses face, she strapped my arm up with some wrap thing to put pressure on it and off I went to the table for some juice and cookies. 10 minutes later I was across the street at the cafe getting ready for my shift at work. It was all good. Last July, when Rodrigo was up here with me, we both decided to give blood together. It took forever and ever but Ro was able to give blood here and is now registered with the American Red Cross. He has O- blood. I have O+ we are the same, but different :) Anyways. That day giving blood didn't quite go the way it did for me 3 years earlier. This time they said I could sit up because only the rookies needed to lay down. HA! About 3 minutes into it, I passed the fuck out! Within 10 seconds I would say I felt light headed and then bam! The next thing I remember is looking up into like 5 faces all saying my name over and over again and telling me to keep my eyes open for them over and over again. It probably took 5 minutes to get me out off lala land and then came the lady with a paper bag. She then shoved the bag over my face and pinched it to my nose. I swear she almost squeezed my nose ring right through and out the other side!! OUCH! That woke me up a little bit. So, there I was during the busiest time of the blood drive... in front of people I knew breathing in and out of a paper bag... and I would have to say I was struggling with that task. I felt like such a moron. Of course Ro hadn't even started yet because they were taking forever doing the paperwork, but he told me he stood up and peeked over the wall, the nurses wouldn't let him over by me because they were scared he would panic or something. In November when the Red Cross called to tell me of the upcoming blood drive at the high school, I didn't go. For one, I was scared of passing out and second I was working overnights and my job was a bit more heavy lifting then working at a cafe. So this year when they called, I said yes. Why? Because passing out didn't really do any damage to me after getting over the embarrassment nothing was physically wrong with me. So, today my mom and I went to give blood. I told the guy that I for sure wanted to lay down while giving blood because I passed out the last time. So, there I was laying there talking to the guy about my life, Chile, airports, my life... Pretty soon 4 minutes had gone by and I could tell I was almost done and he went about doing whatever it does when the bag is full. I think they take like 2 or 3 little vials of blood not sure what for but whatever. I was almost done and then I felt it. I could feel my face turning white I told the guy I felt a little light headed, he looked at me then shouted, "We have a rebreather here." Whatever that means... off I went to lala land and woke up again to 5 people standing over me telling me to open my eyes. There was a huge fan blowing cold air on me, an ice pack under my neck, and a cold wet towel on my head. And I didn't even care. At least this time the guy holding the brown paper bag was cute, and didn't squeeze my nose. It took a bit longer to get out of lala land, but I was finally up and walking over for some juice and caramel rolls. Oh I wish it ended there. I sat down was munching my caramel roll and was on my second cup of water after the cup of juice and I felt it again. Ushered back to a bed, I almost passed out AGAIN!! And I can't figure it out. I ate before I went, I drank water right before the 2 minute drive to the Legion, and I passed out anyways. The sight of blood does not bother me and the needle going into my arm does not bother me, so I think no matter what I do, I will probably pass out the next time I give blood. Maybe my body just doesn't like losing 450mL of blood in less than 5 minutes. I will continue to give blood even though I know I will probably pass out every time. And Ro will probably make fun of me every time too. He sent me a message saying you passed out twice this year?? You nerd. I wrote back, I didn't pass out twice I passed out 1 and a half times : P Well, off to bed because I think I'm going to Duluth tomorrow :o) Nighty night!!

2 weeks and the stats of us.

2010-07-25T16:21:00.000-04:00

I will be back in my husband's arms with my dog Zoe in tow in exactly 2 weeks. Nothing stresses me out like flying with my dog, but at least this time the vet gave me some sleeping pills. For the dog of course, although I wouldn't mind some myself! I bought her a new bag to fly in because she chewed the last one to shit. I don't blame her though, she was only a puppy when I brought her here. I am happy to say that she does like the new one. Not a very good pic because I took it with my cellphone, but you can see that she is all snuggled up inside sleeping. :o)

I have decided to write down the stats of Ro and I because I finally see how ridiculous it is how much time we have spent apart especially during our marriage! But, the end of that is near, I hope. I am planning on trying not to visit the US for so long without Ro anymore...

January 8th 2007, I met Rodrigo.
January 21st, 2007, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes!
March 28th, 2007, he left Montana and went back to Chile. I said goodbye to him at the airport not knowing if I would ever see him again.
July 10th, 2007, I landed in Santiago Chile, planning on staying for 3 months. At the time we didn't know I could jump the border to renew the 90 day tourist visa.
October 7th, I flew back to Minnesota to work and help Ro get a tourist visa to come to the US. He didn't get it. His dad bought me a plane ticket back to Chile.
January 15th, 2008, I landed back in Santiago, not knowing how long I was going to stay in Chile.
July 17th, 2008, I went back to the US, but only for a couple weeks. My shortest trip to Minnesota.
August 29th, I landed back in Chile and then, we were engaged!
September 2nd, 2008, Ro and I were married at the registro civil in Pudahuel, Santiago, Chile.
December 18th, 2008, I came back to Minnesota to celebrate the holidays with my family. Rodrigo and I have never spent Christmas or New Years together. And you know what? That's sad!
January 13th, 2009, I went back to Santiago.
June 1st, 2009, Rodrigo and I went to Minnesota together! He met my family for the first time!
September 22nd, 2009, Rodrigo left me in Minnesota to work, while he went back to Chile to work. This was our longest time apart since we have been together.
January 21st, 2010, I landed back in Santiago Chile and started all the paperwork to get my work visa so we would have 2 incomes to support us instead of just one. I sent out the paperwork 2 weeks later.
February 27th, 2010, we all know what happened. The ground shook and gave the immigration office a good excuse to lose my paperwork. I received my temporary visa 3 weeks before I was headin back up here for my uncle's wedding and my cousin's wedding this summer.
June 3rd, 2010, I left Santiago, again without my husband. I have been here ever since, I was supposed to fly back July 19th, but I had to change my ticket because Zoe's rabies shot wasn't "aged" enough inside her or whatever it does that after a month its ok to bring her.
August 8th, 2010, I will land back in Chile. I have a no date return ticket to MN, that will be used only in case of emergency.
Rodrigo and I have been together for 3 and a half years. We have been APART 60 weeks or those 3 and a half years. That means we have spent over a year apart! A WHOLE YEAR :( So, that's the end of that. I am moving to Santiago, Santiago is going to be "home" for me.

Hopefully UGLY can be fixed with a fresh coat of paint!!

2010-07-24T01:29:00.000-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that I will have somewhere other than MIL's house to live in when I get back to Chile, but yes, our house is UGLY. There just isn't a better way to say it. Thankfully I have faith that even just giving the whole thing some color (at the moment its all white, but dingy dirty dirty walls) and a fresh coat of paint can definitely fix the ugliness! : D I think being sprayed with some bleach and water will help too... its looks kind of moldy, like the kind of mold that used to be in the bathroom above the shower in my apartment in Montana, but it might really just be dust and dirt. So, today I have been busy watching the video of Ro's tour of the house and trying to coordinate wall colors with tile in the living room, with the cabinets in the kitchen, and my favorite... the blue bathroom complete with busted and missing old gray tiles, blue toilet, blue bathtub, and blue sink. I'm not talking sky blue or baby pastel blue, this is a crazy bright blue. The bathroom is going to need to be completely torn out and new tile needs to be put in, but for now that stays the way it is. I am trying to imagine what to paint in there to make it at least look decent. The walls in the bathroom that aren't tile are brick. (Chileans seem to have this weird way of decking out entire bathrooms in tile, at least the bathrooms I have seen.) At the moment the brick is a almost pink almost red color. It reminds me of the color of a red outside bench that sat in the sun and faded after a few sunny summers. I personally don't think that matches blue tub, toilet, and sink, I really don't know what would match that... I was thinking maybe just a shade of gray. OR I could just paint it the exact color of the toilet and then when we put in new tile I can put in blue tile the same color as the toilet, and have an fugly blue bathroom. Hahahaa!! At least it would be MY fugly blue bathroom. Too bad the toilet, tub and sink aren't green, then I would do everything else blue and get a shower curtain with the world on it... yeah my interior design sucks! The flooring in our bedroom is just going to be covered with as big of an area rug as I can find, and the walls I think need to be painted a nice happy color. We currently use a quilt that my grandma gave me for my 21st birthday as our bed cover. Its blue, yellow, black, and white. So I was kind of thinking maybe a cream or light yellow or 7685 white raisin at Sherwin Williams. The other room upstairs is going to just stay how it is I think, maybe we will put a fresh coat of white on it. It'll probably be repainted blue or pink soon enough anyways. The downstairs I don't really know what to do with, everything downstairs besides the bathroom and kitchen has a dark reddish brick looking tile. We don't have any furniture at all, so, I can pretty must just do whatever I guess, but it has to be a lighter color because its a longish skinnyish area. I was thinking either a light sage green color or a tan like 7540 artisan tan at Sherwin Williams. I don't really know if that is a light enough color though... I am just hoping that any kind of fresh paint is better than how it is right now. Maybe I should take a class and learn how to decorate a house. I really do suck at it and its funny because I have been so excited to have my own place to decorate and now that I am getting the chance, I don't know what the flip to do!!! Oh well, at least we will have a home :o) no more waiting for 2 hours to go to the bathroom while SIL is taking a shower, no more waiting til 10pm to use the kitchen to make lunch/supper/food I'm freaking hungry, no more worrying about...making noise... no more! :o) Now I just have a couple weeks more here in MN then Zoe and I are flying back to Ro! I am dreading the goodbyes, I know its going to be really really hard to say goodbye here because I have put it into my mind that I am moving to Chile. Chile will be my home now, whether I like it or not. I also don't know when I will be coming back to Minnesota and I know one goodbye will be a forever goodbye. But, I need my husband, I can't live without him anymore!

You have to read the boring stuff first :P

2010-07-22T02:43:00.000-04:00

So, here I am in Minnesota. I am supposed to be in Chile right now, but I'm not. I am here waiting for Zoe's rabies shot to cure or whatever the heck it needs to do...it takes a month and she got the shot on the 8th of July. Which is why I will not be back in Chile until the 8th of August. Sigh now I am ready to go back. I miss Rodrigo and we never get to talk anymore because he has been working all day everyday. I am glad that work is the reason he can't talk to me because I sure to hate it when he goes out for a weekend and doesn't give me any time. Nothing new here really. I went to a wedding on Saturday and got all tanked and remember ordering a blueberry mammoth muffin at Perkins, I don't however remember paying for it. Oops... then again I was in a huge group of friends so hopefully it got taken care of. I also remember walking around Little Falls with a few friends trying to find a hotel. Fun, fun. Sunday I was supposed to go to a family picnic, but decided that I needed a nap and lots of water and more nap and then the sun went down. I bought some Mountain Dew chapstick and some Molten Chocolate Cake chapstick at Claires for someone. I won't say who... but it wasn't me. I prefer good old cherry chapstic, name brand. I also bought some magnetic earrings for my little brother. The big fake diamond kind. He's going to wear them tomorrow when he comes home from his baseball game and say "We won so we all went out and pierced our ears and see what my dad says. I have been reading a lot lately and have been layin in the sun soakin up some rays and trying to bronzify myself. I have finally passed the point where I won't burn my upper half, but my legs are being stubborn and trying to stick with the pasty white color. I live a boring life. I also have a cold from hell and have been sneezing and coughing since Sunday. Yeah... see how exciting.

So a few more weeks left of this vacation and back to Chile, back to work, back to husband AND :o) back to a HOUSE!!! And no, not my MIL's house!!! Well, off to read a bit before I try to fall asleep. Nighty night!

Yesterday...and today.

2010-07-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went shopping and bought some new flip flops. I also went to a thrift store looking for treasure and found something kind of cool! I found a 1976 commemorative bicentennial 7UP bottle! Its pretty sweet.

Today, is the Morrison County Relay for Life, well, more like tonight is. I decorated a bunch of the luminaries and the ceremony starts at 10pm. It will be at the school in Little Falls. So if anyone is in the area you should come check it out and visit! I am not technically on a team, but I will be there with Ben's Battalion. They will be sporting the gray Relay for Life shirts because gray is the color for brain cancer. I really can't remember if I have blogged about it before, but last summer doctors discovered a 6cm tumor in my grandpa's brain. Doctors at the MAYO clinic performed a surgery to try to remove the tumor. Because of the location, they weren't able to remove all of it. After removing what they could they discovered that it was glioblastoma multiforme. Since then he has been having different treatments to try to shrink it. They have seen it grow and then recently he has been on an experimental chemo and they have seen it shrink. This form of cancer is not curable, only treatable. Ben's Battalion has raised over $3500. So, tonight, we walk for the cure of cancer.

Dreams.

2010-07-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

I haven't been able to sleep very good at all in the last few weeks. I have dreamt and tossed and turned night after night, after night. I miss having my hubby in bed next to me. I am starting to just think that is the only reason I am not sleeping. I am also thinking that its because as much as I am ready to be back in Chile with Ro, I am sooooo not looking forward to it. Ro told me that we aren't going to have an apartment right away when I get back. So, I am once again dreading the fact that I have to live in my in-laws house again.
I have even started having nightmares about it. I dream of being locked in our bedroom and not being able to get out until late at night when Ro gets home from work. Of course I have a right to be scared of being in my room all day because that's how it was this last time before I left Chile. We weren't allowed to use the kitchen until night and someone won't mention names... was always in the bathroom. For hours at a time. ~~She~~ I mean they, would take a shower then who knows wtf they were doing after that.
I have also dreamt a whole lot of crazy. I have dreamt of going to the dentist and somehow finding out that I am pregnant with triplets on top of the fact that I need to get 8 cavities filled. I know the cavity thing is just me fear of the dentist there just trying to get money out of me because I have never had a cavity in my life and honestly if a Chilean dentist tells me that I have one, I will make him let me see the xrays because I know what they look like. The being pregnant with triplets... I don't even know what to say to that... I guess I'm stocking up on condoms and making sure I never run out of bc pills. No babies for this girl!!
I have dreamt that I was on an airplane heading back to Chile and it landed in Bozeman, Montana instead. And instead of getting on a different flight back to Chile, I just went right back to working like I did when I lived there August 2006 to March 2007. Everything I left there just picked right back up and went on as if I never left in the first place. Of course the horrible part in that dream was that Ro never showed up.
I have dreamt of waking up and every thing in our room had icicles hanging from it and our bedroom door was frozen shut!
I have dreamt of being somewhere in the woods with Ro and we were lost there, but we had everything that we needed to live. There was a house there for us, food, everything to survive. The only thing we didn't have there was a way of communicating with the rest of the world. This dream wasn't very much a nightmare it was kind of peaceful and stress free.
I have dreamt of running away with him. I don't know where we were, but I know that his family and my family both had no idea where we were. We owned a gas station somewhere and somehow a cousin of mine showed up there while Ro was working. Ro called me because that person recognized him and he didn't know what to do. When I went to see them I was carrying a baby. Ro and I sold the gas station and ran away again.
Crazy ass dreams... maybe I should just take sleeping pills and hope they can give me a restless dreamless sleep.

Ummmm

2010-07-11T03:17:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that I had to work for Holdingford Daze??? Well, I did. But, we were allowed to drink so it wasn't too bad. And I was paid in cash before the bars... all THREE of them closed!!! I just had to check IDs and take moneys and hand out the little Bud Select wrist bands. I like Bud Select. So here I am back at home eating cold pizza and hanging out with Zoe and writing a post I guess. :D It was a good night. Happy 102nd birthday Holdingford!!! :D

Yeap, I love my hick town!

2010-07-10T01:45:00.000-04:00

Instead of leaving Minnesota July 19th, I am now staying until August 7th. I'm a little bit excited about it because now I will be able to have 2 extra weekends and each include something fun!! So, I am booked on all weekends, but I still have A LOT of weekdays to fill up. Tomorrow is Holdingford Daze (Take me out to the ballgame is the theme this year) here in Holdingford, MN. Yay. I was looking at wiki and I have to put in the stats from the 2000 census just so you realize what kind of town this is. Before that, history! Holdingford is said to be "Lake Wobegon" a fictional town in Garrison Keilor's stories and radio show. SIDE NOTE: Lindsey Lohan starred in A Prairie Home Companion in 2006. So yeah... cool..ish.... Holdingford was said to be the moonshine capital of Minnesota during prohibition. Old bunch of drunks!! :P The moonshine was called "Minnesota 13" and I know there is even a whole book written about it. I have yet to read it... I doubt they have an ebook version of it! HA! I just think its kind of a neat history that the whole community of Holdingford pulled together to break the law!! Any famous people?? Well, I have never heard of them so I'll just leave them out...who wants to read about Kenny "Sodbuster" Benkowski anyways?? Anywho! Back to the census information! Holdingford has a population of 736, it says so on the sign. (So yeah maybe that's why I conflict so much with Santiago city life!) Tthe "racial makeup," 99.1% White, 0.54% Asian, and 0.27% from 2 or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% in the year 2000. So yeah, its white up here! Anyone wanna read a history blog about Holdingford?? Check it out!! There you can find probably anything you need to know about Htown! Okay, that's the end of my knowledge I'm not even sure when Holdingford was settled, but I think it was 1908 maybe... So now that you have an idea of my sweet old hometown, I will tell you the events that will be going on tomorrow during Holdingford Daze. Today of course the festivities started with a car show. I didn't go. Cars don't really turn me on.... There was also a Walk of Hope which I also didn't go to because next weekend I am going to the Relay for Life and that's about my only reason for not going. Tomorrow is the big day though. There will be a sand volley ball tournament, softball tournament, 5K walk/run, baking contest, kiddie parade, regular parade, a cake walk( I dunno what that is...) a pie eating contest, BINGO, a chicken dinner, a polka mass (OH BOY!) a lawnmower tractor pull, a vintage baseball game, square dancing, then of course a street dance and fireworks. Wahoo! Usually we have a greased pig catching contest, but it must have fallen out of the schedule or something. I will of course be going to the parade and working on my tan, I may wander around for awhile and then at 7pm.... I will be standing in the front of one of our THREE bars checking IDs. Oh joy.... but, I get paid 8 bucks an hour and will be making money rather than spending it on booze and I will be in a good location to see the fireworks so why not? So, as I am in a goodish mood tonight and I am kind of thinking about enjoying my extra 2 weeks here. So Happy Birthday Holdingford!! PS Someone in the obituaries from around these parts died a few days ago and she was 108 years old!!! CRIPES! She probably lived that old because she didn't get married and never had any kids! Alright, as my aunt would say, "big gulps huh? Welp see ya later" of course she is quoting Dumb and Dumber...in case you didn't know! :o) Nighty night!!

Looks like I'm staying in MN a little longer

2010-07-07T21:38:00.000-04:00

I have decided to change my plane ticket and stay in Minnesota for 2 extra weeks. I knew it was going to cause problems, I just got it all wrong on the person that would be mad at me. Ro is a little bit sad, but so am I. I miss him. He is my husband, he is mine and I miss seeing him every single day. But, Zoe is going back to Chile with me and if that means waiting 2 weeks then fine. I'll wait so I can take my little muffin with me! Since I have been home I have been putting myself in other people's shoes. I have thought about how living their lives must be. Many times I left the thought feeling extremely jealous, sometimes I could really understand where they were coming from, but some people I don't get it. For the life of me I could put myself in their shoes and as much as I wish I could see what has them so cheesed off about me, I just don't see it. I don't understand the way I am treated here. My family doesn't get me. The connection I thought I had to this place seems to have disappear right before my eyes. Maybe Minnesota, "home," doesn't deserve the halo I put on its head. Every time I come back here I feel awkward at first and this time I haven't lost that feeling. I miss so much of what is going on in other people's lives, I miss trips, get togethers I miss it all. And when I come back I can't laugh at the remember when.... because I was never there so of course I don't remember. Sigh. I think its time for me to give up. Why should I make Rodrigo move here when I don't even feel accepted here? That just doesn't seem fair. But then again, life is not fair. It never has been and probably never will be. Of course I am going to try to enjoy the rest of my time here, but I am not going to lie its going to be hard especially now that I really know how they feel when I come home. Sigh. I didn't think I was thought of as so little....ever.....

Life Support.

2010-07-02T03:10:00.001-04:00

–adjective: of or pertaining to anything that fosters or sustains life ,success, or continued existence, as of a person, thing, ornation.

Currently in Chile, my life support is Rodrigo. And nothing else. I have few friends and even less that I consider "good friends." I do consider being able to talk to my friends and family a form of my life support in Chile, but face to face talking is something completely different.

In Minnesota, my life support mainly is Rodrigo by connection to the internet and text messages, lots of family and lots of really really good friends both the gold kind and the silver ones too!!! But, there are many other things that I use to keep myself happy and willing to wake up every day and want to live, something that I don't have in Chile. I have my peace. I can wake up at 3am (if I wanted to...and I sometimes really do...) and I can go outside. I can look up at the sky and I can sit there in almost complete darkness and I can see the stars and I can hear the earth. I find my peace with the world in the middle of the night. I find my peace in the loneliness and in the darkness. (I really truly hate drive alone and in the dark though!!)

I thought I had a point but after that last glass of Bacardi Limon I don't remember.

Zoe

2010-06-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

Being back with my little dog has been a lot of fun. Although every time I leave she gets mad at me, when I get back I am pretty sure she forgets all about it. I still don't have a camera and it doesn't look like I will have one anytime soon, so no pictures, sorry. But I will tell you about my crazy dog and her little quirks that I just love!!
Zoe hates house flies that, or she really enjoys chasing them. Last night I was reading on my bed and Zoe was sleeping on a pile of clothes in the corner. Then a fly flew into the room. Zoe was awake instantly with her one ear standing up. She watched and watched and waited. When the fly got anywhere near her she snapped at it, chased it and lost it of course. So she sat back down and watched her head twitchin and turning every time the buzz got anywhere close to her. Silly dog. She never did catch the fly. Zoe also hogs my bed. Yes, a tiny 8 pound Yorkshire couldn't possible hog a full size bed, right? Wrong. Zoe is a bed hog! She will cuddle her way into the middle of the bed and then turn so she is taking up the whole middle of the bed. It drives me crazy and I know that I have been getting bad nights of sleep because of this little dog, but I can't seem to kick her off the bed. It still amazes me that she will eat anything. I mean anything. Watermelon, carrots, green beans, and of course hot dogs, brats, and any other little meat treat she can get her paws on. I just can't believe she likes fruit and veggies so much. My brother and I laugh and make fun of her saying she is some kind of goat, cat, dog, and rabbit. She licks her paws and cleans her face with them, she eats anything, and when we go for a four wheeler ride you can see Zoe hopping along behind us so she can get a view of us over the tall weeds. Zoe also loves being outside with Bailey the black lab. They have this game that they like to play, especially if people are watching and laughing that them. They play tag! Zoe will run up and nip Bailey and then run away and Bailey will chase after her and it goes back and forth over and over until they get tired. They also enjoy swimming together in the creek. Although Bailey can bring back the biggest sticks thrown into the water, Zoe sure does try to keep up with her little twigs. She even tries to take the big sticks from Bailey but then gets water in her nose and gives up on that. The other thing that she does is every single time I let her in, she runs to her food bowl to see if there's food there.... there always is, but she always darts to it to check it out anyways. Maybe she's looking for a treat or something. But I have a lot of fun with her and sometimes I wish she could stay here and have all the space to run and play. Well, off to bake some brownies and brown some hamburger for our weekend up at Lake of the Woods!! :o) Can't wait to use my fishing skills again!!! I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!

I've hung a wish on every star, it hasn't done much good so far.

2010-06-19T02:07:00.000-04:00

"Star Light, Star bright, the first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I make tonight."

I'm sure everyone knows this children's rhyme. It is from America, 19th century to be exact. So if you don't know it then google it. When I was little, I never really knew about this until the first time I saw Pinocchio and from then on I would make my little kid wishes on the first star I saw at night. I know my wishes back then were something silly, probably that I would get what I asked for for Christmas or for some kind of toy to just appear out of nowhere. I never really got the concept that when Geppetto made a wish that what he wished for was something greater than an easy material wish. I don't really make wishes on the first star I see at night anymore. I save my wishes for shooting stars. When I was younger on shooting stars I would almost always wish for the same things as on the first star of the night. Then, when I was older I would wish for a boyfriend, wish I would overnight become the best basketball player on the team, (or just good enough that I would get to play more than the last 20 seconds of the game...) sometimes I wished that I wouldn't get in trouble for whatever I did... : P naughty kid... But, now at 22, honestly, yes, I do wish on shooting stars. Of course my wishes have become much less childish, but really it all boils down to the same thing. Wishes don't come true unless you make them, so there's no point of wishing for things that are 100% impossible or things that you yourself really cannot fix or change. What you wish for pretty much just tells you what you are not getting out of life that you want to, or that you aren't working hard enough to get it. I could wish on every single star, of course it would take almost forever, but I still wouldn't get what I wished for unless I myself actually did something to get it. So, enough of this wishing.... I need to make things happen. The end.

So Here I am.

2010-06-07T21:27:00.000-04:00

I've been in Minnesota for 4 days now. The weather is amazing, spending time with family and friends is amazing, but being away from Rodrigo just BLOWS!!!! I feel like I live 2 separate lives, the life with my family and friends and having so much fun that time flies by way too fast, but I am always missing and thinking about Ro. And the life in Santiago, the one that I really don't enjoy. I love being with my hubby everyday I love love love cooking for him and kissing him goodnight before he rolls over and I cuddle up to him. But really what I am missing in Stgo is family and friends. Nobody gives me the time of day to become a friend and Ro's family is separated and takes sides and gets jealous to the point that I don't even want to try to spend time with anyone because I am always "hurting someone's feelings" for spending 1 hour more with that side of the family instead of the other. I have also decided that the crap that I have been coughing up HAS to have something to do with the smog that built up in my lungs that past almost 6 months. Gross. I also have to admit that I may be afraid of the dark. Driving at night here really gives me the creeps. I'm so used to having the street lights everywhere and here its damn dark! And the STARS!!! I love it!! I can see them and I can hear the crickets chirping and I love love love love being in thecountry. I am NOT a city girl and I really don't think I can convert.... Stgo is just not for me.... :( maybe we can move to the country in Chile... or Ro will just give into it and we can move to the US!! I hope! Well gotta go hug my niece!! Little goober!! She's so damn smart and cute!!! :D

The Nerd that is My Niece!!

2010-05-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

I haven't seen my Raebelle in a long long time, but the pics that my sister sends me are great! I have a great video she sent me, but I don't know how to put it on here. But this picture gets me super freaking excited!! It has to be hot there!!! And watermelon!!! And summer!!! Oh I can't wait!!! 9 more days til I see this little goober and I can actually see all the nerdy things that she does instead of just hear about them!! My favorite so far has been that she carries a medicine ball around the living room. And the ball probably weighs half as much as she does!! Hahahah! Well, off to pay for my return ticket!! Yay!!!

Hehehe.

2010-05-22T02:03:00.000-04:00

My hubby has a blog, he doesn't update it very often. But, I have added it to my reads list and I think you should read it. He obviously has pretty bad written English. Trust me, he speaks way better than he writes. I find his never ending sentences entertaining. Seriously he never ends a sentence throughout the whole post!! Anywho, check it out. Sigh, silly husband. I love him crazy though!

17 Days Left

2010-05-17T19:15:00.000-04:00

17 more days left here in Chile before I jet back to MN for my vacation. Normally before I leave to the US, I say a much needed vacation, but the part that is much needed is the family, the friends, talking, laughing having fun. Usually before I leave for the US I have been working. This time not. I am super excited to go fishing and swimming *in a lake, I have swam in the Pacific one time and probably never ever again. I also can't wait to see my niece. She hasn't grown very much since I left, which is strange because she was 9 months and now she is 1 year old. But she has grown some hair and attitude. She also never sits still and will probably have some sort of strange computer issues for the rest of her life because my mom and brother follow her around with me on the computer screen. Sigh, so weird when you really think about it, but that's probably the life of my future kids. I am also excited to be outside!! In fresh air!! With no smog for miles and miles and miles!!! I am dreading the beginning few days when I am home and I have to try to remember where I put this and that...somehow I'll find my roller blades and the charger for my camera that got left behind! I am flying solo this trip, Ro is staying back here and being a responsible loving husband. This summer is also a bit more open as of now than last year. So far I only have very very few plans for when I am home. My BFF Madge is picking me up at the airport and from there we will wander our way North from the Twin Cities to good old Htown. Where we will most likely drop my crap off at my parents, give lots of hugs and kisses to my Yorkie Zoe, and maybe get in a post flying halfway around the world shower. After that we will hit the local watering hole, sigh yes, I live in the middle of now where! But my town does have 3 bars, 2 churches and one gas station. Wahooo! Anyways off to the bar/restaurant for lunch and maybe an icey beer. The next day happens to be one of my FAVORITE family events that happens every year. I don't remember the last time I was home for it, but this year because my husband is so wonderful, he let me change my ticket for 4 days earlier so that I could participant in the Tour de Soo. Yes, you may be wondering what the F that is. Well, the Tour de Soo is a bike ride a 14 mile bike ride. We start this bike ride at my parent's house in Htown and bike the Lake Wobegon Trail aka SOO Line. We stop halfway at the bar in another tiny middle of nowhere town and then proceed to my aunt's house where we have a bbq and I believe this year will also be a combo bach party for my uncle and future aunt. Anyways its pretty much a big drunken ball of fun. My uncle is getting married that following weekend. And then I have nothing, but sun and relaxing until the 4th of July! Another wedding in July and then back to Chile. Sigh. But back to something better! Ro has promised me that when I get back, I will come back to my own place!! :oD Well, our own place! So if I don't blog at all for months I am sorry!!

Housewife...sort of.

2010-05-07T14:15:00.000-04:00

I have decided to write about what it is like being a housewife...sort of. Right now, I don't have a job so Rodrigo is supporting us 100%. I haven't worked since January when I was in Minnesota. Of course I don't exactly like this situation, I like working and I like making money. I also love when I have money in my pocket so I can buy things. No, I am not a crazy shopper, I don't spend a lot of money shopping just for fun, but it would be nice to be able to buy something just for fun. Rodrigo doesn't mind me asking him for money to buy things, but I don't like it. I feel guilty that he is working all day everyday and I am...blogging, keeping up my farm on farmville, reading, crocheting, and watching reruns of Friends all day. I can't even be a proper housewife because well, this is not my house. So, during the week sometimes I make the bed, I putz around tidying the whopping two flat surfaces that seem to act as my mother would say a "catch-all" and it is my job to open the windows in our room in the morning and close them at night. If I am in the house alone when it gets dark, I have to turn on the yard light. I really want to rearrange our bedroom, but I can't. I have nowhere to put all the stuff in our room while I move the big stuff and I know a certain MIL would have a freaking cow if I put it in the living room, even if it was just for an hour. I have to wait until weekends to do any laundry and for the past few weeks, I have only been able to wash two loads for the weekend because MIL no longer lets us have the whole day on Saturday and Sunday to wash. Our laundry basket hasn't been completely empty for weeks.
Ro and I went to the mall on Wednesday and it was so nice to spend the day together. We went to all the big stores, Ripley, Paris, and Falabella. Ro has decided that we are getting a huge refrigerator when we move out. I think he's crazy, we don't need a gigantic fridge, its just the two of us for now. But I do know that if he gets his way on getting a gigantic fridge AND a king size bed, (when will men learn that bigger is not always better?) he better at least let me get cake pans, muffin tins, pie tins, and anything else I want to bake with. I doubt I will ever be able to spend as much on kitchen stuff as the king size bed and gigantic fridge, but at least I know I will have everything I need to make anything I am in the mood for. While I am in the US, I was planning on getting a set of silicone bakeware and a crock pot. I have been trying to find a crock pot here in Chile, but I give up. Oh in case you would like to buy a book of recipes for a Crock Pot, they do sell those here in Chile, but you can't find a crock pot anywhere. Still can't figure out why they sell a recipe book for something they don't sell, but that's Chile for you I guess. Anyways I am stoked about the crock pot because when I come back to Chile, I will be finding a job and working all day!! I can't wait. I can't wait to fill my crock pot with meat and potatoes and veggies and set it on low and come home from work with supper ready for hubby and I to eat!! I can't wait to have my own kitchen where I can keep my food instead of in the grocery bags on our bedroom floor! Only a few more months!!!

Don't Have a Job, but I Still Have Skills!!!!

2010-04-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

I have my visa, but Ro and I have made the decision that I won't be working until I come back to Chile in July. We have also made the cheaper decision with my return flight. We are buying for the first time from Spirit Air and I will be flying out of Chicago to Lima, Peru where my hubby and his friend will be waiting for me. And we will spend a few days in Peru sightseeing and whatnot. Since Ro found a really good deal on the tickets for him to and from Lima and for my ticket from Lima to Santiago even after hotels and food, we will still be saving about 300 bucks as opposed to buying me a ticket from Minneapolis to Santiago. Saving money always makes me happy :o) And even though I know if I would just fly from Lima to Santiago by myself would save even more money I am happy that when Ro and I are back together in July after a month and a half of being apart we will be having a little bit of a vacation together. And he deserves a vacation just as much as I do. So, now I am going to use my skills to try and make a little bit of money because it has always been a dream of Ro's to go to Machu Picchu and it would be great if I could make enough money for us to go to Cusco by bus from Lima and take the train to Machu Picchu. What are my skills?? Well, I know how to crochet, true I haven't been doing it for hundreds of years like little old ladies have been, but I am pretty good. Since it is quite chilly here in Chile and I found a free afghan crochet pattern ebook online I think I will start to make some and sell them. So if anyone likes any of the patterns and would like an afghan, I would love to make one for you!! I don't know how to knit, so the last 4 patterns in the ebook I can't make. If you find any other crochet pattern online, there are a lot of sites with free patterns like this one that you like I can probably make that too. Just email me at shannon dot kasella at gmail dot com. We can discuss the yarn colors, yarn type and price. Thanks!

I'm Back.

2010-04-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

I finally received that brown envelope I have been waiting almost 2 months for. I am not illegal in Chile anymore and I can now look for a job. The only problem is trying to find a job where I can work until I leave for Minnesota on the 7th of June and hopefully still be able to work there when I come back to Chile...on who knows what day since I still don't have a return flight. I have been thinking of doing the cheapest thing possible, which is a one way ticket with Spirit Air from Chicago to Lima for 335 bucks. The only problem I am having so far is well, Lima is a long ways away from Santiago. So off to look for a job. Ro's received a very important phone call this morning... he missed it actually. It was a potential job for him, something better than taxi driving, something that would have been very helpful to us in the near and maybe even forever future. Since he missed the call, I am really hoping that they call him back. It would make me feel a billion times better leaving him here while I'm in MN if he had a job where he was required to be there at a specific time and required to work a certain number of hours each day, but if it doesn't happen I just have to trust that him and hope he doesn't turn into a lazy bum and only go to work for a few hours and only try to get the minimum each day. And that he doesn't take advantage of me being away to hang out with his friends and get screwed into always buying the alcohol.... I still can't figure out why his friends think we are just dirty rich. Sigh. Oh well. Nothing else new I guess...

:'( OUCH!

2010-04-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

This week was supposed to be a great week. Ro had made plans with a couple that we were to rent their house in Puento Alto. Everything was ready. We were supposed to go to the house on the 15th to get the keys and we could move in immediately. We were supposed to get a puppy to go in our backyard, oh did I mention it has a huge backyard something called a "parcela" (I'm not sure if that's the yard or if the whole place is a parcela...not a word I have ever heard before) it also has a clay oven in which I would have been able to bake bread, pizza, cookies, whatever the hell I wanted to! This was supposed to be a good week.
Of course, things cannot go the way they are supposed to. Nothing good can ever happen to me apparently. No house almost out the city, no puppy, no big yard, no clay oven, no garden, and most of all, no first home for me and my husband.
The owners of the house decided today that they are going to get divorced. They won't be renting out the house, they will be selling it instead.
So instead of Ro going to work today and being away from me all day again in order to make money for all the stuff that I have been looking at and picking out for our new home, we went out and bought a shit ton of junk food. We are sitting at the suegros taking advantage of the few hours we are allowed to wash our laundry. We are hanging out in the living room and watching TV and playing Rock Band before we she gets home and we go back into the confines of our prison cell bedroom.
Instead of being overly excited this week I will get to spend it here alone while Ro is at work. With MIL and her fucking smug "haha you can't take my son away from me face" while she wastes RIDICULOUS amounts of water washing 3 items of clothing at a time on the high water cycle. While she sits and watches "her tv!" and uses the kitchen the entire day. Oh by the way she really isn't using the kitchen for anything, she just says that so I can't be in there cooking. Having a shirt on the counter waiting to be iron for her counts as using the kitchen. So I'll sit around alll day with my belly screaming at me and wait for my Prince Charming to come home and rescue me and talk some sense into my bat shit crazy MIL so we can use the kitchen for 10 minutes to cook something, eat, and wash the dishes before she freaks the fuck out. I will hope that she leaves the house even if just for 10 minutes to go to the grocery store so I can make a piece of toast and eat it while I take a shower as fast as I possibly can and whether or not the "califont" (sp?) is lit and hope that I finish and am back in my bedroom before she gets home. I should just spend some time with the green plant out in the backyard.... seriously think that is the only way certain other person in this house can deal with this shit.
Just my fucking luck.
I'm going back to bed now and before any of you comment on this and have no idea about anything in my life, remember I still cannot work in Chile because I STILL don't have my visa and calling the extranjeria (sp?) everyday is NOT working we are now on day 48...or 49 at some point I'll stop counting and stop calling only to be told it will get there soon. It is not easy as pie to find a place to live here. We cannot just find a place sign a paper and move in. It requires, well for one getting in touch with the person offering their place for rent which you might think is easy, WELL ITS NOT!! And you may have everything ready and they could die (see Kyle's blog) or you may have everything ready only to find out that they decide they don't want to rent it out. My husband drives taxi and because he doesn't get a paid salary, his income is unreliable therefore people are less enthused about us renting from them. And if you think I am just over reacting about the situation with the MIL just call our house and hear her bitchy attitude when you ask to talk to me, cuz god forbid I take up the phone line when something could possibly happen to someone and someone MIGHT need to get ahold of her and they might not know her cell phone number....
I won't be blogging for awhile. Not until I have something new and something good that is 100% positive signed and dated and I completely own and have in my hand said good thing.

I am Intolerant to you "Lactose Intolerance"!!!!!!!!

2010-04-07T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here in Chile hundreds of people claim to be lactose intolerant including my SIL. She is extremely lactose intolerant... so much that she can eat all the ice cream she wants, all the cheese that she wants, all the yogurt that she wants, but heaven forbid she drink milk. Oh wait, I mean heaven forbid she drink white milk. She of course can tolerant chocolate milk, strawberry milk, and vanilla milk. But for white milk, she must drink it, well like a baby. In a Minnie Mouse cup, heated with sugar added to it. (No joke) And, the white milk has to be "sin lactosa" of course.
My darling husband also claims to be lactose intolerant sometimes. He can however eat cheese practically by the package, yogurt, and ice cream with no worries. He can also drink the milk I love, the milk I dream of at least once a week. Fresh milk, the kind from central Minnesota that you know came from a local cow within the last week. Not this crap in box that well, you really don't know when it actually came out of the cow.
I don't know why this "lactose intolerance" bothers me so much! Probably because they blame their dislike of milk on lactose intolerance where I just say no way in hell am I drinking that shit. (Of course I'm talking Chilean milk in a box) I would never say no to a large glass of Kemps 1%. Never!
Sigh. Sorry for boring posts, I still have a week before I can spill my guts!!!

T MINUS 8 days!!!!!

2010-04-06T21:57:00.000-04:00

So something good is happening. But I can't talk about it for 8 more days. I really am going crazy about it. I am not the kind of person that can keep exciting things inside and wait until I am allowed to tell them. Actually I think that's because such exciting things rarely happen to me these days.
I have been freaking sick twice in the last 2 weeks. I'm starting to go crazy with things to blame it on... like maybe its from the moldy pumpkin that is in the fridge and has been in there for 2 weeks now. Somehow the bacteria growing on it gets on the cover of my bottled water and I touch it and it makes me sick? Or its from the damn dog shit germs getting everywhere? I'm not prego... already tested myself against that. So really I just like to sit around trying to find something to blame it on. What an exciting life I live.....
But at least next week something amazing is possibly going to happen!!! :oD Ooooooh I can't wait!! Ok shutting up now!

Happy Birthday!!

2010-04-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to this cute little ball of fur!! My little Zoe, I love her tons and miss her more!

Can't wait to see her in 63 days!!!

I would also like to wish a Happy 82nd Birthday to my Grandma B!!

My Crochet Project

2010-04-04T18:24:00.000-04:00

Here is a not very recent pic of the blanket I am making. I would take a more recent one, but my old dinosaur camera from way back in 2005 has died. So until I get a new one, I have no camera unless you count the video camera on my ipod and I don't count that because it doesn't take still pics. Anyways. I have 12 more squares finished than on this picture. The fam is back from the beach. I trapped in my bedroom again. But hopefully it will only be for 12 more days. I can't say anything more about it because Ro says I can't. Happy Easter!

:D House to Ourselves!!

2010-04-01T19:02:00.000-03:00

We have the house to ourselves for the weekend!! I am so excited!! The in-laws went to the beach for the weekend and I am so glad that we have time to ourselves! I am so stoked that I can wash clothes! We haven't been "allowed" to wash clothes for a little over 2 weeks so I am super excited that I can have clean socks again!! We will also be able to use the kitchen again whenever we want instead of waiting for our alotted time... yeah its been getting pretty pathetic around here. I can't wait to have a place of my own! This place sucks. Really! And it smells like dog shit! In the backyard there is that green turf crap and a small patch of grass. The patch of grass is blocked off so the dog can't get on it. I don't understand why. So the dog shits on the green turf and FIL picks it up everyday. Weird and gross. So there are little bits of dog shit stuck all over the green turf. ANYWHOOO. We aren't sure yet if SIL went to the beach, but I really really hope she did. Otherwise I know it will be a very hellish weekend. I am SICK of her and her boyfriend going into the bathroom at midnight (the time Ro and I go to bed... so we need to use the bathroom to brush our teeth and whatnot before bed or we are drinking and obviously need to pee more often than normal) and staying in there anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. And Ro gets bitched at for being inconsiderate because he had his Rock Band drums in the living room shoved up against a wall. Seriously? I can't wait until they do it next weekend though because Ro and I have come up with a few evil plots to end the bathroom motel sessions. My favorite evil plot is to put a pregnancy test box on top the garbage in the bathroom. When nosy MIL asks Ro about it he's going to act completely surprised and tell her that it isn't ours. My second favorite is we are going to wait about 5 minutes after they go in and call the house from Skype until FIL wakes up. Oooo we are evil.
Anyways I am happy I have 3/4 of a bottle of cherry vodka in the kitchen and Ro is on his way home from work. I am also super excited to try a new recipe I have been wanting to try for a few months now. Ro and I are going to have a nice Easter dinner for 2! I will be posting about the dinner I make. I can't wait! We are also going shopping so I can buy some more yarn. Yes, I am excited about yarn! I want to finish my huge afghan that I am making. I have pictures that I need to post, but they are on Ro's pc so I have to wait until he gets home from work.
On another note. Today is a bit chilly and quite cloudy. Which can only mean one thing. One of these days its going to be winter. There really isn't a fall here in Stgo, it just kind of skips from being hot to being cold. I am already prepared for that, I took out my sweatshirts and got all excited about my Morris Point sweatshirt that I forgot I had because it was new new when I left the US. It still has that new sweatshirt fuzziness inside!! I put away all my tank tops and shorts too. I also dusted off the electric blanket and its on the top shelf of our closet. Our bedroom fan is going to be put away tonight. At least I can get that dam thing out of the way our room is really cluttered now that the drums are back in here.
Anyways, that's about all I have to say today.

Dreaming of Our Home

2010-03-24T20:44:00.000-03:00

I notice that I am not the only one writing about househunting apartment hunting and Ro and I are not hunting yet. I am though :oP Ro is lazy and well no offense, Chilean and would prefer to wait until the middle of June. (We are planning on getting a place when I get back from MN mid July.) I don't like waiting til the last minute. Anymore... in high school, I loved waiting til the last minute for everything! But now after living with the in-laws for um I forget how long, but it is very near FOREVER, I am way more than ready to start looking for a place. Not only to know how I can decorate, oooo I can't wait to decorate, but also to know what kind of appliances we are going to need to buy so I can know how much money I am going to have to save up for all of it. Ro and I aren't agreed with everything I think we need to buy, but most of it belongs in the kitchen and since I am the one that is going be doing the cooking, I will get what I want. He also doesn't think we need a new bed. Our bed is old. Our bed is uncomfortable. Our bed... sqeaks, moans, and occaisionally falls apart. And I don't really consider it a real bed. It is a mattress that is maybe 4 inches thick, laid on top of some cross boards that are just a little too short (which is why it falls apart when I lift the mattress to tuck the sheets under (which is why I don't make our bed)) on an old wooden frame that clearly has been revarnished or stained many times without stripping off the old stuff. So, I think we NEED a new bed, Ro thinks I just want a new bed and if I want it I will have to save up my own pile of pesos to buy one. So I will obviously... I don't go to the US anymore without a job so as long as I try to not have too much fun in MN, I should be able to put away some money for the new bed that um we don't need. I am so excited to have a kitchen that I can use! I can't use the kitchen here unless MIL isn't here. I have a feeling my bags aren't going to be very light when I come back here in July, I plan on buying a lot of cooking stuff and other house stuff. I am already planning on crochetting a lot of stuff for our apartment like throw blankets and pillows, dish clothes, and potholders. But I def need to buy cookie sheets and a spice rack in the US. I wonder if I'll be able to get one that is already loaded with spices into the country... I will attempt it of course. I also need to get some measuring spoons and cups. I brought some here but who knows what MIL did with them.
So here I am dreaming of a home for me and my husband. I look at websites everyday to see what's out there for places to live and wait for the day when Ro takes it seriously and starts to look into everything we need to get a place of our own.

One Year.

2010-03-22T16:39:00.000-03:00

This day last year was a very happy day in my family. We welcomed my niece Evalie Rae into the world. It's her first birthday party today and it should be full of pics of her digging into her mini baby cake, lots of smiles, and of course her having more fun with the wrapping paper then anything else. I am super excited about the gift that Ro and I got her! We got her some Crayola Beginnings crayons and a big scribble pad. The box says for 18 months and over, but I never follow that. I think she is smart enough to play with crayons. I have only seen her a few times since I left MN in January and I wish I was there to see her walking around. Well, she has been walking for a little over a month now, so she is probably running and attempting to jump, but I still want to be there to see it! I can't wait to see her in June its going to be great! I'm gonna take her swimming at the lake! Anyways happy birthday little darling!

Project of a lonely housewife.

2010-03-16T19:41:00.000-03:00

I have been working on an heirloom crocheted afghan since I came to Chile in January. I took some pictures yesterday to show my progress, but I can't figure out how to get them on the computer. Doesn't that just show how smart I am?? Sigh. Anyways, its going to be a kick ass afghan, none of that old lady lacy looking crap. I am using crazy non matching, but somehow work together colors. In the end I will have 63 squares, as of right now I have 31, so I'm not even half way finished with it, but so far it looks like I'm actually getting somewhere. If you are thinking I am weird because I spend my spare time (which is my whole time right now...) crocheting, I agree. It is ~~kind of~~ weird that a 21 year old gringa in Chile spends her time sitting in ~~her~~ a house crochetting. Well, I like crocheting. I could do it everyday if I had an endless supply of yarn.

Bleh I'm blogging about crocheting. I'll stop now before I bore the crap out of you, and sorry if I already did.

Lost and found and I have nothing else to blog about

2010-03-10T21:22:00.000-03:00

Before I left Minnesota in January I had lists and lists of things I was supposed to pack and bring here. Unfortunately, I must have been to preoccupied with other things, like spending as much time with my niece as possible that I forgot damn near a whole suitcase worth of stuff. My camera disappeared a few days before I left and I gave up looking for it to continue my last, very very last minute packing. I left my 4 month supply of Crest Whitening plus Scope EXTREME toothpaste and the twin pack of toothbrushes somewhere in my bedroom. I left 2 of my summery dresssy sort of shirts hanging up to dry in our laundry room and didn't think about it until we were already in the Cities, I also left all my new bras that I just bought and washed before wearing hanging up to dry too. It could be a good thing that I was so freaking forgetful/unorganized before I left because my bags were overweight and I really didn't have room for anything anyways. I even had to take out more stuff to avoid the $150 overweight fee. Anyways, my camera showed up in my brothers car, my mom found all my clothes hanging to dry just where I left them, and my Ziploc bag of toothpaste and toothbrushes somehow managed to make its way under my bed. So now I have a bunch of crap sitting at home waiting to be shoved into a box along with all the other treats my mom sends me in care packages. Sigh.

On another note, I have been able to watch my niece on the webcam every night this week!! The first day that I got to see her I started crying, she was just so damn cute and up and walking around like she owned the place. And I hadn't seen anything updated at all since I last saw her on January 19th. She is one busy girl and never sits still. She and my Yorkie Zoe have become good friends. Evalie shares all her food with the dog and my mom even caught her while I was on the webcam trying to pick up her toy ball with her mouth just like the puppy did. In a few short weeks my husband turns 24, which he is in this whole "we're not talking about my birthday, what I want for it, or the cake and we are not having a party" sort of phase. The day after that my little Raebelle (Evalie) turns one year old. I have been internet window shopping for the perfect gift for her. And I have decided that she must have some Crayola Beginnings Scribblers. For Christmas I went with the noisy toys and now for her birthday we'll go with the messy hope she doesn't write on the wall sort of gift. I can't wait to actually be able to tickle her and throw her in the air when I get to Minnesota in June, but until then I just have the webcam and only for this week while my sister is in Milwaukee and Ev is staying with my parents.

Well, that's all I have to say. My life at the moment is extremely boring, still waiting for my visa so I can have a life and work like normal people and I don't have to sit here all day. I seriously almost started crying today because MIL has been washing clothes and anything she can find non stop all week and she only washes 5 or 6 small items per load and always sets the washer on the highest water level. And she washes stuff that doesn't even get used. She has washed 4 sets of sheets this week. There are only 3 beds in this house, and she didn't wash the sheets on our bed. Seriously? Does she not realize how much water she's wasting? Obviously my attempt on getting the household to recycle failed because "We don't have room to keep stuff to recycle" Seriously? Sigh. I wish we could move out before my next trip to the US. :(

All Shook Up

2010-03-01T01:21:00.000-03:00

I have been pondering this post since 5am on Saturday morning and even though we have now had power for 12 hours I have been more worried about getting in touch with family and friends than writing a blog. But I'm ready now. I will start with Friday. I felt like crap and had the most horrible headache in my life all evening. We were supposed to have a few drinks with a friend, but I had one rum and Coke and that was it my head was going to explode. I did stay up to watch the end of the Festival in Viña, but didn't last that much after that. I think the festival was over at 2am-ish. Ro tucked me in bed and went back out to the living room to chat and drink and do whatever it is he does on the computer all day everyday. Ro's sister was in her room on her computer doing whatever it is she does on the computer all day everyday. (Is this just a family thing?? Or a Chilean thing??) Ro's mom was in El Tabo with her mom and sister for the night so it was just us "kids" at home. Tito, Ro's dad was supposed to be home at like 1am, but he came home at about 3:15 and I heard him get in because Ro was outside smoking and his dad turned off all the lights and pissed him off. I couldn't fall back asleep after that so I grabbed my reader and put a new battery in the little reading light dealio and read a few pages. I was laying in bed and then the bed moved. At first it was just small wave sort of movements and I stayed in my room for about 15 seconds during the shaking before I decided this isn't normal I'm getting the hell out of here. I went to the living room to be with Ro because I was already scared and wanted to be by him. Then those small waves got a little bigger. By then Ro and I were in the kitchen and Tito and Rocio (along with her Yorkie, Micky) were also there by then. We were all holding onto each other and then all hell broke loose. There weren't waves anymore it was a rough shaking and glasses were falling and crashing to the floor. The lights went out. We shuffled to the front door. According to Ro and Tito this is the safest place to be. I have never researched anything about earthquake safety, not that it matter I was panicking because I was barefoot and glass was crashing to the floor everywhere. Ro being the Chilean gentleman that he is took off his shoes and let me wear them. Then is came to my attention the lovely outfit of pjs I was wearing. So during this horrible earthquake I was screaming, crying, and thinking about how I wasn't wearing a bra and I didn't have shoes on. I am just glad I chose to wear a pair of pj pants instead just a teeshirt and my underwear wouldn't that have been lovely? Anyways back to the earth moving. I have never heard my SIL swear so much. Through the whole thing there was probably 30 ctms (mother f*#ckers) pouring out of her mouth. Ro was just trying to calm us down, and Tito was holding us into the doorway through all the shaking. Finally after forever and ever it slowed and then stopped. It was maybe a total of 4 minutes, but don't take this for accurate I felt like it was more than 10 minutes. We weren't the only ones hanging out in the doorways the neighbor to the right of us was also there as was the lady across the street. Ro and Tito immediately started looking for lights. Of course my little reading light and ebook Reader were on the bed so we had one little light. I also found a pen flashlight that my mom gave me for Christmas so we had those 2 lights. Tito swept up the glass right away and put newpaper on the floor in the bathroom because the toilet water sloshed out. The water in the pool outside also sloshed out. But really that was the extent of our damages. I would have taken a picture of our room afterwards, but really our room is always a fucking mess so its not like you would notice the differences. Our bed moved about half a foot away from the wall and a nightstand sort of thing we have moved about a foot. The stuff on the shelves fell to the ground, none of the glass broke. Good thing there was a nice layer of dirty socks, shirts, and who knows what layering the floor. Back to where I was. Rocio immediately got us both cigarettes while Ro and Tito checked out the house. Her and I sat outside for awhile until Tito told us to go inside so we don't get colds. We stayed in the front living room a place where nobody ever sits, the couch and chairs in there are mainly for decoration... I think. We plugged Ro's ipod into the battery operated speakers he had so we could listen to the radio. I didn't really listen I just sat there shaking and every time a "reply" as my husband calls the aftershocks, came I freaked out thinking another big one was coming. We hung out in the living room with the 2 little lights for maybe 2 hours. At least we had water so we could use the bathroom, but we were without power. I went to bed and didn't get out of bed until like 3pm. I woke up a few times before that, but my headache was still horrible so I just stayed in bed until it went away. We spent the whole day without power and by then Ro's ipod was dead and we were using mine. For some reason the car charger we had for our 2nd generation ipods didn't work for our new ones. And that was it. At first I didn't think it was that bad that it was going to be something the world was going to hear about. But as the day went on I figured my family heard about it and I had no way at all of letting them know I was okay. We finally got some kind of signal on Tito's blackberry so I could get on messenger. We are okay here just a little shook up. This morning there was a "reply" that was 6.6, but I was so tired I pretty much lifted my head acknowledged that yes, we were shaking and went back to sleep.
So there you go. The February 27th, 2010 Chilean earthquake from my eyes.

Ok so I guess I can cook with almost nothing.

2010-02-19T19:18:00.000-03:00

Yesterday Ro and I went grocery shopping because well, we had been eating noodles, just noodles for 3 days. And it doesn't bother my husband at all, but if I saw a plain old noodle right now I would throw up. We are broke. Mostly because I left all my money in the US. Oh, and because I have to wait again to get a new visa so I can work. So for the moment my lazy husband is "working" and making the money for us. So, because of that we had to go grocery shopping with 15,000 pesos (about 30 bucks) and had to buy food to last us until next week. Which I can do. I can handle that, but going grocery shopping with my husband is like going grocery shopping with a 8 year old. So instead of buying a small thing of ketchup we had to get the big one, instead of getting cereal we had to get peanut butter, instead of getting some fresh fruit we got a bag of Lays (the biggest one of course....) I did get my jar of American spaghetti sauce and some chicken. My husband is a picky eater.... he won't eat fish or chicken because it has bones. He won't eat watermelon because it has seeds... wait, he's not picky, he's a lazy eater. So today as I looked into the fridge and saw the huge bag of ketchup, a bag of mayo and a bag of mustard in the door I had no inspiration. On the shelves of the fridge we have a liter of Coke, a 5 liter jug of mineral water, and my packet of chicken. In the cupboards we have some left over bags of rice from when his mom was here back in December and some sopa para una, oh and 2 bags of noodles. So what the heck do you cook when you have practically nothing? Easy. Chicken and rice. In the US, chicken and rice is my favorite. My dad makes it with Minute rice,canned cream of mushroom soup and or cream of chicken depending on what's in the cupboard and milk. Easy. Throw it all together and put it in the oven. Here, different story. First I couldn't light the damn oven so I gave up. I found a big frying pan and decided I'll just cook it on the stovetop. Hell I already was making it with only 2 of the ingredients needed so how could it taste worse. While fishing around for a frying pan I found a bag of ajo en polvo (garlic powder) it was past the expiration date, but unopened, so what the hell. Nice find anyways. So after I gave up on trying to cut all the skin off the chicken legs I powdered them up with the garlic powder and salt. I put them in the frying pan with some oil and browned the chicken. While I was pondering what to do next I took out the rice and knocked all the packets of sopa para una on the floor. Then it came to me! There were 2 packs of chicken soup with like 30 of aparagus soup. After the chicken was browned I dumped out the extra oil and put some water the 2 packs of chicken soup and a cup of rice in and threw the chicken back in. Then I went to watch the Olympics. My chicken and rice is not even close to being a delicious as the stuff back home, but I think I did very good with what I had. Now to wait for the Hubs to get home and complain that I made chicken and hear, again about how he doesn't like chicken and why couldn't I have at least bought chicken breast with no bones. Sigh.... chicken legs are cheaper than boneless chicken breasts. When will he ever learn??

Just blabs.

2010-02-18T16:31:00.000-03:00

Geez, I have been a really bad blogger lately. I really haven't had any inspiration or any thoughts because well, its hard to be inspired when you are pretty much broke, jobless (waiting for my visa again,) and sitting at home all by myself every single day. Not that I am complaining, next week my MIL and SIL come back from staying at the beach. Right now I am pretty much just trying to take advantage of the last days alone at the house. Washing laundry is top on the list ( I have been washing my underwear in the washing machine GASP don't tell MIL) because once she gets here we won't be allowed to use the washer unless she is gone so I want all of my stuff washed before she gets here. Sleeping in is also one of my favorite summer pastimes. If its before 11am I do not want to be awake and I definitely do not want to be woken up to the sound of someone talking, I mean hollering, "mi perrito, mi perrito, mi perrito chico, mi perrito regalon, mi perrito........." over and over and over and over again. It also means sharing the bathroom with 3 more people and one of which enjoys sitting in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror for 3 hours while I nearly piss my pants. I will also have to start wearing shoes in the house because "hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggg" (thats the noise MIL makes when I do something "crazy") its bad for you to walk barefoot, you can catch a cold even though its like a billion degrees out. Ugh I can't wait til we can get an apartment!
I have been trying to make Ro work more, but so far I am failing at it because he always has a dumb excuse for not waking up. Today it was because his dad called at 8 and it was so early that when he fell back asleep he went into a deep sleep. For some reason, and I can't figure it out, it bothers him that I am working and he isn't. but of course it is perfectly okay when I am working and he isn't. Not that its my fault. I have to wait for my visa again because I was out of the country for too long so I had to start over with all the visa crap again. After that I will be job hunting yet again. I just hope I find something right away and something that doesn't have a problem with me going to the US from June7th to July 20th. When I come back from the US, we will be getting an apartment. Finally! A place of our own!!! : D I can't wait!! I already have lists of what we need to get for our place and lists of things I need to bring from the US. Personally I don't care if our apartment doesn't have a single piece of furniture. Except a bed. I am buying a new bed for sure. I am sick of this thing that we are sleeping on now. Which is a very thin mattress on a bed frame. Its not comfortable at all. So a new bed is more important to me than a table and chairs and couches and whatever else kind of furniture we need to get.
I have also been trying to convince Ro into us having our wedding here in Chile, but he is being ridiculous! He wants to have it on September 18th. Um NO. And he will not have his wedding in March. You want to know why?? Because its his birthday month. But having it on Valentine's Day would be fine with him. Um NO. He doesn't understand why we can't have it in June and I told him it has absolutely nothing to do with my "birthday month" I just would never even think of asking my family to come all the way down here in wintertime. That would be horrible. I wouldn't want to come to Chile in the winter so I wouldn't even think of trying to get my family down here for that. So now I am thinking maybe the first Saturday of April next year. But, I will have to talk to the fam and stuff to see if they would even come down here in the first place.
I guess I really don't have anything else to write about now so I guess until something exciting happens...

Nuevo, nuevo, nuevo.....

2010-02-06T13:18:00.000-03:00

I haven't posted in a long time. I have like 8 unfinished posts that at one point had a point. Anyways. This is a post about a new observation that I have had. As Ro and I have been living peacefully in his parents empty house for the summer, I have been cleaning. EVERYTHING. All of the things that have driven me completely crazy about this house such as, the bottles of random ice cream toppings that have been in the fridge since the first time I came to Chile in 2007 and were at that time expired. They have disappeared. The bathroom is where I am having cleaning problems. There are 49 bottles/tubes/strange bags of soap in the shower. I shit you not. In fact, I was going to put 22 just as a guess, and I went to count them instead. I have a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face wash. One bottle of head and shoulders is Rodrigo's and a bottle of Axe body wash. The rest of it?? Who the hell knows? I can't figure out why there are so many damn bottles. The bottles all have 2 things in common. First, they are all half full. Second, they all have that little corner sticker on them that has NUEVO! on it. All of them, they are all new formula, new scent, new something, even that new look same great product (why?!!!!?? its the same product so why not use the other one before you open a new one??)!! It drives me insane. I can't just throw it away because its not gone, I can't waste it. Throwing the food away in the fridge I have no problem with because its old. Although I was kind of pissed that I had to throw away 4 bags of peach jam, I still can't figure out why MIL doesn't write a shopping list of what she needs instead of just buying everything every time she goes shopping. Anywho back to the 47 bottles of products in the shower, I can't figure out what's so great about NUEVO! I usually get the same old same old whatever and I only buy more when what I have is gone. And I mean gone gone, I even put water into the conditioner bottle and shake it up until I get every last blob of it. I just don't get thrilled by the NUEVO! I am thinking I can just take all of the bottles and put them into Lider bags and shove them somewhere in the cabinets out back. Or I can just leave them because, well, this isn't MY house. Probably a good idea. Next time I buy conditioner I will purposely not buy anything with NUEVO! on it.

Why hello!!

2010-01-23T13:47:00.000-03:00

First of all I would like to tell everyone that I was going to comment back on my last post, but since this post is really just the extended reply to what I wrote I'm not going to. And secondly I have comment moderation on as I always have and I just recieved a weird comment in some sort of Asian caligraphy and didn't accept it because it had a creepy link that was basically a million ...... in a row. Okay, back to the subject. If you don't want to hear about my whole trip back to Chile, I would just scroll down and completely skip this next oversized paragraph.

Here I am in Chile again. My last post was, well, a post that someone would write after living at "home" for 6 months and remembering how much they loved living there. Yes, I forgot what it was like to be in Rodrigo's arms, I hated the entire trip down here, except the landing and taking off, I always love that. I was sad to be leaving, I was not in the mood to get up at the ass crack of dawn to go to the airport 3 hours early, (if it would have been up to me we would have gotten there just an hour early) I wasn't in the mood to sit in the Atlanta airport from 2pm until 8:20pm before my little over nine hour flight to Chile. When I was in Atlanta I found very little to keep myself entertained. I tried reading, but got distracted by everyone that walked by, so I ate some food and it was really gross, I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered it, the lack of sleep probably had something to do with it... or that I had already remembered 4 things!!! that I forgot!! 2 being some new summery shirts I bought for the occaision...and my new toothbrush and Crest toothpaste that I love! Yes, I love toothpaste and I am very particular about my toothbrush! I have no cavities and I would really like it to stay that way! Anyways, I get sidetracked easily, it must be the heat. So I ended up falling asleep for an hour on a bench and it was actually a good nap except I think I may have jumped awake, I don't know what exactly it would be called, like when you are half sleeping and you think you are going up steps and you trip, but you are really laying down so your whole body jumps like you just tripped on the step.... The flight to Chile wasn't rough at all, it was nice, except the holes where the headphones go didn't work and I really wanted to watch the movies because they usually keep my mind off of things so I was SOL, no Harry Potter movie for me... And I hardly slept either. That was the main problem. I had gotten maybe 10 hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours and I was planning on sleeping the whole flight so it would go by faster. I debated in my head over and over again whether or not I should pop the Benedryl I bought to put me to sleep, not for allergies... In the end I didn't have water so I didn't take it. I slept maybe 2 hours and very uncomfortably! My neck is still sore, very very sore! It looks like I have man neck muscles! We landed and I was so looking forward to booking it and getting the hell of the plane, but then I realized that someone stole my carryon storage space and I had to put my lil suitcase like 5 rows back....good luck going to the back of the plane when everyone else is going to the front. So I was the last person off the plane, but that didn't stop me from instantly enforcing my gringa-I-walk-fast-you-walk-slow-moves and passin like 15 people before we got to the customs line. I flew through all those lines, didn't get stopped at all, it was great. I was all worried they were going to take away my wild rice, not sure why they would, I just imagined them just talking it away from me. And now to where all that didn't matter anymore. Nor did the person directly in front of me. Sorry for shoving you out of the way. There's no reason for one to stop in those final doors out!!

And there he was. Waiting for ME! I saw him just 2 seconds before he saw me and that look in his eyes while he was searching for me will be burned into my head for the rest of my life. He grabbed my little cart thingy and pulled it far enough out of everyone elses way that we could stop and hug. :o) This is why I came back to Chile. That one man is the reason I am here and you know what I really don't care about all the bad experiences I have had that last few times I have been here. They don't matter anymore because I am finally with my husband again, finally after EXACTLY 4 months of being separated we are together again. And it all feels right. Every tiny bit of it. When I got here on Thursday I was completely exhausted. Ro took me home and put me to bed like a little kid...kind of...I woke up and he was laying there on our bed next to me!! Right there right by me!! I could reach him, I could see him, I could touch him!! So that is why I am happy to be back in Chile. I am also happy that I am not in the usual pressure of finding a job ASAP, because Rodrigo has a steady job now and he can take care of us for now. He is working now obviously or I wouldn't be on the computer, I probably still wouldn't be in my sweet pjs (that I love more than any other clothing item I own)either. I am planning on finding a job when the summer is over. I don't think I can sit here and be all housewifey when his mom and sis get back from the beach. But for now I am content, yesterday I did the dishes (Ro and his dad have been living at the house alone for the entire month of January...neither are skilled in washing dishes...I had to rewash dishes that were put away "clean" it was gross, but now they are clean.) i made myself coffee. Real coffee. I found this cool little one cup coffee maker thing when I was home and HAD to have it. I don't know what kind of coffee is really good, but I bought Foldgers Classic because that's what my dad drinks. And I bought Foldgers French Vanilla. I think the plastic airtight containers are what sealed the deal, anyways it tastes good I guess, but like I said I don't know anytihng about coffee. I don't even know how to order at Caribou or Starbucks.... We had a minor technical problem yesterday, the power went out from like 12 until 5 I had to transfer the cheese and milk from the fridge to the freezer, and I couldn't get online, and I couldn't remember how to call Rodrigo's cell phone from the home phone. I think I called the same lady 2 times and got some strange Telefonica recording a few times too. Oops. Anyways I am getting sidetracked and getting off the point of this whole post so I'll just stop while I'm ahead now.

Highlights of the last 6+ months in MN

2010-01-19T17:52:00.000-03:00

The end of "my summer" is over now, even though summer has been long over here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I no longer have months or weeks left here, I am down to days. It has been great to be home for such a long time. I haven't spent this much time in Minnesota since my final year of high school 4 years ago. It felt great to see and do the summertime things that I haven't done in a long time, to spend the entire fall here, and to have a nice Minnesota cold and snowy winter, but I think there is going to be a price to pay for all the happiness I have had these past months. I am dreading, really really dreading going back to Santiago. I miss my husband terribly, but I do not miss whatsoever the culture shock. I think its going to hit me again, and this time I think its going to be bad. I don't like to be a pessimist and I would like to fly off to Chile with my head held high thinking that everything is going to be great and peachy perfect, but I just can't seem to do it. Every time I leave my family the goodbyes get harder and harder. Every time I get on a plane I stop feeling the excitement I felt 6 flights ago. I will say that I am looking forward to flying this time because I fly business class for the first and possibly the only time in my life.
I said goodbye to my niece today. The next time I see her she will be walking, will hopefully have some long curly blond curls for me to play with, and maybe she will be talking a little bit. I say goodbye to my little Yorkie tomorrow and my parents and my brothers. Before I start bawling my eyes out, I'll write my highlights. Maybe they will make me feel a little better.

June 2009
My family finally met my Ro.
We were reunited with our dog Zoe after being away for 5 months, she still remembered me!!
I finally got to meet my little niece Evalie.
My younger brother graduated from high school.
I turned 21 even though it was on a Monday I can now legally buy and drink alcohol in the United States!!
We went to a few family grad parties and Ro was introduced to my crazy family.

July
We took Rodrigo to Lake of the Woods for his first time and my first time in the summertime. We caught lots of fish and had fun celebrating the 4th of July.
We had fun with my friends and celebrated Holdingford Daze.

August
We went to my favorite childhood camping spot with all of the people that used to go with us back in the day. It was fun to take Ro tubing. He didn't like it. I love it.
We entered a fishing contest and didn't catch anything at all, but we still had fun anyways.

September
We stayed at my parents for the rest of Ro's stay.
My cousin was married and we went and had a lot of fun at the wedding.

October
I started working again and I actually enjoyed it. It gave me something to do to keep me from thinking about missing Ro.
We had a family gathering here and carved pumpkins and made skeletons out of milk jugs.

November
I worked a lot more.
Went out drinking with my aunts for the first weekend of deer hunting!
Went shopping with my aunts the second weekend of deer hunting and had a lot of fun!
My aunt had her baby girl!
Celebrated Thanksgiving with the family and ate a lot of delicious food.

December
There was a lot of snow here in Minnesota for Xmas.
I had fun at my mom's family Christmas and my dad's too.

January
I bought my plane ticket back to Chile.
I spent New Years at the cabin and didn't catch a lot of fish, but had a lot of fun hanging out with my mom, aunt, her friend Shannon, and my cousin Shannon. Yeah, 3 Shannons in one fish house :P only good things can come from that!! Hahaha!
Celebrated my aunt's bday and had a lot of fun partying one last time before I leave the country.

And now we are at today. Not a highlight at all.
Chile...sigh....

Dear Chile,

2010-01-08T17:01:00.000-03:00

You better get ready because here I come!!!!!

I can finalllllly say that I have a ticket back to Chile!! I can finally start counting down the days 100% surly, not maybe in .....days I'll be in Chile!
I fly out of Minneapolis International Airport on the 20th of January!! And I HOPE there are no freaking bomb scares or any other dilemmas! Today is almost a perfect day to be writing about this. I was going to write it as my 200th post, but I guess I forgot that I had to write a 199th first... Today is theeeee day, three years ago I first laid my eyes on Rodrigo. The first day that we talked. The day that "WE" began. What's even more perfect is the day I land in Chile, the 21st of January, will be our 3 years together. I never imagined myself counting silly milestones like this, but here I am and as cheesy as it sounds, I just don't really care. I have Rodrigo's 3 years together/Valentine's Day/birthday present almost ready. I just need to put my song to him on it with a couple pictures and it'll be perfect. Now I can only hope that I get on the first flight out of Atlanta as I am flying standby. I try to remember all my flights back to Chile and I really only remember one of them being completely packed and even then a drunk guy got kicked off so there was one open seat.
Well, I'm off to share my happiness with everyone I meet. HA not really, gotta go cram in some auntie niece time and I need to start my lists, it wouldn't be a trip if I didn't make them. I am just a list happy person. :o) 12 more days of my Minnesota winter and off to the smoggy and hot city. Bleh. At least when I get sick from the heat I can lay in bed for a week and have my hubby wait on me hand and foot :oP

I can't help falling head over heels for my Minnesota!

2010-01-04T15:38:00.003-03:00

So much so say and I don't know where to begin!!!
I went up to Lake of the Woods this past weekend. It was great! I love it so much and it makes me love Minnesota and the cold and the lakes more and more every time I go up there. We left New Years Eve morning. Before the sun was up. I planned to bring a pen and paper to keep notes of what I wanted to blog about. Well, I forgot so I just texted myself emails all weekend. I wish I would have been able to snap some pics for some of the things I saw, but my dad's not one to stop for pictures... I would like to inform everyone that the farther north you go in Minnesota, the loonier people are. I blame it on the extreme cold and the low population! So here's my list in order of appearance.

1. Forget the house, forget the hundreds of trees in the yard, let's make a new use for that satellite dish. Why not decorate a giant rusty disc of metal with hundreds of twinkly Christmas lights. Let's get festive and decorate the junk car that has no wheels with them too! Now this I really was ready to tell dad to stop to take pictures of! I think these people were off the redneck charts!!

2. The United States Coast Guard has a gigantic tower and office in Minnesota. Some of you may be wondering why. But Lake of the Woods is a pretty big lake, not near as big at Lake Superior, but huge enough. It needs coast guards because we share that lake with Canada. What I don't understand is why is it 38 miles from the lake??

3. Propane, just like gasoline, the price goes up the farther North you go. Gas price at home, $2.55, gas price at the top of MN, $2.72. Propane at home, $14 for a 20 pound thing. up north, $22 for the 20 pound cylinder.

4. This ties in sort of with number 3. On Wednesday morning, my dad left LoTW (Lake of the Woods) and dropped off 3 empty tanks at the gas station in Baudette, MN. He left them in a snow bank with a note on them. Thursday on our way up to the cabin, we stopped to pick them up out of a different snow bank full. There were probably 15 other tanks there that other people have left. Not locked up, just sitting there in the snow. People trust each other so much up there. It amazes me.

5. I don't even know what these are called.

Dad and Steve (somehow related but really close family friend) got out to get some beer and mom and I stayed in the truck. They didn't get very far before they had to stop with the MN man stance (hands in pockets feet away from each other but heads together thinking out loud to each other about how nice this works, how expensive it is, how hard it would be to put those on yourself...at least that's what I think they were talking about.) They stood there til the man came, got in and drove away. More man thoughts as the thing pulled away...

6. Wally.

I think this may be some kind of landmark in Minnesota. I saw it in a book one time. I took a pic of it just for my Ro. He saw it in July, but its a little frostier now. :o)

7. Ice fishing!!

This was before the house was warmed up, I don't usually bundle up this much to fish, I usually just have jeans a sweatshirt and boots on.

Fishing hole.

I set the rod down cuz I wasn't getting anything. Must have been a bad hook...

First fish of ice fishing season 2009-2010!!!

And this one was in the slot. 20 1/2 inches. (On LoTW you can keep walleyes up to 19 inches and then from 28 and up. We only keep "bucket fish" long enough to go over the opening of a five gallon bucket. The slot in anything between what you can catch and what you can catch...)

Give him a couple years and he'll be a keeper.

CRACK!!! Just a very little one, there isn't even any water coming out of it.

Morris point village. Hundreds of houses, hundreds of vehicles, and even roads on the ice!!

Drinking in the cabin. :o)

It was a great New Years fishing trip. Had a blast!!

Oh, I forgot to mention the drunk text I wrote....apparently my New Years resolution is to not look at the moon until I cry. So far so good! :oP

Up up up I go.

2009-12-31T04:24:00.000-03:00

I'm all packed and ready for our fishing trip. I have an ipod charged, my Reader charged, my DS charged, 6 balls of yarn and one crochet hook packed, and of course a Cosmo to read on the way up North. I get bored easily and always try to bring enough stuff to entertain myself when I am traveling. You should see me on a plane, I will read for 5 minutes get bored, dig around in my bag, listen to a few songs, read one article in a mag, play Super Mario for 8 minutes, nod off and sleep for an hour, just to wake up and repeat the cycle. And north we are definitely going. I have been debating about bringing my passport so I can cross the border bridge in Baudette MN, just to say that I have stepped foot in Canada. Technically I have stepped foot in Canada, in the Toronto airport, but I really don't count that unless I am technically counting things, which I am not. Anyways, the joys of Baudette?? Well, they have a giant walleye statue that's pretty cool right. And there is a bar right on the lake that a girl with one eye in the center of her head, bright green lipstick, and no teeth could walk into and get hit on by disgusting old men that spend their lives at Lake of the Woods fishing and hunting and bacheloring year round. This is only my third trip to "the cabin" and I can't wait. I like ice fishing. I mean I liked it last year. I slept in, the boys picked me up later in the day (they all get up and go out onto the ice at like 5am) and brought me to the preheated fish house, they put the bait on my hook and took the fish off when I caught something. What's not to like?? Oh, did I mention drinking and talking and laughing and soaking up the few remaining minutes I will get with people before I jet off again?? I have my bottle of Captain and my brother left some...Dr. Thunder up there for me. Yes, Dr. Thunder, the generic brand of Dr.Pepper... So my poison of choice for the weekend will be Captain and Dr. what a nice combo :oP
Last year on this New Years trip, I encountered some serious Minnesotans.Complete with the "Ya, sure, you betchas!!!" I have gathered enough to know that the Northern folk really don't get out, well I should say down much. The few that actually live there year round must have boring lives because as soon as the "vacationers" come they head to the bar and find some singled out someone and talk their ears off!!
Well, I'm off to bed, we are supposed to leave in 4 hours. "supposed to" I hope everyone enjoys the last day of 2009 and starts 2010 off on the right foot!!!!

For some reason this does not surprise me the least....

2009-12-28T15:19:00.000-03:00

Notice the large gaping hole. The USPS tape is covering the Correo Chile tape where you can plainly see that whoever put it on didn't exactly get it over the whole thing, really people?? taping a box?? that hard?? :( Ro rarely sends me letters or packages or anything, so when I got this, well when I knew it was coming before I actually saw the thing, I was excited. When I saw it, I almost started crying. Almost. The letter that was supposed to be inside for me, well wasn't. :o( But the gifts for my parents and Evalie made it. I knew there wasn't going to be a present for me, remember Sony Reader :o) my super early Xmas present from Ro, but the letter, I was expecting. :o(

On another note, I am working very hard on obtaining a ticket to Chile. So Chile, here I come. What hell will you have for me this time??

'tis the season

2009-12-16T13:08:00.001-03:00

Holiday festivities start on Saturday. I don't know what day it is today, but I know that Saturday is soon.
I have serious mixed feelings about the upcoming gathering we are having. Since I have to work Friday night and people will be walking through the door around 11am ish, all I have on my mind right now are my escape plans. And since its -50 billion degrees out, hiding out in the garage has been crossed off, as well as curling up in the back seat of my car and catching a few Zs. Sigh.....If I was in Chile, I would be wishing I was here, but I'm already here so now I keep imagining that my husband will win the lottery and show up on the doorstep and take me off on a nice sunny vacation to Cancun or something.

Well, let the family pour in I guess and if I must my bedroom door does have a lock on it thank God! And Zoe won't be here to cause problems....well, Zoe doesn't cause the problems shes a good dog :)

Anyways.
Happy Holidays everyone!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 2010 here we come!!!!!

Here's a cute pic of my niece. I wore that dress when I was little, it'll fit her next year and is WAY too big this year, but we don't get to see her often and were just having fun with her. :D

Why hello Minnesota weather I've been expecting you!!

2009-12-09T13:31:00.000-03:00

SNOW!!!!!!! : oD
Some people are not completely 100% HAPPY about the current weather situation, but me!!! I have no words for it!!! We are going to have a white Christmas after all my worrying!!
Yesterday morning I walked to my car in my sweatshirt and slippers to get my cell phone. I went to sleep and woke up at the usual time for work 9:45pm. Not only was it freezing in my room (I disn't turn on the heat yet because I can't breathe in the stuffiness) and when I walked out to start getting my bag packed, I saw the white powder blowin in the wind. At that moment I was pissed because nobody woke me up to tell me that it snowed and that I should leave for work early. But oh well I drive at night so I never have the problems for the main point of this post. I will now box the drivers of Minnesota.

Box #1
Riding a bicycle is apparently something that you never forget how to do. Driving in Minnesota weather for some people can be like that. Some people... like me. I put myself in box 1 because I don't forget about the winter driving. I remember that the curves are the slipperiest especially when covered in snow. I am cautious, but I usually drive on the high and dry at 55, the speed limit. (Normal non winter time of year I have my cruise set at 62.) I do not ride the brakes. If I see a patchy questionable area coming up I don't slam on the brakes. I lift off the gas, but never ever ever slam on the brakes....unless there is a box #2 in front of me.

Box #2
Typically this box includes men 65 and up, and women of all ages. (Not dissing the ladies here, this is just a general observation that I have.) Obviously the 16 and 17 year olds can be in this box because they haven't gotten their MN snow legs (wheels??) These are the people I hate to be stuck behind. These people are the ones that make you wonder if they can get on their bicycle after the long MN winter and remember how to ride it. We will take the lady I was behind this morning. Her car? Buick Le Sabre. Very new less than 3 years I would guess. I got behind her in St. Cloud. So we were driving in the city where the speed limit was 35. Sigh. She was going 35....sometimes. Mostly when we were driving through patches of snow. At the end of the patch she would slam on her brakes and slow down to 25 and then speed up and slow down and of course SLAM on her brakes a block before the red light she was stopping at. I can understand that you want to slow down before you stop when you are questioning the slipperiness of the road, but that causes me box 1 to have to slam on my brakes which is a huge NO NO! You DO NOT slam on your brakes in questionably cold/snowy/possibly icy road conditions. Box 2 lady that I was behind drove 35 miles an hour at the max even when the speed limit went up to 50 and then 60, even though the road was clear. Sigh, these people don't bother me as much as box #3 people because I can pass them and let them drive "cautiously" all they want.

Box #3
These people drive me CRAZY they are dangerous and reckless and most often the ones that end up in the ditch. Good. They deserve it! As I was driving behind #2, a #3 came up behind me. I should mention I was on a 4 lane road. I was driving behind #2 in the right lane because I always drive in the right lane because I have to turn off of it once I get out of town. Had it not been for all the #3s I would have passed the #2 in a heartbeat. A #3 is usually a man. And most often they are the ones that have the super ginormous 4 wheel drive vehicles. With these large vehicles they gain a kind of cockiness that me in my crusty old Oldsmobile 88 just can't dream to have. So there I was stuck behind #2 and a #3 came roaring up behind me. Why they didn't just go along with the rest of the #3s and pass I don't know. Mr. Cocky in his ginormous Ford supercab pick up truck decided to get on my ass. I of course could not speed up because #2 was just getting out of a snow patch and seeing a red light a mile in front of us so she was slamming on her brakes causing me to slam on my brakes making Mr. Cocky even closer to the back of my car.

Finally after getting away from those nuts, I was on the road alone. Yay for back country roads!! I came upon another #2 and passed her with ease. I had no problems until I was getting closer to Holdingford (my hometown) and it happens to be a really hilly road. So I was cruising along never using the brakes when I come to a snow capped hill and decide after seeing the delivery truck wrapped around a pole that I should keep my foot off the gas while I drive through a 2 inch drift. Well along comes a #3 in all his ginormous Chevy with a yellow snow plow attachment going of course at least 60. This was not the problem, oh no. the problem? I could CLEARLY see the line in the middle of the road marking the divide between MY side and HIS side. Where was he? Halfway on my side! Not only did that piss me off, I had to slam on my brakes!! because the shoulder was 6 or so inches of plowed snow and NO WAY in HELL was I driving into that snow with the chance of getting back on the road that was a direct route to the ditch along with all its wonderful drifts. The other #1 in front of me not only nearly got clipped by this jackass, they swerved and luckily kept themselves out of the drifty snowy ditch of hell. Did this man slow down?? No. Driving like a psycho I saw him continue to own both sides of the road through my rear view window. Sigh.... Minnesota winter is great. Driving in a Minnesota winter SUCKS!

I would like to throw out my safe travel wishes to all the expats returning to the US for the holidays and especially to the expats returning from Chile! Fly safe!

Jealous of a box... yes a cardboard box...

2009-12-07T15:17:00.000-03:00

I sent a box to Rodrigo today.
I hate the box.
It took me 20 minutes to mail it.
I live 3 minutes from the post office.
The box was packed and taped and ready to go when I stepped outside to drive to the post office.
I absolutely hate the box because Rodrigo gets to hold it. And its not me.
A box... I'm jealous of a box.