dinner at 10pm

i am grateful for beans and rice. today after our bus ride we got some beans, rice and tortillas for lunch and then hung out at the shop with tomas for a bit. by 10pm we realized that we should probably eat again. joshua got in a good surf. 3 times up on the 'herbie fletcher' and came back smiling!! it is hot and great! bring on the surfers! we confirmed our first reservation today.

day 1 in sayulita

what a day!! we got our 5 pieces of check on bags, 1 surfboard box, 1 cat and 4 carry ons in the car, through 2 airports, customs and security with little trouble. we scored a rather cheap van to bring us to town. there was construction, traffic and the guy running with the olympic torch. fun stuff. when we got to town we had to back track due to the bridge being out but with a trusty driver and some 4-bying we made it to town AND THEN, the driver floored it up our hill only to stall at the top. all the gasoline was at the back of the tank and he had to back down/turn around to get it started. but we didn't have to carry all our stuff to the top of the hill by hand. thank god. bodo did well. he was panting and a little unhappy, but seems to be recovering pretty well. he now has a proper litter box, food and water. sleeping was a challenge with the heat and new noises but that will settle down with time. adjustment is the key. met back up with all my friends from before, drank beer and even checked out an apartment in the square above the 'fish taco restaurant'. not ideal space but will do if we don't find something a bit better. it was a good price and location. ($300 a month) and a block from the shop. sweat sweat and more sweat. : )

last day in LA

i am grateful for a wonderful stay in LA with joshua's mom and meeting more of his family and friends.

hookah

i am thankful for garage space at joshua's mom's house. it is amazing how little and how much we are taking to mexico for 6 months. we hung out with a couple of joshua's friends. it was a great day of repacking and enjoying the last days of american conveniences and pleasures. flushing toilet paper in the toilet, mint ice cream, large screen (english) tv, LA mexican food, speaking english all the time, crosswalks, stop lights, quiet neighbors...

malibu

i am thankful drives through malibu. (when i am not driving) it was great to see the ocean again, meet more of joshua's wonderful family and eating more LA mexican food!!

driving

i am thankful for arriving in LA safely... 21 hours early and realizing that, i AM a long distance driver. we have a couple of days here with joshua's family, running errands and picking up the last of our supplies before we hit sayulita.

travel

i am thankful for enough energy to drive from portland to redding... with ease. here is to trying to make it to LA by tomorrow night. woo hoo!