Skipping ahead to my birthday, Ibague, apartment hunting

I have decided I am too lazy to try to describe the vacation by myself and I need to recruit Diego's help. So for now, I will skip ahead to my birthday and other events in late May, June, and July.

Coming home
Coming home from vacation was quite a shock. We had a horrible experience with a bus driver that stopped for his own personal needs, picked up 6 extra drunk kids, and was in trouble with the law from what Diego heard. After an extra half hour in the bus (after 2 plane trips) we got to a cold and wet Manizales...it was like ripping off a band-aid or jumping into an icy pool. Some say it's better to know immediately what you are getting into and others say that a gentle easing back to reality might be better. Either way, we were both excited and dreading getting back to the apartment.  I have to give a shout out to my mom who taught me the value in having a perfectly clean house to come home to after a vacation. While Diego might not have liked the psycho pre-vacation Sharon, I think he realized it was worth it when you can come home to a nice apartment.

Coming back to work was both good and bad for me. I actually had quite a bit of work to do and stayed pretty busy. Normally I would love to have more work, but right after a vacation is somewhat of a sick joke. I was testing/verifying that all of the Spanish was translated for the software....that includes making sure that the Portuguese and German fit on the page and were translated. German gave me a headache, but I did enjoy picking up a few German rules and words.


Diego went right back into the normal drill of stress and meetings. I give him credit for completely shutting out work while we were on vacation....I was worried he wouldn't be able to let it go and enjoy the vacation. I was happy to be proven wrong.

Birthday

Not too long after getting back from vacation, we celebrated my birthday. Diego was (like always) panicking about what to get me, but he did so good! I got some nice new workout clothes (my others were really big!!), some weights, and a DVD holder so we can organize/find the DVDs I brought to Colombia much easier. I downloaded a kickboxing video which was perfect after getting my new workout clothes. I also finally got some new running shoes, shout out to dad, because my other ones were completely falling apart.

Diego and the girls at work had a surprise for me as well. They decorated my desk while I was at work, and they even told me about a special trick they do in Colombia...rather than use helium they tape the balloons to the ceiling! Apparently helium is really expensive in Colombia. The funny part is that they told Diego to make sure that we came in late from lunch. Diego convinced me to stay late at home, but for the first time in the year we have lived here our neighbor gave us a ride to work...so we ended up getting to work early!!! Life is funny that way!

Diego and I also celebrated my birthday by going to a really nice Spanish (as in Spain) restaurant near the house that was absolutely delicious- blue cheese and shrimp pasta for me and seafood paella for Diego. Hmmmm, I can still taste it. I tried to make a dirt cake for myself but it ended up being to runny and then when I froze it, it tasted exactly like oreo ice cream!! We didn't go to Santagueda as planned, but it was an absolutely perfect birthday and I felt so spoiled.

Greg's graduation

This is a nice short shout out to my little brother who isn't so little anymore. I was so proud of him and I know he will do so well at Morehead University! One of the hardest parts of being in Colombia is missing the big moments. I believe that the little ones are the most important, but it's hard to see the big one's pass you by. One of my very best friends also got married recently and it was tough to miss out on that. Diego and I have talked general plans for a US vacation next year, but we'll see how it goes.

Weather change

One nice thing that has happened in Colombia is that the weather has dried up a little and the sun likes to come out more often. It still rains and some days are still gray and cloudy, but the sunny and warm days are not so few and far between which keeps me nice and cheery. While I miss living in an area with seasons, watching all the facebook statuses about how hot it is reminds me to be thankful of the year round great temperatures in Manizales.

Ibague
A few weekends ago Diego and I went to visit his parents in Ibague which was an absolutely blast. The bus trip is always a little difficult because it is practically all mountains. This time around a little girl even threw up (not in a bag) and the smell made it even worse! Once we got there we had a little bit of trouble finding Diego's parents apartment. they are in the middle of getting a new place which is being built now, but looks absolutely beautiful and peaceful so I am really excited for them. Diego and I also enjoyed the park in the centro and went for a nice morning jog. I was very proud of Diego because he ran the furthest he has ever run.

Apartment searching

Diego and I have started the process of finding a new apartment. It's a little bittersweet because our apartment has been our first home together and so there is a lot of sentimental value placed in it. On the other hand, Diego gets sick every weekend (regardless of the fact that we vacuum, dust, etc every weekend) because of all the mold and general wear-down of the apartment. I also have a hard time remembering to turn off the gas lever so the gas doesn't leak (the stove knob can be off and gas will still leak unless the leave under the counter is off). We have already seen a few apartments and I have hope that we will find something a little newer and nicer that we can enjoy together. We should move to whatever new place we find sometime during August. That means though that we are starting to pack things up which is not such a nice feeling especially since I am trying to get my visa stuff done. August is going to be rough....but I'm sure Diego and I will get through it.

Updates to house

Thanks to some birthday money and the state mandated bonus pay (for both June and December), Diego and I were able to brighten up the house a little and complete some of the rooms. Our guest room now looks very pretty with actual curtains (and not a blanket) and a bed spread with pillows. We are still working on getting a small office desk, but we figure that can happen in the new apartment so we have time for that. We also got a vase with flowers and a nice wall clock to brighten up the family room a little more. Eventually we will get a shelving unit and plants, but once again I think it's better to plan that around the newer apartment which we will hopefully stay in for a few years until we decide what we want to do (US, Colombia, other city or country).

Diego-isms
To finish this post, I would like to leave you with Diego"isms". I love my husband so much and I am so glad that he always makes me laugh whether or not he means to!

** While Diego was making the pancakes he decided to yell (at the pancakes), "Let's go bubbles! Come to Daddy"

**Diego Rivera: I wish books had the Ctrl+F7 function to find things.
Sharon: You mean like an index in the back of a book? 
Diego: Oh yeah! Forgot about that!

** After not giving him the last piece of my chocolate bar Diego said, "I hope you ingest yourself!" (Spanish to English translation error) 

***My hand on Diego's lower back, teasingly. Diego says, "Nooooo, don't! You are going to give me a.....um......pull up." ---He meant wedgie.

Santagueda, Easter, Diego's B-day, Parties!

Santagueda (Facebook Pics)

Over the Easter weekend, Diego and I decided that we needed to escape the dreary Manizales weather and explore a little bit....what we found was Santagueda.  While we got off to a lazy start, we immediately had a little adventure by taking a jeep to Santagueda.  That doesn't sound scary or adventurous, but the jeeps come from the rural areas surround Manizales to deliver loads of produce for the market, then give cheap rides to people from Manizales traveling to the local towns. Once we got to the "Granja" (place in the country), I immediately wanted to get in the pool because I couldn't believe how warm and sunny it was.  I forgot that Colombia is actually a tropical country!!!
Diego and I enjoyed the day in the sun and walking around the gardens and small pond....not to mention the most incredible food! It's exactly what we needed to get out of the dreary and cold Manizales weather!  On the way home it was even more of an adventure in the jeep. The jeep had a total of 13 people in it (if I remember correctly) and Diego and I decided that we didn't want to be cramped inside with no air so we sat in the back of the jeep....with one leg hanging out along with our heads!!! It was quite fun and I love doing things like that here because I could never do that in the US....makes me feel naughty! It was also a good workout, trying to keep my body in the jeep while it twisted and turned it's way back up the mountain to get to Manizales!!!

Easter Pics and Easter Videos
So after our lovely day in the country, I decided to make sure that Diego experienced a little bit of Easter traditions from the Santo family. I should point out that in Colombia, Holy Friday is celebrated more so than Easter Sunday and the Easter bunny does not exist at all! I should point out the Easter bunny tradition came from the Germans way back when to mix the pagan traditions (Ester- god of fertility, bunniess- really nice fertility) so it's understandable why that one didn't make it to Colombia.
Anyway, we had some small containers (not quite baskets but we work with what we have) that we filled with some candies (nice break from the diet) and hid for each other.  I have to admit that Diego kicked my butt!!! He went directly to where I hid it and then I gave it away by saying that he cheated. I, however, took 15 minutes to find mine (it was in the dryer full of clothes) because I forgot that we were using closed containers (that could be shoved between the clothes) rather than open baskets! The videos (in the link above) are quite funny--especially my desperation and Diego's triumph!

Diego's Birthday

Shortly after Easter came Diego's birthday!! I was excited because last year I missed his birthday so I wanted to make up for it this year. The weather helped out a lot, because after weeks of rain there were 2-3 gorgeous days before and on his birthday, so we tried to eat outside and soak up all the sun we could. We also went to a nearby restaurant that specializes in steaks which was absolutely delicious. Diego liked his new baseball cap that I got him and his stress ball so he doesn't make his funny stress face. I got him some new socks, but that didn't work out well because they were abnormally small!! I did get the right size (Diego says so) but the brand is really weird I guess! Hehehehe!

Mexican Party and Presence 1 Year Anniversary Party

 After Diego's birthday we had some more social events. First, as a celebration for a new apartment for one of the girls at work we had a Mexican night with the girls. It was like Mexican American food so I was still happy and I would like to point out that everyone was LOVING the taco dip. Some differences that I noticed is that people here don't do a "pot luck" party or an organized party where each person brings something, but rather normally it's customary to collect money from everyone and buy all the food and supplies at once. Not that one way is better than another, but I do feel like it's a little too much business when money is collected. However, at least this way is fair and no one person feels like they always give or do more for the group.

After the Mexican party, Presence (the company I worked for) had a grill out/party for the one year anniversary of the opening of the Manizales office. It was so much fun with the Kinect for XBox360 which is so much cooler than Wii for the record. We also had the most delicious beef and chorizo from the grill while we karaoked and drank. It wasn't too crazy for Diego and I, but it was fun and we won the prizes for the "Most Stressed Out" and "Best Karaoker," respectively.

All in all, at that point in time, things were going really well. Derby was a little hard to miss and Diego and I have both taken turns being US-sick, but overall we were still positive and we were super excited for our vacation which will be my next post in a few days followed by my birthday and apartment events.  Catch up with everyone soon!

Shocking Shopping Shenanigans (and some funny/crazy stories)

Mattress and a Firetruck
So I was walking home the other day and saw a firetruck in the outside lane on the main street of town. I thought something serious was going on and then realized that the ladder was extended to a top floor of an apartment building.  Thinking that some daring rescue was happening I looked up to see the ladder and a large mattress being moved into an apartment.  Hehehehe!  Random!  Got to love Manizales!

Girl with the Short Skirt 
A different day I was walking home and happen to start walking about 10ft behind a girl in a short jean skirt with some dark leggings.  As I walked behind her I noticed that she was drawing some attention from old men (with their wives), 13 year old boys, and just about any other living male that passed her.  The few minutes that I was walking behind her I saw 11 guys pass her then turn around and take a second look!!!  It was quite funny to watch it all happen.  Guys are so predictable!!!!

Shopping Shenanigans
Diego and I went out shopping on Saturday to get some new jeans and bathing suits for me.  It was quite strange in that I cried when I thought I would be happy and I was happy when I thought I would cry.  AND....Diego would get on me for doing something that is completely polite in my mind.

In preparation for our beach vacation Diego and I went bathing suit shopping for me since my other bathing suits were quite old.  Normally, when I have to buy new suits, a few things like tears, frustration, and embarrassment come with it.....but not this time!  I was able to to find 2 bathing suits that support and cover all the necessary parts while also being a true 2-piece rather than my tankini wannabe bathing suits of the past!  I am quite excited for our vacation, because it's the first time in a long time that I don't feel super awkward and embarrassed!  Vacation in 5 weeks!!!

Diego and I went to a little shop that had a very large selection of bathing suits which took quite a while to go through.  Diego also started reminding me that I shouldn't put away any of the suits that I was looking at.  Each one was on a hanger inside a plastic bag that folded them up (making it impossible to see what they looked like without taking them out completely!  Of course I felt obligated to put them back on the hanger and inside the bag.  Diego actually took one from my hands to stop me!!! Apparently in Colombia, it's better to just leave things randomly and messily throughout the store so the salesperson can put it away "properly".  I claim that having an OCD dad has taught me to memorize exactly how things are organized, arranged, etc, either way I left about 8 or 9 bathing suits for the woman to take care of....I felt so bad!

So after feeling elated from finding the perfect bathing suits, I thought we could easily find me some jeans and every one knows that jeans are less stress than bathing suits to find. Not true!!! At least for me in Colombia.  So I am a size 12 for US sizes, but since I live in a country where women are much smaller in both stature and frame, it is not so easy to find jeans.  I tried on a pair of 12s and couldn't even get them up.  I tried on 14s and couldn't get my thighs in them.  My waist was fine, but skinny jeans apparently don't go well with my "Swedish Farm Girl Thighs".  The sad thing is that most stores don't seem to carry sizes bigger than 14 so I am officially too big still for most stores.  How's that for a slap in the face!  So after some tears and a hug from Diego, we decided that I will just wait for a few weeks (and further progress on my "get healthy plan") and then I can go back and try it again.

Anyway, after all the surprises/tears Diego and I built up quite an appetite for Chinese food (American-Chinese food!!!!) and we had quite a lunch.  Hopefully, in a few more weeks I should have some new jeans and not have to wear Diego's anymore!

Life as usual with a picnic!

I have been a very bad blogger and it has been almost a month and a half since my last blog. So to start us off, we'll talk about Valentine's day.  My Valentine's Day was actually the Friday before.  Diego's flowers arrived early for me and I couldn't believe how beautiful (and large) they were!  It was pretty cute, because he was so worried that the flowers weren't good/big enough.  I have no idea why he would have doubts, because I thought they were incredible especially with the "Birds of Paradise" which are the orange flowers in the shape of a bird's head.  Later that night we ate at an incredible restaurant with the most delicious steak with blue cheese dressing along with the tomato filled with beef, cheese and an amazing sauce. Oh....and we can't forget the sundae!! 

There was some nice music and candles as well so it was a good atmosphere. However, on the actual Valentine's Day, we discovered we were broke so we decided for an in-house celebration.  A bit of wine with chocolate and some empanadas and some candle lighting was a perfect treat.  We also watched "The Prince & Me" which most guys would hate it, but Diego loved the movie since we shared part of the story. Obviously we didn't share not the royalty part, but the sandwich making, crushing on your boss, and the girl playing hard to get, serious student was pretty similar!!  Anyway, I enjoyed my nice calm Valentine's day with my husband.

After Valentine's day, Diego took a mini-vacation after a lot of nagging on my part. While he loves his job, it is very stressful so he went to visit his family in Bogota and Ibague. I have to admit I enjoyed having some time to myself and doing as I pleased. One of the things I enjoyed was that I didn't have to remake the bed every morning because someone (Diego) always messes up the covers! I even took pictures as proof! But, by the end of the 5 days, it was nice to have him back. Considering we spend all day, every day together, I think it is important to have some time apart. Plus I kept forgetting my keys (a lot of extra walking and some extra work to get into the house!

Other than that I have been sticking to my normal routine.  Wake up at 5, exercise, go to work at 7, eat lunch for 1.5 hours, leave work at 6, teach English classes until 7:30-8. By the time I do all that I eat and rest just for a little bit.  I like to get to bed no later than 9 or so and Diego used to not like that, but he just started going in to work at 6:00 (so he starts when the east coast goes to work) so he doesn't mind it as much.  Now we both get up at the same time!! We still walk home every day so we can eat there (we still go out to eat once a week as a treat).

Finally, the only other special activity that we have had was over the weekend.  I have to say that when it comes to Colombia, if the day is nice then it is BEAUTIFUL, but if the day is bad then it is HORRIBLY UGLY.  Having said that, I can say that both Saturday and Sunday were "nice" days---so incredibly beautiful.  Diego and I took advantage of the weather and on Saturday we went to the park for a picnic! It was nice to go on a Saturday, because it wasn't so busy.  There were a few youth groups playing some kind of a scavenger hunt of sorts and some families with little kids and dogs (always cute!). I still think it is funny that inside a very natural park they would have a miniature fun park.

Anyway we had a nice lunch with sandwiches, carrots and blue cheese dip, and chips. It was nice to just have a lazy day at the park, but Diego and I have decided we need to buy a volleyball and an American football.  I miss playing sports even if it is just playing around. 

On Sunday, Diego and I went for a long walk and were on a hunt of our own. From the apartments we used to call "heaven" we could see a few other apartment complexes that were absolutely gorgeous.  Recently, there was a mudslide directly below "heaven" and since it is on a cliff we decided we should demote it to "former heaven" or "Alto perro" which is the name of the neighborhood.  Anyway, we were searching for the apartments we saw, but we had no idea how to get there so we just kept trying every street.  Eventually we found them and OMG they are so pretty.  They are surrounded by a forest area and the only thing you can hear are the birds.  All of them have perfect size (big enough for 2 chairs) balconies and it's the same distance to work that we are now.  The only problem is that it nicer so it's too expensive to rent there and Diego and I are a few years away from buying a place (damn student loans hehehe) plus we are still unsure of future plans.  I think when it comes to the US vs Colombia debate, Diego and I could be fine living in either country so it just depends on opportunities.

Anyway, to wrap things up our scuba trip planning is going well.  May 13-21 in Taganga and we are staying at a hostel called Casa Holanda that has a 2 for 1 Happy Hour every night and a breakfast included!!! We are so excited!  Diego especially since this is his first scuba diving trip and I am excited for sharks....maybe I'll get to touch one this time (I missed my chance last time).  I feel pretty good about going scuba diving now that I am healthier and more active....now to get Diego playing futbol (soccer) again!

Speaking of healthier, the "let's-get-healthy" plan is going very well for me- 33lbs and counting.  Diego even tried my pilates video on Sunday....it was a lot of fun to watch him, but at the same time I was so proud of him.  I am running for about 45 min M,W,F and pilates on T,TH. I hope to keep going with it until my birthday then maintain whatever weight I'm at then until Christmas.  Fingers crossed for keeping up the good lifestyle!

OMG I forgot to write about Christmas and my anniversary!!!

About 10 seconds after posting, I realized I haven't written anything about my 1st Christmas with Diego (and without my family) and our 1st anniversary!!! Big moments that I would like to remember meaning that I HAVE to write it down....my memory is already gone.  If there are no pictures or written stories, it's practically gone.

Christmas wasn't as difficult for me as Thanksgiving and I had a lot of fun.  First, Diego and I had to work Christmas Eve so we couldn't go to his parents for Christmas which was a little sad.  I am used to having a lot of people around at Christmas so it would have been nice to go, but it's a possibility for next year.  I had some skype video calls with the family on both Christmas Eve and day which helped a lot, because they just set me on the table so that it was like I was actually there. 

I had made cheesecake, brownies, empanadas, bunhuelos (the bread that looks like balls- see facebook pictures) and eggnog.  In Colombia they only celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve.  What I didn't know is that they don't celebrate it at the same time.  I was expecting to have food and eggnog with music and open up a couple of gifts around 7 or 8.  That's when Diego told me that we had to wait until MIDNIGHT!!!  Well, I had worked in the morning and spent the afternoon running to the store and cooking so I was quite tired.  Diego was as well so we took a nap.....at 10:00pm!! We woke up in time to open a few presents and talk some more so it was nice.

Christmas day celebrations were something new for Diego, but I think he like them (although he didn't like waiting the extra day to finish opening presents hehe).  We started off with a Colombian traditional breakfast with tomales which are nothing like the ones that you will see in the US.  They are quite tasty though and very filling.  We opened up some more presents and then played with them in true Christmas tradition....I kicked Diego's butt in UNO like 5 times!  If I remember correctly we took another nap and went for a walk then saw the 7th Harry Potter movie that night.  I was very excited because I understood everything they were saying and it was in Spanish!!!  I do have to say that the "bad guys" need to work on their pronunciation....they do not speak very clearly. LOL

Overall, I would say it was a GREAT Christmas.  Though presents and activities were low key, it was nice to start some new traditions with Diego.  Only 2 1/2 weeks later we were celebrating our 1st anniversary!!!

Our anniversary was also very low key....I think that's how we are in general.  Because we had gone out so much during the "feria" and for New Years (delicious sushi), we decided to make things more personal and have a stay at home dinner.....that Diego cooked!!!!  He wouldn't tell me what he was going to make so it was a surprise.  He made pasta carbonara (pasta with cheese and bacon) and wine.  Luckily we had a center table arrangement from our friends' wedding to make the table look even nicer.  It was a very nice dinner and a good anniversary. 

Life in the New Year

It has been a while since I have written so I felt like I needed to do a short post. 

Diego and I brought in the New Year in true Colombian fashion at a friend's house.  There was lentil throwing, grape eating, dancing, and lots of music.  New Years is a big deal in Colombia so it felt like it was a block party with everyone in their open garages/driveways/streets partying together.  I didn't see any balls drop (not that I waited up for that in the US every year), but I did see a small hot air balloon (personless) catch on fire.  There are some great pics on facebook of the group trying to send a hot air balloon in the air, but the wind kept pushing the fire onto the actual balloon before they could get it up.

The following week was quite interesting with a beautiful wedding of two of our friends (fun, photoshopped pics on facebook) and the feria (fair) in town.  I learned that Colombians LOVE beauty queens.  They have a "Queen" for everything in Colombia....Queen of Coffee, Queen of Water, cities, states, and anything else you can think of.  The parades were pretty interesting....not quite as organized as I am used to, but still fun.  We saw one of the parades from the bus (in the opposite direction) because it couldn't really move anywhere.  People simply stopped their cars on the street to watch the parade....while blocking the traffic!!! LOL There was another "parade" which consisted of every person in Manizales (maybe all of Caldas) that had horses.  They all rode down the street....not the most diverse parade I have ever seen, but it says something culturally.  Diego's brother, Sergio, came to visit us during that time so he was able to see the firework show (pretty good) and some tennis matches for a tournament that was happening. 

On a more personal status update....I am feeling very happy and comfortable here. Like I said in an earlier post, I was pretty scared of my future here for 2 months from before Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Between frustrations with the apartment, my job, my body, the rain, and missing family it was really tough.  Of course, I still miss family at random times and would love visitors, but I feel like I found my niche here.  The weather has been great since New Years, I have a better idea of what is expected of me at work, and I have been working out religiously since Christmas. 

I think working out has especially helped my mood (or rather mood swings).  To be honest, I feel likes it's a "Dog Whisperer" thing.  If you wear out the dog, he get rid of the pent-up energy and laid back to get upset/obsessive about things--same thing for me.  Well....my dad always compared to raising kids to training dogs....I guess that has been passed on.  Anyway moving past the dog comparison, I am quite proud of myself for getting up every morning at 5:20 to go for a run before work.  It's been challenging with the altitude and some of the hills, but it gives me something to work on.  Diego doesn't run with me, but with the weather nice we go for long walks on the weekends (while listening to the Harry Potter audio-books hehehe).  So overall, I am just feeling much better.  I also want to point out the "Dancing with the Stars Workout Video" is a lot of fun and quite challenging at times (took me a while to get a lot of the foot work) so I highly recommend it to someone looking for something different to do in house while it's too cold outside or busy at the gym.

Anyway...enough about me!  Skype me or email me for updates about YOU!!!!

New Year's Traditions in Colombia

Here are some fun things you can try for New Year's:

- Yellow underwear: good luck in life
- Red underwear: Good luck in love
- Lentils in the pocket at midnight: brings money for next year
- Carry a suitcase/passport if you would like to travel.
- Drink a glass of champaign with some jewelry inside.
- Eat 12 grapes with the 12 chimes of the clock and a wish for each month
- Bread with wheat stalk (don't eat the wheat stalk) means prosperity
- Jump over a bucket full of water (means you will cross the ocean)
- 3 potatoes in a plastic bag. 1 of those fully peeled (meaning very little money coming next year), 1 randomly peeled (means average amount of money), 1 not peeled at all (means good money coming). Each person picks a potato from the bag to see what type of money you should expect for next year.

No one knew of something for luck in jobs, but I'm sure if you carry a job listing page or something symbolizing work/job.

Hope this helps and you can try something new for this year!