I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing or if I've formatted this correctly or if anyone is going to read this, and if they do what if they think I'm a moron? I'm thinking the picture of me is much too large, but I don't know how to fix that yet. I don't want readers to think I am in love with my own image because the truth is I am not at all photogenic and I am, and always will be, insecure. However, this photo is probably one of the best of me ever. It's a self portrait and I probably took about 20 shots. It was taken in LA right after I spent a small fortune getting my hair done on Rodeo Drive. It was crazy, but more than worth it because it was really fun and quite satisfying. I normally do it myself and the total cost is about $15.00. There I go trying to justify my expenditure again. I was on my way to Hong Kong with my sister and best friend, Laurie, and I knew I should probably not start running up the credit cards before I even left the country, but it was like I had an out of body experience. I was experiencing one of those stress free days when everything feels perfect (or am I truly mentally ill?). We had been planning this trip forever. My nephew, Josh (Laurie's son), and his beautiful soulmate, Natalie, were having their first baby and we were going over for the big event. Laurie never thought she would be a grandmother and her reaction was over the top. She was, and is, so happy and so am I. They have a girl, Scarlett, named after Laurie. Laurie's pen name is Miz Scarlett. Little Scarlett is the cutest baby ever except for my four grandchildren. More about all that another time.



I want to write about my life, our lives, in Mexico and I guess I have a nagging fear that it might not be all that interesting. The truth is I find it all very interesting and I don't know exactly how I got here. As an old friend of mine said "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself". However, if it weren't for all of those crazy experiences in my life, I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today. I can't get over thinking that I'm really lucky and part of life's path is just that - luck ........ and timing. Karma is number one, but no matter what, there's the luck and timing thing. I also got very lucky in finding a life partner like Bruce; a man with enough of a right brain to be utterly charming and creative, and number one in my book, a great sense of humor. It has to be somewhat wacky too.



I kept waiting to start this blog; waiting for the right time, a day when I felt really on top of everything. The truth is that day will probably never happen and when it does I'll probably be off satisfying my manic side.....like getting my hair done at a fabulous place or some other form of instant gratification.



This is my eighth year in Mexico and I have never looked back. I'm an American and I'm proud of it, but when I'm in the US I definitely feel the stress that just isn't present here in Mexico. I'm still trying to figure out where all of that stress comes from. People may not drive all that well here, but in my part of Mexico there is no road rage, just laughter and at most a shake of the head. That's not to say it isn't frustrating to drive here, but there's no fear of death for accidentally cutting someone off. I can't even get started on all of the things written about this charming country that are just not true and my opinions on the border problems would problem rile a lot of Americans. Let's just face it, these hard working people (whether in the US legally or not) are doing jobs that a lot of Americans don't want to do like bussing tables and working for minimum wage. Mexicans are, more often than not, really good and kind people with amazing family values and a work ethic that I don't see often. I also feel absolutely safe here even when I'm travelling alone. I love going back to the US; my family is there and I miss them very much but this in now my home. The US is the greatest country in the world and sometimes we take those freedoms for granted. All of the bad press Mexico has gotten recently is definitely keeping people away. I believe tourism is down at least 50 percent right now.



So now ....about today...I'm getting over a cold I probably picked up on my last trip in spite of my vigilant nose swabbing with Zicam (isn't that a pretty picture). I learned the Zicam thing from my sister on our trip to Hong Kong in the most cramped, tiny, crowded little seats in coach with people hacking and coughing all around us. We managed to arrive in Hong Kong healthy. Oh yes, my pet peeve is people hacking and coughing on a plane. I feel an extremely unreasonable urge to smack them and say "stop it already".



Bruce is working on our house design; I believe the lighting plan; in his office about ten feet away from me and I'm sitting here taking a stab at this blog. I'm looking out of the window at the bay and the mountain. I can't get over the beauty here in San Carlos. It's like we have found the perfect geographic location. We are both water people and we love mountains. It's the middle of the day and I'm going to watch the rerun of Obama's speech. I have only heard the reviews and I'm anxious to hear the real thing. The reviews are all over the place. I know it's cynical but I am sick of the press spewing their opinions and spinning important events in a negative manner. I may also bake some cookies. I haven't baked cookies in about three years. I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the heat.



I'm reading this blog over and thinking it's kind of all over the place, but that's how I think too. I will try again tomorrow.