Today was yet another reminder of how much I like spending time with kids. We may not speak the same language or exchange words at all, but funny faces can go quite a ways! I still can't imagine having a child of my own right now (and I feel it's odd that so many mothers tell me I'm lucky to be without for the time being), but I feel some of the fear of parenthood melting away as time goes on.
I spent the morning with a client and her 3yo daughter- she was gorgeous... sporting a two-toned pink sweater and soft, brown curls in the Barnes & Noble Starbucks where we had our meeting. We had light conversation and I supplied her with drawing materials while her mother sorted out an issue over the phone. Nice.
Later, I was surprised by the presence of a 4yo at my sister's crocheting party. (sidenote: I realize Casey is only 24, but she is an old soul!) She invited neighbors and friends from church and work to teach them crochet basics and to help with more complicated patterns for the advanced ladies. :) It made me so happy to see how pleased Casey was with her party... I must admit, it was quite the success.
Anyways, I was doing my best to help out Casey's friends with the basics when Monsoui came in with her mother. She stole my heart right away. I felt like she probably would be quite bored without a playmate, so I stepped in and we had a ball! We discussed what sort of character was depicted in her shiny red shoes, we spied on people's feet from underneath the couch and we talked about how delicious broccoli is. Kids are awesome.
It began with my introductory session at a local yoga studio: Dahn Yoga. It was interesting- more of an analysis than an introduction. We began with some ballistic stretching (bouncing in each stretch to reach beyond your typical abilities... not recommended by OCU) and then continued to some balancing exercises. My instructor informed me that because I balanced better with my eyes open, it was a clue that I was externally focused. I'm fairly certain everyone balances better with their eyes open, but I tried to keep an open mind about his analysis.
After balancing, I laid down and concentrated on relaxing and breathing. My shallow and abnormal breathing was a giveaway that my heart chakra is blocked. This was apparently confirmed when Jason checked my internal organs. "And how might someone check your internal organs?" you might ask- with a very strong and sure hand. With each exhalation, Jason shaped his hand into a blade and wriggled it uncomfortably into the depths of my abdomen. I was sure I could feel popping sensations inside each nearly-punctured organ... I guess it was air trapped somewhere beneath the surface. I must say, more than a few doctor's would be impressed at how far Jason's hand traveled without breaking through the skin... He definitely could have wrapped his hand around my stomach or intestines; it reminded me of the scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where some poor schmuck gets his heart ripped out while he's still alive.
Anyways, Jason was nice- and he gave me some insight to how balancing and opening my chakras will make me a happier person. ::sigh:: Perhaps he's right (I know Abel would agree), but the steady nature of his eyes didn't convince me that he believed everything he was saying. He spoke a little too calmly with a painted on smile... and his eyes never changed to reflect the joy or excitement of the concepts he spoke of. I just wasn't convinced.
After leaving the yoga studio, I decided it was time I search for a part time position to supplement my income. I drove towards the house (jobs that aren't dream jobs have to include minimal commute to be bearable), and stopped at a shopping center near the mall. There is a store called the Vitamin Shoppe that I supposed I could work at with a little pride, so I drove up to park. I passed the store three times before I convinced myself to stop and go in; there was an epic battle going on between my pride and humility. Humility finally won -for the moment- and I walked in with my chin up to ask for an application.
I drove a bit closer to home and entered the same shopping center that I used to serve organic pizza at. I applied humbly at a few restaurants and received some advice to head to the mall, "A few stores are always hiring: Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie, Hollister, the Buckle..." I nodded and thanked the lady at the cupcake shop for her advice before heading to the mall.
My pride is pretty crushed by this point, but I applied at Victoria's Secret and stopped in at the Buckle... I couldn't convince myself to step into the cologne-ridden caves of the other two stores.
On my way out of the mall, I decided to spend my Macy's gift card and was pleasantly surprised to find an all-natural, hand-made cosmetic counter. Well, it was really more of a section of the floor filled with a number of tables and counters than one actual counter, but it was magnificent. The shop inside Macy's was called lush. The lady at the front counter was very accommodating and explained all of their lovely, vegetarian and vegan products. There were huge wheels of natural soap on display that are cut to your needs (I've never seen anything like it). I received a hand-treatment and watched their solid shampoo lather in the water- that's right, solid shampoo. I am sure I sniffed every available scent at least twice. I was so overwhelmed by the diversity of natural products I wanted to try, that I must have spent an hour wandering aimlessly on that small piece of floor. I finally decided on a couple soaps, a solid shampoo bar, and a solid fragrance called "Breath of God." I inquired about a job and went on my merry way... this is a job I think I'd like.
Abel and I walked up and down the length of 5ta Avenida several times before we finally sat down to the fancy dinner we’d been talking about for months.
We decided to eat at Playasia: a multi-dimensional restaurant with a coy pond and a Buddha statue to greet us as we entered. We climbed a tangle of stairs to reach our secluded table (which sat in a 8x8 open room on stilts and was covered by a thatched roof). A free margarita, which tasted more like poorly concocted cough syrup than a pre-dinner treat, was the first thing on the table, but tasty skewered chicken and orangeade was soon to follow. Coconut shrimp with melon sauce (one of my new favorite things) and fried rice filled our pallets before we noshed on the fried cheesecake balls for dessert. Delightful.
What a lovely night; thank you so much, Abel. And thank you for making me feel so absolutely elegant in my new jewelry. :)
The day couldn’t have gone any more perfectly.After arriving to Cancun and rushing to meet Abel at the doors to the airport (I was so excited I ran right past him), we hopped on the bus to Playa del Carmen and smiled the whole way there at the thought of being back home.
We first grabbed a bite to eat (BOTH eating our fill for about $10) and then headed to one of the nicest little hotels I’d ever been to: Hotel Hul-ku on 20th Ave.Because Playa del Carmen has a 3-story rule, many of the hotels are boutique style and make an impact on guests by providing character and unique experiences.When we arrived, Abel guided me over a little path through the center garden and we opened the door to a room with swan towels and dark chocolate.+10 points.
First view of the garden area...
Secluded pool and statue/fountain outside the room
Abel couldn’t wait to exchange gifts, so he first handed over a small white box containing a necklace of entwined pearls and silver pieces- along with it, a bracelet and earrings to complete the set.I smiled at the thought of wearing truly nice jewelry to our planned dinner this week.My next gift was another complete set of jewelry: bracelet, necklace, earrings and a ring- all hand-woven by mi amorsito!(What a talented man)I admired the detail and forewarned him that he would have to teach me to duplicate this style of jewelry.
I thought the gifts were through (I had admittedly already seen the aforementioned gifts via skype- Abel got too excited to keep them to himself), but he pulled out a third necklace of brightly colored coconut beads that he had crafted into a stunning statement piece.“I’m most proud of this one.”No surprise, Abel loves colors and this is about as colorful as you can get.Abel had me swooning- perfect gifts I would actually use… and more than half made by him!
Abel grabbed one more thing out of his bag before turning to me and lowering onto one knee.“I was going to wait for dinner to give you this one, but I couldn’t wait.”He pulled out an enormous ring swirling of sapphire blue and ruby red.He looked up at me with those huge, brown eyes and I couldn’t contain myself for a moment more.I bust into laughter and gladly accepted his ringpop.What a jokester.
After supporting my Aunt Linda at her choir concert this evening (The Houston Choral Society put on their annual “Christmas Potpourri”), we all went out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant (as you so often do in Texas).
Aunt Linda made a comment about how cultured this week was turning out to be: Mexican tonight, South African cuisine tomorrow morning to celebrate my birthday, and a sushi date on Tuesday. I reflected a moment; I am so grateful there is such a diverse representation here in Houston. Besides those I just listed, there are Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Brazilian, Ethiopian, Jamaican… the list goes on and I just love it! It gives me hope that people are becoming more open-minded to other cultures… a small step to accept someone else’s food, but a step, nonetheless.
As I was thinking these thoughts of an ultimately accepting and Utopian society, my uncle called out to our waiter, “Hey Pancho!” to get his attention. Oye. “Mortified” is a good word to describe my reaction... I'm pretty sure that showed.
Although I only spent half a day in Dallas, it was a pleasant morning. I woke up early and drove from Austin, so that I could meet with some college friends to take their engagement pictures. (We decided to meet somewhere between OKC and H-town... bless you guys!)
We met at the art museum and really took some lovely photos! *Sidenote* If you are ever wanting to do a downtown shoot in a city you aren't quite familiar with- always shoot by the art museum... they tend to be in a cool part of town. ;)
My second shoot of the day canceled (total bummer), so I decided to drive back early and avoid the having-to-drive-in-the-dark situation. Good call.
The drive to Austin didn’t seem nearly as mind-numbingly long as the drive to OKC did… the significant difference in distance might have had something to do with it. In fact, I almost enjoyed this drive… so many great things to see. I’ve really come to appreciate the country landscapes with my growing passion for photography- besides that, it reminds me of Abel and his desires to see them. The “Taken” series by Spielberg really had an effect on him.
I needed a much wider lens to fit in all the cows!
I pulled off to the side of the road to document-
My shoots in Austin went swimmingly, and I met two amazing photographers who’s work I admire quite a bit: Celeste Chesser and Will Hollis. So fantastic to meet and work with other people in the field. Will was so professional and has beautiful work, but I can't stop talking about Celeste. Celeste is an astounding 19yo who has a clothing line, works as a model and photographer, and will soon be published in an Austin magazine! Wow!
The evening concluded with my wonderful MOLLY! Molly is a girl whom I worked with on the Coral Princess; she was the computer instructor. Molly has been living in Austin a year, but has just will be moving to NYC... I had to come see her! Austin is only about 2.5hrs from Houston, so I had to make the trip before she scuttled off to the East coast. We drank Shirley Temples and ate vegetarian tacos at Shiner's Saloon, a quaint little "hole in the wall" in downtown. (By the way- check out my view as I drove down the main street to meet up with Molly)
Although I couldn't snap a pic while I was driving, this is the view I had!
