Happy Holidays desde Nicaragua

It's been a couple of weeks since our last update and we've been keeping busy.  As some of you already know, we've decided to head back to Hawaii to have the baby.  It was a particularly difficult decision to make as having our little girl down here was our original intention but, in the end, it just didn't feel right.   The need to be around family, friends, and the comforts of the first world ultimately reigned.  Silently, I know that every day Ian and I flip back in forth in our minds about it but, we are both confident that we've made the right decision.  So, over the ocean we go again!  We leave Managua on the 25th with a four day layover in LA to bid Kellin and Sean a farewell before they head off to Italy.

Puna gave us a little scare a couple weeks ago with a 105 degree temperature.  We took her to the vet in Managua and they had her on an IV all morning to bring down here fever and restore some of her fluids.  They ran a series of tests and none of them came back positive for blood-borne illness so, he figured it was just a flu or infection.  All in all, we had her on a series of antibiotics that did the trick and she's back to her grumbly old self again.  Wow, and if anyone ever needs a vet in Nicaragua don't go anywhere else but Dr. Osley at Veternarios Asociados.  They were stellar.

We spent Christmas eve relaxing at home with fried rice and a key lime pie.  On Christmas Day, we visited Rancho Santana which is another beachfront community, one bay north of us.  They just finished renovating their facilities and the ocean view dining room made for a beautiful sunset dinner.  We went with our friends Jack and Patty who are retired and live down here full time.  Jack is Ian's surf buddy and also the keeper of Panga Drops.  Jack's house has a clear view of the lineup from his front porch and on any given morning, you'll find him catching all the set waves with Ian.  

For my birthday, we decided to head up to the mountains of northern Nicaragua for a little change of scenery.  And change it was!  We stayed at Selva Negra, a coffee plantation high up in the cloud forest between Matagalpa and Jinotega.  It got nice and chilly at night and both of us wished we had brought socks.  We rented a cabana that even had a fireplace.  Puna was in heaven romping around the forest in her days after recovery.  Not to mention, the hotel even made proper lattes.

Other than that, as far as the house goes, we've put a false ceiling and ceiling fan in our bedroom to make it completely sealed off from any gaps in the roof.  This is good news for the baby (and us) as we can officially keep this area critter-free and eventually get a small A/C unit to cool us off during the dog days.  There is talk of La Vista going on the grid as soon as this year which would be a game-changer for this little neighborhood.  As much as we enjoy the simplicity of off-grid living, there is something to be said about a sufficient amount of electricity.  It sure would be nice to have a washing machine.  This is neither here nor there at this point, and when somebody says 'a year' in Nicaragua, that generally means three.  We'll see.  We are getting a ton of cabinetry made for the kitchen which is supposed to be done on the 10th, but as in my afore mentioned example of Nicaraguan Time Elasticity, we're not holding our breath.  We went to go check on his progress a couple of days ago, and young Micho hadn't even started yet.

And that's that.  We just had one of our best Nica meals yet at Yolanda's in Limon II.  (Yes, there is a Limon 1 and a Limon 2 here.)  After lunch we checked out Buena Onda, which is another beachfront resort on Playa Maderas.  Here are a couple of photos from the last few weeks.  Did I mention we got furniture, finally?

Ian with his prized hand-crank blender making us some delicious smoothies!

We can sit!

Some photos from La Vista - Casita de Clint

Slap o' the lap here in La Vista - Casa Blanca - home of Nutz!

First concrete home being built in La Vista

One of my favorite plots of land still for sale.

Punies!

Stan's house - almost done!

Another completed casita!

"The skeleton" - bought last year by Paulo from Florida

Sheri's bday cake!

The Santa Marta boys - dressed as Santa's elves - handed out presents to the kids of Santa Marta!

Our cabana in Selva Negra with Clint and his parents

the path in front of our cabana

  cloud forest!

Seth and Lindsey's Wedding Playa Colorado

Congratulations to our good friends Seth and Lindsey.  Friday evening they exchanged vows on our home beach, Playa Colorado.  The reception took place at the clubhouse and check out how nice everything looked!  Cheers to an absolutely gorgeous and memorable night you two! 

Catered by Yolanda's...authentic, delicious Nicaraguan cuisine.

Proper mariachi band

Not a bad backdrop

Might as well throw in a full moon

...and top it off with some wish lanterns .... 

Love you guys!  Congrats again!

Pray for Sure

Right before we left last year, I had gone into Managua with a friend to shop when I came across a shower curtain that was just begging for my purchase.  Appropriately adorned with VW buses and surfboards, the curtain also had cute little road signs on it that read "Pray for Surf."  Of course, VWs and surfboards are a theme in our life and I bought it without hesitation.  We left about a month later, and I had almost forgotten about our cheery bathroom decor but was again, pleasantly reminded of it upon our return.  Then last week, Ian summoned me to the bathroom as I was busy in the kitchen, pointed to it and said, "Babe, check it out.  The signs say, 'pray for sure.'"  Wouldn't you know it?  The bottom of the capital 'E' runs into the darkened border of the road signs so you can barely notice that the cheap Chinese curtain we bought is clearly spelled wrong.  Every single one of the road signs say "Pray for Sure."  We got a good laugh out of it and it's become even funnier because two days ago, on another trip to Managua, we found the matching bath mat.  Sure as shit, the mat also says, "Pray for Sure."  Clearly, we had to buy it.

We ended up buying a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder on our last venture to Granada.  We're movin' up people!  We have a car made in this century.  It even has airbags, a/c, and a radio.  Driving has become a little less nerve-wrecking for Melly but the dirt road takes a small toll on my jiggly, stretching belly.  Baby doesn't seem to mind it at all.  In fact, I think all the bumps actually put her to sleep.

We took a trip into Managua this week for a doctors visit and a tour of Vivian Pellas Hospital.  Dr. Martha Montenegro is straight out of a Telanovela (spanish soap opera for those not familiar with the term.)  She has wild red hair and thick turquoise eyeshadow.  The appointment was standard - a quick belly measurement and another doctor impressed by little Liv's strong heartbeat.  The delivery rooms are clean and comfortable.  There is a/c and cable and everyone seems very nice.  I'll admit being slightly overwhelmed by it all and, as I love to wear my emotions on my sleeve, I cried a little during my appointment.  Dr. Montenegro told me to, "Stop crying.  This is the best hospital in Central America.  I have friends that make surgery here, instead of Miami.  I have two babies in Miami.  One here.  Here is better."  The hospital is  nice.  She's right.  I'm banking on my anxiety being totally normal and have been chalking it up to relentless pregnancy hormones.  Damn them.  I can't wait until our little chiquita is finally here.  Sometimes I feel like I'm going to pregnant forever.

As far as business ventures go, I am in the process of trying to start a mobile bakery.  I've baked a couple of coffee cakes for Lindsey's family who is out visiting for Seth and Lindsey's wedding.  The owner of the beachfront bar wants to buy some stuff from me as well, so it's a start.  Ian is going to run the Home Owner's Association for La Vista which will bring us a small income too.

Other than that, the surf has been decent.  Ian scored some good sessions at Panga Drops this week.  The winter wind has kicked up and the water has cooled off a bit.  I think we've had our last rainfall of the season.  The La Vista river is getting shallower.  I wonder if the plants and animals are trained to know of the impending dry season.  How do they store enough moisture and energy for five months without rain?  I'm curious to see how quickly the landscape changes.        

The new PF

For my Mama - almost 27 weeks

Ian built us shelves!

  

Thanksgiving in Granada

Our friend Clint gave us a ride into Granda this morning to scope out some leads on a new vehicle.  Ian is meeting with the gentleman now, and Puna and I are watching cable TV in our air-conditioned room at Hotel San Francisco.  We stayed here last year and were impressed with the nice rooms, friendly staff, and kick-ass free breakfast.  The only downfall to this joint is the noisy parrot in the courtyard.  Puna hides under the bed when he sqwuaks.  Cross your fingers that all goes well in the vehicle department because we're both ready to be mobile again.  Lady Gray is still getting patched up and we've decided to hold on to her and rent her out within the gates of Iguana so people can get around the development if they arrive without a car.  It will be a good way to make some extra cash.

We've hired a nice Nica lady named Marta who comes to the house three days a week to clean and do laundry. She does an excellent job and we know her sisters from Mark and Dave's Surf Camp.  She has three children and seems pretty happy to have some income.  Her and I are hashing out our language barrier which can be challenging when Ian isn't around to translate.  My Spanish isn't awful but, it certainly isn't stellar.

The fish guy stopped by this week - fresh prago (red-snapper) filleted on our front porch!  There is also a produce truck that comes by twice a week, as well.  We missed him this last week but, I'm pretty excited he'll be around as much of our need to frequent Rivas comes from the fact that produce generally only lasts around ten days.  If we can trim our trips to twice a month, Melly and Ian will be happy campers.  In a nutshell, Rivas is a soul-drainer.  It's hot, inconvenient, and plagued with torturous lines.  But, it is our hub and we're thankful for it.  Sadly, the new Maxi-Pali that just went in, is somewhat of a disappointment.  Half-owned by Walmart, we were hoping for a little more variety as far as food choices and household items go but, all it really is is a bigger version of the same crappy store in town.  It does however, have A/C and wide aisles and they do accept credit cards.  Not to mention, there is a secret ATM machine that doesn't have a line wrapping around the block to get to it.  Everyone keeps telling me that being pregnant in Nicaragua comes with privileges.  Allegedly, cutting is acceptable in my condition but, I have yet to work up the courage to try.

Here's another Facebook cut and paste that I took from our friend Kassidy's page - it's Ian on a little nugget at Colorado's.  I'll bust out some proper photos soon!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we've been back for a week and have settled in quite well.  The house is in good shape.  Our minimal belongings are still here and the house is still standing.  Plus, no more termites.  We're stoked this problem got resolved while we were away.  Our driver, Roberth Ow (ex-mayor of the Corn Islands with a pretty Caribbean accent), picked us up from the airport after a rather eventful trip.  Delta delayed our flight out of Honolulu for almost two hours, which caused us to miss our second flight to Atlanta.  We managed to get on another flight that was able to put us there in time for our connection to Managua but, this portion of the journey required a medical emergency for some poor woman that ended with paramedics boarding the aircraft before everyone was able to deplane.  Unfortunately, all the delays made it impossible for me to take Puna out to go to the bathroom and she did twenty-one hours without a pee-break.  Poor puppy.  Customs was fairly smooth-sailing - the hot water heater made it through without too much sweet-talking by Ian and surprisingly, all five bags made it on the same flight as said owners.  Before heading out of town, we stopped at my favorite grocery store and stocked up on some key items that are not available in Rivas.  (most importantly, oyster sauce and fish sauce, for Asian culinary delights)  We arrived to La Vista just after sun-down and were pleased to find our refrigerator had been lit and our bed made.  Our good friend Gustavo had made sure our house had been cleaned and tended to for our arrival.  Plus, he left us all sorts of fun baby-stuff that his son had outgrown over the past year including, a Johnny-Jump Up.

So, the next order of business is our car.  Without going into too much detail, Lady Gray is not going to cut it anymore.  She got fixed for our arrival, and is back in the shop this weekend.  We've begun the search for a "family car" which is safer and more reliable than the Trooper.  Our plan is to head back to Managua in the next couple of weeks to go tour the hospital, visit with a doctor, and buy a new ride.

Otherwise, all good in the hood!  The surf has been small and clean - perfect size for me, but I've pretty much retired until baby is born.  I surfed a few weeks back and it was starting to get uncomfortable with this growing belly.  I may try and take out Jack's soft, foam long-board one day but other than that, I've decided to be a longing spectator.  It's definitely killing me a little bit.  Ian is stoked to get back in the water every day even though I know he's itching for more size but, that may not come again until April.  More on home-improvements and the new Rivas Maxi-Pali in the next update.  

Here are a couple of photos stolen from the La Vista Facebook.  They won't enlarge but, what's an update without something visual?  Here's a Google Earth shot.

The boys working on the road in the neighborhood.

Surf!

    ...our jam-packed beach...

House Pics

I wanted to throw up the last few photos we received of our house.  These were taken last month after the rainy season took it's course, which gave our plants the opportunity to flourish.  Ian and Seth transplanted the bird of paradise and the border plants along the walkway just over a year ago.  Everything seems to be thriving.   See you on Sunday nos casita en La Vista!

Six Days to Lift-Off

Today is the big day for Sean and Kellin.  It's been an action-packed week of "family-integration" as her father puts it - lots of BBQs and a groom's dinner at Indigo.  The wedding is this afternoon at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai.  Congratulations you two!  Your love is transparent and we wish you a lifetime of adventure and happiness.  Now get your butts to Nicaragua!

And speaking of Nicaragua .... six days and counting.  I  knew it would creep up and sure enough, it has. We've got everything together, for the most part - still squeezing in last minute appointments on state health insurance and trying to figure out our baggage situation.  It has quickly developed into a complicated game of Tetris but luckily, Ian is really good at stuff like that.  Puna has one last vet appointment which leads me into one of the harder decisions of this trip - we've decided to leave Lea with Jon and Kathy in Kailua.  There were a number of reasons we came to this conclusion namely, Ruby would be so sad without her and let's face it, Puna is prima-donna and prefers to be on her own.  Lea is also easily distracted by things that move for example, butterflies, geckos, cats, monkeys, pigs, horses, sand-crabs, land-crabs, other dogs, birds, roaches, chickens, like I said ... anything that moves.  She's a happier, more disciplined dog in Kailua and the trip to Nicaragua is tough on her.  We will miss her everyday but she will be in her original locale with people who love her.  I've dedicated my next Paintbrush drawing to her.  I promised Kellin that my pictures will stay horrible.  (Even though I think my skills are improving)

(The middle thought-cloud is her running - she loves going buck-wild.)

As for Baby Nelson, she's kickin' away.  I definitely appear pregnant, instead of fat now - which is nice.  We had an ultra-sound a couple days ago and all of her limb-lengths are normal, she has four chambers to her heart and her chart got marked with all Y's, which apparently, is also good.  We got to hear her heart beat for the first time, as well.  Amazing stuff, indeed and now I understand what all the baby-hype is about.  This is our kid, and it's pretty freakin awesome.  Jenn and Sarah are throwing me a baby shower on Sunday at my sister's house.  I finally get to catch up with all my girlies.

So, that's that for now.  I'd like to squeeze in one more update before we take off, but I'm not sure if it will actually happen.  Needless to say, we've got a busy week coming up!  Thanks for reading everyone : )

Big News!

I know.  I am the world's worst blogger.  How can I expect anyone to read this if I'm such a slacker about updating it?  Good news though!  We're headed back to Nicaragua in less than three weeks and there is plenty to talk about including our biggest announcement - I'm pregnant!  Yes, lots has happened since I've been away from cyber-world!  We're expecting a baby girl mid-March.  Ian and I may be the two luckiest people on the planet and I feel more in love than I ever have.  Our departure date is November 11th and we're gearing up for the big move.  (again!)  

There are a few things we're bringing down with us that we deemed essential and cheaper to buy in the US and transport abroad than, purchasing in Nicaragua.  First and foremost, a tankless propane water heater.  Yea!  Hot showers!  Second, a hand-crank blender for all our puree needs!  Third, organic cloth diapers for the baby's bum.  We're choosing cloth for a variety of reasons.  1) because it's green  2) because we have a hard time getting rid of trash anyways and 3) because we have time.  Now that I'm officially over scaring myself through internet research, I can spend my time daydreaming about rocking her to sleep and picturing her in a ruffled bathing suit on the beaches of Central America.  Here is a crude pictorial of how I spent the first month of my pregnancy, stuck in the loft of our NY house.  I did this secretly, as Ian played Call of Duty on the Xbox.  The internet is truly, the devil.

Me, freaking out on my computer.  I know, I don't have hair.

Ian, plugged into C.O.D.

I've just recently discovered the program Paintbrush and although my pictures look like a two-year-old could draw them, I find this new medium to be a nice touch to the blog.  There will be more bad drawings in the future.  

As far as life at present goes, we are in Hawaii gearing up for Sean and Kellin's wedding.  The big day is November 5th and we just picked up two cases of Prosecco for the reception.  Ahhhh, alone in a room with two cases of booze.  Good thing I'm knocked up.  Ian and his dad are busy painting the deck and the dogs are lazing around per usual.  The surf is supposed to come up on the North Shore tomorrow and Ian is getting in as many HI sessions as possible before we leave.  I'm still surfing although last week at Snipers was a little more challenging for me with this growing belly.  I either need a soft-top surfboard or a body board.  Or a blanket and umbrella for the beach.  Ho-hum.  So is life when you're growing one.     

Summer Update

We're still waiting for Long Island to get waves.  Everyone keeps saying it's going to happen, but we've yet to see it.  Don't get me wrong.  I love shoulder-high waves.  There have been some fun days out at the cliff spots in Montauk.  Ian befriended a nice lady who has graciously allowed us to park at her house while we surf, as everywhere else you need a permit to park or you're subject to a $150 fine.  Some beaches let you pay $20 or more to park without a permit.  But most of those beaches don't allow dogs.  There is actually a full-blown movement out here called CFAR which stands for "Citizens For Access Rights."  Non-residents can get beach permits for a mere $400 if you get here in time.  They were sold out by May and you can only go to the beaches in the town where you live.  Forget it if your friends go to Sag Main and you only have an East Hampton pass.  We did find one mellow beach in Amagansett that we only have to pay $15 to go to and Puna is allowed.  Thank god it exists.

Ian is definitely itching for some hurricane swell.  They say September so, keep your fingers crossed for my babe.

We've made it to the city a couple of times - once for a sake tasting at the Japanese Cultural Center and once for a Yankees game.  We had great fun both times and both times made me realize that I would never be able to live in New York, New York.   So, so hectic.

Good ole' Sen - what a blessing.  Ian's friends from high-school that hooked us up with this gig are the greatest people on earth.  They own and operate this magical little sushi oasis in Sag Harbor that celebrities flock to like home-coming.  Colin Powell was in last night.  Off the top of my brain I can rattle off guest appearances by Julie Andrews, Billy Joel, Keith Hernandez, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kelly Ripa, Anderson Cooper, Jean Reno, Ashley Olson, Calvin Klein, Jason Kidd, Brendan Frasier, Kathy Griffin, and Andy Cohen.   And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  We've been super lucky and have saved a good amount of money.  We will be leaving with what we hoped for.  And that is truly something to celebrate.  It was the right move for the summer and fortunately, we can return next season, if need be.  

The business has been righteous.  I get out of it, what I put in and if that's not a life lesson than I don't know what is.  We've done very, very well and I'm in the process of blowing out my inventory in preparation for leaving the country.  Feathers.  I'm officially over that word.  Cheers to Etsy.  What a great venue for business.  I highly recommend exploring it, if you haven't already. 

Our last day at Sen is labor day.  Ian's parents arrive in the Hamptons that Thursday.  We're so excited for them to come.  We're even more excited to relax and enjoy ourselves.  It's been a busy, busy summer.  Ian is still at the club on Saturdays.  He honestly has the two best industry jobs in the Hamptons.  My man.  Check out SL East's write up in the Times this week.  The link is at the end of this post.  

As for our plan?  

Long Island to Vermont mid September

Vermont to Duluth via Canada end of September

Duluth to Hawaii early October

Hawaii to Nicaragua mid November

I think we need tracking devices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/fashion/the-night-is-young.html?hp

Land O Lakes

The previous post was intended to bring my peeps up to date on how we ended up in NY however, I skipped some really fun details about our jaunt across the country.  Since I hadn't been home to Minneapolis in nearly three and a half years, and I really wanted Ian to see where I was from, we decided to begin our off-island journey in the land of ten thousand lakes.  Signing up for an Alaska Airlines credit card may have been one of the smartest things I did this year because it provided me with a) enough capital to start the business and b) a free buddy pass which we used to get my man to Minneapolis.  We also re-upped Puna's service animal status and she is now official on every major airline.  (aka - free.)  As expected, it was cold as s@*t when we landed.  April in Minnesota means that winter is still hanging on for dear life and there are dirty, crusted remnants of snowbanks on every corner that makes the city feel like you've just recovered from a battle.  And in fact, you have.  April in Minnesota is also the time that people start wearing shorts because it's forty, not forty below.  Forty for us however, was something we hadn't felt in years and the fact that neither of us had shoes was instantly, an issue.

We rented a car and headed to the Savik's house in St Louis Park.  They invited us to stay with them for a couple days and we graciously accepted their offer.  I had been stalking old Toyota Landcruisers on craigslist before we left the islands and already had my heart set on one that was located about an hour north of the cities.  I figured if we were going to be driving a crappy car around the posh Hamptons, it might as well be a crappy classic.  Not to mention, I've been obsessed with them for years.  Ian really wanted to go buy shoes first, but instead I made him drive up north to go check out the rig because 'I was scared someone else would buy it first.'  (Even though it had been in the lot for over a month.)   She was still there when we arrived and ole Billy the salesman dropped the price from 4K to 2500K because needless to say, she wasn't perfect.  More rust than we expected, no radio, cracked front headlight and plenty of miles but, there was no way we were leaving without her.  I pretty much, had to have it.  So away we drove in our new/old '89 FJ62.  Minnetonka is her name, which means water buffalo in Ojibwe.

The next couple of days were blurry as we hit every 'must go to' bar in Minneapolis and Nordeast including an incredible dinner at Manny's on our first night.  We stopped by the Independent to say hello to some old co-workers and of course, made it to the Pancake House.  We even made it to the Walker Sculpture Garden so Ian could experience "Cherry on Spoon."  Grams took us to a lovely Perkins dinner one night and also made me some breakfast one morning.  After our livers couldn't stand it anymore, we headed to Duluth to go stay with my parents.  It was a well needed week of rest even though Mom and Dad kept us really busy with things like alpine sledding, drives up the lakeshore, trips to the iron-ore loading docks and of course, watching the boats come in.  The lake re-froze while we were there.  It also snowed, and never made it out of the forties.  I did a bunch of work for the business that week too which gave us plenty of travel money.  The next post will discuss where all the travel money went.  (It may or may not have something to do with the Landcruiser I had to have.)

Here are some pics from our stay up north.  Check back in for stories from a rather hellacious road trip.