Here we are! We now live in the future. How does it feel? Personally I believe it feels rather familiar. As in, not much has changed.
Where’s my teleporter? I figured surely we’d have such technology by now. If hoping has anything to do with it, with Donovan’s help, we should have them by the time he is able to drive. That would be nice for salvaging brunette hairs on my head as well.
What about food replicators? Still science-fiction. Star Trek gave false hope. I admit I have immensely enjoyed learning the art of cooking the last few years; it’s safe to say it’s become a passion. Every day is a new adventure at Chez Arnold, our pet name for the galley in the house where the love and magic happen.
I had no real resolutions of which to speak this year. Eternally living in a constant state of personal improvement, I just let the new numbers describing our time push my standards higher and higher. This year is my year to quit smoking cigarettes. I am embarrassed that I am still a slave to this ridiculous habit. They are nasty old friends that have been there for me when I needed them, and I simply don’t need them anymore. Baby steps are being taken to the overhaul, which is essentially what me quitting will be. I quit a few years ago for a few months. But I had quit drinking alcohol 2 months previous. This time I’m not going to deny myself the pleasure of spirits, I’m going to face the addiction head-on and live my life as it should be lived, with care and responsibility. I hope Nate follows suit, and yes, this blog is the first of the nudges. I have to do this for D, for me, and for our family. Wish me luck!
Nate and I have started this year out right in many ways. We finally shelved our living room closet to hold our dvd player, cable box and videos. It makes a huge difference in how much room we have, and with such little square footage, every square foot counts! Next up we’re going to repaint the walls, which I’ve wanted to do since we bought the house five years ago!
It has been ridiculously cold this January. Colder than I remember it ever being so consistently. We were honestly getting used to it being below 50 degrees F! After the second week of such harsh Florida climate, Nathan surprised me by purchasing two round trip tickets to Aguadilla, PR! We flew out Friday night, the 15th, at 11:30pm, got into PR at about 3:30am and by the time we made it into Rincon it was 6am Saturday morning. We were so happy our friend Carol left us a 6 pack of Medalla in the fridge, we slammed a couple and went to bed for a few hours.
When we awoke in beautiful sunny PR, it was about 10:45am. Immediately we loaded up the rental and headed to Jenny’s to take her to breakfast. We headed a little south, past the pueblo, to Restaurant Tropical. She had pickled fish and salad, Nate had a langostina empanada, and I had a Don Q and coke.
We went back to her dive/surf shop and I danced around nostalgically, enjoying the pictures all over the wall, all of the cool stuff she has for sale, and just loving being in one of my favorite places on Earth. Nathan and I walked the few steps over to Calypso and had some drinks, ran into the same wonderful locals that have been there since I lived there and met some new friends too.
Afterward, Nate was ready for a surf. Me? Not so much. I had been kinda sickly the days previous, and with the rum in me I was not up for paddling out over the Pool’s Beach Reef. It’s the only place I’ve ever gotten urchinned, and Nathan ended up shredding the bottom of his board coming in. I say it was a wise decision to refrain from surfing, when it’s that small (it was only a few feet) the reef is so close. Basically we went for the warm weather and the fun. We weren’t let down.
That evening we stayed around the Cabanas and ate at the Pool Bar, which is famous for the INSANELY DELICIOUS SUSHI amongst other delicacies such as fish and chicken pinchos and other classic Puerto Rican foods. It was Buen Provecho all night long! Pictured below is Nicole, me, Jenny, Nate, and our friend we met on the flight down.
After dinner, Carol’s husband Dennis drove us over to the Black Eagle where we ran into everyone else in Rincon that we hadn’t yet seen. What a blast! We danced, and laughed, and drank, and danced some more. By the time the night was over I was sore as could be from skankin’ to the reggae beats.
The next morning hurt, I ain’ t gonna lie. But amateurs, we are not. We got up around the same time Sunday morning as we did Saturday morning, and did the same as before. Vista Nuclear was our destination to go get Jenny and take her to breakfast. This time we headed north to Zona Natural, where I waited for over a half hour for one of the best salads I’ve ever had. I was feeling weak and needed serious replenishment, so how happy was I to have a fresh organic apple, carrot, and ginger juice? Manna from Heaven I tell ya. Nate enjoyed some of the best Puerto Rican rice I’ve ever tasted. Pigeon peas just aren’t used as much as they should be, stateside! I forget what Jenny had because I was so in love with my watercress dressing I couldn’t see straight. When I lived in PR, such fresh, varietal foods were unheard of. I’m very happy to report that since then times have changed and the cuisine is world-class!
We headed back to Jenny’s beautiful home after brunch, where we sat on the porch and drank Presidentes, mesmerized by quite literally, the best view in Rincon, if not one of the best on the island. She was so excited to get me back over to Vista Nuclear for some reason, saying she had a surprise for me. This woman really knows me, because I almost cried when we pulled down the tiny little road to see two beautiful horses wandering around in the yard of the house across the street! The horse that lived in the adjacent yard while I was living there wasn’t as friendly, so I was elated that Jenny and I were able to just walk up and pet mama and her baby. Mama got over it pretty quickly though and stomped her hooves for us to vamoose, which we respectfully and quickly did.
Afternoon quickly became evening and we decided to go back to the Cabanas and the Pool Bar for that fantastic sushi once again. We ended up ordering about 6 different menu items, and our beautiful friend and bartender Nicole took great care of us. We reciprocated and thanked the Ritch’s (Nicole is Carol and Dennis’s daughter) for their unsurpassed hospitality.
I’d love to say we went to bed early, but it was our last night there so we sat out in front of our cabana and enjoyed more Cubra Libres under the tropical sky. Monday morning came way too early, and our flight out of PR at 1:30pm was a necessary evil. We did it 100%, but we’re looking forward to taking Donovan with us next time to ensure early bedtimes and adventure-filled days. It was a warm weekend of catch-up and an incredibly exciting way to start the new year! Team Arnold Adventures never disappoint, and I am so thankful for my amazing husband and hilarious son in this oh-so-futuristic time in our lives!
