Monday, June 1, 2009

I Believe in Miracles (Since You Came Along) ... (You Sexy Thing)

¡Hola mi amigos! (Don't worry. Now that the trip is over I will most likely stop this annoying Spanglified Petunia Face nonsense. Maybe. Or should I say quizá. Aparentemente asshole traduce.) So. Yeah. There is a little rough patch of skin next to my mouth that I am pretty sure is melanoma, but other than that it was the perfect trip. I also might have scleroderma on the tops of my feet even though I am not entirely sure what scleroderma is, but right after I finish writing this post I plan on Googling it and scaring the crap out of myself with self-diagnosis via www followed by an rx of oh fuck. Welcome home!
The funny thing about going on vacation from the internet and your blog is that you are forced to think without the voices of readers echoing in your head. Which is to say, I suppose, that I stopped thinking, or stopped listening to myself think. Do you know what it's like to constantly listen to yourself think? Your mind begins to sort of hyperventilate, only there is no brown paper bag to think into, and so it goes. I am thinking of thinking of myself thinking. I think I might write about this thought but wait, let me think about the thunk. I don't know when it was--the fifth day maybe, that I saw a gecko on the ceiling and did not think to myself, self, there is a gecko on the ceiling. Think about it. Instead the sweat just beaded on my upper lip and I closed my eyes. Gecko. Ceiling. Cosado. Hot. That's all there was.
And it was nice, the silence. The constant humming of insects not in my brain. The scorpions, the cockroaches, the scarlet macaw, the round trill of a toucan. We saw a sloth, monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas so big they looked like stegosaurus. Each morning we slopped into a salt pool created by the low tide with all the energy of African elephants rolling in mud holes. Zoey tanned brown as a berry. I forgot about you.
It was not until the day we left that I remembered. Costa Ricans are big on power ballads, or maybe it's just the ex-pats that love them some Phil Collins and Klymaxx in a country that will never be their own. Because on the 5 hour drive to the airport I was treated to a bevy of bad 80's break-up songs and the 8th grader in me began to think again. About thinking. About you. About Rick Springfield a little bit, but mostly about you.
I have this small idea that I should be embarrassed about what I'm about to say. After all, I burned my high school diaries. I know the stench of a dated true love forever, that one day's emotional pining is the next day's emotionless joke. But I'm also a sucker for love and my tan is fading. I missed you. I did. And on that washboard dirt road I wrote in my notebook about you. About how you're so fine and then I put your last name with my first and I drew a heart around it, TLA. At least that's what I think I wrote--it's almost impossible to read, the road was so bad. But I realized that writing a blog is like speaking to a crowd of people whose eyes you cannot see. Instead everyone is wearing mirrored sunglasses, and as you speak you see your polarized self reflected back a hundred thousand times, or 750, depending on the traffic that day. Dare I say it? I missed my own reflection while I was gone, the way my mind works when I am writing to you. I missed you, me, thinking. Thinking about thinking and then writing about thinking and then wondering what you think of my thoughts. I think. Thunk. Thank you. Here there are no geckos on the ceiling and my fingers are cold. But I have you, and that is almost paradise (how could we ask for more? I swear that I can see forever in your eyes...)
Without further ado about about nothing, here are some pics from my trip:
Hibiscus Faced Girl.

Tasting monkey brains. Really it's a fruit but I don't remember the name.

Summer lovin'

Bryan enjoying a cerveza in the pool. In the rain. And still sweating.

Zoey and our friend's daughter Natalie on the beach with wild horses.

Welcome to the jungle.

Man on a mission. To do nothing.

The last night we stayed at a place with television. Here is Zoey watching Charlie and Lola in Spanish. She does not speak Spanish. She was transfixed.

The only private island we'll ever be able to afford. Still, as long as it fits Bryan and Zoey, this is the only tropical island I'll ever need.
Monday people, and I'm happy to be home.

23 comments:

krista said...

i could use a vacation like that right about now.
i'm glad you had fun but i'm even more glad you're back :-)
and...that one piece zoey is wearing??? the sunset/palm tree??? i want one of those in my size.

JackeeG4glamorous said...

I covet your vacation...and Zoey's eyelashes.
(no kidding they are gorgeous!!)

We missed you, had a lotta laughs, had some beers, trashed your living room while you were gone, sent the donkey and the strippers home early.

Love you,
mean it.
Glad you are back.

ashley morgan said...

We missed you too! It looks like you had so much fun, though. Jealous!

Vanessa said...

I'm so happy you're back! We missed you too! But I'm glad you had a nice, relaxing time. You deserve it!

Sarahviz said...

Welcome back! Missed you.

Scribe said...

Thanks for thinking about thinking about us. Even though you left us in capable hands, we still missed you. Thanks for coming back and for sharing your holiday with us.

Richie Designs said...

welcome home what a fantastic vac-a

we missed you too. though your gals filling in were lovely.

Jessie said...

Oh my gosh, I know what you mean with the breaks from blogging.

We (I) missed you, too.

Looks like you had a marvelous time... that last photo? It NEEDS to go on the cover of something. A magazine, a book, a holiday card... SOMETHING! It's awesome and pretty much sums up you and your precious little family. :)

Mrs. Blandings said...

Gorgeous - you, your family and the spot.

Unknown said...

that fruit my friend is a granadilla.

so glad you are home...you were missed.

zee said...

yay! now i'm not feeling so embarrassed to say i missed you too! [like, seriously, i checked every day to see if you were back omg]. so glad you had a great holiday!
xoxo,zee.

Michele said...

welcome back. And thanks for the awesome guest bloggers - I discovered lots of new people to follow.

s. said...

Glad you're home safe and sound. Miss Z is getting ridiculously big, although she also remains ridiculously cute.

Annie Crowninshield said...

I'm happy youre home!

Laurie Stark said...

Welcome home! Zoey is so devastatingly pretty. And you! How are you so adorable and so smart? Amazing!

Maggie May said...

Hey you! So glad to see your beautiful shining faces in pics. You deserve the laughs and the love.

meinkc said...

Chiquita! Yay! So glad you are home safe. Thanks for arranging the fabulous guest bloggers. I love SQP. Your photos are awesome. :)

Sorry there were scorpions though. That's Scary. Wait! The Scorpions (1984) had a love ballad (Still Loving You). Which we were. While you were gone (2009). Okay it's also kind of (okay really) Scary that I know this. But still. Coincidence? I'm thinking no. Welcome home!

Gwen said...

I missed you, too! Couldn't wait to hear about your trip and so happy you had a great time! And the photos....too beautiful!

Still Life With Coffee said...

Terrific post! You put in words exactly how I feel about blogging.
Glad you are back and loved your guest bloggers.

amber {daisy chain} said...

yippeee, you're back! I can't wait to hear about the trip, xo

Magchunk said...

Welcome home! We missed you thinking too (but loved your blogsitters. They were fabulous).

And is it just me or did Zoey just shoot up like 4 inches? She's so big all of a sudden!

Maggie

Kwana said...

I missed you too the same way. Love the pics and that one of Zoey is so beautiful. I could use an island like that. You three look so happy and I'm happy for you.

mosey (kim) said...

If I didn't already have a daughter who I think is the most beautiful thing in the world, I'd say your daughter is the most beautiful thing in the world. Holy lashes.

Glad you had a great getaway...