Monthly Archives: March 2017

Ah, Nature!

Wildlife encounters for the week:

  • Had to slam on my breaks to allow a decent sized lizard to cross the road. Apparently the signs warning of such things aren’t kidding.
  • Found Chick-fil-a waffle fry-sized roach in kitchen sink first thing in the morning. Allowed husband to deal with it.
  • Waited a good 45 seconds for 4 ducks to follow each other, single file, across the main road heading toward the grocery store.
  • Saw a large flying something come down from upstairs into the living room. Husband was in shower and unable to assist. Proceeded to hide in closed bedroom. Did not hear from husband for 7+ minutes after he set out to investigate large flying something. Called out, fearing the worst. Husband replied that large flying something was dead and seemed to not want to explain further for fear of losing his wife to the next American Airlines flight to Miami. Lessons learned: 1) Giant roaches can fly and are even more terrifying than originally perceived. 2) Husband will understand if I need to return to Raleigh sooner than he does.
  • Near simultaneous salamander scares. Entered master bathroom which, admittedly, is Sammy the Salamander’s territory. Frightened Sammy, who fell off the ceiling, landing directly in the trash can. Would have been hilarious, but I was too busy screaming due to previous scary encounters with cucarachas. Upon hearing my scream, husband ran upstairs to see what he needed to kill. Upon arrival, admitted that he too had just been startled by another Sammy the Salamander (yes, they are all named Sammy) who ran up the wall behind his desk as he sat down at his computer.
  • Rocco is still a hilarious bulldog who does not seem to have mastered the art of breathing properly. He did, however, have a bath and looks years younger. During our most recent encounter with him, he claimed Eric as his own, as his owner Itzick is out of town and Eric has been known to scratch his rear for him (Rocco’s rear, not Eric’s).

Kite trip 2017 – Round 2

We are back in Punta Chame after a 10 day trip back to the States. Eric’s grandmother turned 90 years young on February 25th, and we insisted on being at her party to celebrate with her and over 100 of her closest friends and family members! We also had the chance to see the Solms and Paris families, all the nieces and nephews, to catch up with some friends, and to watch Carolina beat Dook at my sister’s house! Woohoo! Additionally, we welcomed not one, but TWO new nieces (or as Eric insists on saying, first cousins, once removed) into the world – one from each side of the family! Congrats again to Ashley and Ian, Shawna and Kevin! We can’t wait to meet Chloe and Kenna!

I also really appreciated our home while we were there. I am finally embracing the fact that I am not the outdoorsy girl that I’ve always wanted to be. I love that our walls and our ceiling connect. I love my shower and fluffy towels. I love my dishwasher. I love sitting in my chair with a book, a blanket, and my dog.

While we were home I voiced these thoughts to Eric. In response, he commented that I’m more attached to the material comforts than he is. I didn’t like hearing that. I was offended, actually, when he said it. But it’s true. I don’t like that about myself, and I don’t know what to do about that. Maybe it’s okay to like things clean and comfortable. But maybe I can work on the part of me that thinks I need a dishwasher. Maybe that’s part of what I’m doing here in the middle of nowhere. I hope to continue to be intentional about that over the next three weeks.

It’s amazing and strange how normal the flights down here are getting for us. We know the Miami airport well. We know to ride the train two stops down from our usual gate to get Wendy’s for Eric and that my smoothie place is past the Cuban restaurant. I take comfort in the fish themed art on the walls and the familiar brass inlay on the floors. I know that Miami will be the coldest part of our journey – that airport is always freezing! We’re continually reminded how blessed we are (this sounds trite even as I write it, but I really do mean it) that we can have these adventures.

Yesterday, Eric finally got to kite in some decent wind! He was thrilled. There isn’t much that gets him as excited and emotive as kiting. It’s a lot of fun to see. He had a couple of good jumps too – one about 2 feet off the water that he landed, and one about 4 feet that he…did not land so gracefully. As the sun began to set, Eric was out on the water with only two other people, his instructor and another instructor. A few minutes later, he had the whole beach completely to himself. THIS is why we’re here.

I guess I haven’t announced here that I have a couple of new jobs. I have been thinking for a long time that I would enjoy editing novels. Finally, a few months ago, I decided to go for it. After applying to some internships and not having much luck, I sent out emails to a few publishers that I found through a random Google search saying that I was willing to read and evaluate the manuscript submissions they receive from prospective authors. Within a couple of days, the Editor in Chief of a publishing house in Colorado wrote back offering to let me do exactly that. I started almost immediately, and it’s been a great thing for me. I read synopses of novels plus the first three chapters, usually from a hammock, and then evaluate them. Don’t get me wrong – some submissions are boring, some are terribly written, and some have so many comma splices that I want to scream – but it’s the kind of work I can see myself doing for a while. The best part is that my editor is willing to answer all of my questions about publishing and editing. She seems like she’s willing to be a sort of mentor to me as I set out into this new field – and that’s exactly what I need.

While we were in Maryland for Gram’s birthday, I received an email from a larger publisher in London offering to let me review mainly mystery and crime novels that are nearly ready to be published. With these books, I am getting to practice some actual editing, in addition to evaluating the story. The two gigs complement each other well, and I am learning a lot from them. Did you know that in the UK, they generally say, for example, “the whole group are going to lunch,” as opposed to “the whole group is going to lunch”? Like I said, I’m learning a lot…both about editing and about UK English and grammar.

Yep, it’s about to get super interesting, folks. Stay tuned for more grammar trivia.