Carilo, Argentina (and the long-awaited narrative...)

Here are a few pictures from our last minute President's Day vacation. We headed south to Carilo, a small exclusive village about five hours south of us. Although Carilo is right on the beach, it feels as though you are in a small town in the Swiss Alps or a European Ski Resort. The roads are not paved and lined with beautiful summer homes.


There was a small tidal pool where the water was calm, just before the water break that the kids loved playing in. We have never seen sand like this before. The sand was composed of tiny pieces of weathered seashells.


Argentines love their meat! Lomo mean "loin". Bife de Lomo is a Filet Mingon.


We really spoiled the kids on this trip. It was just two days and they have had a long summer stuck at home with me! They each received animal baloons from a clown in the middle of the shopping plaza (mistake - we had to tote hem around for 3 hours afterward) and went on more than their fair share of carival rides. They loved this little train.


Abe continued to repeat, "Stirring and stirring and stirring a brew..."


This little shop was so cute inside. Gnomes everywhere! I couldn't help but wish that a friend of mine from DC who has a gnome collection (most of which her grandmother painted) was there with me. This little shop almost made me want to start my own collection.


I think that this pastry shop was so quaint, however it almost feels as though something is wrong reading the specials in Spanish - where is the German?



It was too bad that I was there with two toddlers who had no interest in actually allowing Mom to shop.


We also spent quite a bit of time at this Game Room. There were moonbounces, bumper cars and a bucking bull. The mouth of this Nemo opened and closed. They would climb in and wait for it to close before they would go down the other slide on the other side.

Free Rice

I am addicted to FREE RICE. I have checked the claim on Snopes.com and it is true! At least if I am going to waste my time, I might as well be helping someone else - maybe I can even count this towards my compassionate service goals!

What a Party!

On Saturday, we were invited to a friend's house for her daughter's first birthday party. We have since learned that the 1st birthday in Latin culture is almost as important as the Quinceañera. It is memorably celebrated because, as in many other parts of the world, many children did not live through the first year of life. The kids played in a huge inflatable pirate ship, ate specialty desserts, and were visited by Mickey and Minnie, Ariel, two Backyardigans, and Lilo and Stitch. Not to mention that the adults enjoyed good company and great food! Our only regret is that Peyton would not keep her clip in her hair for the pictures!

Walking the Tightrope

One of our friends built this contraption over their pool for his 5 year old son. Abe and the other boys were able to take advantage of it on Sunday afternoon...

Horseback Riding Lessons

Argentines love Polo! Today I took the kids to a Polo Club for their first horseback riding lesson. They loved the horses and just laughed and laughed with the instructors. Even little Peyton (apparently she's not so little anymore) will be able to take classes too. It really was a beautiful day...

Tagged

4 jobs I have had in my life:
Chocolate Fountain Business Owner
Environmental Consultant
Assistant Manager of a Tanning Salon (you do what works when you are in HS)
Student Aid in the Financial Aid Office in College

4 Movies I have watched more than once:
Anna and the King
Stepmom
The Incredibles
The Sound of Music

Most of the places I have lived (where do I begin...)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Virginia
Wyoming(Cheyenne, Casper and Wheatland)
California (Diamond Bar, Walnut, Yorba Linda, Hacienda Heights)
Colorado (Arvada, Colorado Springs, Golden, Fort Collins..)
Oregon
Washington
New York (Buffalo, Syracuse, NYC)
New Jersey
Ohio

2 TV shows that I watch: (when you have to buy them on iTunes, you think twice about whether or not it is worth it.)

Grey's Anatomy
Lost

4 favorite pastime activities:
My new iMac
Lunch with Friends
Friday Night Dinners with Steve
Reading/writing blogs

4 places I have been:
Hershey Park, Pennsylvania
Antigua
Mazatlan, Mexico
San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 people who email me regularly:

My mom
Heather
Sylvia (sometimes more regularly that others! lol )
Elena

4 of my favorite foods:
Plain Chocolate Cake without frosting
Chips and Salsa/Guacamole
Cheddar Cheese (Sadly, we haven't had it in nearly 3 months!)
Cheese Danish

4 places I would like to visit (and plan to in the next 2 years):
Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Patagonia (Antarctica)
Uruguay (Colonia and Montivedeo)
Bahia Blanca, Argentina

4 favorite restaurants:
Taco Bell! (The $200 RT Flight to Santiago Chile really is tempting)
Kansas (Currently, our only hope for good American Food and they are open before 8pm - which means that we can actually take the kids)
Anything Tex Mex (not the Argentine or Virginian version)
Pei Wei

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with Steve's family
Seeing my family in Oregon (cross my fingers)
Becoming fluent in Spanish with the kids
Traveling

3 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year (can't come up with 4!):
Moving Again... in June
An 18 hour flight with children
Organizing all of our papers

Tag! You're it! - Sylvia, Alicia, Ie Li, Talai and Katie