Saturday, October 2
Ty and I couldn't sleep the night before knowing that our babies were about to make one of the most stressful and scariest trips they've ever made in their lives, not to mention poor grumpa and yaya had to deal with it all. After a good trial run of their sleeping pills the night before and a rather chaotic arrival to the Atlanta airport (allie caused a rucus and of course Kodie chimes in, leaving poor Patti and Steve in shock and the entire ATL airport scared, confused, and I could only imagine annoyed) they safely got on the plane and arrived here in Cabo around 12:15. Customs was (as expected) confusing, ill prepared, and luckily grumpa used his negotiation skills and both dogs were admitted into the country..... legally that's another issue but either way the madness could finally come to an end for Patti and Steve and finally enjoy their vacation.... well after a 45 minute drive back to our house in a non air conditioned car which back two windows don't roll down, with 3 people and 2 dogs! :D
Day one was very relaxing. The dogs were coming off of their sleeping pills and were drowsy all day. Patti and Steve were exhausted after their crazy trip, so we decided to go for a little walk around town, grab a taco, and just relax. Luckily the weather was just beginning to crispen up and the heat subsided for day 1.... but no worries it came back later in the week!
Sunday, October 3:
Ty was fortunate enough to get 2 days off of work while Patti and Steve were here visiting! We all decided that this was a beach day, so off we went, 4 of us with the two dogs to Playa de Santa Maria, our favorite beach here in Cabo!
Excited/Confused/HOT on our way to the beach for the first time!!
Monday October 4:Patti, Steve, Ty, and I took the beautiful/scary drive up to Todos Santos to see Hotel California! After our amazing lunch we stopped by a great local surfer's beach called Cerritos Beach, had a few beers and decided to head back to the house!
Relaxing in Casa de Thaxton aka El Rancho
Monday night we went to a great brazilian steak house and had all the meat one could imagine and ended with a traditional Mexican Coffee!
The Liquor is lit on fire and poured into the glass!
Enjoying a lovely dinner Thaxton style!
She quickly found where the pillows were hid and took to them like it was her new bed.....
Pictures are a bit out of order but here we are entering Todos Santos which is about 45 mins away from Cabo!
Again out of order but still Monday night before we went to dinner, Ty was making one of his signature sauces for Tacos and Patti wanted to order them immediately!
Kodie was a bit out of sorts for his first couple of days here in Mexico. Very confused and hot, he also quickly learned which was the only room in the house that had AIR CONDITIONING and never wanted to be anywhere else but that room (our bedroom!!)
Stuffed from dinner at the Brazilian restaurant and enjoying the new hammock that Grumpa and Yaya put up!!
Tuesday October 4th:After taking Ty to work, we dropped Patti and Steve off for their life of luxury at Capella Pedregal for the next 2 nights! We were also so fortunate to be able to enjoy rare quality time with Ty while at work!
It's hard to disagree that Allie was finally starting to feel like Mexico could be home!
Tuesday night we had Chef Ty "the cute" all to ourselves for a private 7 course meal at Don Manuels! We had an array of authentic mexican cuisine, most prepared by Ty!! This was a special day for all 3 of us but really for Patti and Steve to see what Ty has been doing and how is presence at Capella is everywhere! Patti and Steve received numerous comments about how well Ty has adapted to Mexico from high executives to the dish washers! I couldn't be prouder of all he has accomplished and I know he has so much more to give to this company!
Wednesday October 5th:
We were the beautiful people on Wednesday! We enjoyed a lovely day poolside at Capella and this pool is absolutely breathtaking! It's an infitiny style pool that sits out on the beach and at the right angle laying in your pool chair, it's hard to tell where the pool stops and the pacific ocean begins.
The infamous underwater pic!
The Best in-laws ever!!!
After our day poolside, we went up to their room for a dip in their private infinity pool, along with guacamole for snacks and beers, before heading for a stroll along the beach and having dinner at the magnificent El Farrion!
Photo Op!
The beautiful sun set! Just where the sun is setting is where we had dinner!
Sweet Pateet!
Thursday October 6th:
Back to the slums...
Fortunately Patti and Steve had a "whenever works for you" check out time! They stolled around the property and met more of Ty's co-workers while I was getting ready for my show later than evening! We went that evening to get some tacos from one of my co-workers taqeria and enjoyed a lovely evening of story telling and fun!!
Friday October 7th:
Day of repairs...
So all week we would find little things that needed to be fixed/replaced/ decorated and since we were having way too much fun to do any kind of work during the week, why not the last day! We went to Home Depot, to Ace Hardware, to a local home decor shop, walmart, a nice fabric shop, a more local (cheaper) fabric store... we were busy bees to say the least! We spent the day fixing fixtures, potting plants, hanging twinkle lights, replacing light bulbs, and so much more! It was really fun when Ty got off work early and we were just finishing up the last plant! The house really feels even more like a home now!
The new light fixture in our guest room!!
After sitting around for a while, we decided to finally take Steve to a local taco shop! The tacos here are unlike any taco I have ever had back in the states! There isn't a good way to describe them than delicious, and not many great ways to photograph them.... but when you come to visit we promise you many delicious tacos (it also doesn't beat that they are no more then $1.50!!!) Getting back to the taco shop with Steve.... he tried all the sauces on the table before decorating his tacos with the savory-ness that each taco shop is very passionate about... all was well until the last taco, when he got a little generous with the habanero sauce.... I won't go into much details but lets just say poor stevie didn't have the most comfy plane ride back to ATL!
It was such a wonderful treat to have Patti and Steve with us for a week! They have always been so wonderful to me and I know how lucky I am to have inlaws as thoughtful and caring as these two! I'm even more thankful because they helped Ty and I really begin our lives together with our whole family! These two mean so much to us and to be able to walk around when the sun starts to set isn't scary anymore. It's wonderful to be able to feel protected and I know it puts Ty at ease when I am home at night!
And now life begins with Kodie, Allie, Ty, and I all under the same roof again!! This is Saturday when I got back from taking Patti and Steve to the airport... These two were EXHAUSTED!!!!!
Still not too sure about her Mexican food, sooooo we had to hand feed her... I know she's a brat but could you say no to this face?!
Saturday that Patti and Steve left was a big night for Capella. They had a wedding there that evening where the couple bought out all the rooms at the hotel.....crazy expensive but great for the guys... this is because when there is a buy out, no other patrons are allowed to enter the hotel for dinner. So of course the day Patti and Steve leave Ty got off work the earliest since we have moved here at 9pm!
To celebrate the early night, we had some of his co-workers over with their families! One of the guys who is just the sweetest ever, tono, came with his wife and child. I never thought our hammock would have a child in it but it worked as a great bed for the little one to rock away in a fall asleep!
Any day that Ty has off is a wonderful day!! We love to meet up with friends (esp ones who live close and with a pool!) haha jk.. but it's not too bad when that happens!! This Monday afternoon we ventured up to "gringo mountain" and hung out with our good friend Alex!
Boys being boys?
Muy guapo!
Wednesday, October 13th:
Wednesday, October 13th:
This day is a big day in Cabo because it is Sammy Hagar's birthday. Sammy brings in world renown acts for an entire week leading up to his actual birthday to preform on stage with him at his world famous bar Cabo Wabo Cantina! The concerts begin at 9 and last until 11pm but fans start lining up outside the bar at 3 sometimes as early as 1 in the afternoon! As you can imagine it's very difficult to get into these concerts but luckily a good friend of ours opened a bar up just across the street where we could still hear the concert plus see live footage projected on the side of the building! It's a lot of fun to meet Sammy faithful and of course another great reason for tourist to come visit and pump our economy up!
Saturday, October 16
There's nothing better than a Saturday whereever you are living. Here in Cabo, we still don't have cable but luckily through some great websites we are still able to watch the ever beloved COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!
This Saturday was particularly great because I was able to watch Auburn really shine against Arkansas! I don't have to go through play by play but, lord that game was like watching a basketball game! Full of energy after the huge win, I decided to do as we would in Auburn after an amazingly inspirational game, I went to the nearest cacti patch and rolled in with toilet paper!! As you could imagine, not many people here in Mexico follow college football, especially that in Auburn, Alabama, so I was very cautious and immediately after I took the pictures, took down the tp! It was so much fun to try and bring a little bit of AU here to Cabo! It's funny, since I graduated from Auburn, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to get out, my expiration tag was well past due.. and now, not only being out of the state of Alabama, but in another country......... it really makes me miss where I called home for 7 years! I guess time and more so distance, really does make the heart grow fonder. I really am so proud of our guys and wish them good health and luck for the rest of the season! (ps.... Ty did say that if Auburn goes to the national championship that we will be there!!!)
War Damn Cactus!!
I had to put this picture up because I am just a terrible cook! I burn everything that goes into the pan, on the grill, or in the oven! But this night all the stars seemed to align! 1. I actually got the fire lit, 2. I grilled chicken that wasn't only edible, but good enough to eat left overs, and 3. I made it look pretty like Ty does at the restaurant!! hahaha
So I may not have my own show on Food Network, but it was enpowering to know I manhandled that damn grill! haha :D
After a day of rest on Sunday it was back to the grind Monday, but this monday was different. For the past few days and even some nights I had been hearing a disstressed dog barking. It's not too rare to hear that her in Cabo and any point of the day so I dismissed it and continued on. Well Monday was different because I heard the barking again, but this time it seemed like it was right in front of the house. The dogs and I had just returned home from walking Ty to work and Kodie was really anxious to find this animal. I decided to let him lead me to it, and when we found ourselves looking into the back of an old shitty truck, I looked in the bed and here was this sweet puppy. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and at that time of day the sun is out with all it's glory. The truck was parked with rocks holding it in the brake position, far from any shade. This poor puppy, who I quickly named Lula, was screaming and burrying her head to try and get any relief from the hot Mexican sun. I ran to the house and grabbed the first bowl I could get my hands on and filled it with water. I've never felt the disgust and sadness for an animal until the moment I gave her water (seeing as who knew when she last got even a tiny sip.) Anyone would have felt that pain as you watched this tiny (roughly 8 or 9 week old) puppy lapping up every last drop of water and finally reaching that satisfying moment that she wasn't going to die in the back of that truck.
I have been really good about keeping away from fostering animals, esp here as there are thousands upon thousands that need help so badly, but this one was hard to let go. I knew I needed to and did take her to the Humane Society, where she now has found a new home, away from danger and healthy!
Got Milk?!
So the week goes by and I get invited to the beach with our dear friends Erik and Andre! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what I would witness on this Sunday afternoon. Nature is phenomenal in all it's ways. Take these sardines for example....
There were MILLIONS of these fish everywhere, and what was even crazier.... they weren't but 4 feet from the shore line! About every 30 mins they would all jump out of the water, flipping around, dodging sea gulls and pelicans.... when we were in the water with them you can see how they changed their paths around our bodies....
Patti was a bit scared when I told her and steve about these fish... she went on to tell me "Elena.... I hope you weren't swimming with them long.... you KNOW what follow schools of little fish in the OCEAN right?!?"
Besides the sardines (which is only an assumption... no fishermen or boat captain knew exactly what they were) there was a pissed of puffer fish. Personally I don't know much about these fish, besides they are highly poisonous... well some brilliant guy in the water had this make shift spear and kept poking at the blow fish... I tried to explain to him that it wasn't such a good idea and he should probably leave it be... well he didn't and it stung him and he died on the beach.. NOOOOOOOOOO but he did finally quit messing with it after 10 mins of poking and the little guy swam off into the ocean blue! I at this point decided it would be a good idea NOT to get back in the water with a highly agitated, poison filled, aquatic life about the area!
Medano Beach, admiring Land's End
If I had only been a marine biologist like I intended to be as a yound child, this day would had been much more meaningful... either way it was great to see the cool sardines and puffer, but anytime there is a turtle release, my heart just pitter patters away! These cute little guys try with all their might to conquer the mighty sea of cortez, and even though it sometimes takes a little while, it's nature at it's most raw form... well it's still organized by a group of mexicans at a hotel in accordance to the turtle foundation, yatta, yatta, yatta.... but once they are out of the "holding cell" as I like to call it and finally out in that water, it's magical.
There were hundreds of these little guys finally beginng their journey as they were meant to do!
Later that evening, the square about a block from our house was the hot spot for the "saints day of los cabos." Don't exactly quote me on the name, but it's a celebration of the saints that watch over Los Cabos.. and another reason for drinks, food, and fireworks! There were street dancers in traditional clothing, locals with booths filled with the delicious smells of all that is Mexican, and a fireworks show that can also only be described as dangerous making it more entertaining really... This was Tyler Svetich's (my sorority sister who has moved here and working with Capella as a sales manager) first festival moment in Mexico and it couldn't have been more enlightening
After this on stage performance began the fireworks madness! As I somewhat explained for El Grito back in September... imagine one of those fake bull riding machines... now picture that bull strapped with fireworks and let loose in the middle of a 2 lane street with hundreds of men, women, and children on either side... It's hard to capture the exact picture in words but from what I knew no one was hurt and I knew better and stayed far in the distance... :D
Exhausted after celebrating....
It's kind of funny when you think of happiness and what you need in life to fulfill just that. I have been rather fortunate to have an amazing support system of family and friends and a husband that always keeps me on my toes, trying new things, and these dogs....
What can I even say about them besides you can obviously tell that their happiness means a lot!
Though the neighbors may not feel the same about the barking and random laps around our yard stirring up dust in an already dusty neighborhood.... they make us so happy...
Family Pic!!!
Another part of our happiness is getting out and meeting new people! On this Friday morning, Ty had to be on a Yacht... yes he got to get out of the kitchen and do a private 20 person birthday party on an amazing boat! Well seeing that we are NEVER up past 10am... I decided to take advantage of this moment and see what life is like for others... and let me tell you... it was a learning experience! At this time in the morning, during this time of the year, cruise ships are unloading their passengers, everyone and their mother is out trying to sell you on something... "Hey lady, lets go fishing.......... have you tried snorkeling before....... you know the best thing to do in cabo is go 4 wheeling on the beach.... looking for a Mexican boyfriend?! hahaha it was a bit to take in seeing that I am clearly not a morning person with out biting their heads off, but knowing that mom and dad are visiting soon it helps to get cards and make these guys bargain and really work for their money! All in all a very interesting way to start the day and I couldn't help but warn everyone trying to see me a trip, food, or courtship, that in mid November if you see an Arab man walking around trying to communicate with you, not in spanglish but spanabic.... you should probably come down from your price because I promise a day at sea with a Bahar is one you will never forget!
Seeing that our dogs have become accustomed to our completely opposite schedule from the lives they were leading in Atlanta with Grumpa and Yaya... they too weren't quite sure what to do with themselves... As I shared with you.... Kodie has officialy become a digger.... I'm sure the cuteness of it will wear off at some point but he just has so much fun when he is digging, who am I to tell him he's bad for doing it.... plus it's like he's tilling our dirt.... it's a free service for if we ever wanted to do who knows what! Well since I posted the video of him digging at the front of the house... he has now found a new place to dig.... I actually believe the real reason was sabatoge... Allie took a crap in his most favorite digging hole and now in utter disgust he must relocate...
Here he is in action running from one side of the yard to the other.
He's a wild animal... this is all the proof you need
It really is amazing how much dust one animal can accumulate all over his body after an event like this...
Can't stop a machine...
Covered in dirt... thinking god only knows what...
After Kodies crazy digging rampage I decided to take an evening stroll! As I was out and about I passed Ty's co-worker Alex in his car. After calling his cell phone he told me he had just dropped Ty off at the boat and where it was! Thinking they had already taken off into the horizon, I wanted to at least see if there was a slight chance he was still in the Marina..... and he was!!! He was super busy with final preperations, but it was so nice to see him doing something fun!! He impressed everyone on the boat, not only the 40+ birthday girl calling him "mr cute" ( his co-workers translated it as and now call him "ty the cute" hints his facebook posting) but also the captain of the boat! He told Ty that if they had another private party and he had a day off of work that he would love for Ty to help out as the chef! It was not only a fun evening on the boat, but a great networking opportunity for Ty!!
When Auburn and LSU take in out on the football field... it's like the battle these two face every day.... Either way it's spun on ESPN it's always LSU, The strong, dominate, expected winner....vs.... Auburn, the smaller, underdog, less favorable winner! Not saying that I love Allie more than Kodie.... but it's the battle of who wants it more in college football, no matter what the odds are it's about the heart.
She's exhausted after a long battle with the Kodeman!
Hot day wrestling with sister over a football = this face!
Celebrating after the Auburn win!!!!
It's funny when you think of those "War Eagle Moments" you see on TV commercials, the jumbo tron at the game, and from stories shared by fellow AU alumns.....you never know if it's going to happen to you. Well after the win, I decided I was going to make a nice dinner and obviously a trip to Walmart was in store! Little did I know that after I bagged the cacti to make cactus fries, around the corner would be a fellow Auburn graduate! I immediately said "WAAAR EAGLE!!!!!!!" He looked at me as if he'd seen a ghost! haha! After pestering a walmart shopper to take a photo, I continued about the store, checking items off my shopping list, and ran into him again, but this time with his friend who was also in the same exact Auburn shirt!! After chatting a few minutes, I found that they had a condo in Auburn and had just been there the weekend before! It was such a fun moment that I didn't think would happen to me here in Cabo!!
As I mentioned.... Cactus fries were on the dinner menu! I was fortunate enough to learn how to cook these from Ty's executive chef Marco's wife Heather! Though it may sound weird... the texture once cooked is very similar to fried okra! First you cut them up and soak, dip in a flour mix of salt and pepper, egg soak is next, followed by another round in the flour mix, and into the skillet until brown! I don't have a picture of the final product because lets face it.... you know I burnt 3/4 of them! Still super delicious and if you can get your hands on some cactus... I suggest you try out these fries!
I don't know how he contorts his body into these tiny places... but there maybe a need for doggy counciling because he has convinced himself that he's a small, if not smaler than Allie!
The 30th annual Bisbees took place yet again here in Cabo October 21st through the 23rd! It is the highest paying fishing tournament with all categories adding up to over 4 million dollars just to catch the biggest Marlin! There were over 100 boats involved and a huge celebration the night of the 23rd for all the winners! I was able to make it to the final celebration, and it was full of men, half naked women, and lots of tequila! I guess it's all apart of the "Cabo Experience" and it also brings in money for the economy, but I wasn't too sad to see them go to be frank! It's usually not too bad fighting off Mexicans because they know better.... Old men with money (that more than likely they really don't have but pretend they are billionaires) are just evil and persistant! The dogs and I have a usual, rather discrete place that we walk almost evey night in the marina... well during the bisbees these guys were everywhere and quite obnoxious... and since my dog is a racist, he of course wanted to be their best friends... leaving me in the gauntlet. I quickly found an escape route and waited until after the bisbees were over to return back to our safe walking haven! I'm sure one day the raunchy dirtiness that comes out of drunk men's mouth will be a compliment, but for the time being... not so much! To check out all the winners from the bisbees go online http://www.bisbees.com/
There's nothing better than when daddy gets home from work!!
Giving our two dogs a bath has always been a sight to see, and here in Cabo, it's absolutely no different! Lucky for the two of them, the water that we have outside sometimes is empty, so their bath time kept getting pushed back and pushed back and back... well finally we had running water outside and a bath is what they got! I decided to take the top half of Kodie's dog kennel (which if being in them for 6 hours wasn't bad enough, they really had a new hatred for them) and use it as their tub. This of course had to be documented... as you could imagine it was a bit of a challenge...
What the hell is going on?!?! I was just starting to enjoy Mexico...
Thankful it's over and she can now watch Kodie suffer!
This was the first time in Kodie Bath history that I didn't get completely drenched in the process... I'm guessing that he was so damn hot before the bath that the cold water was more enjoyable then panting for hours in the heat...
Clean as a whistle and ready for Daddy to get home!
As I have mentioned in posts before... our coffee time is so precious as we don't get to spend much time with Ty, these two now look at Cabo Coffe as their terf! When other dogs (even birds) think about coming around our table... the alarm and the enforcer want nothing to do with it!
.Protecting.
While Patti and Steve were visiting, they bought a beautiful hibiscus plant! This was after a couple of weeks with sunlight, water, and kodie pee.. haha jk about the urine but I'm so happy the plant is blooming and adding more life to our home!
Oh how we love that these two babies are now with us.... if there wasn't a dull moment before... now it's constant! From barking at random people and dogs passing our house, to stolls along the beach, and even those peaceful moments sitting on the sofa... these two really complete our home!
And I really think they feel that they are at home too! Whether in Auburn, Atlanta, Cabo... as long as we're together, nothing can go wrong... or else you'll catch the wrath of this........
