El Yunque / Luquillo

On Friday, we headed east to explore the area around El Yunque, the national rain forest just 40 minutes away.  It was a complete change in scenery as we started up the lush mountain and I loved the misty rain that fell and cooled things off. I had done a little bit of reading the night before and found that the Big Tree Trail would allow us to hike a bit and see the Mina Falls which everyone recommended. Unfortunately for us, there wasn't any swimming allowed that day because of the muddy overflow hitting the falls after the rain. But the walk and getting up close with nature was still very enjoyable. I was amazed by how well Carolina did on the trail. It was paved but still quite steep in places and there were muddy puddles to jump over and a few steps to climb/descend. Elisa on the other hand, complained about wanting to turn back halfway through. But then, that's her way of letting us know we can't spend all morning doing things with no pay off. She wasn't so impressed by the rain forest especially with its lack of wildlife, but the promise of hitting the beach kept her at bay. On our way down to Luquillo Beach, Carolina fell asleep and I sat with her for a little while in the car while the others went off to swim. It was by far the calmest of the beaches we found and we made plans to return again the next day. 

A day in Old San Juan

Getting acquainted

Our first day in Puerto Rico and we managed to hit the beach to start things off on a good note. We headed over to Piñones beach for a nice swim with the girls in a protected cove.  The undercurrent was strong though, which meant that we had to be on top of them all the time.  The views were absolutely amazing and seeing palm trees swaying did more to lift my spirits than all the positive thinking in the world.  Something about that sea air and sunshine that cures everything.  After a couple of hours, we decided to hit the food kiosks nearby for a traditional island lunch of everything fried and mashed with plantains. It didn't disappoint. Elisa wasn't a fan of the coco frio but I sure enjoyed it. Later, we had the machete-wielding restaurant worker cut it open for us to taste the flesh. So good. Of course, being in paradise with two non-napping kids wasn't all fun and games. Elisa's mood was rapidly declining as we hung out after lunch trying to watch some surfers on another small beach. She wasn't able to shake it off, and so we headed back to the apartment for a very late nap. Later, waking up hungry we went in search of pizza at a place Rafa recommended. I will say the food choices overall in PR were better when we stuck to more traditional foods. There might not be a lot of variety, but they do beans and rice and meats quite well. For pizza, I'll stick with NYC. 

Outta here!

So our impromptu trip got a bit less so last weekend when I started to sweat every time I saw Nacho checking loads. His sister was arriving from Madrid on Sunday afternoon and leaving Monday for PR--with or without us. I wanted it to be with, and so I started checking on last minute flights for me and the girls. I figured Nacho would at least have more chances to non-rev down since he can fly other airlines and also request the jump seat. And sending him with Merche the day before wasn't a bad idea. He could get the lay of the land and be there when we needed him to pick us up. Tickets were secured for less than a fortune and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Well, I did anyway. Now to leave on Tuesday in a snow storm. Oh yeah, fun!

All smiles after our early morning dash to JFK in 2-4 inches of snow

Smiles turned to frowns after 2+ hours waiting to de-ice

And then we made it. Ah, yes, it was warm and balmy and downright tropical. How lovely. I think it was worth all the stress and craziness. I'm counting on it.

Happy Valentimes

Another Valentine's Day and Elisa still calls it Valentimes. I love that. I love that we have begun a sort of pseudo celebration with shiny red and pink balloons and cupcakes and pizza party to make the day feel fun and lovely. That it was a Friday and the first evening of our Winter Break meant I decided to invite a few additional friends over to really kick things off.  For the past month or so, I've been trying to gather the neighborhood AoC kids for some play time outside of school and this was another attempt at that and more successful than the last. We hosted Skylar and Grace, Dorothy and Luna, as well as poor Leonardo who wasn't so sure about all the doll playing. But they all agreed on pizza and cake. So that was a hit. The kids also got to take home a balloon each which is a fun way to spread a little of our Valentine's cheer. Yes, this 6 month marker to the girls' birthdays has turned into a real little celebration and I do it as much for them as I do for myself. In fact, Carolina was mildly confused about the whole day and kept repeating, "it's my birthday? no?"  I loved seeing how excited she was waiting for Elisa to come home to celebrate.  Yes, it's nice to paint it up red and let the kids play and just sit back and sip wine. And that's kind of sort of what tonight was like. With more screaming. Ahhhh...yes, kids and a relaxing evening aren't exactly mutually exclusive but it's close. But I wouldn't have changed a thing about today. Getting the girls to bed late while Nacho was working was a little bit challenging but they were so lovey with each other I had to smile. A pretty terrific day and I'm ready for a weekend of hanging out before our big trip....more soon.

February forecasts

The week started off on such a good note with a Monday morning assembly celebrating 100 days of school at AOC. Then came Tuesday and Elisa's sudden pukefest while getting ready to board the bus home. We spent Wednesday recuperating and now Thursday it's snowing like mad and I opted for our first mom-imposed snow day of the year. Yes, the schools are OPEN and I'm not sure why. But thankfully, it's been easy to stay home and since Nacho is off too, I haven't even felt too stir crazy. He might have a touch of the sickness that has enveloped each of us over the past week, but fortunately his trips both cancelled so he's here resting up while the wintery mix blows past. And boy is it whipping the windows. So relieved I didn't send Elisa on the school bus into this mess. I know it's not an easy decision when both parents are working full time, but for us, it was absolutely the right call. The girls have played and danced and entertained each other most of the day and now after a little nap I suspect we'll bake and have a tea party. Perfect antidote to that raging wet weather. Now to see what tomorrow has in store. Hoping Valentine's Day isn't a bust, but who knows. Waiting to see how the night goes before judging the road conditions. Now if only the Mayor did the same...