Girls' Weekend

Less than 36 hours after we arrived home from South America, I hopped in the car and headed down to Fredericksburg to meet up with my mom and sister for our first-ever Girls' Weekend. We had so much fun shopping, eating, visiting wineries, catching up, and laughing. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful women in my life!

Fiesta Winery

Lunch at Vaudeville's underground bistro

Samples at Quintessential Chocolates

Four Point Cellars

Pontotoc Winery

Dinner at Rathskeller

It was way too hot to hike, but we enjoyed the drive out to Enchanted Rock.

Celebrating National Ice Cream Day at Clear River

A sunny day in Mendoza

Jeff's school had a mate class this afternoon, which I walked over for, enjoying seeing and feeling the sun for the first time in a week. We learned some very interesting things about this tea and how to drink it, which you can read more about on my Year of Firsts blog.

When Jeff and I got back to the house, the kids were ready to go out and enjoy the sunshine as well, so we headed to the park. Ruth and Weston went for a run and worked on some other strength exercises while the little boys played in their special grove of trees and Jeff and I sat on a low tree branch visiting. It was a gorgeous day, and I'm so glad we got to get out and enjoy it!

Later, we all agreed that we had a craving for sushi, so we headed over to Sushi Club, which is just a short walk from our house and which had good reviews online. It was wonderful and really hit the spot. We just love Mendoza and are so thankful for the time we have to spend here!

Mate

We saw the trash truck on our way home from the school.

Happy boys in their happy place!

Getting our sushi fix at Sushi Club

I'm not saying this happened tonight, but it might have. 😉

School Outings and Such

We have really been enjoying the outings planned by Jeff's school and have been trying to take advantage of as many of them as we can. Yesterday, Jeff and I visited one of the museums in town that is dedicated to the town's founding. The original seat of government and adjoining plaza were buried by an earthquake in 1861, and the Museo del Area Fundacional sits right atop the excavation site. I wrote more about the experience on my Year of Firsts blog, if you want to check it out.

Museo del Area Fundacional

The entrance to the museum , showing the excavation site

This evening, the Australian owner of the school invited the students (and whoever the students wanted to bring) to one of the bodegas in town, Wine O'Clock, for a wine tasting and some Spanish/English conversation. The boys didn't want to get out in the cold and opted to stay in watching a movie and eating pizza rolls, but Jeff and Ruth and I went and had a wonderful time. We got to try a couple of wines--a Malbec, which we loved, and a Cab that was good but not great--while also enjoying a cheese board and some nice conversation. (I didn't get any photos while we were there, so I borrowed some from the Internet.)

Wine O'Clock tasting room

Ramanegra is our new favorite Malbec!

After checking in with the boys after the tasting and finding them perfectly happy and safe, Jeff and Ruth and I went out to grab some dinner at El Club de Milanesa, which is a very cool restaurant dedicated to chicken fried steak (though not the way we think of it in Texas). We ordered the sampler and got to try seven different milanesas plus a big basket of "loaded" fries. And, for dessert, we had the flan volcano filled with dulce de leche, which was wonderful. We really love Mendoza and all the fun things to do here!

Fun night out at El Club de Milanesa

Milanesa Sampler

Flan Volcano

Unbound

One week ago, I was set free from my hip-to-ankle knee brace prison, which broke my entire leg out in a rash and which had to be locked into the straight position at night, making it impossible to get a full night's sleep. That freedom came six weeks after I had my knee surgery, but in the four weeks before the surgery, I was held hostage by lesser contraptions, for a grand total of 80 days of varying degrees of immobility. Truly, though, it felt like a much longer period of time, and I often wondered if I would ever emerge on the other side. (They tell me that, even though I am free of the brace, my full range of mobility will not return for at least another six months. But, just having the brace off makes me feel human again, and that's definitely a good feeling!)

When the brace came off, I felt a wave of freedom shake me from head to toe. It seemed to go deeper than the bending and straightening my knee. So I started to probe a bit to see if I could figure out what was going on inside my own head. And it wasn't until that day that I realized just how deep my bondage was. It certainly wasn't just physical. The injury, loss of freedom, lack of sleep, pain, and knowledge that life can turn on a dime congealed in my mind to create an atmosphere of fear, anxiety, depression, negativity, and insecurity. I lost all interest in my Year of Firsts (though I kept doing them, out of a sense of duty I suppose), and every new thing (and quite a few old-hat things) I faced seemed like they had the potential to be the RipStik all over again. I struggled to muster up the courage to take any risks, no matter how small. I honestly felt paralyzed in so many ways, and I wasn't fully connecting the injury to my mental state. But, when the brace came off, I instantly felt clarity in the situation and recognized it for what it was.

This week has been full of freedoms in mind and body, and I feel much more like myself. I feel like trying new things and embracing challenges again. And I don't feel afraid or anxious of every single situation. In order to ditch the brace, I had to prove to my physical therapist that I could push through the pain and that I could build up the appropriate strength. To be truly unbound in my mind, there are similar hurdles to overcome.  I suspect this knee injury isn't yet finished with all the lessons it has to teach me, and I hope I have the grace and open-mindedness to receive them well as I work to make my mind stronger and more fit, just as I continue to work on physical strength and fitness.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

All day today, Clay has been walking with "crutches." Sometimes his right knee hurts (just like mine), but sometimes it's both legs and his neck.

While I was making something new for dinner (my First for today), he came in and announced that he had "accomplished [his] task for the day!" Clearly, he's trying to show a little solidarity and in the process has absolutely melted my heart!

Imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery!

Thankful

If you are following my Year of Firsts blog, you know that I injured my knee and am now hobbling around on crutches while wearing a giant knee brace. There was a moment this morning when I was tempted to give in to the "poor mes," but when I opened my eyes and looked around, all I could see was how much I have to be thankful for. In no particular order, here is what I'm thankful for today:

• I live in a one-story house.
• I have big kids that can get their own food, take their own baths, stay at the house while Jeff takes me to the doctor, work mostly independently or assist each other on school assignments, and help around the house in so many ways, plus one that is even able to drive.
• Jeff has a flexible schedule and is home most of the time.
• I do not have an out-of-home job I have to go to.
• The master shower that I have had contempt for since we moved into the house has a built-in seat and a combo shower head, which can easily be used as a handheld sprayer. 
• I have a network of extended family and friends who are willing to help out at a moment's notice and who are checking on me and praying for me.
• My sweet, sweet husband and kiddos who are quick to anticipate, inquire about, and meet my needs and who care deeply about my well being.
• An opportunity to practice patience and stillness, which are skills I definitely need to improve. 

Celebrating 40

I turned 40 on Friday, and I did it right! My sweet hubby surprised me with a trip to the new Palafitos (overwater bungalows) in the Mexican Riviera. (He also surprised himself by accidentally revealing the gift to me months before he intended to!) We arrived at the resort on Wednesday around noon and instantly began to be treated like royalty. We had some lunch in the overwater restaurant and then took a walk around the resort, before settling into our amazing palafito. We spent the next few days lounging on our patio, alternating between the large lounge chair and the private pool, and eating large quantities of delicious food. On my birthday, the staff went all out to make sure my day was special. They put a sign on the door, decorated the bed when they did the turn-down service, delivered a beautiful dessert to the room, and even filled up our jacuzzi. It was such a special trip and a wonderful way to enter a new decade!

El Dorado Maroma Resort

Our beautiful palafito

Everything we ate was beautiful as well as delicious!

I certainly did feel special on my birthday!

*I am celebrating turning 40 all year long with a Year of Firsts. I am keeping a separate blog for documenting that journey, if you want to check it out.*

Yes, And

*This is a deviation from my vacation postings. We're still cruising down the Alaska Highway, and I'll get back to that soon, but today there is something else on my mind.*

One month from today I will turn 40. This seems almost impossible to me, because I don't feel that I should have that many decades behind me. When I absorbed this fact earlier in the year, I honestly became quite depressed. I won't go into details, but it was an ugly time that seemed like it would consume me. Realizing that I was spiraling downward quickly and desperate to dig my heels in and fight it if I could, I started casting about for something--anything--that could act as an anchor and keep me from being sucked into the strong undercurrent of my emotional instability. 

That's when I came across a book called I Dare Me by Lu Ann Cahn. The subtitle drew me in: "How I rebooted and recharged my life by doing something new every day." Rebooting and recharging definitely seemed like a move in the right direction for me. And since I had been struggling with the mundanity of everyday suburban life after our trip around the world, "something new everyday" was irresistibly intriguing. It was a quick read, in which Ms. Cahn chronicled her "year of firsts," which included some things as simple as trying new-to-her foods, to activities as daring as rappelling into a cenote. Most of the things on her list were things she worked into her everyday life. Some were real stretches for her, and others were things she'd always wanted to try. Her main objective was simply to say "yes" when opportunities presented themselves and to give herself permission to step outside her comfort zone. She didn't love every first, but she learned a lot about herself, and she found herself in the new habit of saying "yes." For her, it was a method of combatting her own depression and a feeling of being stuck.

I'm certainly no improv actress, but I have taken a couple of classes and read a couple of books, trying to understand the techniques improv actors employee. There are many principles in the study of improv that are applicable to success in everyday life. Chief among them is the "Yes, and" concept. It basically means you take what is given to you and make it your own. This is what makes improv funny. You have no control over what is given to you by another player or audience member, but you can gratefully accept it and make into something you can work with. For many people, myself included, it is more natural to want to say "No." That's not the scene I want to play; that's not the character I want to portray. Lots of people want to be in control and therefore flat out refuse those situations that aren't entirely of their own making. But even when we can get ourselves to say "yes," we often follow it with "but" rather than "and." This kills the scene and all forward progress. You have to take what your improv partner (or life) gives you, and then you have to make something of it. You can't put the brakes on every idea, and you can't fill the scene (days) with excuses or conditions. Sometimes, you just have to jump in and go with it.

So, this is what I thought of when I read Ms. Cahn's book, and I knew immediately that a year of firsts, a "yes, and" year, was exactly how I wanted to celebrate the first year of a new decade of my life. The prospect makes me excited and nervous, and that's how I know it's the right thing to do. As I contemplated the idea, my depression was eventually lifted, and I made a plan to start my year of firsts on my birthday.

But, I seriously need some help. 365 days is a lot of days, and, while I want to be spontaneous and look at my world with new eyes for inspiration, I also want to have an arsenal of firsts from which to draw if I get stumped. I have started making a list, but it's a little skimpy. That's where you come in, if you're willing. I would love to have your suggestions of big and small things I can add to my list. I would also appreciate your words of encouragement and support, along with your own stories of saying, "Yes, and." 

I will be starting a new blog, devoted only to my year of firsts, and will keep this one for the goings-on of our family. I will share the URL soon and would love it if you'd follow along on my personal journey for self-improvement. Feel free to leave your suggestions for firsts in the comments section of this blog or on Facebook.