Grateful

Best trip yet

I must say, so far, this is the best trip we've had down here to date. It feels as if we have the perfect storm of elements to make it so. First, we have enough of the comforts of home. Plenty of towels, socks, housewares, etc. Next, we have a routine down for where things go and have a place to put things during the daily must-do tidy up routine. Next, Avery isn't napping during the day which is making bedtime total cake. It's 7:05 and she's fast asleep. Finally, we've reorganized some of our outdoor furniture so that our reclining chairs are now up in the viewing tower. Since the viewing tower has a solid roof - as oppossed to the roof terrace that has a pergola on it - there is always a good chunk of shade available. We also have a ceiling fan in the viewing tower to keep air circulating. Avery and I read up there for a good hour or so today. She read her books, I read mine. The view of the mountains is actually the one I prefer, as opposed to the sliver of the sea we can see from various angles.

Our 4-hour divisions of Avery duty are also working out so well. It means that the one who is not on duty has zero guilt about doing whatever - napping, sleeping in, reading, watching TV, computer time, laying by the pool, whatever - and the person who is on duty has no expectation of doing anything but playing with Avery, so there's no resentment of the off-duty person. We should have done this from the get go!

Today, I had the 1-5 shift, which is the hottest shift. I was concerned because I didn't think we could just go walk around without roasting. However, when Avery was done with her lunchtime movie break, she promptly explained to me that we needed to go to the beach to finish our sandcastle. I loaded up two bags with everything I could possibly need for the beach or the pool, then headed over to the beach. I figured when we were done on the beach, we'd hit the hotel pool, rather than the community pool, since it's right by the beach. In the end, Avery and I spent a couple of hours just floating in the sea. The water was so warm and totally clear. It was some of the most enjoyable beach time I've ever had. We decided then to go get some ice cream from the store, but got sidelined when Avery saw other kids playing in the hotel pool. I turned around and got her all suited up in her vest to play in the hotel pool. I think she was just too tired to really engage, so we only stayed for ten minutes before she asked to go. We walked back to the casa where I literally had to prod Avery to go to the store for ice cream. Turns out, the store isn't open on Sundays anymore, so no ice cream. That's when we came back and headed up to the viewing tower for another lovely couple of hours in the warm breeze.

On the beach, I realized that I will almost definitely miss these days and the current stage of our community very much, particularly when development finally does ramp up. Yes, there's a torn up road to navigate. We don't have many amenities within walking distance. During the weekdays, you still hear a lot of construction noises. And everything is in a constant state of change since the community is still trying to right itself since the original vision was abandoned with the bankruptcy of the company. However, even given all that, I think what we've got here is a very unique experience. It was a Sunday on a public beach and we had no issue finding chairs or a palapa for shade. There was almost no noise from the other parties on the beach, but enough activity to not seem weird. There were several dogs running on the beach, but the dog owners (some Mexican locals, some gringo homeowners/visitors) were responsible and easy going. The pool at the hotel has been redone since the hotel reopened six months or so ago. It's nothing fancy, but it feels solid and clean. They have all new furniture with plenty of shade and cushions. You don't have to pay for any of it. I feel welcome there as a homeowner (versus a hotel guest) and there's no questioning of our "right" to be there. My favorite part: no blaring music! I will rue the day when hotel management decides it needs to blare music. I have little doubt it will happen, but for now, it's just lovely. We have our own little piece of paradise at this moment in time, even though it's come along a path that isn't what we'd envisioned. I'm grateful for that. And it's wonderful that it's here when Avery hasn't yet started school since I imagine these years will be the ones during which we are able to spend the most time down here.

I also remember a trip down here before our casa was done. We were in the process of completing our homestudy and application to enter the pool for adoption. It was a great trip despite some logistical challenges (power outage, water outage, tropical storm, etc). I remember hoping that we'd get a chance to enjoy our casa just once before a child arrived. This afternoon, as I was sitting in the calm, warm sea with Avery floating nearby giggling and splashing, I realized that this place is what it is to me precisely because of Avery. I'm not sure Childless Megan ever would have embraced it in the same manner that Mother Megan has.

I try not to think of the money we paid for the casa, the furnishings, and the continued maintenance of it, because when I do, I go through an opportunity cost exercise: where else could be be vacationing with that money? What other things could we have done in Portland with that money? However, in the end, I'd honestly take a trip down here over a trip to the fanciest all-inclusive resort in Mexico. I'd rather come down here for a week than head to a hotel or a rental house in the States, if only because it now feels like home. It has a quality that rentals and hotels don't have for me. It took me a while to get to this state, but I'm here. And I'm damn grateful for it. For all of it.