birthday madness

*i have DAYS worth of blogs written in my notebook, but right now bill and callen are breathing down my neck at the internet cafe, so this is all you get...the day of....


Right now it is two days after my birthday. The sun is setting as I sit in a hammock sipping some red wine and hanging out with kris. She needs to make a few work phone calls so im taking a few minutes to tell you about my past few birthday days….

I woke up and got out of bed. It was 630 am and my 22nd birthday. Bill made me bacon and eggs for breakfast and I sliced up some pineapple and avocado to accompany. I sipped on some French press coffee from san vito costa rica. After breakfast I walked down to say hello to john and mary and to have my ‘morning chat’ with mary. I walked in and they instantly burst into song ‘happy birthday to you…’. It was so sweet but made me feel instantly homesick. I had some cranberry juice with crushed ice, as far as mary is concerned crushed ice is the ONLY way, and chatted for a bit before heading back up the hill. Usually we start the day with a morning surf, but this particular day billy, as well as everyone else, had to go and pay their taxes. SO I grabbed my yoga mat, my ipod, my book and a change of clothes and I was dropped off at callens house. The boys, callen and franklin, played video games while I layed in the hammock and read ‘what is the what’. This lasted for a few hours, and then kris, callens mom, came home from work early to hang out. We chatted, sipped iced tea, and snacked. She made me her world famous chocolate brownies and we discussed my party plans for that evening.

At 5pm kris dropped me off in dominical @ tailors bar (que nivel). Taylor and I then hopped into her car, brownies in tow, and headed to her home in lagunas. What a breathtaking view she has – and a kickass house. Her roommate, a fellow jersey girl who shares my birthday, was there and we began the celebration. Music, brownies, and vodka. Woohooo. We showered and dressed and around 8pm we headed back to que nivel in town. Well, everyone came out for my birthday. Javi, Debbie, bob, the dive shop crew, the bicycle mafia, callen, franklin…everyone. The whole town. I danced and drank and laughed. I stuck with vodka for the evening, occasional shots of tequila, but after every drink I would consume a full glass of water. TOO MUCH FUN. Woohooo 22.

HOMBRE GRANDE

I am sick. Sick sick sick. Hacking cough, congestion in my head, nose and chest, and total delirium. I have been slamming tea, water, vitamin c, tons of fruit, and chicken soup. I bought this kickass medicine in town for my cough, which works wonders, but unfortunately leaves me feeling exhausted, dizzy, confused, and to put it bluntly...I just feel fucked up. Like I´m high or wasted or something. Bah. So after the discovery that this medicine makes me wacky, I now just save it for the evening and try to just suffer through during the day.

Callen and Franklin made me Hombre Grande tea yesterday. Hombre Grande (BIG MAN) is a tree that grows in costa rica. The bark is chewed on and made into tea for healing just about everything from headaches to stomaches to cancer. With that said, it is THE MOST DISGUSTING thing that you will EVER taste. Your body rejects it, wanting to throw it back up the second it goes down. Unforunately, Hombre Grande doesn´t seem to be doing the trick, so today the boys are hunting and gathering some wild ginger and lemongrass to make me some kind of local healing tea with lemon and honey as well. Hopefully this will cure me. I cannot take much more of this. When I´m sick all I want is my couch, a movie, and some peace and quiet. I´m not going to get any of that while living in Costa Rica, with Lara, at Tortilla Flats.

Shawn left a few days ago, and Dad and Pablito left today. Lara is only in town for 2 more days so I´m going to stay with her until she leaves. Then I´ll be back at Bills? I believe. Who knows, in Costa Rica you cannot make plans.

Hung out with my friend Taylor yesterday who owns the bar QUE NIVEL in town. When she heard it was my birthday coming up this Tuesday...I´ll be 22!!!....she said that we MUST have a party. My friend Brittany, a jersey girl who lives here in town, has a bday on march 5th, so we are having a joint birthday fiesta sponsored by Que Nivel. I cant wait! Live band, cake, and dancing!

Gotta go now...walking to the top of the hill to hit up the bank and buy some cough drops, vicks vapo rub, water, oj, and more vitamin c.

pura vida.