If You Like Pina Coladas

We have returned from Sinaloa, reasonably relaxed and sufficiently sun-kissed. It wasn't a luxurious gourmet and rum-soaked tropical vacation, but for once we had perfect weather, and there was no family drama!

We stayed in a house on the El Cid golf course, which is surrounded by the wealthier locals, and retired Canadians who decided(perhaps due to their love of tomatoes, which are the pride of every single local?) that their personal paradise is on the edge of the tropic of Cancer. Aside from the fact that every Catholic in Mexico was on vacation to celebrate Holy Week(third largest Carnivale world-wide...) and that every time you turned around somebody

was trying to hawk a kitchy souvenir or something carved out of a bit of tree bark, it was a very nice vacation. The historical center of Mazatlan is beautiful, and has lots of inspiring bakeries and cafes. The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception is supposedly the only catholic church in the world that uses the star of David in its stained glass motifs.

We spent a couple of days at the pool, took a very commercial tour of Mazatlan, and spent a long day out in the foothills of the Sierra Madres. We visited a pit where adobe bricks are made and fired manually, a man making beautiful marble tiles by hand, the town of Copala built around a silver mine, and Concordia. Concordia was founded in 1565 and is scattered with cobblestones and hand-made rustic furniture. We wandered

through the city hall and learned a lot about the history of the region from murals all along the courtyard.

The rest of the week was spent lounging on the screened in porch reading and eating authentic chips with homemade guac, or wandering the beach and gazing at the Pacific. I made it through most of the Stieg Larsson series, and Brian got hooked on my

Sudoku Joy app. Mom brought her French workbooks and we reviewed some grammar and vocab, which humorously resulted in her responding "oui, oui!" or "non!" whenever anybody spoke Spanish at her. We had a fairly uneventful trip back,

although it was definitely one of the bumpiest descents into Denver I have ever experienced! We landed on a Friday night, and had the entire weekend to relax and unpack, and settle back in. The Fri to Fri trip was a great idea and I will have to remember it when booking future trips!

Overall, I have to say that the most amazing part of the journey was that after a week of togetherness, we still went out for dinner together before going to our respective homes and crashing. I am definitely lucky to have such a positive relationship with my parents, as well as a husband who supports that.

What a Difference a Day Makes

This was my walk from the car to the office.

This was my walk from the office back to the car.

I love Colorado.

And then the Beat Comes

This week has been pretty amazing:

Lots of time with the most adorable dog in the world(and "Donkey")

We have a new favorite local Italian restaurant

Went to see Matt Wertz live and discovered Ben Rector

Fantastic final ski day of the season

A positive conversation with a VP of International Client Relations

Dinner with a visiting Arachnid

And the Pacific breezes are calling...

The Sun Will Come Out

OK, so I have hit another loop-de-loop in the Sidewinder that my life has become. As overwhelming as it is to be starting back at square one, I'm finding it more overwhelming to continue trying to approach the process with a positive attitude. I've been lucky to have several positive people around me: A counselor in my office who has made it her mission to put me in touch with every person in her life who has anything to do with event management, a friend traveling to Israel to add me to her family's wailing wall(OK, she's not going all the way there just to pray for me, but she made it sound like her main mission which brought me to happy tears), and several students who have visited the office just to check on me and bring happy thoughts all week.

It feels like after a year of this, persistence would have become a strength from practicing it so regularly. But the cover letters come more quickly now, and the positive attitude is becoming the true challenge for me. I know it's a cycle, and that there will be a peak at some point in the future, and am hoping that my head can convince my heart to find the energy necessary to pick up and keep going until the sun comes back.

The Road's So Rough

Dear Angry Man in the Silver Sienna,

I'm very sorry that I ruined your morning when I stopped at the red light. I feel that I was acting in both our best interests, even though your tantrum with the horn and your lewd gestures clearly expressed your disagreement. According to driving safety curriculum promoted by the state of Illinois, intersections are extremely dangerous and should not be considered lightly. Therefore, I do not feel guilty that I rescued you from the potential evil that you would have encountered had we both run the light and entered the intersection.

Sincerely,
Merix

Here Comes the Sun

This past week has been unseasonably nice for March. Highs nearing 70 and sunshine until 7pm...Bosco and I have hit the bike path a couple of times, which has been refreshing for both of us. My mile is back up to ten minutes, which is NOT refreshing, but may prove to be inspiring when I have a routine I can factor workouts into. Crocuses and daffodils are blooming, and there are a few buds on trees and shrubs. My crazy neighbor lady has Easter out on her front porch, which includes yellow chicks and several lambs perched around various sized pastel eggs.

As much as I am looking forward to sunshine and being able to spend hours outdoors, it makes me sad to think that we're at the end of March and sitting on less than an inch of precipitation for the year. March is usually when all the snow comes and wets everything down for spring blossoms, and I fear that this summer will be record heat with more awful fires. April, feel free to prove me wrong and bring lots of showers!

I've Decided to be Kinder

This past week I have felt like I was in the eye of a destructive tornado. Nothing disastrous happened directly to me, but it seems like the world around me has been in chaos. However, being the sensor-feeler that I am, it is challenging to observe and and not internalize it as if it were happening to me.

Last week there was a non-altercation event with Bosco, who now has a criminal record and has been in quarantine for over a week, poor thing! Also, even though Brian and I escaped unscathed, lots of friends and family have been attacked by some sort of flu bug this week. For the most part, I think everybody is back on their feet, but it's been rough!

Friday was ultra weird. We finally had our front door replaced last week, and Friday was the touch-up painting day to complete the process. First of all, Brian was in Evansville for the night(I know, right? But he survived two days of airports to attend Shoe Carnival's VIP re-opening celebration), so I got to stay home for the painter. Turns out that my plan to go in a few hours late didn't pan out very well, since he was working until almost 4pm! My day had already been thrown off when the first news I got after my alarm went off was about the major quake in Japan, and that the naval ships in Pearl Harbor were trying to decide whether to stay in port to weather the resulting tsunami swells.

After checking on friends in Japan and hearing that they were all ok, and finally hearing back from Max that they had been safely evacuated to higher ground on the big island, I got an email that one of my favorite facilities men at Thunderbird passed away last week. After collaborating on a couple of Regional Nights, Tony would offer me a ride across campus anytime he passed me in his golf cart, making pleasantly distracting small talk or encouraging my academic efforts. Such sad news, as he was only in his sixties! The evening concluded with me driving in to the office because I couldn't access email remotely, and OCI needed to be scheduled for first thing Monday morning. Symplicity is not my friend, and I am so grateful to Alexia for sticking around till after 6pm(Friday!) to help make sure everything was set up.

Saturday included a memorial service for a friend of the family who lost her five-year battle with breast cancer, and Metz's rendition of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore at CU. Sunday brought beautiful sunny skies, an hour less sleep, and a rough draft of our taxes. Not exactly an energizing weekend, but I was surrounded by friends, family, and evidence that I am healthy and financially stable.

I am learning a new song for Sound Circle outreach programming called Kinder. It's a beautiful reminder to recognize the blessings in my life, and appreciate the small joys that are too frequently taken for granted. The unique element I find in this piece is that it's not a reminder to be gentle and understanding with people around you, but with yourself. Thought I would share, since it's been stuck in my head and it made this weird weekend manageable:

KINDER

I've decided to be happy, I've decided to be glad.

I've decided to be grateful for all I've ever had.

I've decided to let go of all this pain tonight,

I've decided to let go of all these demons inside.

I know that I am blessed.

I know all I ever wanted was this.

I know I don't need more,

I've got what I came for.

I've decided to be open to that little voice inside,

Telling me I'me beautiful, it's okay to be alive.

I've decided to be kinder to myself when I feel sad,

I've decided to be grateful for all I ever had.