January 15th, 2009

We've been having some quiet days out here in our little neck of the woods, feeling the heat and cooling off in the pool in the backyard. School work is getting done (most days!), home is being cleaned and maintained, groceries are getting delivered, etc. The glorious mundaneness of existing!

Emily needed a new swim suit so her and I, along with Michael, set out on the bus to 'downtown' Ingleses to see what trouble we could find. It would appear that you cannot find a one-piece swimsuit anywhere in the town (it doesn't help that I don't know the word for one, either...), so when in Rome! Emily is now the excited owner of a new bikini. It didn't take her long to get used to it and establish some serious bikini tan lines. Jillian was more than jealous at this new acquirement, and spoke often of how suddenly her swim suit was not fitting as it should. Much to her delight, while we were in downtown Floripa today running errands, we found a great deal on little girl bikini's. In an impulse moment, I tried a few on her and she selected her favourite. Before we knew it, she was walking out of the store with a bikini in a bag, and an enormous smile across her face.

Yesterday, we had a wonderful time playing at the beach nearby our home. This time it wasn't a deserted beach all to ourselves, but almost. After asking a local family if that part of the water was safe to swim in at that particular time (sometimes there are dangerous currents that can suck you out to sea... not the adventure we're looking for!), we jumped in and started fighting the waves. What great exercise! Flexing every muscle as you brace for the impact of the wave, jumping up to avoid getting washed away, or conversely, just letting go and allowing the wave to pound you down and then move you along as you resurface. As we enjoyed the ocean, we began to notice the waves getting bigger and stronger. Ryan and I had been trying to master the art of timing to learn when best to get into the swells so we could avoid both a wave pummelling or missing it altogether. With the larger waves, we began to draw closer to the edge of our comfort zone, straddling the line between 'stay and play' thrilling and 'time to get to calmer water' dangerous. We saw a beautiful wave approaching and opted for the 'stay and play'... I'd like to blame that decision on excessive sun exposure. The wave approached and we tried to get into position to ride out this breathtaking creation of Mother Nature. Sadly, and much too late, we discovered that we were neither in the right position, nor able to get into a better position in time. Natural consequences... The wave came crashing right down on us. I was swallowed up first, followed quickly by Ryan. We were churned and swirled and submerged for what felt like several minutes of black panic, though in reality, it was only a few moments. We both re-emerged, gasped for waterless air, looked behind to see if we were in the way for a second helping of what Mother Nature had just dished out, re-arranged our swim suits to fit in a publicly appropriate manner, and moved on to a calmer area of water. We may be slow, but we're not idiots. A memorable beach day to say the least. But we can't wait to go back!

I seem to be having an adverse reaction to the mosquito bites I get on my legs and ankles. At first they don't itch, they just look like a small red fleck on my leg/ankle. But give it a day, two at the most, and the area that is bitten begins to look like a swollen, blistered, weeping mess. I am the proud owner of 'cankles' that burn and pulse. I picked up some antihistamine with high hopes that it would help reduce the reaction, however it doesn't appear to have improved anything, nor has the calamine lotion. What eases the throbbing is just putting my feet up and taking it easy. So... that is what I will do for the remainder of the day.

-Heather