Ahh... Home Sweet Home.

So today is Day One of being back home in Austin. Sleeping in our own beds never felt so good, though it surely feels very, very quiet here without background city noise and the night time air conditioners. Mateo has asked about his abuelos a few times today, as we all feel their absence. Rafi and I also both miss the escape from reality. It's been really nice to have Rafi with us for one more day, so we ran some random errands, got Mateo a much needed haircut, and had a "goodbye vacation" lunch at Chuy's. And with that, I think I'll take a day or two off from blogging, because my To Do list is really long and growing longer. A fridge full of old food, furniture covered in dust, a dog hair covered floor, and Christmas decorations all about is only the beginning.

Day 18 - Coming home.

Ahh, yes. We're coming home today. Our bags are packed. We're showered and dressed. We have tickets in hand. Time to go!

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This morning we experienced the PITA that the new security rules were at the airport. The line was very long, and because Mateo was busying himself running around all over, we have deep gratitude for Rafi's parents staying with us to help out. Once we got our tickets (and paid and extra $110 - $60 in taxes and $50 for a bag that was 13 pounds overweight - yikes), we said our goodbyes (once again, we really thank Rafi's parents for all their hospitality!), and went through security. This part was the easy part - shoes off, stroller folded, etc. Same old drill.

Then we got to our gate. Holy moly. They weren't calling by groups. Everyone was crowded in this mess of a line waiting to board the plane. What was the hold up? Another security check. I waited in line while Rafi ran to get us some water and breakfast. More on this in a second.

And while we wait for Rafi to return, I'll entertain you with the story of the people in line with me. Behind me was a jovial man holding a Hello Kitty bag for his daughter. He asked if this was the line for the "regular people." I replied, "you mean shmucks? Yes, this is our line." In front of me was a large (LARGE) family of four. The father was Panamanian who had his first visit in 16 years. The mother was from the states, and they had two young boys. To hear them talk you would've thought they'd visited the pits of hell. "Too hot. No central air. Bad traffic. Crappy cabbies. etc.) I had to jump in and let her know that this year was actually milder than previous years. I asked what they did like, and they said "the beach." I did agree with them on the cabbies and traffic but hoped they would focus on the good things - friendly people, beautiful beach and mountain views, delicious restaurants, rich cultures and traditions.

And with that Rafi came back. With two bottles of water and chips. Because that's all he could find for breakfast in the shops that were open. One minute later those bottles of water (sans a few sips) were in the recycle bin. Because now you can't take any liquids at all on board - even if they are freshly purchased unopened $2 each bottles of water. Yet they allowed me to take two juice boxes and a sippy cup with water from home. Hmm...

The first leg of our trip home was relatively okay. They had lunch on the plane (hurray!), and Mateo was easily entertained with iPhone games and Finding Nemo and Thomas the Train on the laptop. And then the battery for the laptop ran out. Phooey. Thank goodness we had snacks that entertained him. By the way, it's really disheartening to think you've got 30 minutes left on a flight only to find out you have an hour and twenty left.

Once in Dallas (again, hurray!) we had hoped we could get an earlier flight home, but there was no way we could make it. As it turned out, our flight to Austin was perfectly timed, as we had just enough time to go through immigration, customs, security again, and to eat a quick lunch. Mateo, by this time, was starting to melt down. He was being very impatient, so we bought him a sucker to eat once buckled in his seat on the plane.

Now on the plane I prayed for God to get me through this flight. Mateo was screaming for cookies ("koooooo-kies"), and my patience was wearing thin. No book, snack, sucker, or toy would distract him for more than 15 seconds. And then the plane started to move. I turned to say something to Rafi, and when I turned back...

My prayers were answered! The flight was very enjoyable, as he slept until after we landed and most people had left the plane.

The weather was cold, but I welcomed it. It was nice having both beach weather and winter weather in the same few weeks. We packed up the car, and home we went! Pixel, Marley, and Pudge were all very excited to see us. The dogs haven't left our sides. Rafi brought home some Zorba's (Greek food) for dinner, and after Mateo went to bed (he got quiet reaaaaally quickly), we watched a movie - The Proposal. Sandra Bullock flicks aren't usually my first pick, but we thought it was really cute! It definitely had some funny moments.

The fresh sheets we put our bed were oh so nice. And our bed partners (all the animals) couldn't get close enough to us. Heaven. We definitely felt welcomed home.

Day 17 - Altos Del Maria

A handful of years back, Rafi and I invested in some land in Altos Del Maria, a mountain community in Panama. It's about 1.5 to 2 hours (including the necessary stop at Quesos Chela) to drive there from the city. The climb through the hills to get there can be steep and curvy at times, prompting Mateo and his abuela to scream "wheeee!" for the good ones. Okay, I admit. I did it, too.

These are photos of and from our lot. Isn't the view fantastic? Well, aside from this monsterous ant bed.

Every time we visit Panama, we visit our little plot of land. Santiago Apostol area. Number 628. With incredible mountain views. And no house with which to enjoy them. This time, though... This time our visit was different. We are inspired. We have ideas. We took photos of other homes that got our creative juices flowing.

So this year we have a plan. Now, it definitely won't get built this year, but we hope to at least figure out a plan. At the very latest we are hoping to invite friends and family to our vacation home by New Year's 2020. Doesn't that year sound space-aged? We can probably teleport there by then.

We also took photos of other pretty things.

Oh, I forgot to mention the playtime Mateo had. The swings were a hit, as was the sword fighting.

For lunch we ate at the new (and only?) cafe in the mountains. The strawberry smoothie is nothing but sweet, delicious strawberries pureed. Nothing added. Loved it. The views from this cafe were amazing. And they had wireless!

On the drive home we stopped by a viewing point. Rafi and I decided it really must be the stairway to heaven.

We headed home, and then got ready to go out for a family dinner with all of Rafi's family. My peppered steak was very tender, though my patience was not. I had a very difficult time wrangling Mateo in, as he kept running around the table - something we do NOT tolerate at home. I spent part of my night outside with him in time out. Had we been at home we would've followed through with our usual plan - one person stays and eats and the other sits in the car with him sans dinner. They say it only takes a few times to work, as the kid quickly figures out he must behave or miss out on the special evening. Anyway, it was more obvious tonight exactly which cousin Mateo idolizes - Luis Raul. He couldn't sit close enough to him at dinner.

Back at the house I packed. And packed. And packed. How silly of us to think we were coming back with less than we came with? I had no idea how much the bag weighed. This would come back to haunt me. Meanwhile, Rafi and Mateo enjoyed time with family. Oh, and a BIG thanks to Tita and Monica for bringing me the things I needed from the store! That saved me a good 45 minutes of time, and I really appreciated the thoughtfulness.

Hugs and kisses later, everyone had gone home, and we were left to go to bed ourselves.

Day 16 - New Year's Day

Mateo greeted me in bed this morning standing there looking all cute in his pjs holding his blanket. He crawled into bed with us and vegged with some cartoons while Rafi and I continued to rest from the night before. That was a nice way to start the first day of 2010. Mid-morning we all ate brunch and hung around the house. Mateo had the priveledge of playing with Rafi's old train set, though I think Rafi might have enjoyed it even more.

Not too long later we realized that Mateo's, ahem, pooping problems had not come to an end as we previously thought. We ended up adding some items (pear juice, prune juice, etc.) to our constipation fighting arsenal late that night. We're crossing our fingers.

In the evening we went with rafi's parents to their church. The music was nice, don't you agree?

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After church we went to Bennigan's. Yes, we came all the way to Panama to eat at Bennigan's. But hey, they all closed down in Austin!

After Mateo was in bed, we all ate some ice cream and watched Transporter 2. The movie was both entertaining and lame at the same time. As Rafi's mom said, "it's too much." If you haven't seen the movie, just picture a model-esque villan in racy lingerie packing automatic weapons, ridiculous slow motion car stunts, and a main character whose suit never gets a scratch. Sounds like a man's dream to me! Still it was a nice way to end the day.

Day 15 - New Year's Eve

The last day of 2009 was upon us, but Mateo was far from enjoying it. He woke up very early but ended up spending most the day with me in bed. The poor kiddo had intestinal cramps a few times per hour, painful enough to cry out and want me to hold him. He didn't want to leave the bed or eat all day. We did end up poking some shredded wheat (his usual breakfast), prune juice, and crackers over the course of the day. He felt better later that night thankfully. According to Dr. Google eating ice cream can cause constipation in toddlers, and he'd had some in each of the previous two days.

Later in the evening Rafi's parents threw a lovely New Years Eve party. Everyone was dressed in their best, aside from me. I'd already worn my white slacks a few times (the only slacks I brought), during which they acquired toddler-sized Cheeto fingerprints, so I stuck to party-pooper jeans. Oh well. Tita did a great job with all the food. I didn't taste one thing I didn't like.

Shortly before midnight, fireworks filled the air. Mateo wasn't too thrilled, however, as he claimed them "too woud.". So he and I enjoyed some quiet time inside together, him falling asleep in my arms on the couch. We made a brief appearance outside with everyone when the clock struck midnight, but then headed in to bed. He was out like a light soon enough.

For the rest of the night we enjoyed the company of friends and family.

Happy New Year! My resolution post is soon to come!

Day 14 - Palacio de Garzas and Cranky Cab Drivers

We woke early this morning, picked up Andres, and drove through Casco Viejo to the presidential palace, Palacio de las Garzas (Herons' Palace). A big thank you to Rafi's brother Luis for setting it all up for us! Before entering the palace we went through very tight security - he briefly peered into my purse and squeezed the bottom of it. No metal detectors or anything like we have in the states. Maybe the president wasn't there?

Here's some background for you.

• Construction of the building began in 1673, with the addition of a second floor in 1922 and the Official Presidential Residence, on the third floor, was added later.
• Previous presidents resided in the palace, but the current and previous two have not.
• The palace building has historically had many different occupants. It has been a school, a customs building and a bank before becoming the official residence of the President of the Republic of Panama.

Anyhow, we entered a marble courtyard with columns and a fountain where one of the herons was walking around. You could tell he was used to having fans. I think he was a he - just a gut feeling. Just like I have a gut feeling his name was Ernesto.

I enjoyed all the artwork, but this massive mola was my favorite. It is located in the Paz Salon, used for mediation meetings (hence its name). There were other oil paintings there, too, that supposedly were painted by students, as none of them were signed.

Up the stairs to the second floor we went. The floor is open to the courtyard below and features five statues representing the Five Virtues - Duty, Consistence, Work, Justice and Law. Also standing there was this guard. I couldn't help but think how boring his job must be standing there. Or heck, maybe he likes it. I know I couldn't do it. After thirty minutes I'd be asking for a stool to sit on. FYI, all the guards wear white shoe laces.

The next room, Salon Amarillo (Yellow Room), was... yellow. The chairs that lined the walls were all golden in color. At the end of the room was a chair covered in gold leaf. At the tops of the walls were many frescoes depicting Panama's history.

The large wooden doors of Salon Amarillo led us to a dining room. This room was ornate with carved wood. The paintings here showed the importance of the tamarind plant. It was mentioned (ahem, I won't say by whom) that this room was full of Panamanian porn. There were indeed naked women in just about every scene. I'm sure the men love this room.

That pretty much ends our tour. Wanna know what my favorite photo was? This one that proves I have a very good husband to hold my purse while I play photographer.

Oh, and nearby is Ruben Blades' house - the yellow one.

The rest of the afternoon wasn't nearly as mentionable. We cruised the mall. Mat ate treats. I got in trouble for Mateo gently putting a book on the floor in a bookstore (oh the horror). He rode various rides, and all four of us enjoyed the bumper cars (I'd forgotten they were so much fun!). Then Mateo had a meltdown. He was overtired. I think we all were. And then, Rafi tried and tried, we couldn't get a cab to take us home. They all refused. So we settled for a cab to take us to another mall where we waited for Rafi's dad to pick us up. Mateo scored a train ride, juice box, and chocolate cookie out of this deal. We all scored ice cream. His little dirt/tear stained face showed the wear of how I felt inside - done. But Rafi's dad came to our rescue, and home we went. And we took nice calming baths. And ate pizza. The end.

Day 13 - The mall, dinner, and Avatar.

This morning we went to Albrook Mall. Mateo was happy, as we used M&Ms and suckers to bribe him into staying in his stroller. Once again, we're parents of the year. After purchasing a few shirts and a scarf and riding the mall train (notice he's wearing his Thomas the Train shirt), we had lunch topped off with an ice cream cone.

I'm not sure what kind of Christmas message this is. We tried but couldn't come up with anything.

Once home I started on some laundry. Mat pretended to nap (we knew otherwise, as we could hear him quoting Finding Nemo), and after he awoke, I took a real nap while Rafi entertained him.

We want to thank Odelie for having us over for dinner. The chicken lasagna, Brie, and especially the Blue Nun wine was great! Her new apartment is very chic.

Rafi and I caught the late showing of Avatar at the VIP movie theater. Wow. That was an amazing film. Admittedly there is some stereotyping and some futuristic/scientific implausibilities/improbabilities, but the special effects are outstanding. It's a great film. Eye candy is everywhere. We plan to see it again at the IMAX theater in 3D once we get home to Austin.

So speaking of theaters, just as good as the movie was the VIP room. We sat in large leather reclinable seats, had fold out eating trays, wide leather arm rests, and had a server to take and deliver our order - chai tea latte, key lime pie, diet Coke, and M&Ms. Can't get better than that!