Summertime for the Leisure Class, year 2

It's summer time, deep in the heart, and deeper in the heat of our beloved Sayulita. The last few months have brought much time, as always, to reflect on what has passed, and even more importantly what lies ahead. But, as my ex-Jedi master once said about me to a group of drunk dark-siders "All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. What he was doing. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless...". Then, of course, I promptly quit the Jedi order and moved on to a life of future watching and reckless living, and adventure, to say the least. And now, I am stoked to have been where I've been, stoked for where the future brings me, and most importantly, stoked about where I am today. Where am I? Who am I? Why am I happy and what is on the list now? So much to think about.

Lately my focus, or lack there of, has been on our house, Casa Loteria, which as I publish this entry, is as finished as it is going to be. The construction crew is on its last day today, and we will have our yard, our home, our mornings....ah, mornings....to ourselves again. Its crazy, really. Its odd how used you get to having people literally outside your bedroom window for almost a year. Its unsettling, then eventually, becomes comforting...knowing something new is getting done, and when you wake, there will be a pile of questions and decisions to make about something you love so much, your home. It has come so far in this year, and we are both truly proud of all the things that have been accomplished in the year past.... come visit... oh yeah, i planted grass - so we have a lawn. Awesome.

The next thing that i want to build is a family. Not, like out of dead body parts, though that has crossed my mind. A real to goodness family, post-nuclear...or just highly-radioactive, with super powers...whatever, but its gonna rock. Boy, girl, tailed, 3 eyed, green skin...bring it on. I was always one of those kids that wanted to have a family early, and in my twenties, i had some sort of crazy dream that I would bear fruit in my late 20's. Soooo good that didn't happen, not-so-oddly enough, huh? Well, at the super ripe age of almost-38 (or my 38 Special, as Andrea calls it), I couldn't feel more ready. I mean, sure, I would still love to rot my body with drugs, alcohol, and more of both forever, and secretly....i hope i can....but I also know that I have so much more to focus on in the future. I have tons to give to more than myself, and having Andrea in my life has shown me that. Sure, I'm a pro at being selfish, but the future is going to bring even a newer Gabbi to the table, and no one finds that more exciting than me. It ain't the babies, the house, or whatever...it's my joy for the life I have built, the Woman that loves me, and the possibility our union will always continue to build. It's all very exciting, so very.

On a completely different note, from the "Do not forget you are in Mexico" file, today, some of the guys working on our house called us over. This means they have found some critter / creature for me - dead or alive? Who knows, these guys are maniacs, in the coolest sense of the word. In the past, they have brought me: 1) a live, very large iguana 2) various tarantulas - on display in my living room, bottled in formaldehyde...thank you very much and 3) 2 baby ducks - tried to raise them, they died. Today was a special day, for what they showed us could kill me - easily. Half a block from my house, 7 feet from my Van i go into every day, and in the bush we walk thru daily, was a 5ft Python, easily thick as a brick. Crazy. One of many funny parts about this is our neighbors moved their Pig (Por-que' we call him....get it?) to the other side of their yard so the python wouldn't kill him. Moved their pig. From the snake. I don't know, that just sounds funny. Anyway, snake big, Mexico awesome. He was killed by end of day by be-heading...sorry snake lovers.

We are gearing into our next wedding season, and it's looking to be a rocker! Starting in October, we have 6 weddings in 6 weeks, in a row. This is new high for us, coming off the success of last season - we really learned alot, totally enjoyed it, and are stoked to be going into another big season. We are aiming to get at least 12 weddings done next season, hopefully without going nuts! We also took another house in our property management business, and this being our full first season, we are going to see how that goes. Swimmingly, i am sure. Honestly, we are just so happy to have work, a tiny income, and no rent to pay. Very lucky are we. We are enjoying summer to it's fullest, knowing that our busiest year in Mexico is ahead, and took a trip to Mascota, a colonial mountain town recently...it was amazing, and the more we see of Mexico, the more we fall in love with its wonders.

In the next few weeks, we are being gifted with visitors! Our dearest friends Jay and Kelly Heapy are coming to visit, after their adventurous year living in London, working hard, living abroad and an un-abridged life, finding new experiences, and eventually finding they were looking for something else - have now settling into Truckee, California and are loving their latest conquest - they are not only dear friends, but have been role models, inspirations, and wonder-walls for us to admire and learn from for years. We are just beside ourselves that we will get to see them in person soon, face to face. Jason and I bonded the day we met, so many years ago working at Macy's together...i mean, in the first 10 minutes, we were making plans to do hard drugs together....that's my kind of friendship. I cherish him, and know few men in my life that are as close to my bloodline as him... and his wonderful wife, a friend for years, and a friend for life. Anyway, August 31st is Jay's birthday, and we get to spend it with them!! 3 weeks and counting till amazing times...

That is all for now. More to come, but off to sit in the hammock for a while and contemplate the rest of the day. Love is all around.