Screens & Sam's Club

Jake's first full day of vacation was Friday.  The screen guy came this morning (with a friend who spoke English) and installed our screens!  During this process, Jake opened the balcony door, and a tiny "lizard" (gecko) was in the house...  When he asked for a shoe KC knew something was in the house!  The screen guys said not to kill it.  He picked it up, and threw it over the railing.  KC hopes that's the last one that makes it way into our house, but is starting to realize that's a futile hope...

Back to the screens- all the windows now have screens!  We're looking forward to opening windows, and letting the breeze cool off our place.  The balcony (patio) door was a little harder to figure out.  So, the screen guy will be making the screen door and delivering it within a week (mas o menos).

After, we packed some water and headed out to Mayaguez.  We wanted to go to Home Depot and Sam's Club.  Home Depot was a quick trip to return the items Jake was going to use to make the window screens (since the professional made them).  We also picked up a few things including a teeny tiny Christmas tree, and even some Christmas lights!

Next, we ate lunch and had our Sam's Club cards made.  Jake signed up at work this past week, and we wanted to compare prices.  Groceries seem to be more expensive on the island, so we're trying to find our best options.  Then, the real shopping began.  It took a long time, and we walked out with a cartful.  Lines were long, but the savings were worth it!

While Jake unloaded the groceries, KC stopped in K Mart to get more hangers.  She thought it was going to be a fast in and out stop, but ended up behind someone who was buying tons of Christmas presents.

Note-able purchases today:  blender (to make smoothies), and hand mixer (to create natural body care products- KC is excited!)

After numerous trips from the car and up two flights of stairs, we were hot, sweaty, and a little crabby.  So, we spent some time in the pool to cool off.   Then, we made dinner and settled in for a movie night.

Farmers Market

Tuesday night we headed to the Farmers Market in Aguadilla for the first time.  Usually the market is  on Saturday mornings, but they were having a special event.  Parking was crowded, and many people were in attendance.  

There was a band playing music, lots of people cooking different dishes, and local artisans showing their wares.  A local chocolate grower was there with his cocoa beans, chocolate bars, and hot chocolate.  The next time we go, KC wants to grab a bar or two!  We expected more fresh vegetables and fruits to be available, but we'll check back on a Saturday to see the typical options.

We bought cilantro, and a baguette from a local bakery.  Also, we purchased a stollen- which is a German Christmas bread (similar to a fruit cake).  The baker let us try a piece first, and it was delicious!  We're looking forward to eating some now, and freezing the rest for Christmas.  Jake can celebrate his German roots even while in Puerto Rico!  

Farmers market purchases



Stollen

Dinner made with ingredients from the Farmers Market

Air Conditioning Again

On Tuesday, the air conditioning guy came to take a look at our air conditioning unit again.    Jake thought there was a clogged drain, and that was why the water was running down the wall on Friday. Well, here's what happened in pictures:

Jake was right, it was clogged.  We're happy to report our air conditioning unit in the kitchen is once again working!  Hopefully this fix lasts for a long time...

More Boxes

More boxes arrived on Monday!  Yay!  We are still waiting on one more box which got separated from our others.  Hopefully, it'll be here soon!  It's so nice to have some of our items from home to make our new place feel a little more normal.  Although, we now realize we packed too much, and most likely some boxes will go back in January...

It felt like an early Christmas opening all these boxes!

Hmm....

At least the blanket stayed inside the box...

So excited to see her blanket and pillow!

I Spy: Iguanas

Do you see anything?

Iguana #1

 How about now?

And now?

Iguana #2

Do you see it?

Now you do!

These creepy things were spotted outside our rooftop!  We hope they stay up in the trees, and far away from us and our car!  

Lazy Sunday: Beach & Grilling

Sunday was a low key, relaxing day.  Again, we spent time eating lunch and walking at the beach in front of our complex.  The ocean waves are so relaxing!  KC wore more sun protection today, as she discovered she can get sunburnt while eating lunch at the beach...

In the afternoon, we lounged on the balcony and spent a little time in the pool.  Then, we decided to be productive.  We cut up potatoes, made burgers, and went up to the rooftop to grill and enjoy the scenery!

Using the grill for the first time

The finished product was delicious!

Electricity is Optional

Our power went out around 2:30 Saturday morning.  We both woke up because the noise from the air conditioning unit, and fan turned off.   "It'll come back on soon.  These outages don't last very long," said Jake.  So, we tried to go back to sleep, but the room became stuffy quickly.  Neither of us slept very well the rest of the night, which made us both a little crabby during the day.

When we woke up, the power was still out.  We sat on the balcony for most of the morning since there was a strong breeze out there.  Jake said he was sure the power would be on by noon.

After noon, we resigned ourself to that fact that this outage might be longer than we thought.  Deciding to make the best of it, we packed a lunch and brought it to the beach.  At this point, Jake was predicting the power would return at 2:30.

Our picnic spot

We're still amazed that this view is right outside our gate! It's truly amazing, and we want to continue appreciating it!  We might have a new favorite way to enjoy our weekend lunches!  The waves almost got us a few times, but we managed to save all our items, and moved farther back.  It was a relaxing lunch.

Once we got back home we called the realtor (who lives in our complex), and she said there was a car accident on the main road that caused the power outage.  So, we bit the bullet- and showered without hot water!  Jake does this on a normal basis now, but it was cold for KC.

Next, we went grocery shopping.  1. Because we needed too and 2. Because we wanted to bathe in their air conditioning!  We laughed when we saw the carts littered all over the parking lot- just what we wanted to see the first time shopping with our new car...  The grocery store felt a little more familiar this time, and we got all the food we needed while basking in their air conditioning!

Carts, carts everywhere

When we returned around 4:30 the power was back on.  After putting the groceries away (and cleaning up a broken bottle of spaghetti sauce- we need more counter space!) we took another walk on the beach.   This beach feels almost deserted most of the time, and we're loving spending time there!

 Next, we hopped in the car to have dinner at Ola Lola's Garden Bar.  The owners are from Michigan, and have lived in Puerto Rico for eight years.  Everyone there was speaking English, and we soaked it in!  The owners welcome us to the 'hood, and said when the power goes out you discover you don't really need it.  We had a great day without power, so we might agree with him...

Ola Lola's Garden Bar