Day Seven - Adios Mama, sniffle, sniffle

Helping write the blog!

Mom & Valentina - one last walk back to the room

Chillin' out in San Diego

Sigh. Today Mama left for Canada. I am very sad to see her go. It has been so wonderful to have her here with me & spend some time together. Things have been interesting, to say the least, this past 1 1/2 years. How many 30 year olds do you know who are married & live with their mother rather than their spouse? Yeah, I thought so. I know that many too! Two grown women in a small space is never a good idea, but we have made the best of a rough situation & I'm proud to say that we are both stronger & better women because of it. **But I don't recommend trying this at home, kids!**

This morning I woke up to Valentina's 'good morning' yawn. And then it was Mom busily packing & reorganizing. She was going to take the shuttle with me & have one more treatment before she left, but unfortunately there was a time change in Mexico last night. Apparently California changes this coming weekend. I guess all those Mexican minutes need a week to catch up?!? So, with the time change, that left us one hour late for the shuttle, leaving Mom too late coming back. I hurried at the clinic & made sure they called the shuttle right away to take us back, with the hopes that I would be able to say goodbye to Mom one last time before she left. As my luck would have it, just as we were approaching the exit I saw her cab merging onto the freeway. A little lump in my throat (& my neck!) right there. Awh. I miss her already!

The hotel room was very quiet & empty when I returned. It seemed cold too. Oh wait, it was cold, she turned on the a/c. Anyhow, I decided to meet Laura by the pool for a little sun session. What a beautiful blue sky day it was! We sat there for awhile & gabbed about this that & everything. She really reminds me of Sylvia - maybe it's the laugh, I don't know, but she's Dutch too! Laura is 27 & has Thyroid Cancer. We both discovered it about the same time! And here we are in Tijuana! She has been here before, so she knows all the trolley routes, the grocery stores & the good shops! :o) I'm happy she's here, as most of the other people are a fair few years older, so it's nice to have someone younger to venture out with!

We decided to go to the Fishmart for dinner, but on our way there, we stopped to visit with the couple from Medicine Hat. They asked if I had an iPod & I said yes, of course. Well, could I help them out? Their email wasn't working. So, one hour later, I had their new gmail account up & running. But not before someone else came along & could I help them, their wireless wasn't working! Oh boy, where did dinner go?!? :o) Unfortunately the other couples laptop was Windows based, so I couldn't get them up & running. I'm such a Mac snob! But they're just so easy!

Laura, Valentina & I walked a block or so to the little strip mall, only to find the Fishmart completely closed up! Windows covered & all! Okay, next idea? We ended up at the grocery store in the deli section. It was all Mexican food. Trying to find Mexican food without tomatoes & flour & sugar is a little tough. I ended up buying refried beans, chiles rellenos, green hot sauce & I added a tortilla shell & some lettuce once I got home. Hmm, I don't think I'll be back again. Luckily I have a little fruit left in the room. Blech. If I say 'Tacos camaron', does that make me a stuck record?!?

Laura took me to a little shop that sells shoes - kind of like a mini-Winners. She found a smokin' sexxy pair of black Anne Klein heels for $20! They had some cute Coach shoes for $35, but I didn't try any on. I know, I am ill. They did have a crazy pair of heels that fit me like a glove (or shoe, I guess!), but as my luck would have it, all shoes in the shop are $20, but for the designer brand I picked up. $181. No dice.

So, back to the hotel for our icky dinner & now here I sit in my pj's with Valentina sleeping soundly on my lap. She is winning the hearts of everyone she encounters, but for the one poor kid that crossed her path & she barked at him! Excuse me!!! Little turkey!

I didn't take too many photos today, but I will try to upload another video. Valentina & I were playing fetch in the room & I threw the frog, but it landed on the edge of the bed. When she jumped up to get it, she pushed it further onto the bed. She couldn't jump high enough to get it, but all you could see were her little ears flopping over the edge of the bed. She finally made it onto the bed, but I have no idea how. It's at least 4-5 times her height & at least 2x her length! Mama's little gymnast!

Thanks for reading, even when it gets a little dull! I'll do my best to keep life spicy! Live your life to the fullest & make the most of every day! Don't ever hesitate to make the most of an opportunity! Grow! Live! Dream! Cherish! Be Grateful!

Love & Hugs,

Jill & Valentina xxxxx