Life Lately

Hi friends! How are you guys?! I’m currently sitting in Panajachel after a long and hot day out on Lake Atitlan. It was a good day. Marlowe has some new Mayan friends in town and we’ve been doing our best to meet up with them as much as we can. So much so that we actually changed our plans so they could see more of each other.

Well, we were on the fence about staying longer on the lake or heading to Tikal– and while I’m certain Tikal will be a once in a lifetime and amazing experience– I know Tikal will be there next year or in a few years when we’re ready. So for now, I’d rather cultivate these friendships at this younger age to really create something long-lasting for her. You know?

Today we took the girlies out with their mama to the other side of the lake to explore the town of San Marcos. It was a good day. Now Alex is at the market and the girls are playing while we wait for their mom to return back after an errand.

Tomorrow is our last full day here in Panajachel, so we’ll probably see them once more before we head out. Then off to Antigua for three days (really two full days, three nights), then home. Once we’re home we’re going to gather all our things in our home and prepare for an estate sale. Did I mention that our house sold? I know I mentioned it on Instagram, but it totally did! 6 offers within two days, wowzers. So now we must liquidate our goods. It’s hard wanting to keep all our beautiful handmade pieces and not having space to keep them. We’ll see what we keep or don’t keep. Anyway, if you’re local– stay posted, estate sale: SOON!

We’ve had such a great time here on the lake– we haven’t been on the boats to visit much of the other side– but we’ve kept busy exploring and relaxing over here. I’m going to be sad to leave. We all are.

I’ve been doing decently well with eating here. I was almost completely raw back home for maybe a month or so? But then a wee before we got here I started incorporating more and more cooked vegetables so I wouldn’t freak out my body when we got here. Here, we’ve been going to the market in Panajachel almost every day to stock up fresh fruit and vegetables for the day and night. We do the walk down the hill/mountain? into town — take a right at the fork to up to the market. Buy all our produce, then tuk-tuk back to our apartment when needed.

I think it’s much harder to navigate when we’re constantly going out to eat– then I have to worry about contamination of all my allergies. This way, we buy a ton of food— I eat fruit basically all day and then for dinner we’ve been doing big pots of soups or curries or whatever Alex has been in the mood to make. I’m happy to cook– but I think he’s been enjoying doing the whole daily fresh market + beautiful kitchen thing here.

The market pictured above is actually the market in San Antonio. We visited one day since the town was known for pottery– and I had just broken his Guatemalan espresso cup the week before (oops). We didn’t find a good replacement, but Marlowe and I left with a mug each. The Panajachel market is much, much bigger. But the town is much, much bigger so it makes sense.

This time with Marlowe has been so sweet. I mean, time with her is always sweet, but you can see so many changes in her lately. Physically and emotionally. Her limbs are getting longer and thicker– and so is her little personality too. She’s been a bit pickier with food on this trip. She has been gorging on tortillas everyday and loved her Korean dinner and a few we made in house too. But at restaurants, it hasn’t been as easy. Not difficult, but not the ease we normally expect when eating with her.

She isn’t begging to stay forever like she did during our Mexico trip (I think lack of beach has something to do with it). I think her new school starting soon might also have something to do with it. And the fact that her cousins will be flying down the week we get back– and then she’s actually heading up to Massachusetts without us the week after! She’s a busy girl with her own life now. I’m excited for her. (She’s also reading all this over my shoulder and not excited that I publicly announced her current picky stage, haha). There are going to be a lot of big changes this year with the start of school. Excited and nervous to see it all unfold.

I’m struggling with minimalism here. Sort of. I’m not trying all that hard if I’m being honest. There is just so much value in handmade things for me. I really, really value craft and one of a kind items. I always have. And really, I think minimalism is amazing, but I don’t want to lose that part of me. I do worry that our apartment is going to become overly crowded in the next month or so though– after our house is all done with, but we’ll see. I guess I can always part with more pieces later, as needed? I also haven’t bought any new pieces, everything has been mostly vintage, and I think this makes a difference too.

We’re actually heading back to the vintage market one last time today. There is an item I saw and didn’t buy last time– it’ll be interesting to try to navigate the bundles and find the piece– but we’ll see! I have more photos to show from here. I have divided folders of each day spent here. I don’t have any guides or anythign lie that planned– but if you guys would want that, I can certainly create those types of posts. But for now, I still have these journal posts in mind.

I’m really, really looking forward to coming back here. At this point, I’d really like to make it happen at least once a year. Yes, I totally want to explore other parts of the world– but even though our move here never worked out,  I do feel like there is still something more for me here.

Our trips here are never super relaxing– I don’t necessarily want them to be. I don’t travel to lounge. I travel to explore and learn and grow and to do all the things. Especially, for me, if I’m going to get my scared-ass on a plane– it needs to be worth it. While we haven’t gotten out to explore every single part of the lake or down long hike and treks like I imagined I would, this time here has certainly been worth it. Time to with friends, navigating the quiet and hectic towns, enjoying crazy beautiful views, creating more connections with people, and turning more and more wheels in my head to create future goals…. and plans.

I’m not tied to horoscopes — though I have a total blast reading them and seeing how accurate sign personality traits are to a person. But I read my  “Pisces august mantra” aloud this month and both Alex and I were like DAMN, that is spot on. I’ll share it here— in case you’re a Pisces too and it hits home for you:

A goal without a plan is an unrealized dream– but this month, I’m ready to get to work. I’m ready to hunker down and do the unglamerous work to create soemthing real. I’m ready to commit to my life and to my purpose, and build the muscles I need to make it last. This month I wont tell you my plans, I’ll show you my results.

In sharing this I do feel like I’m telling you that I have plans– and not necessarily sharing results. But that’s okay. It’s just crazy, on the nights I let myself, I do lay awake at night with all my goals and plans swimming through my head. But I never really push forward on anything BIG I have in mind. Especially not since illness. I mean, yes I followed one big plan and tried to move here– and we sold our house– these are all very big plans and changes that actually did go into action. But these were family plans. I have to move forward in the things that only involve me too.

I give Alex a hard time for being so hesitant to jump forward in life. He gets too nervous to even make plans. But really, maybe I’m not that much different. I mean, I am because I’ll jump into A LOT of things without a plan — and he definitely won’t. But for me, I do have more thoughts and ideas than I can keep up with. It keeps me from committing to anything– this year I do hope to make one (or two– okay maybe three) of my actual goals into realities.

I’d really like to see this happen, but I’m not holding my breath either. (heh).

Alright friends! Stay tuned for estate sale news! I’m also scheduling another youtube video to finally go up for next week. And we’ll see what else turns up. Thanks for being here. I hope you guys have a totally amazing weekend!

images above:

1. the ceramic shop we mostly walked to in San Antonio Palopo. We walked for about two hours and then finally jumped on the back of a pickup truck. Alex is still in shock I held on to the back of a truck for those curves and turns on the side of the mountain, haha.
2. I sat, instead of standing in the truck on the way back. A stranger offered to take a picture of us. Alex was hanging on the back again… cause you know, women and children first or something. I sent photos to my mom to try to shake her up a bit, she seemed unphased by any of this, haha.
3. San Antonio Palopo market/center of town. I’d say most if not all of everyone here speaks Mayan. And a few speak spanish too.
4. Buying beans for soup. I’m officially sick of beans for a while.
5. Papaya breakfast. I’ve actually been pretty dissapointed by the papaya here this trip. Marlowe has been loving the super sweet pineaple though.
6. We came during prime rambutan/lychee season. Marlowe is in heaven.
7. Marlowe learning about roasting coffee at Cafe Loco. This isn’t a class or a tour you can do– we just love all the Koreans who run the joint. And they love Marlowe because she loves rice and noodles 😉
8. Marlowe, friends, and their very decorated hangout space.
9. The vintage market. Marlowe is not excited to go back today. I promised her it won’t be long. Honestly, more than anything, I think she’s nervous to be “harassed” all the ladies love her and try to sell her all the things and she wants nothing to do with it, haha.
10. Alyssa and the dogs. They all cute.
11. Funny camera settings + lake views. Marlowe enjoys going to the water to skip rocks. She does this, we hang.
12. My Guatemalan look. Tangled sun-bleached hair, dusty face, vintage shirts, and dirty jeans and legs. Into it.
13. A spectacular sunset.