Life as a gimp

...is incredibly dull and boring. I am trying not to go insane from the inactivity and having to constantly keep my foot elevated. Since my accident, I have been staying at my friend Michelle's which is a beautiful, grand house with a large patio that has the most beautiful view of the bay. All things considered, I cannot imagine a better place to be laid up. My days consists of studying Spanish, reading books, writing, watching tv and trying to check e-mails/blog when the internet connection so permits.

I have been very lucky to have Michelle looking after me....cooking meals, getting me glasses of water, taking my dogs out, etc. It is a regular zoo here - there is Michelle, her 3 year old son, myself, my two dogs, her two dogs and a cat. Fortunately, Michelle found someone to walk my dogs 6 out of 7 days a week. The gardener from across the street comes by to pick up the dogs after he has finished his normal day job. He takes them for an hour walk each day and afterwards, both Jade and Jackson like to cool off in the pool.

The first week here, I was on alot of medication and was not quite lucid enough for studying so my days mostly consisted of sleeping and laying with my foot elevated. I also had a few friends come by for a visit which was a huge treat. They have all come up with entertaining nicknames for me - peg leg, club foot, gimp, etc. After almost a week, I finally left the house for the first time and went to one of our favorite restaurants/bars Frida's for live jazz night. It was soooooooo great to get out of the house and visit with my friends. Then on Monday, Michelle had a barbecue where alot of our friends came by for an afternoon fiesta.

On the weekend, I actually went out for dinner one night and took another giant fall on the slippery tiles in the restaurant bathroom. Fortunately, my shoulder and knee took the brunt of it and I am just a little more black and blue than before. My friend had to come into the bathroom to collect me.....very humbling as I am sure you can imagine.

Between the cobblestone streets, the potholes and the slippery tiles, it will be a miracle if I make it through my time on crutches without any more falls! Here's hoping!

You are going to have to wait for photos and blog posts from my visit with my family as the internet connection is too slow here to upload any pictures.

I have fallen and I can't get up...

Well, at least that was the case on Friday evening. I caught a taxi home after playing cards with my brother and some friends. As I got out of the taxi, I slipped and fell and I heard something snap in my foot. I have fallen on my street in the past as it is a crazy cobblestone street with about a 45 degree incline. And yes, I tend to be on the accident prone side. However, this time, I was not able to stand up and was in so much pain, I nearly vomited. The taxi driver picked me up and carried me to the bottom of the stairs leading up to my apartment. I phoned my friends Mike and Rob who were with me playing cards and they came to pick me up and brought me to the hospital right away.

I arrived at the hospital and within a matter of minutes was taken for X-ray's. While this was happening, they paged the orthopedic specialist and he was there by the time the x-rays were finished! They reviewed the x-rays with my friend Mike (who went to med school) and it appeared that there were no fractures. After a full assessment, they told me I had torn a ligament in my ankle and would be in a splint and on crutches for the next several weeks. Apparently, this takes much longer to heal than a bone fracture and I am looking at approximately 6 weeks of recovery time. For the first few weeks, I am not allowed to put any weight on my foot and must keep it elevated at all times. After the assessment, they gave me a pain injection through the IV and put a splint on my leg/foot. From start to finish, my hospital stay was just under one hour. The orthopedic specialist even gave me his cell number to call him anytime with questions or concerns. Wow, very impressive considering that if I were in Canada, I would be still sitting in the waiting room trying not to kill someone as I sat there for the typical 10-12 hour waiting period.

Overall, I was so impressed with the level of care in the hospital. I also could not believe how fast they took care of everything. And on top of that, to have an orthopedic specialist arrive within 10 minutes is unbelievable.

I want to give a big shout out to Mike and Rob for looking after me that night. I love you guys and I do not know what I would have done without you! You are my knights in shining armor!

Before this happened, my friend Michelle had asked me to come stay with her in their house for 3 weeks while her parents were away. After the accident happened, she graciously let me come to her house one day earlier and has been looking after my dogs and I ever since. She has been cooking for me, bringing me water and basically doing everything for me since I am not allowed to put any weight on my foot and getting around with crutches is quite the ordeal. It is incredibly humbling not being able to do anything for yourself and having to rely on others for simple things like a glass of water. I have not been adjusting to my reality so well and am going a little stir crazy not being able to do my daily walks and exercise. Fortunately however, Michelle has been a godsend and words cannot express how grateful I am for all that she is doing. I am not sure what I would have done without her. So, a big thank you to Michelle. Someday, I hope I can repay her for all she has done for me.

I have not been able to do too much since Friday. I am supposed to keep my foot elevated at all times so I have been in bed most of the time or on the deck under the palapa. I am on alot of pain medication so I have been pretty dopey and sleepy the last few days but that should improve once the inflammation in my foot has gone down and I can go off the pain pills. I am able to access the internet from the deck some of the time but not consistently. Once I am doing better, I will be able to negotiate my way up the stairs to the room where the modem is and post some photos and a few more blog posts on my visit with my family. I have also had a few visitors come by which has been great. Thanks for the treats everyone!

Life is short

Recent events here in Manzanillo have caused me to think about my life, my path and the things that I am grateful for. These events have reminded me that our lives on this earth are sometimes very short. I have been thinking about this alot the last few days and as a result, have been reflecting on my life.

I am grateful for so many things. I feel very fortunate that I am able to be here in Mexico as this has always been a dream of mine. My savings are not going to last forever so I hope that I am able to find enough work here so that I can stay and build a life in this beautiful country. There were many times when I was not sure I would stay here in Mexico as things did not work out as originally anticipated. However, around December, there was a shift whereby I started feeling settled and happy for the first time in many months. At this time, I realized that I am meant to be here and I sincerely hope I am able to stay. Obviously this shift is a a result of many things.....I have met some very special people and made some amazing new friendships. This has helped my transition considerably. Volunteering for the animal organization has also been very rewarding and given me a great opportunity to contribute and give back to this community. I think I also realized that I can do this by myself and that I am stronger than I sometimes think. My Spanish classes have also contributed to this sense of well being.....I am able to communicate so much better.... with my local friends, when shopping in the markets and out in the community.

I am also very grateful for my family and the amazing friends back home that I consider to be family as well. You have all been so supportive and encouraged me to pursue my dreams and given me strength and inspiration when needed.

In addition, I feel very close to the spirit of my mother here. In moments of difficulty and when I have felt very low, I always feel here with me, encouraging me to continue on.

The other day, a friend of mine shared with me a song that is very special to her. This song inspires her and gives her strength when needed. I thought I would share a bit of this with you, as when I read and heard the lyrics, it really resonated with me and all the things I had been reflecting on the past several days. Some of you may be familiar with it already but as I do not typically listen to country, I am sure that I heard it many years ago but had never really listened to the words. Here is an excerpt (not the entire song)from the lyrics of "The River" by Garth Brooks.

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores...and

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide...

And I also thought I would share a photo that gives me strength and inspires me. It is also my profile picture so you may recognize it. This is a photo of my mother, myself and several of my mom's dear friends. It is symbolic of the way my mom lived her life and the way I am trying to live mine.....living each moment to the fullest, because life is short and we only have one shot at this one.

J&J update

A few of you have been asking about Jackson and Jade so here are a few shots and a quick update.

While I was in Canada for Christmas, friends Shelley and Lance looked after the dogs here in Manzanillo. They also have a dog, an adorable golden retriever who is 6 years old. Even though she was the oldest of the three dogs, she and Jade became fast friends and played non-stop.

Here she is being pinned by Jade at the end of one of their rambunctious wrestling sessions.


Jade is still very much a puppy and has far more energy than I ever remember Jackson having when he was young. Every day, she brings a smile to my face with some goofy maneuver or spectular wipeout. In La Manzanilla, when Tara and I were there, we went for a swim while we were walking with the dogs. For the first time ever, Jade went in over her head and swam out to join us! Coming from a dog that would not even get her paws wet, seeing her swim for the first time was a very special moment.

You gotta love those crazy "Yoda" ears!


As for Jackson, he is doing great. He loves our daily trips to the beach and puts up with Jade's crazy antics. As always, he is very independent and trys to keep to himself most days. After being coaxed by Jade, he will play with her for a short time, especially after a bath.

Enough with the photos already...let's head to the beach!


Taking a break on the beach in La Manzanilla

More visitors

The new year has been busy and full of wonderful moments with good friends. I have been very lucky to have have had two sets of visitors already this year. As mentioned in my previous post, my good friends Barb and John from Seattle came to visit, along with a surprise visit from her two sons on her birthday. A matter of days after they left, my good friend Tara came to visit for one week. She is a very good friend of mine and we used to be roommates at one point also. We had a blast while she was here. I took her to as many of my favorite places as possible and we packed in alot of activities while she was here.

Here she is with her new favorite drink - the infamous lime margarita. "But I hate tequila" she says to me before trying the drink. Clearly, this is not the case anymore Tara!


One of the highlights was boogie boarding in some of the big waves on Olas Altas beach. It was Tara's first time but she was a complete natural. I, on the other hand, in my typical accident prone fashion, decided to take on a wave much too big for me and proceeded to smash my face into my board on the way in. Luckily, there were no black eyes or bruises....just a not so subtle reminder of the power of the ocean!

We also did a day trip to La Manzanilla with the dogs and walked from La Manzanilla to Boca de Iguanas - the amazing hotel/resort at the far end of the beach. It took us about an hour to walk there and then we stopped and had some lunch and cervezas before making the trek back.

Here is Jackson also enjoying the view while we ate lunch on the beach at Boca de Iguanas


How come you guys get the good drinks and I only get water?


While Tara was here, so many people asked us whether we were sisters. In fact, one man asked us if we were twins! He was a twin and said our resemblance was uncanny and he was surprised that we were not twins, let alone sisters.

All in all, it was a week chocked full of laughs, fun in the sun and some crazy nights out with all my friends. We did have one bad experience though. We went out for what I had hoped to be a nice send off dinner. The view was specatular and we enjoyed the evening up until about 2am when we both quickly discovered we had food poisoning. Imagine two girls violently ill with only ONE bathroom. It was quite the night. Fortunately, I had these chinese herbs that are meant for this very purpose, but had only been used to combat hangovers in the past. We decided to give them a try and after we took them, there were no more trips to the bathroom for either of us! Hallelujah......they are miracle pills and I was so happy to have them. Thanks to my good friend in Calgary for recommending them in the first place. They were a lifesaver!

The view from the restaurant


Post Super Bowl party festivities with my friend Mike (another canuck)


I was very sad to see Tara go.....one week is way too short but we packed in as much as we possibly good. Thanks Tara for coming and all the lovely goodies you brought from Canada. Red licorice......hmmmm, they are almost gone! The dogs love the treats and I cannot wait to read all the English books you brought.

Guess what....I have more visitors coming! My brother Trevor comes next Friday and he will be here for 2 weeks! Also, my dad and his girlfriend are coming next Saturday. I am very happy and full of anticipation as this is the first time my family has come to visit since I made the move here.

In remembrance

Since returning from Canada, I have been busy here in Manzanillo looking for a new place to live, catching up with friends and getting back into the swing of things. My internet has been down at my house for the last several weeks hence the reason for being incommunicado. I am working on a long term solution so I hope to be connected again soon. Also, I had some friends come visit from Seattle for two weeks and they just left yesterday. My friends Barb and John along with their two sons Dave and Jeff came and we had a wonderful time together.

The Thompson family


Barb and John were here on January 23, which was the anniversary of my mother's death. On that day, Julio, the gardener from the condos we used to vacation at, cut and gathered a bunch of fresh bougainvillea flowers to spread near my mom's final resting place. John and Barb had offered to come with me and went to the market to pick up some other flowers. They asked me if there were any specific flowers that I wanted. I thought that the flowers the gardener was gathering for me would be sufficient but then at the last minute asked them for an orange gerber daisy. When I arrived at the condos to meet up with Barb and John, Julio had the flowers ready for me in a bucket. Directly in the middle of the all the beautiful bougainvillea flowers was a single orange gerber daisy.



Barb and John had not yet come down from to meet me so I assumed that this was the gerber daisy that I had asked for. When they came down, I showed them the flowers and thanked them for the gerber daisy. They were quite confused and said that no, they had not in fact put the daisy in with Julio's flowers. They had purchased a full bouquet of gerber daisies, including an orange one as I had requested. When they went to show me the bouquet, to all of our amazement, the orange one was missing. The stem was still there, but it had apparently fallen off on their way up to their condo. Julio must have discovered the daisy on the ground and put it in the center of the flowers he had cut. We were all quite astonished and dumbstruck when we discovered that the one specific flower I had asked them for ended up in the flower arrangement without intending for that to happen. One might say that my mom's spirit was very much present for such a thing to happen. I like to think so. It was a beautiful moment and to this day, I still get goosebumps when I think of that moment. I have had a few other moments like this here in Manzanillo. It gives me a sense of peace that I feel her spirit with me.


We walked down the beach to my mom's final resting place and after some tears and me saying a few words of remembrance, I spread the flowers in the water. It was a picture perfect day and I felt very blessed to be able to be here, and secondly to have my dear friends Barb and John with me. They are like family to me and have been and are very supportive in my life.

Mom's final resting place


When I think of my Mom, there is one thing that immediately comes to mind and that was her passion for life and her ability to live each and every moment to the fullest. Mom had so many amazing qualities but this particular one has truly inspired me and is one of the biggest things I will take away with me in my life. So many people live their lives in robot mode, going through the motions, not really present in their lives. This was definitely not the case with Mom. She lived each and every moment to the fullest. When I think of Mom and the legacy she has left behind, I think of her amazing spirit, how vibrant she was and how many lives she has touched.

Another special thing happened on this day. My good friend Renee had a healthy baby boy! This beautiful moment reminds me of the circle of life.

Back from Canada!

I am back in Manzanillo and have been quite busy since I returned. Sorry for my absence from the whole blogging scene. I should be posting on a regular basis from now on. I got back to Manzanillo the first week of January and was housesitting/dogsitting/catsitting for some friends that looked after my dogs while I was away. I just returned to my apartment recently and it feels good to be home and in my own bed. The dogs were happy to see me and I them! I missed them so much while I was gone.

My trip back home was fantastic and went by incredibly fast. It was a flurry of non-stop visiting, eating, drinking and the typical over indulgences of the holiday season. It felt very strange when I arrived in Calgary. Everything was familiar but yet I knew it was no longer my home. First of all, it was -25 degrees Celcius and there was heaps of snow. I get off the plane adorned in capri pants, open toe sandals and all my Mexican wear. What a shock to the system! My friend Camelia picked me up from the airport with all the winter necessities....winter boots, winter coat, mitts, scarf, etc. And she even went to get the car to pick me up in the front so I would not freeze walking to her car. What an angel!

I stayed at my old house (which I had sold to one of my good friends) while in Calgary. When I arrived, it was very strange as the place had been completely renovated. It looks amazing and Lenise and her parents did an amazing job. It was nice to be back in my old house along with some of my things. I even got to sleep in my old bed! Both Camelia and Lenise had left me a welcome home present of some of my favorite things - my favorite cookies, my favorite wine, etc. Even though it was very late when I arrived, it took along time for me to wind down.....I was excited to be home and see all my friends and family. With all the Christmas lights and snow, it finally felt like Christmas.

The Christmas lights in front of City Hall


The next morning, Camelia, her husband and I went out for dim sum - one of my favorites. I had a long list of foods I wanted to eat while in Calgary, and I pretty much crossed everything off that list. The straining waist band on my jeans is definitely a testament to this! My friends here in Manzanillo wanted me to take photos of all the ethnic foods I ate while in Canada as we cannot get some of them here.

One of our dim sum delicacies


Afterwards, it was my good friend Michelle and Mike's daughter's first birthday party. I was so happy I was able to be back for this special event. She has grown up so fast and is adorable as ever.

A picture of the birthday girl and her amazing Elmo cake made by mom aka Martha Stewart! Very impressive cake!


From there, I went to my welcome back party at Camelia's. It was alot of fun and great to see all the crew from Melrose Place and a few people that were my mom's dear friends that dropped in by surprise. We had lots of laughs and it was so nice to see everyone. Brad even was a good sport and brought out his "Hugh Heffner" smoking jacket for all the ladies! I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

Some of the crew from the party


My favorite cupcakes from Crave - they taste even better then they look!


The infamous smoking jacket!


A big thanks to Camelia for hosting and organizing this event. It was so much fun and I still laugh out loud when I see the photos.

Well, all of this in my first 24 hours in Canada. There are many more adventures to write about! Stay tuned.......