Traffic

It really put a damper on my not-so-great day.  

Two hours of lost time spent within 2 square miles - unbelievable!

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So I'm treating myself with packaged sugar and homemade sweets brought back from the States.  Not pictured below:  a huge white cake made by my dad and chocolates from Greece and Columbia.

The Good Stuff: Baklava, Carrot Cake, Assorted Cookies..

I know its not recommended to reward oneself with food, 

but what the heck; its holiday season!

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Feels like Christmas Morning

Chicago was freeezing!  I forgot what that burning sensation feels like when you're so cold it hurts.  A few days ago I spent the night at my grandparents cozy house and woke up to a Christmas museum - you couldn't look anywhere without seeing holiday decor!  

Among my favorites was the singing Christmas tree man that sang, "Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how beautiful my branches..".  Also, the pirate nutcracker and the Santa wearing Osh Begosh overalls (I'm guessing she bought the clothes separately and dressed Santa herself).  

Nice Idea for a Staircase 

Loving the Bows

After walking around and looking at all the tiny details (like the Christmas tree tea light plug-in and festive kitchen hand towels), yaya pulls out this:

Homemade Baklava

She had been "up since 5 am" [the usual] cooking and baking up a storm.  I brought back about 15 pounds of baklava, cupcakes, carrot cake, pumpkin cake, carrot cookies, and honey cookies.  I don't know who is going to eat all this!

Thank you, Yaya. 

Temperature Drop

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I'm heading home for the weekend.  I'll be going from a balmy 86 [30 Celsius] to a frigid 27 [-3].  A friend asked me yesterday if I have experienced the cold when coming from the tropics. 

Do you have a winter coat with you?  

What shoes are you going to wear?  

Do you need to borrow my ski jacket?  

And I realized that the only sock-wearing shoes I own here are my gym shoes!  Scared.  I've asked my parents to bring winter boots and a winter coat to the airport tonight; I'm ready to embrace the cold.  I'll be the one at baggage claim with a straw carry-on bag and sockless flats changing into hefty winter gear - awkward. 

I've always loathed the Chicago cold, but this time I can't hardly wait to put a pair of Uggs on my feet!  Funny how things change.

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Christmas Time in the Caribbean

Its December and its Summer.  

For this Chicago girl at least.  Its hard for me to believe that its Christmas time when I'm currently sporting a summer dress and Havaianas, when last week I received a 14 pound package from my grandmother - of which 7 pounds was insect repellent - and when yesterday I spent the afternoon sipping a piña colada and  reading an Us Weekly in this pool:

Balcony View

But it seems that I'm not the only one to associate Christmas with Cold, because I continue to spot Dominicans wearing turtlenecks {turtlenecks!} and winter boots.  I must say I'm adapting though, because when it dropped to a chilly 23 degrees (73 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday night I was actually cold!  

So today, after rolling my eyes at the knee high suede boots on sale at the mall, I found Christmas decorations at 50% off and I bought us a baby tree!  Its beginning to feel a bit like Christmas in our home.

Our First Tree

Happy Monday and Happy Holidays.

Almost Haiti for Sunset

After visiting here last Sunday, we made our way to Bahia de Las Aguilas.  Our phones said "Welcome to Haiti" and being so close to the border meant that there were about 10 military control stops along the way {where fully decked out army men with huge guns stop your car, probably to see if you're smuggling drugs or persons across the border}.  Fortunately for us boyfriend is in the air force, so all he had to do was whip out his ID and they would wish us a good day.  So VIP.  Us 3 passengers all want one of our own.

We made it just in time for sunset.  The golden sand was silky soft, the colors of the landscape were so rich, and the mosquitos stayed away until our last 15 minutes there.  We ate dinner on the beach - fish marinated in coconut sauce and french fries for me - and headed back to the city right after the sun disappeared over the water.