I haven't written in days and days because so much as been going on that I've been avoiding trying to capture it all...I've barely been able to remember to breathe. But I need need need to catch up and record and process.

4th of July at the beach. Wow. What I imagine Mardi Gras is like -- tons of tourists, every person living down here having a house party so every walk street block (like ours) is just one continuous party. Tons of cops, but mostly not doing much -- people on bikes and walking rather than driving which is much safer than it would be with cars since every single person encountered from 10 am on seems to be altered in some way. It's super fun to be able to just pop out on our bikes to go to the party we were invited to -- at the house of the guy who sold us our house! That's a really fun beach neighborhood thing...everyone seems to know everyone else. Kind of like a small town in the middle of NYC is the vibe I get. Oh yeah, and a block from the beach!

We had a ball at the party after we hit the _____palooza down the way first -- lots of bands, friendly people, etc. The party was small -- our host and his wife (who is from Peru and we learned from her non-English-speaking mom about the intense Peruvian drink, pisco...yummy and lethal!) and family mostly. I got to practice my Spanish and we all got a lot of good laughs from that! ;-) After BBQ dinner, we hit the beach to see the fireworks...what a treat to be able to walk down and see them! Then DB and I biked home and crashed...a very big day.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say what we did BEFORE the party on the 4th...we went and test-drove cars! The garage at my new place is so small that I really have to downsize from my Highlander. I've been dreaming of a Bug because they are so cute and such fun different colors so we started with those. After driving a couple, I realized they are not for me. The gas mileage is low for a small car and they just drive, well, weird. There are huge blind spots on both sides. But they are darn cute and used ones are cheap. Then I drove a used Volvo because they have great turning radii. Too big for what I want though. Then we headed to try Toyotas. I liked the used Matrix I drove, but it was still too big. Then I drove the Yaris which, while small, cute and cheap, felt like a bucket of bolts. Finally I drove the Scion xa which I loved.

After the party on Wednesday, DB and I got into some crazy fight and that felt bad for a few days...we have been under a lot of stress and we really just needed to take some "us" time to reconnect. We finally did that on Friday night (before he had to head back to Nearby Town to deal with the parents again...after this week he's off for 2 months, YAY!). I can't speak for him, but I've been dealing with a lot of stuff about the commitment of buying this place together...it's huger than anything I've ever done and, while I am SURE I want to, it's still kinda scary. Anyway...

On the 4th we also got a note from a neighbor complaining about Doglet's barking. Uh, of COURSE, he's barking...he's downsized to a 700 sq. ft. apartment from having full run of a 3000 sq. ft. lot!! Hey, Stupid Neighbor, give us a chance to adjust!!!! But I sent Stupid Neighbor a really nice e-mail (at DB's instruction) and I think things are getting better. But it really put a damper on my happiness at my new place. :-( (This is totally the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of the nuttiness of this this week...which includes a "nanny mike" that DB installed so we can hear exactly how much Doglet DOES bark when I'm away.).

And the car stuff got ugly...the dealership where I wanted to buy the Scion kept pushing down the trade-in they would give me on my car! Every time I thought we had a deal, they'd reduce the trade-in value!!! I finally walked out on them yesterday for the last time. I was crying because I was really looking forward to a new car, but I will NOT be dicked with.

The great news is that I went and drove the Honda Fit today and it's actually a MUCH better car...and the salesman I got is a fellow yogi (which is a lot nicer than dealing with ASSHOLES, let me tell you!). I need to make some repairs on my car, but should be able to buy my Fit next weekend. :-)

Just a couple more things, bear with me...

The new apartment is awesome! It feels like an NYC apartment (a little noisy, in the thick of things, charming) and a beach apartment (bright, breezy, 1/2 block to the sand) combined. Once I park my car, I can bike or walk everywhere!! :-) It's been fun settling in. I'll enjoy being here until we can move into our place in September.

I've left the worst for last: food. The new place feels like I'm on vacation and I've been eating like that. Not out of control, but I have had a couple of breakfast burritos this week and we've been eating out dinners. Tonight is my last of that...I've got my kitchen together now and am ready to get back to normal. I thought maybe all my Doglet (and other) walking (and biking) would have balanced out the increased fat intake, but I was up a pound on Friday. I'm not too bummed about this...I should be ok once I get back to eating right and doing my yoga and pilates. :-) That should be easier this week with DB gone and me more settled in.

Onward! :-)