More SMA Food

There was so much delicious food to enjoy without breaking the bank. It was nice to be somewhere where the dollar wasn't worthless.

1. chicken drenched in chipotle pepper sauce with mango salsa-- this was my favorite meal of the whole trip. From La Posadita on the Jardin.

2. All the spices that accompanied my 70.00 peso chicken soup ( 5.32 USD). Fresh and AMAZING!

3. the chicken soup all it's garnishes

4. spicy chicken

5. gourmet chocolates in EVERY flavor: Cinnamon, coffee, ginger, chile.. you name it.

6. warm pink pastries

Fortunately we walked everywhere and burned those pastry and chocolate calories right off. If anyone goes to San Miguel and is looking for good traditional Mexican food, I HIGHLY recommend La Posadita. The restaurant has two levels, one of which is a huge rooftop terrace that will either give you a view of the Parroqia, a 15th century church or the Mexican hillside sprinkled with colorful Spanish-style buildings.

Since I've been home, I've had Mexican food approximately six times: Berry Hill, Fajita Flats, Los Tios, Chipotle to name a few. Chelsey and I decided that Mexican food is just 'regular food'.

Grandma's Kitchen

Here's some images of my grandmother's kitchen in San Miguel. She went a little nuts with a single tile pattern, but it worked out nicely. I should mention that our camera went on the fritz so all the pictures were taken with a camera phone.

Vitamins on the Cheap

Can you believe that we bought everything in the last picture for 4.30 USD (55 pesos)? That's some apple, starfruit or carambola, bell peppers, tomatoes, some green beans, and a giant papaya. That would have been at least $15 at our beloved Whole Foods.

Over the past year I've become obsessed with juicy bell peppers for their tangy taste, crunchy texture and high volume of nutrients. It's been rough though, sometime I can only find them at $3.99 a pop. That's why I was super happy to stock up on some bell peppers, as well as other produce while we were in Mexico. This trip may have been the first vacation where I didn't eat buttery restaurant food every day.

Mexican Tile..such a delight

It's everywhere.. no need for too many words. Most of the tile is made in Delores Hidalgo-- a city 45 minutes north of San Miguel de Allende. We were lucky enough to visit one of the tile factories, a much appreciated journey after seeing gorgeous kitchens and bathrooms all week.

back back back

Okay, so we're back from Mexico. It was a very interesting trip. First of all, our luggage never made it, but we manged after rummaging through my grandparents' clothes and buying a few basics from the grocery store (white v-neck tee) and the Mexican markets. We got to know the streets of San Miguel pretty well, finding our favorite places to start the day and to end the day.

It was a blast capturing all the colors of this culture and I can't wait to share it with you guys over the next week or so. I have tons of food, flowers and interior shots.

Also.. my Grandmother's poodle had a litter of seven puppes while we were there, it really made our trip special to be able to play with poodle puppies every day!

We were also excited to come home to election night. Wow.. all of the footage from the Chicago Obama rally was completely striking. No words other than gracious could have described McCain's speech. I personally felt that either of them would have made positive changes ( at a very tough job), but I am more excited to see what Obama's going to do for our country.

2007 San Miguel Interiors

I should be in San Miguel. I don't know if I'll be blogging from Mexico, but I set up a few posts for the this week. Here's a peek from my trip to SMA last year...



I went to San Miguel for Spring Break with two of good friends from college. My grandmother, who dabbles in real estate down there, was asked by friend if she could house sit while she was in the states. It was great timing, because the week this lady needed a house sitter, three poor college students arrived by bus and saved the day. We got to stay at this amazing casita for free:) TRES ANGELITAS!

I'm going to try to walk you through the house.. Here's the front.... We pretty much died when we fund out our house was green and purple.


Walk into a nice outdoor courtyard, loved the cobalt blue chairs.


Looking up from the courtyard...


Step inside the first room: view to courtyard & fireplace...


Look to the other side of the room and see the interior courtyard with fountain...


Next room: adorable, tiled kitchen...


Kitchen table with skylights...



Going upstairs with cheerful walls...


Master bedroom, where we all slept and sometimes watched weird television ....



View from the roof...



and there you have it! I'm going to try to get some good pictures of my gramndmother's house. It's much more muted and mature, without losing its Mexican flavor. Adios chicos.

Be Back Soon!

Well, tomorrow morning I'm peace'n out for a 20 hour bus ride to San Miguel de Allende (SMA). I'm really excited/nervous to see what's in store for me. My grandmother, who has lived there off and on for 15 years, says you basically have to create your own jobs in SMA. I'm hoping I'll come back with a few opportunities in mind and some new friends my near-future home.

I'm not sure if I'll have the chance to blog from Mexico this week, but I assure you I've set up a couple of posts for next week so you guys don't forget about me. The nerd in me is really pumped that Mexico move will give me more interesting things to blog about. Have a great weekend! Adios my loves.

Photo from SMA 2007 by Chelsey Dyer.

Hey, It Stopped Raining...

So, for the past two months I've looked up the weather forcast for San Miguel and every single day has had a little rain/lightning icon. So I looked up when the raining season would be over and to my luck and surprise it's this very week. Clear skies from here on out. Looks like I'll be packing my sunnies and leaving the umbrella at home.

I am soooo excited. I feel bad for my traveling sidekick, he'll be sitting on a 20-hour bus ride with a broken ankle and crutches. He insists that the show must go on. What a trooper.

Wishful Packing

San Miguel de Allende by explauren

I'm beyond excited about my "checkin' it out" trip to San Miguel. It looks like we might be there for 8-10 days and for Day of the Dead. Unfortunately, that region of Mexico is experiencing the rainy season, but at this point I cannot be picky. I'm definitely looking forward to cooler weather. I've packed my dream bag-- a debt-inducing jumble of items that would keep me dry walking through the cobblestone streets and a little delusional considering some of these items are 4X my rent.

peacock umbrella
Vanessa Bruno T-Shirt Dress
Burberry Privet Trench Coat
Olympus Stylus 850 SW waterproof camera
Marc by Marc Jacobs square-face watch
skinny jeans
chunky scarf
Longchamp Pliage waterproof bag
Wellington boots

I'm accepting donations :)

Going Good.

I think I've missed being stressed out. It's been fun scrambling around looking for a temporary job, trying to plan a move to Mexico and maintain a social life. I'm just now realizing that the last few months I've been too comfortable with my situation.

I have a job interview today for an upscale restaurant in Houston's upper-Kirby district. I'm looking forward to that job because I'll actually get dress up! The construction industry doesn't care for fashion.

Also have a tentative interview for a temp job tomorrow. That will be much more boring, but hey-- mama's got to pay her bills.

We've got a date set for a San Miguel de Allende trip. We're going for a week to check things out to see if it's realistic for us to move there. I'm convinced I will move there by Feb. 2009. I've been a tad jealous of friends who were able to study abroad and actually learn a language and live in another country. In honor of the Mexican excitement I made some Spanish carmel flan over the weekend.

Shaking Things Up

So, yesterday I found out I'm getting laid off. I had been anticipating this for a few months now, considering the housing and construction market is down and my company's success depends on it. To be frank, I was relieved when I heard. I was reaching the point where I wasn't happy here and was ready for a career change. It couldn't have been at a better time:

- just told myself I was going to cut back on eating at restaurants
- The weather is cool, don't need AC anymore
- don't mind shopping vintage
-don't have kids, house payments or car payments
-saved, saved, saved my money just for something like this.
-can take a cheap, bus ride vacay to San Miguel de Allende with the BF.. finally.

I'm totally looking forward to finding another job in a new city. I know it might be hard in this economy, which is why PLAN B is amazing-- head to Mexico and learn Spanish.

I figure since my grandmother lives in Mexico, I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to relax and learn Spanish. I need that bi-lingual edge when I start applying for jobs again.

e.x.c.i.t.e.d.

p.s. if you know anyone hiring Media, PR, Advertising, Writing.. holla.