Perfection in Time

I'm a strong believer that ultimate satisfaction comes only after a seriously long wait. I do mean a really long wait.  I'm sure I wouldn't have felt the same way opening the doors to our home, if I was expecting it at a specific date and actually received it.  After 9 months of staying at my mother-in-laws' (yeah I know, but she's neat though), we have moved into our very own first owned home.  I was so pumped up with adrenaline, when Luis abandoned  okay rather dropped me off at our home that first Friday in anticipation of our things. I went ballistic and unpacked everything and  honestly was sick by that night. Hindsight , it was kinda funny.  I was SO looking forward to spending our first night at our home, nevermind a bit of emptiness, but really when we went back to get more stuff from Luis's mums',  I just couldn't get out of bed.  I had a temperature and was paralyzed from pure tiredness!
SO, we had to spend another day there! ha ha

 Maybe too much excitement isn't too good.  Nah, actually it is always good. No regrets ! :)

Everything is almost furnished now and we're enjoying our second week with our stuff. There's so much space. I caught myself spending most of the first week in the kitchen staring randomly to the Andes and now I'm mostly in the living room.  I do spend a lot of time staring at the view, but I can't help but get distracted by our curtains which turned out to be a Salmon colour with this dirty poo-ish brown. What horror!  but nevermind, I'll wait patiently for our cream, deep chocolate ones to arrive - the right ones. Perfection in time has dominated my life. Even if it's just curtains and seem trivial, it will be perfect.  Bedroom wise, I´m loving our king size bed and the pretty pillows on it ( I have since moved on from my lady bug phase, I use to have these giant sized lady bugs on my bed).  Luis faithfully throws every pillow on the floor mostly to the other side of the room before he hits the sack. However, now that I AM on the other side, the pillows just land on my head! Oh, the comforts of the King Bed when no one hits you. Big picture Marsh, big picture - it's okay being hit on the head once in a while when someone has just bought you a house ! no? I do get shaken by it, I awake in shock and all, but then I´m like - this is really real! We do own it together, but I like to think of it as a huge present wrapped up nicely with a bow. It certainly feels like it !

More significantly - furniture talk.  There are plenty of choices and accessible retail stores nation wide, even an IKEA wannabee here in Santiago.  We, (being us) got a lot of our stuff costumed made at  LA GARGOLA.  For the same price or for only a fraction more , we managed to get better quality things and perfectly designed to our taste. Patience is definitely a necessity in the equation though and of course an important factor to consider. It takes around a month to get the final product, but it's so worth the wait.  So, here's the link. http://www.lagargola.cl for those that are in the bliss phase of furnishing.  It's basically a family business - they are a couple of creative brothers. They also have furniture for sale and now they have extended the space to include local designers. I have found my favourite Chilean designer too in the process. I'm even starting to have my very own mini collection of ("La Coliflor").  Will post a photo if I do catch myself wearing one of the pieces one of these days or if I'm simply in a posing mode, then it might be on site a wee bit earlier ;)

Ah, I must add that  I bought a belt of satin make, at the last designers do at La Gargola. Since then, ( around 3 weeks back) I have been fixated on getting a dress to go with it.  I had the perfect dress tailored in my mind, and after much dreaming, not hunting, I found the dress yesterday (such luck!).  So I'm all set for September's big event in France! and.... what do I know - Luis was thinking up the perfect tie for the event too and we'll eventually match.  Who knew his thoughts would be about clothes too, with all that's been happening around us. Luis? Clothes? Never :)  Luis's closet is bigger than mine! Honestly, physically it is.

Finally, we have had such a random winter. Luis just mentioned yesterday, how we probably won't make it to the ski fields this year. I was already beginning to swap around my clothes in anticipation of spring .  Today however as we were wrapping up at Pilates, ( the studio, has a fantastic view of the street where we see the ever beautiful cherry blossoms when weather permits) it started to snow ! It snowed for 4 hours  and the view was just incredible from our apartment.  God is marvelous that way; and reminds us how HE is the Master of all creations and with time, he makes all things beautiful.

This is just icing on the cake for us after moving in - such a sight.

 What a gift. It hasn't snowed in the city of Santiago for years now. I felt like a little kid -giddy with excitement. I remember mom's story about how she felt when we were in Manchester and she was alone (dad at Uni and us at school) and saw snow for the first time. I feel in a way, such joy.
Our lives parallel, but a generation apart.

 I'm sitting in our dining room, listening to the snow and

 enjoying a magnificent white canvas of houses and trees as the snow settles. Today will most certainly show tomorrow, and I'm just waiting to wake up to that!

View from our living room

Last Saturday in celebration of our 3rd wedding Anniversary@ Anakena, Hyatt

Our Little Escapade

 Chile has numerous holidays which one can't really complain about. In conjunction with Saint Peter's
and Saint Paul's, we escaped to our favourite spot in Chile - Valparaiso. Told y'all we'll go back :) This time we stayed at the Cirilo Armstrong ( Ranked 2nd on Trip Advisor). A Boutique Hotel which is also located at Cerro Alegre- it had more of a modern contemporary feel to it. We thoroughly enjoyed our duplex loft  - the warmth of a great fireplace, a kitchenette and fantastic views of the Valpo hills from our bedroom window. Very artsy with touches of local designers as their decor. We had breakfast served to our door and as always, we had our meals at
 fantastic places as my Luis pre-booked for us even

before leaving Santiago! :)

 It was a great refreshing weekend ! What else could a girl ask for.  Though I must admit, I can hardly wait to plan the details of our upcoming sexy travels in September.

 - A change is always good. Even though I heart Chile,
 I think I would appreciate a change in hemispheres during winter!

First meal: Pasta & Vino: We had a great extended meal as we arrived an hour before our booking but had the privilege to choose a great spot and enjoyed our night away. Cosy , romantic though there were more creamy selection of sauces.
 Bookings are essential!

My Dish : Ravioli de Zapallo ( Pumpkin filled Ravioli) - I recommend this

Luis had the Gnocchi of Zucchini 

Cafe con Letras: Fantastic cafe with a library. Decided to try a different place  for dessert
 just because there are such awesome places to dine in Valpo.

We normally end our dinners with expressos but indulged a bit here with Churros, and a mocha each
 - we had the night to enjoy away

The next day we headed out after a great breakfast to have a nice walk before lunch - was a spectacular winters day

Couldn't resist snapping away as everything was  just so full of character, so beautiful and colourful

After a good walk, we had lunch at La Columbino. Entree : Reinata wrapped with eggplant with grated cheese and prepared in the oven

I had the Grilled Sea Bass with onion rings

Luis: Mulata with lentils and artichoke

Loved the stained glass

We had another great spot with a view

The atmosphere at Cerro Alegre

We went back to Samsara. Couldn't resist the great Thai food we had the last trip. We had two main dishes: Red Curry with beef and cashew nuts and rockfish with basil and marmalade Chili

The dessert was on the house! We chose the Brownie with Coconut Ice cream

Contented & satisfied after that dinner!

View from our Boutique Hotel

The Reception Area where you can enjoy the great views. There are individual fireplaces
 in the bedrooms too and and a private hot tub outside one of the rooms

Before we headed back to Santiago, we once again headed out for photos and a nice walk

We somehow stumbled across this somewhat mystic abandoned area

Final lunch at Maladrino.  Ranked #1 but now #3. Still found the pizza delicious. Great great service.

From the top floor of our loft - the view was amazing .
Love you my special place on earth - Valpo!!!!! 
y gracías mi vida por todo, pase incredíble siempre contigo,  te adoro xx

Friday Night with Bono

Something we have always loved doing is going for concerts.  Our very first one was Nesian Mystic back in Dunedin ( who are they, you ask? Only one of the most popular NZ pub sell bands ever !) We have even kept all the tickets - we're kinda hoarders in that way ( I know I know, enough with the mushiness already) To date, we have been to concerts in every country we have stayed long enough.  Last two years whilst in Malaysia, we saw Sting, The King of Convenience, Placebo and Jason Mraz. In Australia, Jack Johnson, James Blunt, PINK ( went with Michaela ), Matchbox 20, and KT Tunstall.  Just last week here in Santiago, Chile, we saw U2 and in previous years, Shakira, The Black Eye Peas and Robbie Williams. We try to get the best spots - there's nothing better than getting the VIP spot or close to it.
- being in such close proximity to the artist, is really such a treat !
Probably a once in a lifetime opportunity anyways and thus worth the every splurge in my books.

( Unless, you're as lucky as Luis and get to see Bono twice and also Coldplay!)
- Pretty pretty please come back to Chile or somewhere close by Coldplay

   All the concerts were great in different ways. Some just had had the best locations and others were just huge presence; like the U2's 360 concert we recently attended. I wonder what our kids would be listening to in their time, but at least I'll be able to say - hey, in my day, dad and I went for so and so. See, we were cool ...but we both have professions too! So now ....go and study ! :)

Ah, who knows.. we might just be sitting in at one of those concerts with them.

 Like I turned around at the U2's Concert, to see my friend Christina with her daughter.
 That would be something, aye? :)

 This weekend, the concerts continue - to Lollapalooza featuring the likes of  Ben Harper, The Killers, Fatboy Slim, Cypres Hill, Kanye West and Jane's Addiction and many more.

 The following week to Roxette with Marcela !

"Listen to you heart.... when he's calling for you.....Listen to your heart .......

there's nothing else you can do......"

(I best leave it to her :) but what EXCITEMENT - life is good.

70 thousand people at the National Stadium

A clip from my G12 (ok ok babe "ours", you do own 1/2 of it) to you all :)

Nostalgia - 8 years of us

Woke up a few days ago to hear about Japan's Earthquake. Saddened me to quite a degree and within seconds of reading the headlines on my iPhone [ the first thing I do on waking, all blurried-eye (I wear contacts) and all is to pick up my phone to check the time] I called Luis. No, he wasn't in Japan but I was wondering about our friends there. Luis said, " Yes, I've sent them a message. "Thinking back, it probably was instinct really to call the person I care about the most. What was it really? Was it I just needed to hear his voice? Then I called mum and I don't think I've felt this shaken in a while. I'm just thankful for such comfort, such love. I guess that's our basic need especially at times like this when nothing is in our control. With my many thoughts and prayers  for those affected worldwide especially those that are alone and have lost their love ones, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect, to take a minute to thank God for everything.  That at times of crisis, people do step up and help out - that's something. Personally, I'm grateful for wonderful family and friends; and especially for my amazing partner in life. We celebrated our 8 years together since we met on March 7th in 2003 and life has been nothing but beautiful, adventurous and fulfilling. Luis used to say to me while we were apart that, one day we will look back and smile and that's so true
( It was indeed crazy looking back, we talked online and had meals together  - lunch for me and dinner for him! We used to even have the chat line running just to feel a bit closer)

 Below are some memories from back in New Zealand of us and a few from not too long ago.  

With fondest memories and a blessed life thus far and comforting thoughts that it's okay to just give yourself what you need the most at times. It's funny how everything else fades away in times of crisis and the basic need really comes down to being with people that love you unconditionally.

This shot was taken just shortly before I met Luis.  We had a little Friday night gathering at my flat with my flatmates and a few friends that were down from Germany before heading out to our local hang-out spot.
Basically everyone knew everyone . When I saw Luis, I instantly knew that he was the new dude on the campus.

  

This photo was taken outside my room on a Saturday morning.   I love my privacy so I opted for a room that was outside the apartment - somethings don't change - I could spend hours at a time in my room :) Was great, I actually had a whole backyard to enjoy. Those steps headed to the kitchen. Us -  always in close proximity to food ! Just last weekend our friends told us, we think of you and we think of food! Enough said.
Actually it was so convenient, we used to cook ( sinful bacon and eggs ) in the kitchen,  not disturb anyone and
head down to eat in the comfort of the room - Dunedin was always cold



Luis was 23 and myself  22 yrs old ( We have a 2-year difference but recently I said you were 24 when we met in a conversation ( thinking 2 years) and Luis said no no I was 23. Remember.... my birthday's in September
 - I guess some people get touchy with the age topic ;)



At our beautiful University of Otago where we spent so much of our time ! Just saw the World Rankings last week and our University is ranked 125 -  not bad, not bad at all

I remember almost getting run over taking this photo ha ha

This is when Luis went for the weekend to Queenstown,  to do the bungee jump - he really knows how to freak me out at times !  Very adventurous. I remember,  he called a day earlier than expected and said I did it!! He was full of adrenaline and it was quite entertaining to hear.  Really saved me the trouble of worrying - come to think! Though he has since convinced me to attempt Sky Diving with him
( well I figured if I'm gonna be scared to death, I rather be in close proximity to him)

This is at Felipe's flat where he spent most of his time and  where I went  frequently too...around 15 minutes from my flat and I guess just a bit further from Luis's

Just to show you how long his hair was!!

He was at my first graduation for my science degree

This photo was taken after the exchange -   he was leaving for Chile, stopping first in Auckland

With Felipe

and four years later we were at this spot getting married !! ( thus the 4 diamonds on my engagement ring which he designed which supports the larger one of course ha ha - great for me that he appreciates the value of the solitaire:)

Must have been cracking some joke as usual -he's the most optimistic person I know, always content
( that of course doesn't mean I'm average, mind you :)

One of the happiest moments in my life

and another !! I just adored the church, how beautiful were the flowers! Thank you my dearest parents
( You can spot them at the back)

I love how he loves clothes - he said to me last Sunday, "You need to stop me!"
( this comment of course came after the couple of shopping bags)

 

Here, I was happy but so exhausted from all the adrenaline  - this photo amongst others were for a brochure, ( later,  someone spotted us in a magazine? now,  where's our money ha ha and we have the magazine as proof) Anyways, after the church ceremony,  we got changed into something they let us choose and posed ! It was so worth it -  these lot of photos were gorgeous and free !

Always the charmer

These photos reminds me of how we met
 ( lots of singing, dancing and of course talking or actually the other way around! , talking, dancing and singing )
People do still ask me though," So when you met him, did he speak English?"  :)
These are of course people that knew Spanish was far from one of the languages I use to speak

Recently at one of Luis's work summer launches - those are 3D glasses by the way :)

This was the surroundings of the venue in Valpo



- In Rome, enjoying life -
 Thanks for teaching me to live life -  I look back now at 30, and I've really enjoyed so much of my life with him.
Everyday is exciting,  I guess I couldn't be happier. I feel like everything else is like icing on the cake now

So, here's to whatever matters most to us and to memories we can always look back on and smile upon



Our song