Kitchen Corners: 7/1/12

About 500 years ago I lived in a really small coastal town in the Northeast of Brazil with my husband and my two kids. On Saturdays we would go exploring, usually to find a new beach or a new waterfall. If we were lucky we would find both. Saturdays were our sandwich days. My son, Enzo, wanted the classic grilled ham and cheese, or as we call it in Portuguese misto quente. We ate a lot of misto quentes during or time in Brazil, specially because we lived really close to a bakery that made great rolls. Sometimes we would have fried bologna sandwiches, only because I'm from Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo is famous for their sanduiche de mortadela which looks exactly like this. Basically bread and a lot of thinly sliced bologna, like a lot of it. Like, a pound of it.

My mortadela sandwiches looked this.

Less meat. A little crispier. Cheese, mayo, and tomato.

Tomorrow is Saturday. If I were in Brazil I'd probably have one of those sammies and we would probably find a waterfall to admire, swim, relax, and enjoy.

But I am no longer in Brazil. I am in California where we get to hang out with grandma, great-grandma, aunts, great-aunts, and lost of cousins. Waterfalls are awesome but cousins are better.

We are happy to be back, and when I say we I mean the kids and I. Christian will join us next week. Christian hurry up and get here!

From the time I took these pictures to the time I'm actually posting these pictures it really does feel like centuries ago.

we....

// Found out I am having another girl

// (the kiddies and I) packed our bags and left Bahia Brazil

// went to Sao Paulo to hang out with my mom and grandma

// (Christian and I) went to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate our anniversary

// (the kiddies and I) took a CRAZY flight from Sao Paulo to Lima Peru, over the Andes, with intense turbulance and I thought for sure we were going to die

// survived that flight and then had another flight to El Salvador and then one last flight to Los Angeles

// met up with my good friend Mariko and her daughter Amaya for a SoCal vacation. We went to Legoland, the San Diego Zoo (waving hi to Kimmie who made it possible) and then spend three magical (for reals, it was the best) days at Disneyland.

// went to Santa Barbara to start cousins camp 2012

// went to Santa Cruz for a week to start on logistics such as health insurance, enrolling Enzo in school, signing a contract on our house, trying to find daycare for Maria, and mostly hanging out with friends

// came to Sacramento to continue cousins camp, plus visit more family, plus eat lots of popsicles

// I started a temporary job in San Francisco. I am now (until October) the curator for Tend. Honestly, I feel like I've won the lottery with this job because I'm getting paid to do absolutely what I love. It's amazing.

And then on Monday I go back to San Francisco and next week Sunday Christian arrives and then in August we move back to Santa Cruz, Enzo starts school, Christian starts school, and before we know it our new addition will be here in November. Busy, but oh so good.

Brazil feels like a distant dream now.

Things were so simple.