Small update

Hey y'all!  Just a small update to say that YES I changed my blog but only because I was trying to figure out some HTML and I screwed it up so I needed a quick fix.  So this one is temporary - I don't think the feedback has been great so don't worry. 
Also, just wanted to declare that my portuguese is improving and it MIGHT have to do with the studying I have been doing... it's not great but I can communicate with other people other than just Ro's family, which makes me feel proud.  Other people aren't so patient, nor do they speak slow for me.  Anyway!  I was able to talk to the woman giving me a wax today, which is great because I like talking as a distraction to forget the pain.  Although here, waxing doesn't hurt SO much because they don't use paper and warm wax, they use burning hot wax that they peel off.  But the burning hot wax hurt today because of the, y'know, burning heat. 
Anyway, took my new wax to the beach with Ro and Debora which was a lot of fun and I'm finally starting to get a real tan, which is practically a miracle.  I am finding the beach more enjoyable now, probably because we live closer so it's a bit less maintenance than it was having to load all of our stuff into the car.  *gasp* yes people you heard it here.  I am starting to hate the beach less. 
I shall end by leaving you with some photos of our dear little kitty just because I have requests for more photos and you haven't seen little Nininha yet... and she's too cute to keep to ourselves. 
Tchau gente!

 Here is Nina sleeping in a drawer:

nothing better than a little exercise

So, in amongst all of the moving and tripping to SP, Ro and I haven't really been working out.  And by haven't really, I mean not at all.  For 3 weeks.  For those of you who know us, you know this is a millennium.  We are regular exercisers (and by definition, GoodLife definition at least, regular exercisers have been exercising at least 3 times per week consistently for at least 6 months).  We typically go 4-5x per week.  First observation is how all of your hard work for months and months can go straight to shit after not working out for only 3 weeks!!!  Well, it may have had to do with all of the beer we've drinking, or all the eating out we were doing, or maybe the microwaved banana with sugar and cinnamon and ice cream on top... REGARDLESS.  It's time for us to get back on track.
The difficulty for us is that we are planning to travel very soon (as in next week, we think??) so we don't want to pay for a gym membership and have it get wasted.  The gyms here are a little expensive.  They basically cost as much as my Platinum Plus gym cost without the perks and benefits and fanciness.  And now that we have the beach next to us.....
What better way to get back into things than to start running again by the beach!
This morning we woke up at 7:30 (ok 8 by the time we levantado).  Had a quick breakfast, got dressed and left to run.  The beach has a nice bike/run path right at the top and wasn't too busy when we arrived.  There was also a great breeze thankfully because I have a really hard time running in the heat and I also have a tough time running outside here.  The air is different.  So we ran for about 30 minutes but truthfully I was dying.  I feel out of shape here, which disappoints me so much because I don't think I AM out of shape, I just can't BREATHE in the air here.  I really struggled to finish but had a mid-run revelation of jumping into the ocean after we finished.  Suggestion accepted.  Luckily, with the beach having pretty few people still, we asked if we could leave our shoes with a couple who had beat the crowd and ran to the water with our gym clothes on.
Now, for another story, I'm oddly a little scared of the ocean.  This fear only developed after being in Brazil, however, when one day the ocean kicked the crap out of me.  The waves are so big here, the biggest I've ever seen, and they are ANGRY.  The undertow is insane and will surely pull you under to die a slow, painful death.  SO anyway (you are all seeing how much I love the beach, right?).  Haha. Anyway, the story of that day is I went into the ocean just for a little bit... just up to my knees... when all of a sudden, I saw it.  The Mother Wave.  Coming straight for me.  It was definitely taller than me and as I stood there with the undertow pulling me right FOR it, it broke, right on my FACE, and THREW me backwards and PUSHED ME on my BACK all the way up the shore.  So when I got out, I was completely discombobulated, sandy, and yes, my breast had fallen totally out of my bathing suit.  That damn wave took advantage of me!  And as I was giving the beach a show, and as waves continue to hit me over and over, my bathing suit bottom became a little askew, thus exposing my va-j-j.  Say it with me now.  VA-J-J.
So, there is Ro, laughing his head off, trying to warn me of my exposed privates, as I stumble onto the shore.  Then, through his increasing laughter, he says, "your head is FULL of sand!"
Here is what the beach did to me that day:

So you can see why I was feeling a little apprehensive to enter the ocean again today.  BUT, I felt a little more secure knowing my clothes weren't going anywhere, and like a small child I held  Ro's hand and went in again.  Today it was DELICISOSO as the Brazilians would say, and I even put my head under when the waves came!  Today was just what we both needed to feel awesome.
I seriously believe, scratch that, I seriously KNOW that exercise improves your mood.  Exercise makes you feel GOOD.  Exercise gives you ENERGY.  Last night Ro and I both felt depressed and we didn't know why.  Today we feel awesome, we feel productive, we feel positive!  The last few days for me have been a little homesicky for things that are familiar.  Today I seriously feel better and it's all thanks to EXERCISE!

Sao Paulo adventures

Well, time really does FLY - before I know it, it's been 2 weeks since I posted a blog... to give you a bit of an update, we are currently in the middle of moving apartments here in Rio.  Right now we live in a bairro (neighbourhood) called Meier, which is in the north of the city, but we're moving to the south west end of the city to Recreio otherwise known as THE BEACH!  Yes ladies and gents, the Costards are moving to the beach!  Well, about 4 blocks from the beach but there will be much opportunity for basking in the suns glory.  I do feel the need to point out though (and maybe this is a little late, since I'm already living here) but I don't really LOVE going to the beach... it's not that I hate it but put it this way.  For a very white (almost transparent) gringa with light eyes, like MYSELF, going to the beach proves to be a bit time consuming and tedious, not to mention dirty... first I have to make sure I have like 45 spf sunscreen which totally blocks out all rays of light (but now we have bought one with bronzer so I can get a little colour).  Then, while Ro takes like 30 seconds to put on his 'screen (damn his beautiful perma tan), I take around 10-15 minutes to lotion up EVERY part of exposed skin.  Otherwise, this happens.  **Picture of crazy sunburn will follow**
The sheer amount of sunscreen leaves my hands, body, and face super oily (as if I need anymore oil on my body) and I end up having that feeling that I hate - that feeling of when I feel like my hands are really really dirty and I can't wash them anywhere... The other issue with the light eyes is that with bright sun, I can't see.  Truly.  I can't see a thing and it hurts to walk around without sunglasses.  Anyway, the reality is, I can enjoy the beach but usually only for a couple of hours before I start to get really bored, hot and oily.  So, graças a Deus, we are living close to the beach and don't have to make entire day trips there.
So, as you know we bought a car.  We bought it from a friend and so last weekend we went to São Paulo because we had to have the car inspection and blah blah blah.  We got to stay in Ro's (late) Vó's apartment which is in Alphaville, a subdivision of sorts about 15 mins outside of the city.  Had such a good time as we seem to always have in São P.  It's so so fun to hang out with Ro's friends.  So, we arrived on Wednesday night and on Friday we went to Hopi Hari, the amusement park voted best park for the last 8 years, with 2 friends.  It was interesting going to the park really because I haven't been on a roller coaster for a few years.  Well, turned out that I have worse motion sickness than I thought.  And it turns out that Ro has worse motion sickness than me.
At least I didn't puke oo.  444444444444RR. 

I will use this last bit of nonsense to share our latest bit of news which is WE GOT A LITTLE GATINHA! (kitten)  Eeeeeeh she is tooo cute and she lovvvvves to walk on the computer keyboard.  Oddly enough, we didn't even plan on getting a cat at all.  That is to say, we had been talking about getting a cat for a little but the thought was to get one after the move.  I should also mention that it's really really difficult to find places that sell cats here because EVERYONE in Brazil LOVES dogs.  I do mean everyone.  It is a dog country and many people discard cats like garbage.  We were in a pet store in Sao Paulo and happened upon a little petstore that had one little Persian kitten.  But she was so sick looking.  It really made my heart ache to see her so helpless... she had snot all over her nose and her eyes were crusty and she had poop stuck to her fur and foot.  It was so so sad.  And she cost $1200 BRL.  Ridiculous.  We didnt get this little cat but we couldnt stop thinking about her all weekend.  We even went to see her again but she looked so sick - and was so expensive.  We couldn't save her.  But we did meet another lady at another pet store whose Siamese had just given birth to kittens.  So long story short, we got a little baby Siamese!  The nosiest, suckiest, cuddliest little Siamese you ever saw... She's a real whiner but she is very playful and has blue blue eyes and her name is Nina, short for Menina (little girl).  Ahhhh I love cats. 

Anyway, currently watching Big Brother Brasil on tv (comes on after the novela) and almost ready to finish the packing and have a shower então, vou tomar um banho... tchau tchau