Our Grand Canyon Vacation

We're back from our trip to the Grand Canyon and it was...grand!  We enjoyed camping, hiking, relaxing and stargazing in this truly majestic place. Here are a some pics, if you'd like to see.

We got up early, packed the car, strapped Guiri in, loaded our music and we were on our way.

{Selfie in the car - Grand Canyon or bust!}

We arrived in the late afternoon, pitched our tent, and hiked over to catch the sunset. Such an amazing start to our trip! This was our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon and the scale of it is truly mindblowing. It is gorgeous and at the same time, its size is almost incomprehensible. We sat on a cliff and watched the sky change colors. We were 3 little specks in a huge landscape.

The next morning, we made breakfast, packed a picnic and set off for a full day of hiking. Isn't Guiri the cutest in her backpack?! :)

{paleo pancakes, goofball}

{Rim Trail}

{love these two}

{with backpacks}

Flavio is CrossFitty McFittster -- he can hike for hours without tiring. It was a crazy workout for Guiri and me (the Grand Canyon is steep!), and in the evenings we'd all relax. You could hear the coyotes howling in the distance as we sat with our books and cold beer, cooking, waiting for the elk to visit our campsite.

{relaxing in the shade}

{tired eyes, dusty nose}

{elk at camp}

{firestarter}

Flavio and I don't like s'mores, so every camping trip we make some kind of dutch oven fruit cobbler. This time we made blackberry cobbler -- it was so good and really cozy on cold nights.

Each day we tried to cover different trails to see various parts of the Canyon. The geology is amazing (some of the rocks are 1.2 billion years old!) and there's so much area to explore. We can't wait to go back and see more.

{In front of Vishnu Temple}

{Bright Angel Trail}

{view of the Colorado to our right}

{view of the Colorado from the bottom - the colors are amazing!}

{Desert Floor, Colorado River}

Back at camp, Guiri thoroughly enjoyed burying her bone, digging it up, and re-burying it in a new place. We loved watching her funny wilderness instincts come out. Dog versus Wild.

{mama and baby elk}

{dinner}

Finally, on our last night, we went back to Pima Point to watch the sunset. The three of us snuggled under a blanket in the chilly air and watched the evening sky change colors over this natural wonder of the world. It was one of those spiritual, magical moments I'll never forget.

My favorite part of the trip was being completely disconnected from technology, which let me be present and enjoy every minute. We played games, told stories, laughed a ton and our time there felt really long in a good way. It was a special trip, with memories I'll always cherish.

After the Grand Canyon, we headed to Vegas to see my parents, which was also lots of fun. More on that soon..

Random memories not pictured: Guiri barfed in Barstow;  our camp neighbor was the creepiest 50-year-old cheeseball we'd ever met - he repeatedly blasted songs like "Blame it on the Alcohol" and Lady Gaga, rarely left the campsite, and had been camping alone for weeks - so bizarre;  the zipper on our tent broke and we nearly froze to death until Flavio jerry-rigged it in the middle of the night, saving us from certain death; the night skies were spectacular - I finally saw a shooting star.

GRAND CANYON or BUST!

Road-tripping with a dog can be tricky business. Here are some tips for succesful travel:

:: A long walk before we go

:: Plenty of bathroom/play breaks in between
:: A couple of naps along the way
:: Soft blankets to snuggle with

:: Lots of things to chew on

Well, those are all the things I need. But, Guiri? She's happy just riding along. She settles into the backseat, sticks her head out the window, smiles at all the cars that go by, and it's hours before we hear anything from her. This dog loves the road.

We're off to the Grand Canyon for the Annual Castillo Family Camping Trip and then to Vegas to spend some time with my parents. I can't wait. I won't be on the interwebs while we're there, but will post a full re-cap when I get back.

Besos! xo

PS. I'll be back on the blog around May 21. Hope to see you then.

{Grand Canyon photo from here}

Weekending, Cinco de Mayo

The weekend was chilled out with fiesta, friends and family - as Cinco de Mayo should be.

Saturday evening we had a couple friends over for a very relaxed dinner (ribs) and margaritas. I spent the morning baking and it was so great to have some time in the kitchen. I hadn't baked in forever (like a month!) and as usual, it calmed and centered me. I chopped chocolate and beat eggs while singing in Spanish to Caifanes and Mana. It was heaven.

Sunday we ran a bazillion errands with Guiri in tow and then had my mother-in-law over for a proper carne asada. The dinner was in celebration of Flavio's grandfather's birthday and not in honor of Cinco de Mayo. You know Mexicans don't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo, right? :) Flavio's grandpa was a professional soccer player for Mexico, and he passed away a couple years ago. We found this Wikipedia on him, which was pretty cool. After our taco-licious dinner, we all snuggled on the couches and watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a fantastic documentary about an 85-year-old sushi master, his 3-star Michelin restaurant, and his dreams of perfection and self-improvement. It is so beautiful - I highly recommend it. And I've been dying for sushi since.

I was busy enjoying the company, so I didn't get as many photos as I'd like, but here are a few I did snag...

{chopping chocolate}

{margs, chips - Cuatro de Mayo}

{ribs - Cuatro de Mayo}

{Guiri - running errands}

{Sunday night snuggles - movie, wine}

Bomba Chocolate (Chocolate Lava Cake)

We've been reminiscing about Spain lately. We lived there for 2+ years after college, and sometimes we wonder why we ever came back. During the Spanish summers, we'd spend evenings outside at our favorite cafe near the Puerta del Sol, sipping sangria and nibbling on tapas. We'd park ourselves for hours, chatting with whomever happened to sit next to us, the heat radiating long after the summer sun had gone down. The Spanish don't hurry you, and never ask if you're ready for the check. They let you sit, and savor, and be. Spaniards teach you to slow down, to be present, and to delight in the little things. More than doing in Spain, we were just being.

One of our favorite streetside cafes in Madrid served Bomba Chocolate, also known as souffle, or maybe molten chocolate lava cake. Whatever you call it, it's a decadent crowd pleaser that will seriously impress despite its simple preparation. It's probably my favorite dessert; a rich, bittersweet cake for rich, bittersweet nostalgia. Vale? Venga!

Bomba Chocolate
Adapted from here

Makes 4 - 6 bombas, depending on size of ramekins.

This is the perfect dessert for a dinner party because you can prepare it (up to a day) in advance and then throw it in the oven 12 minutes before you're ready to eat it. If you make it in advance, make sure to bring it to room temperature before baking. I like to serve it with vanilla bean ice cream and some berries, but it's amazing on its own, or with freshly whipped cream.

12 teaspoons plus 5 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces *Lindt or other high quality bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, but divine! - just a pinch, taste batter and make sure you can taste it, but faintly)
Small squares of *bittersweet chocolate, or one per ramekin
Ice cream, freshly whipped cream, or berries

Generously butter ramekins. Sprinkle inside of each dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

Stir chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, and remaining 5 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 8 minutes. Fold 1/3 of chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then fold in remaining chocolate. Fold in flour. Stir in cayenne pepper, if using. Divide batter among ramekins. Place a small square of chocolate in the middle of each ramekin and submerge it in batter; this will ensure a runny center. (Can be made 1 day in advance. Cover with plastic and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake uncovered. Watch cakes carefully, especially after 10 minutes! Bombas are ready when the edges are puffed, have started to pull away from the sides, are slightly cracked but the center 1 inch of each jiggles when ramekins are shaken gently, about 12-13 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Remove from oven. Using a potholder (ramekin will be hot!) place your serving plate flat on ramekin and invert cake onto dessert plate.

Top with ice cream and serve immediately. Ole!

*I use Lindt 70% Cocoa Smooth Dark. The secret to this recipe is high quality chocolate.

Last Night

Last night the air was warm. The sunset sky was yellow-orange-purple. We walked to Kensington in the balmy weather, bare arms dangling and flip flops clicking. There, we sat outside with milkshakes, watching the light fade.

{sunset, our street, May 3, 2013}

Home, we went to bed early, the windows open, the fan humming, listening to a party next door. We whispered in bed, falling asleep slowly on crisp sheets, feeling comforted, limbs sprawled, like tired children.

Summer is coming. :)

Why Get Married?

Did you read this fascinating op-ed in the New York Times? It explains that 80% of people in the United States will marry at some point in their lives, but the reasons for marriage are different than they were in the past. According to the sociologist author, people in the United States are marrying as a status symbol. The author writes,

"It is something young adults do after they and their live-in partners have good jobs and a nice apartment. It has become the capstone experience of personal life...People marry to show their family and friends how well their lives are going...[Marriage] remains an important part of American life -- not in its older role as the first step into adulthood, but in its newer role as the last step one takes after becoming an adult in almost all other respects."

The author goes on to describe widening US wealth inequality and how this affects the demographics of marriage and specifically of childbearing. Unsurprisingly, college educated Americans are getting married after earning at least one degree, they have children within marriage, and their marriages last longer.

In contrast, he writes:  "Non-college-educated adults seem to treat reproduction as mandatory or at least axiomatic, and marriage as more of an optional add-on. Most do eventually marry, although not necessarily to the person they had their first child with."

So tonight, I read the essay to Flavio and asked him why he thinks we chose to marry. His answer:

"Because I love you and you are my family, and I want everyone, including the state, to recognize that. If someone is in the hospital, it's sometimes only family who can see the patient. I'd never want anyone to tell me you're not my family. And if we have to get a piece of paper from the state that says to everyone that you are my family and that we are a team, then that's what I want. We're a team for life." :')

Interestingly, marriage seems to have had positive professional consequences for Flavio. His (married) bosses often ask him about married life and when we'll be having kids. Marriage is a common topic of unity and conversation between Flavio and his superiors. I'm not sure if there's a correlation but he's been promoted twice since we got married. Of course, we all know the discouraging stats that show that married women are still less likely to be promoted and earn less than married men.

We both feel getting married initiates you into a different social group - both professionally and personally. Flavio and I were together for more than a decade before we got married, and neither of us imagined anything would feel any different after marriage. But you know what? Things feel different after marriage - not between us, but in the way people treat us. I can absolutely feel that people take my relationship more seriously when I say my husband as opposed to my boyfriend, even if we were just as committed to each other pre-marriage. Also, a boundary is defined when you're married. Our families of origin seemed to step back and respect the privacy of our relationship, our decisions as a couple and seem less worried about us individuals. And of course there are tax, health insurance and other federal benefits. In our overall experience, most people, including the government, treat you differently after marriage.

For most, marriage is still the ultimate social goal in the United States, and according to the op-ed, now seems to be a status symbol and class marker. You're expected to marry. And just as I don't think parenthood should be expected of everyone, I don't think marriage should be socially expected, either. It is an option, and one that should be available to ALL citizens, but not required of all, nor a social determiner of the legitimacy of your relationship. As Kim Kardashian and others have proven, a marriage contract does not a legitimate relationship make. So, while marriage affords some social benefits, it is the loving, respectful union between two people that is the real gift.

Pity Party - May 1 - You're Invited

So, it's May 1st. On April 1st I promised to return today with tales of inches melted and pounds lost after a month of paleo eating, CrossFit, and general self-improvement. If you've been following along, you know that paleo eating never really caught on in April. Paleo-faileo - carbs for the win. I cordially invited you to today's pity party, thrown by me, in honor of me, to discuss the following bad thoughts from April:

:: Using work stress as an excuse to drink every night.

:: Telling yourself time (not diet and exercise) will make your ass smaller.

:: Telling yourself your body needs an extra hour of sleep more than it needs CrossFit at 5:30am.

:: Telling yourself that your husband is eating pizza, and it would be rude to let him eat it alone.

:: Telling yourself that gaining weight this month must mean you've gained muscle. (Highly unlikely.)

Not meeting goals makes me feel really blue. This morning I did my measurements and weighed myself and then the train was parked in Mopetown, USA. I'll spare you the measurement and scale details, but I did actually gain weight this month. Woops.

Serendipitously though, I am currently reading French Women Don't Get Fat {Damn those carb eating Frenchies and their hot bods! See photo above.} Have you read it? I love it. In it, the French, baguette-eating author shares their skinny secrets and writes:

"French women do stray [from keeping a balance in their lifestyle], but they always come back, believing there are only detours and no dead ends."

So I may have had a detour this month.  The train took many a trip to Carbville, parked in Bluestown today, but is now back on its way to Healthifornia, USA.

As the French seem to know, self improvement is a journey, not a destination, and I'm looking forward to continuing CrossFit, eating better and staying on track going forward. I can honestly say that although I wasn't as healthy as I could have been, I feel better today than I did April 1.

Pity party cancelled. But the fit-y party is on!

{Photo via Pinterest}