Sant Joan Fun

Hello to all again! Today I will write with the little wisdom I have left, just yesterday I had yet another wisdom tooth pulled out and as I sit and soak in painkillers and left over anesthesia I will do my best to be "creative" with this post.


If you've been reading my blog for the last year you know what Sant Joan is all about. If you haven't go back to June 2007 and get an idea of what I did last year. Meanwhile, I will jump right into the activities of this year...Can you believe this is my third St. Joan here?? So this year we headed further north and celebrated with not only my very good friends, but a group of new good friends and it was a blast.

We were invited to this lovely town called Vilaur, that even most Catalonians don't know about, to enjoy the countryside, listen to live music, watch silent movies, eat pa amb tomaquet and dance the warm summer night away.

It all started with lovely cocktails made with fresh cucumbers, lime, vodka and 7up...I highly recommend these for your next summer event. We watched as dusk took over and the boys started up their firecrackers...almost like a 4th of July type event. It was absolutely lovely. We enjoyed the evening dancing around and letting our summer feet feel the grass and the beat from the speakers.





The very next morning I woke up to a wonderful sunny morning and hit the pool, treating myself to my very first juicy peach of the summer. Soon after, everyone else followed and not only was breakfast set up for us, but we got to soak in the sun, poolside all morning long and laugh at nothing and everything at the same time.





Does it sound dreamy? It was. I have to admit that I had such a wonderful time, listening to the laughter of my friends in the distance, doing nothing other than chatting and having chicken fights in the pool (Gisela and Alfred won) and just enjoying life.

After posing for some fantastic pictures, we went to lunch in another small town and ate our little hungry booties off and laughed. I looked at the table, filled with all the people that now compose my life and loved what I was seeing as I spooned my orange juice and vanilla ice cream dessert.

When we returned to the house, the girls hung out one last time at the hammocks and hammed up for the photographer. As you can see, relaxed is an understatement, this beauties were feeling the moment and nothing can buy that feeling. They left, I hit the pool one last time and counted my lucky stars on the drive back home, wondering, "how did I get to Barcelona?" and I am okay if time is flying by, I have everything I need to remember these wonderful events and mark yet another year in this incredible country...

When We Grow Up

There is a moment of epitome when you start growing old or getting older, that you realize that nothing is forever. Seasons change, the amazing chocolate ice cream gets down to its last licks, people move on....people move on. We all move, whether it is from our childhood home or town or country (I'm still working on the universe but the cost of living is high out there)and we create new friendships, loosen grips on the old ones and make choices that will forever influence our lives.

The beauty of moving away is that those friendships near you seem to tighten, even if you don't speak as often as before and at the same time you get to create new friendships and to somehow re-establish yourself within this new circle of people you depend on almost on a daily basis. Julia has become one of those people for me. Having met her more than year ago, we immediately became close friends, we shared politics, cold beers in the summer, long bicycle rides (she is my official bike buddy) and long nights of wondering what exactly are we doing in Barcelona? Straight from Germany, alumni of Berkeley, director of a NGO and amazing friend, Julia became my sidekick, or did I become hers? Does it matter? And then a few months ago she gave me the bittersweet news that she had been accepted to Georgetown, with a scholarship and I hugged her, I couldn't expect any less from her, but I also heard my heart tear, her dreams meant my having to say goodbye to yet another friend. Something that is never easy to do. But enough enough, let's talk about the good stuff.

And so we celebrated her growing by throwing a day and night surprise event! What else can you do for someone who has constantly rocked your world with her great sense of humor and smile? Saturday afternoon, we met at Sam's house (the dark curly haired girl)and surprised her with a catered lunch, pedicures and manicures and a make-up lesson since she is about to step into the "real world". We spent all day on a sunny terrace enjoying being us and going over everything we are, will be and would like to be.

Elise, the blonde curly haired English cutie was in charge of all of this and it was a true blast.

After spending all day being pampered, I met Julia at our usual corner and was delighted to see her completely made up and beautiful! Our Julia had grown up in a matter of hours. We both climbed on our bikes and headed towards yet another surprise party, in short skirts, heels and all. We dedicated our last bike ride down Gran Via to our lives and friendship and hummed songs all the way down.

Unfortunately, it took us longer than we expected to find a spot to park our cruisers, but it only made the surprise better. Once at Elise's home, Julia found herself surrounded by a group of admiring friends celebrating with her Barcelona and the newness she will find in DC. It was perfect, glittering poster and all (notice the stars, I glued each and everyone by hand, making silent wishes for my little buddy)...

We toasted with Cava, laughed and enjoyed the presence of each other, of all of us, new and old, creating little pockets of families.

The night was magical and I realized that as you grow older, you don't lose things, they expand, they grow and mold into your life, whether they are near or far. Distance doesn't matter, it is the moments you learn to love, one by one, sincerely and fully. I don't have to wish Julia luck, she already has it and something tells me she about to take on a huge task of making a difference in this world. She already did it in BCN, why not DC?


SIDENOTE---after Julia's party, Alfred, Gisela, Oriol (the handsome boy in the group picture with the white shirt)and I decided to continue a little longer and go for a bike ride. I was so happy I thought I could jump the curve with my bike (something about wearing miniskirts inspires me) and of course, I forgot I'm not so "flexible" anymore and I fell of my bike and got a good taste of Barcelonean asphalt on my little behind, destroying my famous, new red slippers and getting road burn on my booty. Oriol claimed that at least I have style when I fall and I decided that I really need to give up my past and grow up. Yes, you laugh, but hence, this is I...

A Sex in the City Kind of Night

As I sit here, listening to "c'est si bon" by Eartha Kitt, in a sultry French voice, smoke a cigarette and wait for Saturday night to get on a roll, I think back to a few weeks ago when the girls and I decided to be nothing other than girls. Friday night and Sex in the City, the movie, came to Barcelona. We met up, had a fabulous dinner on a terrace and made our way to the movies, in original version.

I took this outing very seriously since Sex in the City is one of those shows that I always have escaped with, laughed, cried and indulged in. I think most of you young ladies can relate with me and I feel bad for the men that can't. And since I take this all very seriously, I decided to premiere my very own tu-tu! Yes, you've read right, I finally found the perfect tu-tu in a lovely gray with layers of tull that poufed perfectly around my waist with little red slippers.

I must admit, there is nothing like dressing up for a movie and even better when you're wearing a tu-tu. I know mom, I will never grow up and I think I'm okay with it.
After the movie, we all went out for drinks...what else do you do after 2 hours of Sexiness and New York?? Unfortunately we couldn't find a place with Cosmopolitans so strawberry daiquiris and vodka tonics had to do...hey, I'm not complaining!


And you probably are wondering, "Heidi, what is the moral to this blog?" Ha! I'll tell you, that life is short, that the summer comes and goes, but there is something about your friends, the girls you count on through the good and bad that nothing in the world can replace and so you indulge in these silly moments, in the memory of loving falling in love and then out, wearing what you've always wanted to wear (since I was 8) and just hanging out. Living fearlessly and ever so wonderfully. It's not all about New York, that same fantastical life is right here, right where you are.
And so indulge my readers, go ahead and by yourselves that ice cream, watch that horribly cheesy movie with your buddies, take a swim in icy cold water and most importantly, follow your heart. People, I guarantee will be laughing with you, not at you.

What Happens in Reus Stays in Reus

After our little mexican soray, Gisela invited Mary Katherine and I to Reus, her home town to continue celebrating her birthday and to meet some of her friends.

As you can tell, Mary Katherine met more than just the neighborhood...
Okay, for all you parents watching, it's a joke! We thought you would like the set up though...I honestly don't think I've ever seen MK drink a beer...ever!
So it was a nice Saturday night and Sunday was spent like every Sunday should be spent, drinking Vermouth, hanging out with your buddies and being fed by a mom...Gisela's mom. I mean check out the table something only a mom could do...



HAPPY BIRTHDAY GISELA!

San Francisco Meets Mexico in Barcelona

And then came San Francisco or what felt like San Francisco. A few weeks ago I had the honor of seeing a most amazing group play at Sidecar in Barcelona. Let me give you a little history...About three years ago I went to a small, very small show at a very small but cool place called Red Poppy in the Mission where I was told an up and coming group was playing. I remember it being lovely, upbeat and melodic with thick French notes and sensual instruments that moved something inside me. Then, three years later, in Barcelona I received an email informing me that a group was touring in Europe and I had to go see them. Turns out that that same group I watched in San Francisco, playing their very first show was now here, touring. To make the story even better, I knew the drummer, Aaron whom I had worked with at The Arc in San Francisco and who had promised me that one day he would meet me in Barcelona because he WOULD be playing there.

May I present Rupa and the April Fishes! If they are in your town, please go see them...they are dreamlike and fun and will most likely move you the way they moved me and my friends.


I have to admit that the night was absolutely incredible. Not only was I watching this band move a dance floor, I also got to run into a few people I had met either from SF or I had met through contacts from SF. It was like for a brief moment I was in two homes at once and nothing could have been better...Check out their MySpace and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. Not only are they musicians, but people changing people (did I mention that Rupa is a doctor and Aaron and I worked side by side with disabled adults and he is doing so much more than just music?) Trust me, CHECK THEM OUT!
http://www.myspace.com/aprilfishes

Well, after the excitement of Rupa and the April Fishes, we had a yet another celebration at the house. This time we celebrated both Gisela and Jordi's birthday and of course there was a theme...Mexican Food! I ran all over barcelona looking for tortillas (not an easy task), black beans and sweet and sour mix for homemade margharitas. The menu consisted of lettuce tacos (my mom's favorites), beans, guacamole and Coronitas, Negra Modelos and yes, margharitas. The music rang out with rancheritas, boleros and Las Manyanitas...Gisela bought green, red and white balloons and we had a blast.As you can see, the food was finger-licking good!

The night was a true success and I think the birthday boy and girl had a chingado of a birthday...
A few pics for your viewing pleasure and please stand by with the weather being so amazing, it's hard to keep things updated but I am definitely keeping myself busy so I can entertain you.





By the way, check out Gisela and her man...they are absolutely lovely