Beach Running, Rain, and Applesauce

Sunday made for day seven of regularly running since we have been in Panama. We are slowly on our way to a more active lifestyle and I have been trying to figure out easy foods to eat before a run. Thanks to social media, there were a few new recipes I plan to try in the upcoming weeks. Robert also decided to join in on the Friday Paint club!

This past week we ran a total of 12km (about 7.5 miles). During my last post I talked about how we were walking around like penguins. I am happy to report that our calfs are getting a little bit stronger, except for Sunday's run.

We had an idea of a landmark we wanted to run to in order to our extend our run. Google said it would have added another kilometer to our run. We disagreed with Google and decided to do it. We made it to our point and realized Google was right. We ended up running 4km on Sunday's run. Despite the push, it was a great feeling to push further than what I thought I was ready for. Can you remind me of this on my next run?

Link

Dry season here seems like it is slowly starting to fade away. This is a good thing since many people in surrounding areas are using wells and water tanks to get water for a few hours throughout the day. The smell of rain is amazing, despite the humidity that comes along with it. The rain is such a big thing that many people here talk about it on Facebook. This one post generated 14 comments within a few hours of the post. 

My latest homemade recipe is homemade applesauce. Honestly, had I known it would have been this easy to do, I would have made homemade apple sauce a long time ago. No sugar was added since I did not feel like it was needed. Yum! 

As some of you know, I have been on a painting streak lately. This week was a good week to try a new painting. Friday was a fun day, resulting in three masterpieces. 

This week was a very good one. The upcoming week will involve us going to an archeological site, more running, and hopefully more rain. 

A Long Time Coming

Life continues to go on in Panama and some weeks there are few things worth blogging about. We've also officially parted from the car rental business, which has been in motion for some time.

The other exciting things that have occurred? We have started running on the beach. Our calfs are sore and we are currently walking like penguins. Did running always hurt this much?

I also did another painting with a friend. 

Friend to the left, mine to the right

We continue to take Spanish classes. Although listening to people speak at a normal pace is still very difficult at times, our responses are becoming more natural seaming. 

Although we are no longer doing the rental cars, we still plan on staying in Panama. We are not sure what our next venture will be, but it makes life that much more interesting. The great thing about Panama is that you do not have to reinvent the wheel, you just have to have an idea that might not be here already. Now is our time to figure that out.

A Trip to Oregon

Sweaters and hot chocolate, surrounded by endless greenery and hipsters: welcome to Oregon. This is where our latest adventure takes us this week. We spent our time visiting friends, family, and reminiscing at our restaurant favorites, including a restaurant which has a massive six layer cake.

Our last trip to Oregon was about 15 months ago, just before we moved to Panama. Was Oregon always this cold? 

The week was filled with seeing family and friends.  Robert and I saw a friend and went bowling with her six year old son. The last time we saw him was about four years ago. I also made a trip to Robert's home town to visit another friend who has a 15 month old son. I have not seen him since he was two weeks old.

Robert and I surprised my parents by arranging a family photo shoot session, which was supposed to include my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. Unfortunately, something came up last minute and my sister-in-law was unable to make it. While we haven't seen the pictures yet, I know my niece was the highlight in the photos. It is amazing to see how much she has grown.

We also did some shopping. Robert got some shorts, I got some pants, and both of us wanted to stock up on Tillamook Cheese. Friends of ours also put in shopping requests. Some of their wish list items included jelly beans and Cadbury Eggs. By the end of the trip my suitcase was filled with goodies to bring back to Panama.

The most indulgent part of the trip was eating at Claim Jumper. Claim Jumper is the epitome of large portions and American food. Potatoes are the size of footballs. Chicken pot pies are served in a ramekin nine inches in diameter. The desserts get even crazier with  an option of a six layer fudge cake and cookies that are roughly six inches in diameter.

Robert got to eat Chinese food from Safeway, which is where he frequented back in college. It was probably some of the better Chinese food in the town. I enjoyed wearing a scarf. One thing I miss about living in Oregon is coordinating scarves and knitted hats.

We took an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Panama. Sleeping horizontally in a bed has never felt so good! Visiting Oregon was a special trip. We quickly jumped back into life in Panama and are eager for our next adventure.