Brazil Bound: October 2011

Summer is finally kicking in and we are loving every minute of it! The temperature is perfect. In the 80's, not too hot, but hot enough to hit the beach. Pretty soon we'll be back to puddles of sweat and the 3 showers a day minimum.
Tiago and I were lucky enough to have a little visitor today....Duda! Tiago picked her up after work and brought her back to the beach. She arrived kicking her little legs, and squealing with excitement to see me...okay, well maybe it was because she loves being at the beach! But either way, she was all smiles!
I turned around and before I knew it, there she was, naked in the middle of the living room, struggling to pull her swimsuit up above her knees. With a little help and a bit of sunscreen later, we were out the door.

Sandy trail to the beach, na canguta do tio!

It was sunny...

We found a Duda-sized palm tree!

Photo shoot!

Sleep over! All tuckered out.

They barely made it through Alvin and the Chipmunks.... Happy Friday!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for so long! Tiago and I have been living at his grandparents' beach house for the last few months with no internet connection! We have finally returned to modern times and found a way to install internet! So... we have a lot of catching up to do! Let me fill you in on the last few months with a few pictures/captions.

MARCH/ MARÇO:

Carnaval in Paranaguá!

Espetinho!

Paranaguá's slightly smaller parade of samba schools. :)

Duda, ready to celebrate carnaval at school!

Tiago: Proud new owner of a '96 Fiat Elba.

APRIL/ABRIL:

April 14th, 2011: Tiago and I signed "the papers" making us Mr. and Mrs. !!!
We want to save the excitement (and $$) for our actual wedding (tbd) so we didn't make a big deal of the day.
Just a quick, 10 minute, sign-the-papers ceremony. Afterwards, we had a few friends and family members over to the house to have cake and champagne.

ALSO, I have yet to track down the pictures from that day...so I will leave you with our engagement announcement clipped from the local newspaper in Paranaguá!

MAY/MAIO:

Sometime in May, Tiago and I moved into his grandparent's beach house!

It is conveniently located 2 blocks from the beach... :)

We love when Duda comes to stay with us for the weekend.

-Duda (sporting her very fashionable, hot pink, Barbie sunglasses!

Thanks Tia Barbie!) and Tiago near our house, walking to the praia.

Flying a kite on the beach with Tio Tiago.

Making mini-pizzas with Tia Kelli!

Duda and Gabi hanging out in the hammock at the beach house.

JUNE/JUNHO:

June 12th, 2011- Dia dos Namorados/Valentine's Day!

No...I didn't get the date wrong. Brazilians celebrate V-day on June 12th!

This day also happens to be the birthday of our friend Fabio's lovely mother, Marcia.

To commemorate this extra special day, we had lunch in Antonina. (a beautiful, small town near Paranaguá, pictured above.)

Sometime around June, I received my Carteira de Trabalho.

It looks like a passport, but it is essentially a work permit. Just like a passport, you get stamps,

but instead of countries visited, the stamps are for the jobs you have had.

Mine is green because I'm an estrangeira. For Brazilians, they are blue.

My mug shot and finger print! They wouldn't let me smile- so not me!

(ps. check out my name!)

Now I just need a job...

JULY/JULHO:

In July we had to make a trip to the American Consulate in São Paulo to get a document I needed for my "Legal Resident" process. Seeing as our friend Fabio's girlfriend lives in SP, we made a mini-vacation out of it!