The Alamos were here on Saturday in Days of My Destiny

Our fridge is packed with food after having my cousin drop in.

Him and his family, as well as his sister and her family, as well as their parents, were holidaying up this way and decided to come and visit me on their way back home. (His sister went straight home though, as her husband has to work super early in the morning.) They did this last year (minus him and his family) and we were completely unprepared. We knew they were coming but did not prepare is what I mean. We were terrible hosts! L, for one, was sleeping during the day as he was on night shift, and then I pretty well left them to themselves for a while as I put Little L to bed for her day sleep. They served all the food, which they had brought with them, lol.

Today we were better organised. A few days ago I went to the next town and bought 5 family-size pies, as well as a crapload of tomatoes and onions, to make a salad. L bought ingredients I needed to make sopaipillas which I made last night (and some more this morning) and I even made pebre for the first time in my whole life!! It was so much fun making both of these things and I realised, I need to make them more often!! I need to get in touch with my culture so much more often in my daily life!!! It won't be hard to do this in the near future because I have so much chopped up pumpkin left in the freezer, ready to be used for more sopaipillas!!! (The only reason why I didn't use it all up was because I ran out of time!) The best and most encouraging part is that I got raging reviews for both!! Woohoo!!!!! For my uncle - a man who eats chillis straight - to say that my pebre was perfect? Means gold!! GOLD!!!!!! Lol.

Last time they came, my aunty greeted me with a really light hug, as though she didn't even recognise me, and had a sour look on her face the whole time she was here and she said almost nothing the whole afternoon. This time, as soon as she got out of the car, she gave me a tight hug and was fully smiling, looking deep into my eyes as she asked how we've been. She asked me if we still have our sheep, and when I told her that yes we have her and she's had a baby, she was super happy and asked to see the little lamb right away! (Sheep is called Lilly, the lamb is called Amy. M named her. Cute pick for a name, I reckon!)

I had a good chat with my uncle, too. He was talking about his property in Chile and I asked him how it works. When we were in Chile, we stayed at an apartment and the idea of owning one and renting it out was born. It's nothing more than an idea at this stage, but it'd be an awesome little venture to have on the side. Plus, one day when we live in Chile for a while, we would have our own place. (I love how all of this was L's idea. I love even more that initially he had talked the 3-6 month mark, and now he's talking 6-12 months! Hell yes!) So I was asking him some questions and in the end he asked me for my email address and gave me his. He said that he really liked our idea. He said that we are young therefore the world is in our favour, and if we have the means and the opportunities, then why not! He also said that as soon as we make a decision, whenever it may be (which realistically won't be for another 5-6 years lol), I can email him to let him know, and he will email his property manager immediately so she can get in touch with us. He highly recommends her and was telling me that every single thing she does is above board and that if there's ever been a time that they got less income, she had receipts to prove what had happened to the money. So that's a nice vote of confidence! I loved having that chat with my uncle - I think it was the first ever DECENT "grown-up" conversation I'd ever had with him, lol. (He's usually the kind to muck around to no end and make jokes and jest about - he's THAT uncle lol.)

We were getting food ready and chucking all the scraps into the scrap bucket for the chooks. My cousin told his daughter to go and throw the scraps to the chickens and she said, "I don't know how to." He gave her this "look" and then exaggerated an imitation of walking out the door with the bucket and throwing it over the fence to the chickens lol. I was laughing and I said, "Oh it takes some skill you know!" but just as I was saying this, my cousin's wife said in an annoyed tone to him, "She doesn't know how to do ittt." I really don't know what was up her bum! Anyway her son then offered to take the scraps out and my cousin said, "No mate, mum said no," really seriously and that was that. Later on when we were eating lunch, my cousin was jokingly saying something about how he's the one that really keeps his kids in line and he had that really cheeky grin on his face, ie making it known that he was speaking absolute bull, and then I looked over at his wife and ohmygoodness, the look she was giving him was hard to read but clear enough! It wasn't quite a death stare and it wasn't quite "this isn't fair", but it was serious and direct, like, "Oh really? You want to fuck with me?" and she was NOT joking with that look on her face! It was just SO weird!!!! It was a side to her I hadn't seen. We went camping with them last year and all was fine. She had forgotten to pack some chorizos, which apparently was the one thing he had requested that she take, and when he realised she forgot to take them, he gave her crap ALLLLLLLL afternoon about it and even halfway into the following morning!! Lol it was funny but I could totally understand why she got the shits when she did, because he just wasn't letting it go. But these two little situations at my house.. they were totally unprovoked, you know? It gave me the feeling that for all her sweet, down-to-earth, casual side we see, there is a REAL bitchy, don't-mess-with-me-or-else kind of side to her, and that what she says? Goes.

I am eating sopaipillas while typing this entry. I can't stop eating them!! LOL they are sooo good! I'm dipping them in icing sugar, mmm mm!

Anyway, despite the small amounts of weirdness, the visit overall was just so so so lovely. L and I had been so damn excited about it from the moment we found out they were coming, and we were excited as we prepared everything for their arrival. As I analysed it, I realised it was because it was like a little bit of that "holiday feeling" was coming to visit us, even if only briefly. Another reason as to 'why' popped up the day before they came, and it was because we couldn't wait to hang out with people who ACTUALLY care about us. (Another entry on that coming...)

Finally it was time for them to say goodbye as they needed to continue on their journey back home. We all stood together in my backyard and took some photos, all the while my cousin squeezing me tightly saying proudly, "My little cousin!" It was so adorable and heart-warming. Seeing me all grown-up must make his heart swell, after all he's so much older than me and saw me grow from a tiny baby to a child, and then we moved away and from there he has only seen me in short spurts for the last 25 years. As we were taking the photos, all the roosters started crowing and just going crazy as they do, and my uncle cracked up laughing at the sight and sound of it all, lol. As we were standing there laughing, my little dog sped past us towards the paddocks and I told them excitedly that he was off to chase the nearby cows. We stood there watching and laughing at this crazy spectacle! Then we said more goodbyes and gave each other more hugs and thank yous and then they were in their cars reversing. I happened to glance sideways to see that my doggy, in that short time, had run back, walked into our house and stolen a sopaipilla, and was happily chowing it down on the grass outside again, lol. I ran over to my uncle and showed him, and he cracked up laughing all over again! Lol. It was such a nice final moment, and then the 4 of us stood as close to the road as possible and waved and waved and waved at them until they disappeared out of sight.