Misadventures in the Algarve

Argh, so frustrating. I don't even have the energy to complain about all the crap that happened the past two days. Instead, I’ll just list each of these annoyances and classify them as generic, run-of-the-mill, Boltano misadventures.

1. Upon waking up, I let Parker “air out” and spend some time without a diaper. So of course, he took this time as an opportunity to take a dump on the kitchen floor. In front of Lauren. And Nico. Parker actually does this a lot at home – poops on the floor during the brief intervals in which he is diaper free. But in front of friends? Unacceptable.
2. Upon packing up our car, we likely pushed our limits and put too many items in the trunk. How do I know this? Because all of a sudden, the trunk won’t close. Then, even when we took a bunch of items out of the trunk, it still wouldn’t close. Something happened to the latch. When Jeremy had picked up the car, the “nice people” at Sado Rent were working on the trunk, assuring Jeremy that everything was fine. Well, they were wrong. We drove to Estoril in an effort to get a new car – we obviously cannot drive with a trunk that doesn’t close. However, the dimwits in Estoril couldn’t help us, and in the end, we had to head into Lisbon to swap cars. Overall, it was a very smooth misadventure, it just caused us to lose a few hours of fun with Lauren and Nico. We dropped them at the airport, I cried a little because I wished I lived in much closer proximity to my bestest friend, and eventually we were on the road to the Algarve.
3. Amazingly, Parker slept for nearly the entire three hour drive from Lisbon to our place in the Algarve. I cannot believe it. Jeremy and I listened to Bossypants (all hail Tina Fey) for most of the drive, and the only misadventure that happened en route was when Jeremy’s iPhone died and we had to wait 15 minutes for it to charge enough to continue playing Bossypants. 
4. Our place in the Algarve is SICK. I mean it – it’s amazing. I have dreamed of visiting the Algarve ever since Lauren sent me a postcard of its rocky coast back in 2004 I believe. And here were are. Our hotel is on the beach, the coast is rocky, and there is even an arch right at our doorstep. 

The Arch at La Praia Suites Alba Resort

Where is the misadventure, you ask? See the three items, below:

• This morning, Jeremy opened the bedroom door not realizing Parker was behind it. He wacked Parker in the forehead and gave him a massive egg on his forehead. 
• Parker has been walking, and I’m very excited for him. Perhaps too excited. And perhaps, too confident in his abilities. He still needs some assistance from time to time, and I unfortunately didn’t provide that to him while he was in the hotel baby pool. He took six steps and then fell right into the concrete edge, scraping his nose and adding a second egg to his forehead, this time in the eyebrow region. When I look at him, all I can see is how horrible of a mother I am.
• Somehow, I messed up our safe. I placed our ipads, passports, and jewelry into the safe, entered the code and thought all was well. But later that day, I couldn’t open it. We needed an administrator from the hotel to help us open it. Very embarrassing.

 

So our vacation is going well, obviously. We love a few misadventures mixed in with great scenery, relaxing days, delicious wines, and gorgeous photos. I sincerely hope that we avoid a day of “ourch reports” in the near future, though. 

Silly Family Photos on the Beach

Time to get back to the beach and pool, I think…

Parker Loving the Infinity Pool and View of the Atlantic