Saturday, July 25, 2009

I Also Paid the Phone Bill

Friday was a big day. Not only was I feeling better, but I found pickles!


(please spare me the pregnancy jokes -- I'm not)

This may seem a little ridiculous but I adore dill pickles and the only time I've had them since January 2007 is the dozen times I've ordered a cheeseburger from the Captain's Daughter. I wasn't completely certain they were dill until I got home and tried one (let's not get into why there's a pig on the label) and now that I know they are, I might go back and stock up.

As if that wasn't enough, around 5pm I received a cryptic (meaning, in Spanish) phone call from a woman looking for Ibis. I listened to her ramble, until I heard the word "caja" (box).

"Sí! Sí! Es por mi!" I exclaimed.

She was down the street but couldn't find our condos, so I got her pointed in the right direction (towards the transvestites) and ran downstairs to meet her. It was originally supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but this being Mexico and all... it didn't. 5pm on Friday still counts, right?

Lookie!


(I apologize if you don't care what's in my care package. I'm very excited.)

- The t-shirt is from the Champions League Final (fútbol) that coincided with my parents' trip to Rome in May.

- The NKOTB lunchbox is the surprise from Sara, along with the chocolate (that I'm hiding from Ibis -- he doesn't read this so he won't know) and Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper.

- Erica Orloff's Freudian Slip that I won several months ago has finally gotten here and I cannot WAIT to read it (my mother said I'll love it).

- Two more Evanovich books (thanks again Spy)

- You can never have too many magazines, but I do think it's ironic that the cover model for this month's Self magazine is none other than Ms. Jillian Michaels, the bane of my existence.

- Hair thingies. If I'm at home, I'm sitting in front of a fan and ever since I cut layers I've had wispies in my eyes. Hopefully these will remedy that. They do have these in Mexico, but only in flourescent colors and/or with sparkly things on them. No.

- AND my very first check for my writing, already framed courtesy of my parents. :)

Sadly, the cookies from Sara didn't make the cut. (Neither did the eyeshadow from my mom, but there wasn't even any evidence of that.)


Thanks Mom & Gary! Thanks Erica! And thank you Sara!

25 comments:

Melanie's Mom said...

As difficult as it was to get this package to you, we've decided that the next one will be personally delivered. We have lots of volunteers! I wonder why the customs folks left the chocolate and not the cookies -- they must not like chocolate... Enjoy!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

That sounds fine to me!

Mom, Ibis LOVES the shirt. It fits him perfectly and he's absolutely thrilled. Nice job!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Aw, man, no Nutter Butters? That makes me sad. :(

That lunch box is fabulous.

Adam said...

PICKLES!!!


Also, yay for care packages! :-)



Adam

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Janna, it really looks like they sat around the box eating them and I'm shocked the chocolate was intact!

I thought you'd like the lunch box. :P

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Adam, you have no idea. I'm going to have to keep myself from making pickle sandwiches.

JLC said...

I was wondering if the eyeshadow made it. Yay for care packages!!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Nope, no eye shadow. I still have some left from the old one, but I figured it takes up so little space that she may as well throw one in the box (I can't find that shade here). Oh well, now there's a Customs agents with earthy taupe eyes.

Melissa nance said...

Woo hoo! I remember when I was in Mexico (and God, I was there no where near as long as you!) and I got a care package from home I was through the roof!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Melissa, the best was I got to relive the excitement all over again with Ibis. He wasn't home when it arrived, so I laid out all his things where he would see them, but put the box under the table (vs in the middle of the floor).

When he got home it took him about ten minutes to notice two of the new magazines. He said "How have I never seen this one, and why is it wet?"

It took a couple times of me repeating his question back at him before he figured it out, then he jumped in circles looking for his shirt. So fun. :)

Aimlesswriter said...

Okay, next time tell mom to get a box of laxative and empty it out and put the eyeshadow in the empty box. Glue closed.

Yay for care packages! Always fun.

Now I'm wondering why there are no pickles in Mexico?

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Aimless, where were you two weeks ago? That's GENIUS!!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Oh, and I'm sure there ARE pickles here, but Zihua is a fairly small town so a lot of things are only available in bigger cities.

Plus, the stuff they DO pickle is all sweet, bleck.

Aimlesswriter said...

So I was telling my daughter about the cookies and eyeshadow and my idea about the laxatives and she had a suggestion.
Make cookies with the laxatives and it will be like poetic justice when they steal your cookies.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Even better! Remind me to run my plans by you the next time I'm expecting a package... or plotting revenge. :)

Aimlesswriter said...

We're from New Jersey, where the weak are killed and eaten....

Melanie Hooyenga said...

*makes note about New Jersey*

I thought Jersey was there just to give me speeding tickets.

Robin said...

I know I'm not supposed to comment on the pig on the pickle label but. . . huh? Quite the non sequitur, that.

I can't believe customs people steal stuff from people's care packages. That's so mean! I hope they get really fat on the cookies.

Nadine said...

I'm so glad you said the pickles were dill! I love pickles, but can't stand the sweet ones.

Yay for the package arriving!! Crazy that they took the cookies, but glad the other items arrived safely!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on receiving your first check! :)

I understand how you feel about receiving the package from home. I always get giddy when I receive packages from my parents. They're really sweet about sending me
stuff that I can't find here.

And, I'm a pickle freak. My favorite are these crunchy, spicy ones. It's by a German company which I doubt is available in the US or Mexico.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Robin, I'm guessing the pig has something to do with it being a deli item, but I don't know...

We were warned the eye shadow might cause a problem, but I'm surprised they didn't leave a note or something.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Nadine, I bought a second jar yesterday when we went back to look at the puppy stuff.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Thanks Gypsy! I was very surprised to see the framed check (which IS a photocopy) among my goodies.

erica m. chapman said...

Yay for pickles!! I love the NKOTB lunchbox! Looks like you also have some reading ahead of you!! All those books look like good reads.

How awesome are your parents for framing your check like that!! Glad you finally got your package... Yipee!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Erica, I'm very excited to start reading everything, and I had a bowl of pickles last night. Yum.