A walk. A morning of early exploration to see what the town holds for us.

But first, coffee! A little hole-in-the wall coffee shop where we (two big gringos) got sideways glances by the regulars until we ordered in Portuguese. Then, a “Good morning, how are you? Enjoy!”.

Then a dog.

Which was the funniest thing I saw all day.

A Pousada is like an oversized Bed & Breakfast. This one had 3 buildings with guest rooms in them, a game room, a pool, spa, hot top, exercise room, and a dining area.  With our room in the center building overlooking the pool through our big window, I think we got the best spot.

Our hosts were wonderful, the food was good, everything was spotlessly clean and comfortable.  Little details like these little guys gave our room some personality.  Staying here was our haven, and our own little corner of the world where we could get reacquainted again after months apart.

Being in such a long distance relationship has it’s brutally difficult moments, but there are also benefits. Those reunions, and what little time we do have together, are amplified and intense, and so good because we pay attention to every moment.  We know we don’t have many moments, so we make sure to enjoy the hell out of the ones we have, and we pay attention.

Our own little world surrounded us here, which was just what we needed.  Perfect.

Oh, and just a note of warning if you do ever stay in this adorable place. Don’t pet the cat!  Sneaky little shite bites hard.

Our little Pousada (like a big bed & breakfast) called “Mansardas”.  Found via Google search, and perfect for our long weekend.  I got to practice breaking in my Portuguese with the owners and their daughter who also spoke English very well.  Good thing too, because after 7 months away my Portuguese was terrible!

We loved it here and will definitely want to stay here if and when we go back to Teresopolis.

The road to Teresopolis.  Admittedly, I didn’t see as much of the scenery as I might have because I couldn’t take my eyes off the driver.  With months between visits, I’m greedy for the sight of him.

When we did stop to take in the view, it was beautiful.  After the crazy tangle of people and cars in Rio, it was a welcome thing to see the peace of the mountains and forest.

I thought the caterpillar was scary.  Give me a basket full of caterpillars any day over that phone call.

That phone call with the fading voice, telling me to call our emergency contact while I could hear the heart monitor beeping in the background.

That 10 minutes of scared scramble when I couldn’t find her number.

That second phone call with the words “Heart attack”.

That third phone call with the request to come, to be there, knowing that meant things might be bad.

That mad dash to the airport, praying for the phone to ring and afraid that it might.

That long, long overnight flight with no contact for almost 12 hours.

That walk through the hospital doors, not knowing what kind of news waited inside.

These are things I hope I don’t have to face again for a very, very long time.  Hopefully never.

He’s OK.  He’s recovering and should be totally fine.  My heart still beats.

We pulled over to enjoy the view not long before reaching Teresopolis.  As I watched him walk ahead of me (I love watching him walk ahead of me) I nearly leaned forward to rest my arms on this stone pillar.  I stopped just inches before I came down on this guy.

It’s a very good thing I didn’t.  These twiggy little caterpillars are deadly poisonous.

This is how I see him when he rides.  Sharp detail, clear focus, with the rest of the world fading away.

Its a dangerous sport, and a mother’s eyes get sharp when the babies are in danger, but MAN!  I’m so proud of him at the same time.

The big cats were good to me that day.

Or maybe just hungry.

Oh, my new toy is fun.

For something so cool, it’s GOT to bring me some Mom Points:

Yes!  I don’t know who’s more excited, my Girl, or me!