We're the Espinosa's

A little star struck… Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 by Kim

While not his usual claim-to-fame in the ballet world, Christopher Wheeldon did choreograph Center Stage. I won’t lie, I enjoy the movie big time! Chris was in town for HB’s performance tomorrow night of his “Carousel (A Dance)”, a short ballet to Richard Rodgers’ music from the iconic musical of the same name. He originally created it for New York City Ballet as a tribute to the centennial of Rodgers’ work. I love the music, and I think it’s in my blood because my mom is a musical nut and so were my grandparents. Actually, they especially loved Carousel and my mom remembers them singing it a lot. Kind of sweet.
After much back and forth last night because of schedule changes, an interview at KUHF, Houston’s NPR affiliate station, finally worked out. I was just thinking today that I’m thankful for our new, sweet intern because she was reminding me that it’s pretty cool that we get to go meet these awesome choreographers and hang out with them for a bit.

I was also happy to chat with Chris and appreciated how easy going he was! He literally got in my car & asked “So where are we going?” Now that’s easy going!

I’m looking forward to seeing his ballet and relieved the interview happened. (will air tomorrow on KUHF’s The Front Row kuhf.org)

On another note, Happy Birthday, Lindsey Kristen Mika! Of all days to forget my phone for the entire day, I was bummed I couldn’t give Linds a good morning wake up call. Happy Wednesday!

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The Monkey Story Monday, May 25th, 2009 by Kim

Sooo, it’s now been a while since we’ve returned from Nicaragua, and I did actually write a post about it. However, it just never made it up here & so I thought I’d start fresh…especially since Nick insisted I detail his monkey bite experience. In a nutshell, Julie, Nick & I were admiring a cute monkey at a hotel (picture Marcel from Friends) until Nick reached out his hand & then it was a blur. Somewhere in the mix I saw the monkey wrap all fours around Nick’s calf & throw his head back to sink into Nick’s leg like a turkey leg! Of course, Julie & I tried to get out of the way, but Nick shook the monkey off of him, the teeth didn’t break skin & he just had a few scratches. The monkey wrapped his arms around me and after I got him off, he hurled his body at Julie, but his extra-long leash saved her. The image of his outstretched body as he tried to get Julie still cracks me up. The best part is that after we caught our breath, a Nicaraguan working at the hotel told us not to play with the monkey because he bites women-not men-just women!

So there’s the monkey story! Nicaragua was beautiful, and we were very thankful for our awesome guides!

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A little taste of Nicaragua Friday, May 1st, 2009 by Nick

Hey dudes! We got back Wednesday from our trip to Nicaragua and were unfortunately thrown right back into our regular flow of work and business (busyness?). Our adventures were short and sweet as Dane and Julie gave us an extensive yet brief crash course of the South-West (most happening) region of Nicaragua. We flew into Managua where we were immediately exposed to the poverty that is accustomed to the people of the country. As we drove out of the city and into the country towards Gran Pacifica (the real estate development where the Thors work) we were grieved to see Nicaraguans lining the dirt roads living in itty bitty shacks made of whatever they could find. We spent a lot of the trip talking to Dane and Julie about the people as if they were a case that just needed to be cracked in order for things to get better. We found that even though they have so little they really have no aspirations for a better life. Poverty is ingrained in them, it’s just what life is. This trip was definitely a much needed culture shock that really put a few things into perspective for us. I could go on and on about the people and the conversations that we had but for now I’ll stick to our travels. After a day at Gran Pacifica we drove south to San Juan del Sur (the most touristy of all of Nica’s towns) and spent the night at La Posada Azul (The Blue Inn). We woke up to fresh fruit and some of the best french toast I’ve ever had.

After a day in San Juan we drove to Granada, which is an old Spanish colonial town, and had dinner with some of Dane and Julie’s friends. The town was very cool with a lot of bright colors making for some sweet pictures.

Then we stayed the night in a hostel at Laguna de Opoyo which is a lake inside of a volcano crater. Yes…we slept inside a volcano. We spent much of our day here swimming, lounging in hammocks, and reading. This was the most relaxing part of our trip.

Our last stop before returning to Managua was Masaya Volcano National Park. The cross at the top was put up by the natives who believed the volcano was the mouth of hell. There is an actual park rule that you have to back into your parking spot so you have an easier escape just in case the volcano erupts.

And that was pretty much of our trip in a nutshell. Of course in between all of these places we got to see a lot of Nicaragua’s beautiful landscape and small towns all with a unique feel to them. That’s all I’ve got but I’m sure Kim will be posting soon to fill in the gaps, so be prepared to hear about me getting bit by a monkey in full detail. Yes…I got bit by a monkey.

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