Holy Delinquent Blogging

OMG, I've been the worst blogger ever this past week!  And oh, what a week it has been.  We have had so many exciting events happen this week, I almost don't know where to begin.  For those of you that read this blog to gather information about Buenos Aires, this post will leave you empty - this will be solely an update on what has been going on in the world of Jon and Dawn...

Chris enjoying his time in Tigre

First and foremost, my brother Chris has been here all week in a semi-surprise, last minute vacation.  He bought his ticket two weeks ago and arrived last Tuesday, and we've been on the go ever since.  I will write more about our little adventures while he has been here, but it's worth mentioning that even with the last minute nature of his plane ticket, he got the best price out of anyone that has come so far.  Plane ticket prices go way down during the "winter" since it's so "cold" here and apparently no one wants to visit.  I think Chris would agree that our high-50s, low-60s sunny "winter" days are preferable to the insane 100-degree days that he's been missing in Virginia.  Word to the wise, June is a great time to visit! 

Newly engaged, hooray!

Speaking of brothers, exciting news, Jon's younger brother Dan and his girlfriend Lian are engaged!  This happened late last week and we could not be happier.  Dan gathered both of their families (Jon and I were there in spirit) in San Fransisco and after he proposed brought Lian to a restaurant where the families were waiting.  The poor girl must have been in shock for days.  Then they made the brilliant move and left for a week long vacation in Italy, so hopefully they have had some time to relax and absorb their new status while enjoying a wonderful vacation.  Congratulations Dan and Lian!

More than he bargained for...

In soccer news, Argentina has successfully advanced to the next round of the World Cup, while our poor home country got run over by Ghana.  The US put up a good fight, but we'll have to shift our alliance to Argentina for the remainder of the Cup.  With Brazil winning today, there is now talk of a Argentina vs Brazil final, which would be just insanity here.  World Cup fever is only getting stronger, and it's contagious.  We met friends to watch the last game at a bar in Palermo and we could barely get a taxi to take us, the streets were bare, the markets were closed and the restaurants and bars were slammed.  Luckily our friends got there early and secured a table for us right in front of one of the TVs.  It was great to watch the game with such a spirited crowd, especially with my brother along.  Chris got more than he could handle at the bar when, during halftime, he ordered the fish and chips and received a plate of whole fried sardines and calamari.  Priceless. 

On the home front, Jon and I have booked our next trip within Argentina, we're headed to Mendoza with our friends Shankar and Fernanda.  While America has the 4th of July off, we have to wait until the 9th of July to celebrate Argentinean independence day, so we are taking advantage of that holiday weekend to go on vacation and tour some wine bodegas.  Mendoza is home to the delicious Malbec that has become so popular in the US, and we are planning on tasting our way through the best of them.  I'll post details on this trip along with recommendations of our friends, and our take on Mendoza after our trip (which is the second weekend of July).  We are looking forward to adding another Argentina destination to our list and Shankar and Fernanda will be great fun to travel with. 

The last bit of news is that it's my dad's birthday!  Happy Birthday Dad!  I wish we were able to celebrate with you in person. 

That is our news update, and hopefully the end to my bloging hiatus.  Nos vemos pronto!