Shannon Larratt is Zentastic

It was wonderful being back in La Paz, my first real trip since moving back three years ago. Great to see a few old friends, and nice to be recognized around town (everyone wanted to know where Nefarious was of course). As well as revisiting many of my favorite places, we did plenty of things I never got around to doing when I lived there like driving out to the cactus sanctuary (more interesting than it sounds like) near the old mining “ghost town” of El Triumfo. We even visited the piano museum with it’s delightfully odd potential-vampire host.

Of course I got almost no work done!

Most things were the same, but I was surprised to see a massive development — a full subdivision with about a hundred homes and two skyscrapers — has been built on the sand bar across from the Malecon… The first serious hurricane is going to wash the whole thing away, and apparently it’s built very cheaply and is already falling apart before people have even moved in. Not sure if they’re having trouble selling them… I guess real estate down there is really hurting because with the low prices in the States due to the decimated economy, the deals are Stateside. My old house there seems to have been deserted and has been entirely taken over by the plant nursery next door who are now using the property for storage.

Caitlin with a sea lion swimming under her:

We rented a car while we were there and being back in Canada it sure strikes me how much more I enjoy driving in Mexico — people are much more intelligent drivers. I think having looser rules as far as stop signs and such goes forces people to think.

We ate a ton of tacos. I think I’m still stuffed.

Is it racist to say that I have an issue with Chinese tourists? People don’t seem to think it’s wrong to comment on the “ugly American” stereotype, but really, the Americans were polite if a bit dopey, but the Chinese tourists were without exception loud, obnoxious, rude, and unappreciative of what they were experiencing… Very unpleasant to be around.

Anyway… Zillions of pictures from Mexico follow (seriously, bandwidth hog after the break) — general pictures from La Paz, El Triumfo, and San Antonio, at the beaches of Tecolote and Ballandra, around Isla Espiritu Santo (where we got lucky and saw not only dozens of dolphins, but several grey whales as well), snorkeling at the sea lion colony, and more.

(Continued)

As you know, we’re in Mexico right now. This was written last week and is being automatically posted. I probably won’t be back online until the end of the year, so comment moderation will have to wait until then. I hope everyone is having a good holidays.

Caitlin and I are now in our fifteenth year together.

Way back in 1994 I walked into Stainless Studios — this is before I worked there — and she was working the counter. I had a huge instant crush on her, and from that point on our lives moved in parallel. I started working with her, as a jeweler, and like a puppy bringing their catch to their master, I made her jewelry after jewelry, including a spiral ring that she wears to this day. I got to know her as a talented, creative, and funny dream-girl and muse that I admire, respect, and Love to the bottom of my heart. She inspires me to create and to be the best I can be, and she makes me dream of the future and desire to improve it and live it with her.

We’ve had a few bumps and scrapes along the way, but they’ve never dulled our love and for most of these fifteen years we’ve been close friends, and often more — for the last two years, much more. I’ve gone through a lot in the last two years — medical difficulties and a trying legal dispute. Without her loving support it would have been hellish, but with my life so full of love, I felt like nothing could hurt me, and I still feel that way. A constant euphoria fills me when I think of Caitlin and the family that we have here — as well as being the perfect partner for me, Caitlin is a wonderful “step-mom”. I would never invite someone into my life if I didn’t feel they were as good a fit for Nefarious as they are for me, and Caitlin is caring, warm, and understanding with both of us.

As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, today in Mexico I’m going to be proposing to her… It’s something I’ll only get to do once in my life, so I want to succeed in having it be an ideal romantic memory. I chose one of my favorite places in the world — one that I think she’ll like as well — and am going to tell her how I feel, get down on one knee, and pop the question… For real. Wish me luck!

Picking out an engagement ring is pretty nerve-wracking… it’s something you really want to get right. I knew I wanted something special and unique, and I knew that Caitlin is far too exotic for anything I could easily find in a store. Because I knew she liked their work, I went to Deadringer and commissioned them to make me a custom Armageddon ring, with a pair of citrines set into the eye sockets — they look amazing contrasted against the shadow patina. The inside is engraved with “1COR13″ (a love-themed tattoo that we’ve shared for a decade), and a part of my head tattoo (meant to say “you’re always on my mind”). It’s really beautiful — the pictures don’t do it justice.

So, when I return, I hope it will be with my fiancé.

I Love Caitlin and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.