MEXICO MANIA

Unbelievable Changes in 6 Months . . .

2009-04-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

The adjustment from Mexico to here has been extremely difficult for Gordo and I!!! The cold and dry weather has been AWFUL!! Gordo has been sick since we got here and we're both freezing most of the time and our skin looks like alligators! I am still working at the law firm in Ogden and so thankful that I have it!! I have been doing Yoga twice a week, Gordo and I have signed up for swimming lessons which we take every Saturday together.

I'm glad the weather is getting warmer! It's been tough on Gordo and I having to stay inside all the time!! He's becoming his own little person and it's so fun to watch him develop his personality. It's taken a good long time for it to come out, but he is so funny!! He loves to play games of hide and seek, run away from getting dressed and is starting to talk up a storm!! He speaks mostly in English, however there are a couple of words that he WILL NOT give up. Agua and Avion. He used to say Mano every time without fail and one day he said hand and I was so taken off guard!!! It was funny!

Ben is still in Mexico and I don't exactly know the how's or when's of that situation. Right now we are trying to determine how long the immigration process is going to take. I was in hurry there for awhile, but now, we'll see how long it takes. There is no hurry. The only hurry I have is trying to find myself again and continue to adjust to life in Utah. It's getting better, but still a challenge!! There are so many things and people that I miss South of the Border that it hurts sometimes to even think about it!! But there are luxuries here that are nice too. But as I learned down there, luxury isn't needed! Good friends who become family and love are what you need to make any situation work!!

My family has been so great since I've been here! They have really stepped up to the plate and helped both Diego and I out! I couldn't ask for more than what I've been given at this time!!! I have been so blessed as has my family! I love them all so much and as much as I don't want to admit it, I miss Ben. Diego misses him and I know this is killing Ben! I pray that things work out soon and for the best!

I pray that you are all well and I promise to post some pics soon!!

Is It Over Yet?

2009-02-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

I believe that it is. I've been back in Utah for exactly 3 weeks now and it sure has been an adjustment! I love the Mexican lifestyle. I love the fact that I could work 4 hours a night and Saturday morning and have enough money to survive. I loved that I was starting a new business. I miss my friends terribly!! Mexican people are loving and warm and giving. I love them!!!

It's been interesting to see the difference in my life here as compared to there. Here I'm working 40 hours a week, begging for government help and barely seeing my son. I'm stressed, but fairly happy. It's going to take some time to get back into the groove of things!!!

I was so blessed to find a job the week after I got back!! I have been working in a law firm in Ogden, about 30 minutes away and it's been a GREAT mind diverter!!

2009 Suerte!!!!! (Luck!!!)

2009-01-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

I feel it, like I do every year, it's going to be a good one. But every year seems to be tougher than the last. I'm PRAYING that this one will bring good fortune, happiness and most of all, love!!!

New Photos . . . Finally!

2008-12-04T07:39:00.001-08:00

Here's a bunch of Photos from Aiden's 2nd Birthday, around town and whatever. The pictures of his ear are after he got bit by a gigantic bee. Nana got bit too. It was quite a mess. He is a boy in all ways possible!! He is one big bruise, just like his mother!! Can you believe how big Nana is? She towers over Aiden and when he gets frustrated with her, he bites her. It's a comical event!!

Neighbors . . . the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!!!

2008-10-24T17:16:00.001-07:00

Living in this new area has been interesting, needless to say. I have an iguana that lives on the back wall, a dog that barks at it every time because she's scared (that would be mine), a lady next door who thinks she's better than us and hardly acknowledges us and is also remodeling her house which has cut down our trees and left all the garbage for us to pick up, and a fabulously large lime tree where the family thinks its funny that I ask for limes. Every time I go over there, they give me a bag full. I've been here since June and I've met a few people. They are always nice and love Aiden. It's nice for him to have "little girlfriends" because all the kids that want to play with him are girls. I'll post pics of everything on my next entry.

It shocks me that October is almost over. Time is flying by and we are doing our best to try to make the most of our time here. We try to go to the beach once a week, it's tough taking Nana though, she loves it, but she gets car sick like nobody's business. EEWWW!!!! It has been the hottest month I've experienced since I've lived here, I am so glad I've got A/C. I think I would NOT survive if I didn't!!!

Ben has been working at the Port sometimes and at the same Hotel sometimes and with me sometimes. It depends on what's going on. Work here is a very strange thing. He is however working VERY hard on his education. He studies every night and I am so proud of him!!! His first 2 exams have produced A's. This has really helped motivate him!! He still has a very difficult time on the computer, and I lack patience in teaching that, so hopefully he'll be able to take a course sometime soon. We've been trying to get his brother to bring the car that's sitting there, not doing anything, here, but he just won't do it, so we have a lot of problems coordinating with work and Aiden. But so far, it's been working. He takes Nana running in the morning if he works in the afternoon, or not at all and then he takes Nana and Aiden at night. If it's just me, then I take them. It's an experience!!! As of last Friday the 7th, Ben was told that they wanted him full time at the hotel until April. I feel really good about it and he does too, but he is torn because he makes more money at the Port, but if he were to take the job he was offered, he would work from 7-3 one week, 3-11 the next week and then 11-7 the next week. Sometimes he would have to work double and that would be really hard on our family!!! I just don't feel that that would be a good choice for us. It was a tough decision, but I think that the hotel is where we need to be.

Aiden is growing up so fast! He's talking more and his language is split right down the middle between Spanish and English. He knows everything in both, but will say some in Spanish only and others in English only. The only time he says both is when you ask him "Yes" and he says "Si" or you say "Si" and he says "Yes". He's also saying words backwards, which we find REALLY funny! The word for tractor is Topo, and Aiden says Poto. No matter how many times we say Topo, it's always the same Poto. He can get quite cranky when he's tired, but I guess so does everybody!! Right now we're finally past the Elmo stage and moved on to "Lady and the Tramp" and if I can squeeze something else in, it's usually "Hercules". Ben and I can quote just about every word for both movies. It's REALLY annoying!!! Aiden has also come to the conclusion that "mamapapa" is one word. We are one being. I hate to admit it, but it annoys me! I am telling him over and over that I AM MAMA NOT PAPA!! Oh well. We were walking to the local market the other night and we caught 2 frogs. A really small one and a medium one. It was fun and he loved it!! And I did too!! Catching frogs has always been something I enjoy . . . call me CRAZY!!! Since the time change a few weeks ago, we were a week before you, he has really gone downhill. He has been a real challenge at daycare. I'm surprised they haven't kicked him out yet. He's picking fights, hitting the teachers and throwing temper tantrums. He has this really high pitched yell and it's awful. It's been scaring the other kids. I've been called a few times to pick him up. I sit him down outside and talk to him and make him apologize to all the kids, but when I get him home, I put him down and he's asleep within 10 minutes. His body and mind are having a tough time adjusting and I am having to keep him home this week to try to get the sleep back on track, because it is really embarrassing to go to daycare and have them tell me how awful he was!! That doesn't work for me or Ben. It's been a stress, but hopefully after this week, he'll get back on track and get it together!!!

I am VERY busy!!! I have started Yoga classes M/W/F mornings, which I love!!! They are free and I feel so at peace with myself when I leave. I have also started a business cooking out of my home. I'm selling cakes and cookies. So far they have been a hit, it's just taking a lot time to get the word out. It's called Guera's Goodies" which means "Blondie's Goodies". Ben has had real issues with the name, but he's warming up to it as the $$ comes in. I go to the Port area 2xs a week and sell out of the back of my car. Mostly I sell to my students, but I have also picked up some "regulars". Last week I ended up making several dozen cookies, cakes and cheese cakes from orders only. It was CRAZY!!! It's been a rough start, but I'm hoping that it will continue to grow!!! I've gained weight since I started this which has really annoyed me. I'm trying to kindof run with Nana, but as you all know, running is NOT my favorite thing. I like going to the beach, but Nana gets carsick and throws up every time. That's a real hit with Ben, let me tell you!! I'm still teaching and I'm beginning to really get into the groove of things. There are still some grammar teaching issues that I have and hopefully I can continue to improve my "methodology". I have a meeting with my boss this week to discuss it.

I can't believe that yesterday the 8th was my 5th anniversary. We went to dinner and movie. It was nice. 5 years . . . WOW!!! Man a lot has changed in those 5 years. I hope that the next year brings us some good luck and stability!! I hope all is well with all of you and I hope you all had a great Halloween!!

Aiden turns 2!!! AAAHHHH!!!!!

2008-10-15T21:24:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that October is halfway over. I started the last blog entry 3 or 4 weeks ago and just published today. Life has been hecktic!!!

For Aiden's birthday we went to Burger King, had ice cream and played on the toys. He loves it! Whenever we drive by there, he wants to go in. The frustrating thing about it is that the place where we grocery shop is in the same area. The following Sunday we invited several people to the beach for a little "party". We made ceviche and chicken salad. Only one person came. We were very frustrated!!! And to top that off, we had been there about 45 minutes and it started to pour!! It really wasn't a great birthday for Ben and I. Thank heavens, Aiden will have no recollection.

Since then, work has gotten a little better for Ben. He's gotten on the list more and usually shoves his way into the gates to work. My work is fine. Today was my last day with my Nissan Boys and it was very sad. I've had them for 3 levels and become quite attached!!! Hopefully, I can pick up another Nissan class in the next 2 weeks. The pay for that is AWESOME, even for the US!!

Crazy as it seems, I'm trying to start a dessert business. I am going to do a trial run next week. I'm going to sell cheese cake, cookies, chocolate cake and banana bread. I'm really hoping that this works out. The only downside is that my shy husband is going to be the one that has to sell. He's going to the Custom Agencies and during breakfast/break time going to sell pieces of everything and hand out flyers. He is TERRIFIED!! I think it will be good for him. I'm hoping that he'll make more money in an hour than an entire day of working. We'll see. Please pray and keep your fingers crossed that this will work out!!

I had to renew my FM3 Visa last month. As always, it was a nightmare. I got fined $525 pesos because I didn't report my move within 30 days. On top of that was the renewal fee of $2,000 pesos which my work paid for. I can't express my thankfulness for that. I didn't have the money for that one!!! I would have been an "illegal alien" in Mexico. How ironic is that? But it's all fixed and we're back in the groove.

Here in Mexico they offer free health insurance to people that work. It totally SUCKS, but it's free. When you go there, it is complete chaos and people wait for hours!!! I went and had a complete female check-up and it took a month for the results. I went to go get them yesterday and I had to schedule another appointment to have the doctor go over the results with me. That's really going to help . . . you know me and Espanol. Not happening!!! But you do whatcha gotta do!!!

We had some problems with our car and went in and got it fixed . . . or at least that which they had the parts for. That set us back $150 and we still have to pay for the parts when they come. If it's not one thing it's another.

Mexico is getting very scary these days. Maybe it's always been this way and I've been oblivious. Manzanillo has been the safest city in Mexico forever, but that is changing!! I'm ready to make the move out of here. When I finish my semester of teaching in May, we are leaving. I don't know if it will be to the States or Canada, but we're through with Mexico. The optimism is quickly deteriorating and Ben is so stressed out that he can hardly function.

HOWEVER, he is working on his schooling and placed in the 90% area!! I am so proud of him. That really helped motivate him for the next part of the course. He's spending every free amount of time he has studying. Frankly though, it's about time.

I can't believe that when I leave here in May, I will have been here 2 years and a month. WOW!!! It's seems like forever and just like yesterday when I got here. Time flies yet goes so slow.

I hope you're all doing well!! We are here. I'm trying to get my optimism back up for this bakery business.

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees . . . However, Limes Do!!!

2008-09-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

We've been under almost UNBEARABLE living conditions the past month. Not in the sense of "thing" i.e. roof overhead, health, etc. But Ben hasn't had a steady job, my income hasn't been enough to cover all our bills and Ben has been so stressed out and physically sick that the atmosphere at home has been REALLY tense!!! I found out on Saturday, however, that September and January are the 2 most difficult financial months in Mexico. I felt better knowing that, hoping that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I lived on $8 for 3 days. It's very degrading when you have to call your parents and ask for money. We usually ask Ben's brothers, but things are just as tight for them right now.

Ben got let go from the Hotel about 2 months ago and we've been trying to get him into SSA Mexico, which is the biggest Port Company here in Mexico and the States. BUT . . . in order for him to get into the gates, he has to go at 5:45am every morning, see if his name is on the list and if not, wait in a line, hoping that there is enough work for him to push his way through the gate.

As for the limes, I have a neighbor that has a HUGE lime tree and has given me bags full. I made Snickerdoodles and took them a plate. It's fun getting to know my neighbors. It's a slow process, but getting better!!!

The Little Things . . .

2008-09-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

In my Coversation Class the other day, we were talking about personalities and what makes us happy, angry, etc. As each person answered the questions, I thought about myself. One of the questions was if we were content with who we are. I've thought often about this question over the past 2 years and I can honestly say I am. It's taken a lot of heartache, stupid mistakes and hatred of myself and the world to get here, but I have. I thought back to the way I was in high school and up until my early 20s. I was a COMPLETELY different person than I am today. I am SO glad that I am. I am genuinely happy with who I am and proud of who I have become!!! I never thought I would like myself, I hated who I was for so long that I didn't think I would ever get out of that frame of mind. I am complete in myself.

Another one of the questions I asked was "What makes you happy?" It's interesting that the things that make you happy depend on where you are in your life. When I lived in the States, the BIG things made me happy, expensive classy clothes, having a beautiful big yard, being able to go to any sports game I wanted whenever I wanted, go to a big shopping mall whenever I wanted, etc. Now, it's the little things!! My son's laugh, my husband's unbelievable ability to be a fabulous father, the fact that I have a patio (a miracle here in Mexico), the fact that I have a roof over my head that doesn't leak, the sound of waves, coke, when I have enough money to go to a movie, that I don't have to wash my clothes by hand: I can rent a washing machine, the fact that I actually have a job, walking and jumping in the puddles of water from the crazy downpour 30 minutes ago and the amazing people that I have met here in Mexico that are so selfless and loving and willing to do anything for us. Yes, those are the little things that make me genuinely happy.

I hope all of you have found content in who you are and where you are at in this life!! Believe me, it's possible to get there!!!

Utah Excursion July-August 2008

2008-08-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where do I begin? Let's see, the sickness. Two days before we left, Aiden and I started feeling ill. I should have stayed home!!! But we went and from the start, leaving the house was in total Mexican fashion. Drama in the making! Ben was supposed to get off at 12:30 and I wanted to be at the airport at 2:00p. Of course, he walked in the door at 2:10p. I was SO happy!!! I had packed up the car and was ready to go. I basically had to shove him out the door. We finally got to the airport in a manic attempt to be somewhat there in time for international travel. We rushed in and then after check-in we sat outside in the waiting area. This waiting area was before going through security. Apparently, on the other side of security there is nothing, but a few chairs. So, we sat there and tried to keep control over my son. It was tough. All through this, I was thinking, this is going to be a great airplane trip!!! We finally go our call to go through security, kissed Ben goodbye and left. It only got better from there. We left 1/2 hour late, but I will say this, Aiden was pretty good. I was surprised. However, about 15 minutes off the ground I realized that I had forgotten the car seat. Not exactly the thing I wanted to forget considering that mom reminded me SEVERAL times to bring it. I was panic mode. When we got to L.A., which is a custom NIGHTMARE we got through and I attempted a collect call to Debra to tell her that I had forgotten the car seat. Oh boy did that go over well!!! She was SO happy and I was happy that she was happy!! We then got on the next flight which was a night flight and Aiden slept for most of it. I sat next to the most interesting man!! We talked about a lot of fascinating things. It was cool!!! We got to SLC and Mark and Debra were there waiting. The first thing dad said to me was where I had gone, meaning my body. I was happy to hear that. We loaded up the car and went home. Thank goodness Aiden was so tired or it would have been a LONG night!! He was in a strange house, bed and I wasn't in the room with him. The next morning we got up and went upstairs. He was overwhelmed!!! We walked into the front room where there were so many toys, I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head! Debra was so excited she started playing all the loud toys. It terrified him! He slowly adjusted and began to relax. It got even better when Cooper arrived!!

Then the boat loading drama!! I don't quite know how to explain that one. We've done it the same for 15 years . . . there shouldn't have been all the stress and bitching that there was. But, it got done and we got on our way. We've gone to Lake Powell every year for 15 years and taken the boat every time. There has NEVER been a problem with the tires on the trailer. But for some reason one decided to blow. That was exciting. Everybody standing on the side of the freeway watching Brett and Chris change the tire. Good times. We got to Powell LATE! It went downhill from there. Aiden and I were sicker because of the altitude change, the dry heat and the houseboat that was kept in freezer like condition. We were also on a 2 hour time difference, everybody was white, speaking English and he didn't know anybody. It was AWESOME!!! On top of that, everybody felt that my child was not disciplined the right way and he was "out of control" and they all wanted a say in how I was to discipline. It was GREAT!!! However, the eyes of my son the first morning when he could actually see all the water, was worth EVERYTHING!!!

By the end of the "supposed to be 10 day vacation" that lasted 4 1/2 days, Brett had gone to the hospital, Cooper was sick, Hank had green boogers in his eyes, Mark and Debra weren't feeling too well and we decided to go home. Which is too bad because the newly remodeled houseboat was absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!! Here are a few photos.

After our shortened Lake Powell trip we headed back to Bountiful on Friday. I went to Ben's sister's house and that was fine, I got offended, but that just added to all the offending that had already happened. What's one more. After that, I spent a lot of time shopping and trying to see as many people as I possibly could. Didn't get to everybody I wanted, but I tried. I did get to see a lot of my mom's side of the family and my dad's parents. That was really nice!!

It was so AWESOME to see the bond between my son and his cousins. It was like they had never been apart and never met!!

Although it was nice to be there, it was better to get back here. As soon as the plane landed in Manzanillo, a huge weight of stress left my shoulders. I even got stopped by customs and I didn't even care. It's interesting where home is. Here are some pics from the trip!!

2008-07-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Quite a bit has happened over the past three days. Ben had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off of work. The first two days we cleaned -- not just regular cleaning -- but down and dirty. It wasn't fun!!! Today, we finally got the hammock up and it is fabulous. Ben slept in it for 3 hours. I spent about 10 minutes. I had to teach tonight.

Aiden was a real stinker at daycare today. When I picked him up he was in time-out, sleeping (that sure says a lot about how much he cares about time-out). When he's with me, I put him in time-out at least 4 or 5 times. If he kicks the dog and I tell him "No" and try to comfort Nana, he kicks her harder, that then leads to time-out. He could care less. He sits there and watches what's going on. It's really annoying!!!

It's strange, but Aiden has NEVER had his own room. He has slept in the same room or bed with Ben and I since he was born. Circumstances made this the way it was. But now we have an extra room and we put him in there by himself for the first time Monday night. He went to bed fine, but at about 3 am, he realized that he was by himself and went crazy!! Last night he sort of fell asleep, but when he heard me come home, he let loose, of course I gave in and put him in bed with us. Tonight I'm really going to leave him alone. He's asleep as of now, but I don't know if that will last all night.

Yesterday Nana was really lethargic and didn't look so good, so I took her to a vet. This vet was a little old man who was sleeping when I arrived. He checked her out and gave me medicine (for free, I might add) to get her high fever under control. How cute is that? She is very stubborn!! She pees all over and I have swatted her over and over with a newspaper to get her to go "potty" on the newspaper. As is the practice of my son, whatever. She'll hide, but that's about it. She carries on like normal.

Tomorrow we are having a washing machine brought to our house for 24 hours. It will cost us $7. I am SO excited to not have to wash by hand!!!

It has been raining quite a bit the last couple of days which is nice because it cools everything down. However, there is no place for the water to go, so the streets are flooded. I LOVE IT!! I drive around splashing as much as I can. Of course I am careful around people, but oh, it's a great time!!

That's about it for now. I've put some pictures of our house on here. It is such a 180 degree turn from where we were and have been!! But it's ours.

Moments

2008-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, a dear cousin of mine lost her 14th month little girl in an accident. I have been extremely impressed with her daily writing on her blog. I've read it everyday and cried many tears. My heart and prayers go out to her and her family. But in one of her daily entries, she told us to write down little moments we remember or notice about our little ones. I've thought over the past couple of days about doing this, but haven't gotten around to it, but it's something that I feel is important.

Aiden Diego Rodriguez

I love my son so deeply but sometimes he is very difficult to like. But just the thought of losing him, makes my heart hurt and my eyes fill with tears. Things he does that I can't help but smile . . .

- When he gets excited or a song comes on with a beat, he does this little shimmy with his upper body.
- When he sees water of any kind, whether it be in a cup, on the street, the ocean or in the shower, he gets so excited and has to be in the middle of it.
- Putting my ipod headphones up to his ear and smiling so big when he can hear the music.
- Taking any phone there is whether it be a real one or his play one and talking into it. His favorite thing is when Ben or I pretend to answer it and talk in "Spanglish" -- "Bueno. You want to talk to el Gordo? Quien habla? His novia?" And then we hand him the phone. He gets so excited, you can't help but laugh.
- He's now starting to do the copycat thing. Everything Ben or I do or say, he tries it. Granted his speech is a little garbled, but he sure tries.
- He thinks that Nana (our new family addition, a puppy) is his own little toy. He doesn't realize that she's so small and he tries to lay on her, pick her up by the tail, kick her like a ball and hold her upside down.
- He loves being read to. Especially "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". I've taken on singing this to him as has Ben. There's a spider that lives in the top corner of our shower, not large, but I'm aware that he is there, as is Ben and Aiden. When we get in the shower, we have to sing the song and he is happy.
- Feeding himself . . . what more can I say?
- There's a drink here that is called "Yokult" and it has been his favorite since he was 2 months old. Don't ask why he has been drinking it since that young, it wasn't exactly my idea. But he goes to the fridge and has me open it and looks for Yokult or yogurt. If there isn't any, he just looks. He doesn't care that all he sees is pots and pans, he just want to look.
- He has now caught me in a web of singing him to sleep. It's terrible for me, but a great comfort for him. One song in particular shuts him right up and he listens. I rub his back and my fingers through his hair. Usually he falls asleep rather quick. Tonight was a different story, but it happens.
- Body functions: farting, peeing on the floor or me and burping are things for him to laugh at. Unfortunately, his father encourages it. It makes me crazy!!!

He is an angel sent to Ben and I. I mean that in the sense that he is a gift, as for being an actual angel right now leaves something open for negotiation. I am so grateful to have him! I am so grateful that he has this opportunity to spend a couple of years in a place that part of his ancestors are from and learn their language.

Yes he drives me crazy and tries my patience (what little I have) but I wouldn't trade him for the world!

The photos before the entry -- backwards!!

2008-06-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

Reflection over a year . . .

2008-06-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

That's a long time to reflect on! That was actually when I entered my last blog. I've found that it's easier to upload photos here than on email, so we're going to try this for awhile.

Reflection:

As I've lived here over a year, I have met and made some amazing friends!! Because of them, I have been able to survive!! I've also learned that I need a lot of faith to get through the tough spots!! Circumstances here have made some friendships tough and literally impossible which breaks my heart! These are the friends/family that were there through the roughest times at the start. I am so thankful to God for sending them into my life when he did. I think about them often and find myself feeling a tightness of chest and regret. But there are so many others that I can't even begin to tell you have made a difference!!!

I was in my conversation class on Tuesday and we were talking about me being here. And I had actually been thinking about that on my drive to class. Was I upset at Ben for making the choices that he did that brought me here? Did I regret being here? The answer to both of those questions is ABSOLUTELY NOT!! How lucky am I to have this adventure!!! To do the things I've done, to meet the people I have, to experience an entirely different life. Yes, it's been harder than hell, but worth every minute!!!

Up To Now . . .
It's been awhile since you've heard from me, other that I was barely alive. When I said that I didn't mean by lack of food, it was stress was literally killing us! We ended up moving out of the Chateau when first the water went out (at that point, Aiden and I took a bus trip to the Ranch and left Ben to fend for himself), then the electricity and gas. So, basically, we had to use the public showers in the Jardines (a word they use for garden area) and the Kiosko (our version of 7-11) to go to the bathroom. Fine. It was time to go anyway. However, when we left we left an ANGRY family with Maria. The last night I was there, Simon, her 21 year old son threw a party from hell. It was so loud and the music was so awful, it made me physically sick. When I went down to tell them to turn it down, Simon looked at me like an innocent little puppy. I wanted to strangle him. We had talked about these parties for 8 months and nothing ever changed. So, the next morning, Ben got up to find that our car had been keyed. Up until then, Ben had been a patient individual, not causing any waves, just hanging out and letting me do all the talking. (probably not such a good idea) But when he saw that, he had me call Mike and it was over from then on. Mike was furious and when I told Simon that the parties were over, he had moved out of the house within 2 hours and Maria didn't show up for work for 2 days. They were FURIOUS with us for calling Mike. But what was I to do? I had talked to everybody several times, but nothing happened. It was time Michael knew. This was all happening the first week of May. I went to the Ranch and my brother-in-law and Ben's cousin drove me home to a house with no water and electricity. Boy was that a fun time!!!

HOUSE HUNTING

In the meantime, we had found a house that we were in LOVE with!! It was exactly what I wanted and we were going to put a deposit on it and it was going to be available the first of July. When I went to the Ranch, I told Ben to contact the lady and give her some sort of deposit. When I came back, he hadn't. Surprise, Surprise! This was still in the first part of May. Well, Nicole, my best friend here, was renting a house from the same lady that I was planning on. But Nicole's house was going to be ready sooner and she was going to California for some health testing. She told us to move into her place until the other one became available. When we were moving into Nicole's house, the Senora was there and Ben went to give her some money for a deposit and she told us she had already rented it to someone else. There was no "sorry" NOTHING!! Upset is a mild word for what I was at that moment. So, we found a bunch of houses for rent and found a man who found places for us to rent. That was his job. He showed us one the night we called. We loved it and called him within a half hour telling him we wanted it. He told us all the paperwork we needed and we got it together, the deposit and everything. He texted me the next morning telling me that the house had already been rented. That's 2. Okay, I had a roof over my head, water and electricity, but it was AWFUL living conditions. (I'll explain later) We just wanted out. So, Alberto (jack-ass as we now refer to him) kept looking and everytime he found something either there was a problem or I hated it. He found us one that we had decided was the perfect location, the perfect price, etc. First, it was available, then it wasn't because there were painters having problems with the owners, and then it was rented and then the next day, it was available. He texted me and told me to meet him at 1:30 because someone else was looking at it at 2:00. I hurried over told him I wanted it and we would sign the papers that night. That was Friday. He never called or texted (he never wanted to waste minutes calling, so it's cheaper to text). On Monday, I had had it with waiting. I texted him and told him to call me. He finally did and told me that the house was unavailable. At that point, we were finished with him. The last time I met with him to look at another house, I ran into Brenda who is now my current Landlord. We moved into this house June 15th. It's 3 bedrooms, a/c, completely furnished (beds, fridge, stove, etc.), and a large patio. One of my requirements. I finally have a place where I can hang MY pictures, MY things and feel like I actually belong instead of leeching off someone else. Of course we moved in Monday and Ben's family showed up Tuesday. It's interesting that they can always end up coming at the worst times. When I got in there on Monday, Brenda said she would have it clean. Uhhh . . . if what I moved into was clean for here, I don't even want to know what dirty is. We spent 2 1/2 days just cleaning. We found cockroaches the size of keys, dead mice, spiders. It was so disgusting!! GROSS!!!! But we got through it, his friend came and fumigated, but that will probably have to be done a couple of times. At least here, we don't really have to worry about scorpions. It's cockroaches and I can handle those!! I'm becoming quite good a washing clothes by hand, BUT I did find out that you can rent a washing machine for $8 per 24 hours. And if you get one on Friday, you can keep it until Monday for the same price. Yeah, will be doing that!! Ha! Ha!

Marimar -- Nicole's house

This house was such a blessing. Ben and I can't thank Nicole enough for her generosity, but it's for one person. And it's in the perfect location for Nicole because it's right by the highway and that's how she gets to work. For Ben and I it was REALLY far away. He had to walk a mile to catch the bus in the morning. It was so dusty out there that you'd clean something and within minutes it had a inch of dirt on it. We had nothing to put our clothes in so we were living in bags and boxes. We had a fridge and microwave, but that was it. There wasn't anywhere to hang our wet clothes so we became very good at improvising!!! The neighbors had 3 children and one of them was crying at all times. They didn't take baths and the dad beat on a regular basis with a belt. Not exactly my cup of tea. The neighbors on the other side were fabulous! They have a dog named Blackey and boy did that dog love Gordo and I. He smiled everytime he saw me! (Those of you who know what a dog looks like when they smile, will understand) Nicole had bought two couch/beds (not futons--different) and the 3 of us slept together. Not so much my favorite thing!! It was really camping. The floors were cement and impossible to keep clean. I'm not complaining because if it hadn't been for this house, I don't know what we would have done!! I'm just telling you how it was. I attached some pictures of me washing clothes there. I really am getting good at it. But I HATE it with a passion!!!

Work

Ben is still working at Hotel Tesoro. Right now is Mexican season which is a lot of work and no tips. As of this minute I have 50 pesos to my name! ($5) Thankfully he gets his tips today and paid on Friday. I get paid Monday. The reason we are running on nothing is because we had to come up with rent and deposit for the month of July. So, thankfully, July is paid and what I make over the next little while will go straight to saving for August's rent and bills we haven't had to pay until now. Although that's a new stress I'm okay with that. I'm still teaching English and Tech and I enjoy it. I picked up a group of engineers at Nissan and they are so much fun!!! We are on a break for now, but hopefully starting up again in a week or so. Exams are next week for all my other classes so, I'm preparing those and that's about it on that front.

Aiden . . .

Now this is a topic that is hard to put words to!! He is so damn cute!! He's so funny! And he has endless amounts of energy. He just isn't gentle. Does that make sense? At daycare, he is the bully. He picks fights, he pushes, he hits, kicks, bites, whatever he feels like doing. It's so awful. There's one little boy that cries the minute he sees Aiden because he's scared of him. That is so NOT okay with me!! I am at a loss of what to do. They put him in time out. He's usually there about 30% of the day and doesn't cry once. He doesn't care. On Sunday, I put him in time out almost the entire day and he just sits there. I was under the impression that that was supposed to be a punishment. Apparently for my son, it isn't. He's not as picky as he used to be at eating, which is nice. He's slimming down, kind of. He's tall!!! His obsessions are still the same: agua (water), pelota (ball) and wow-wow (dog). I don't think he could survive if these things did not exist. He has started to get into the Disney cartoons. But we have to be careful with what he watches because he gets scared REALLY easy. When a plane flies overhead, he freaks out! In the movie Mulon, he gets really scared with the Huns. We have to hold him. So, we are trying to monitor his cartoon watchage.

The Weather

HOT! HOT!! HOT!!!! It finally came. It hit about a week ago and hasn't stopped. It's rained a few times which makes it even worse! It's so hot that when you step outside it's hard to breathe because the humidity is so thick! It's like you have stepped into worldly sauna. Yuck!! And as humid as it is, you would think that my face and hands wouldn't be dry, but they are. What's up with that? I've lived here for over a year and not once have I gotten burned and I've spent a lot of time at the beach!!! But when Ben's family was here, we went on a Party Boat and I fried! It was so wonderful. Up until that point my skin was pasty white because of stress and I looked sick. I feel a little bit more spunky. My husband's cousin bought us a hammock, we just need to get it up. I am SO excited!!!

The Surprise . . .

I waited until now to tell you. We're excited and a little overwhelmed right now. I'm Pregnant!!

Gotcha!! We are excited and a little overwhelmed but not because I'm pregnant, are you kidding? I'd probably kill myself!! We were given a gift and her name is "Nana". She is one cute mut! She's 2 months old and finally clean. I've had to shower her 3 times with special soap to get rid of all the fleas and ticks. And then I had to give her worm medicine. That was the worst!! She was so full of worms. The poor thing. I'm a little stressed right now trying to potty train her. It's easier when Aiden is at daycare, but when he's here, it's almost impossible! He picks her up by the tail and drops her. He wants to lay on her, but he doesn't realize she's too small. I can't even imagine having another child right now. Nana is almost as tough as another baby. Mariah, I admire your willingness!!

That's where life stands right now!! I'm heading up north July 19th and will be in Salt Lake around the 1st. I would like to see as many people as possible! This time, I won't have any doctor's appointments except one! Dentist. :)

I hope all is well for everybody!! Loves and kisses!

Mishaps and Life

2007-06-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems that life is a never-ending saga of stress and love. It´s been so tough down here. I can´t even begin to describe it, but I wouldn´t change the challenges I´ve had for the world. It has definitely made me a much stronger person!!! The first part of June the house I live in got broken into and my computer and camera were taken. They were the only things. Gotta love that. So unfortunately, my communication with the outside world has been cut dramatically. I make it to the internet maybe once a week. It´s really annoying. What sucks the most about all of it, however, is the fact that all my photos from 3 years were on that computer as well as all my new photos of here and my son. I also don´t have a camera now to record everything again. It breaks my heart everytime I think about it. But stressing about it won´t bring it back, so I´ve done my best to move on.

My English classes are going well. I love it!! I have picked up one private lesson and she is a very fascinating woman. Her name is Bellen and I teach her twice a week at her Spa. Yes, you read it correctly. She opened and runs her very own spa. It´s awesome. She has done so much in her life and it fascinating to hear her talk about everything.

Things with my husband are okay. Ya know, it´s so stressful here and every little thing tends to inflame our stressful situation. He had a bought with the ocean a couple of weeks ago. He got carried out in the tide and almost drowned. Thank heaven that a surfer noticed his distress and got him back into shore. It was very scary and I couldn´t do anything from the shore. I had a sleeping baby in my arms. I freaked out!! Wouldn´t you? To top that off, that weekend, he lost his job. It was SO AWESOME!! Honestly, it doesn´t get much better than getting robbed, almost losing your husband and then having our meager income made even more meager. I love it!!

However, there are a few things that have been great!! Every morning we see our neighborhood iguanas hanging out in the sun. It´s so cool to see those things just right there on the street. Last weekend it finally rained and as we were driving up the dirt road to get to the house, crabs were walking alongside the car. They were good sized. I´ve never seen anything like that before in my life! It was cool.

I finally went skinny dipping in my pool. It´s about time. I´ve been here almost 2 months and hadn´t been. There´s nothing like the freedom of nakedness. Ha! Ha!

My son is so cute. I know I may be prejudice, but he really is!! He is getting bigger everyday and it´s amazing to watch the development. He´s very determined to get his way and will stop at nothing to get it. It´s interesting how stubborn he is. We have a walker for him and our house has amazing marble floors and TONS of space for him to walk/run around on. He is everywhere and we had to put up gates around everything, ie the indoor pòol and the pooltable. If you say no, it automatically means YES. Imagine that!!

The mosquitos are a KILLER here. There is also a red ant that is in everyting and they bite. What a pain. And last night, a bat got into the house. Just a little one, but one nevertheless. We got him out this morning.

That´s a quick update on things here. I hope you´re all well. I would have posted pictures, but no camera. Hopefully one will appear soon. Who knows?!

It's been a whole month!!!

2007-05-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's been a month. I was telling Maria today that it seems like it's only been a week or so. I can't thank the Lord enough for the people that he has sent me here and my friend Michael who has helped us out dramatically!! The family that takes care of the house where we are staying has become ours. If it wasn't for them and their support and love of us, I don't think we'd still be here. They have helped me out so much with Aiden, cooking and destressing!! My other friend here is Gina. She does the rentals at the Chateau and we've really been a support for eachother!! And then there's Michael. I can't begin to thank him enough!! There aren't words for the appreciation I have towards him!!!

My students are so fabulous and quickly becoming an inspiration to me. I love getting up early to get to my morning class. They are happy and friendly and genuinely excited about learning and having me there. I enjoy feeling accepted and wanted. Does that make sense? My evening students are just as giving. One of them has invited me to his home on Saturday for his 2-year-olds birthday. I'm looking forward to going!! It should be a nice outing for my small family. I'm really hoping that I'll pick up some other classes soon. The school that I'm working for has picked up most likely 3 more classes starting the first of June. I get at least one of them for sure. That will be great! I've decided that my calling in life was to be a teacher. I love it so much!! I'm learning all kinds of things about English grammar that I had no idea about. And it really gets my brain going trying to think of ways to explain the rules that just are "normal" to me in my everyday speaking.

Ben is finally working. Mike told us not to settle, but we were getting desperate. The good thing about this job is that it isn't under contract so we can continue to look for something else in the meantime. He's so much more at ease now that he has an income, a small one, but it's something. Depending on his paycheck Friday, he gets paid weekly, we'll go from there deciding how many more hours he should pick up. I'm hoping that once "on-season" comes back around . . . July . . . something with more money will pop up. It's just that right now, nobody is hiring. We'll see.

Aiden continues to make new noises and sounds on a daily basis. Today he's discovered that his vocal chords make a very loud and piercing squeak. Not something I particularly like!! However, his personality is unbelieveable!! He is so happy and cheerful all the time. It's been interesting to watch him grow . . . not necessarily physically . . . but mentally and emotionally. He's very smart and knows what he likes and does NOT like. He's very vocal about it. He knows he's cute and plays that to his advantage. Maria and he family give him so much love and attention that he is almost unbearable when they aren't here. He still LOVES to jump in his jumperoo but he's now learning to walk in a walker that we found in the office. He's really good at going backwards, but I'm guessing in time that I'll be chasing him around the house. He also continues to love the water. Any kind of water whether it be the pool, the shower, the kitchen sink or the hose. He discovered that yesterday. He had his first professional massage today. He pee'd all over he and the kitchen table. I can't begin to put into words my embarrassment. She only laughed and told me that that was pay enough. The Mexican people sure love kids and don't give a second thought to burping in church, farting at the store or peeing all over them. Kudos to them!! Ha! Ha! The other day I was teaching Maria how to bake brownies. We gave Aiden the spatula. The attached picture is of that. Man did he love it!!

Yesterday I witnessed a funeral parade. It was truly fascinating!! There was the hurse and then people walking behind it and following the people walking was a band playing very happy music. Because the person who had died had been a taxi driver, there were about 50 taxi's following the band. It was very interesting. Maria was with me and I asked her if all funeral processions played happy music and she said it was up to the family. I would definitely want a Happy Parade!!!

Another thing here that I've noticed is the amount of people they fit into a car. When I was back at the Ranch, Ben's uncle showed up in a 2-door car. I watched as 8 people emerged. Besides the fact that they were CRAMMED in there, there was no airconditioning and it was about 95 degrees outside. It was unbelieveable! It's totally normal here in Mexico. I always wondered why the Mexicans in Salt Lake tried to get as many people in the car as possible. Now I know. That's what the do here. Seatbelts and Carseats for kids are non-existant. Ben's sister had never put a seatbelt on in her entire life and had to ask me how to do it. I was SHOCKED needless to say!! I just have to remember that this is a different place with different perogatives. Not exactly what I would choose, but ya know, they aren't me!!!

It's been hot here in Manzanillo! 85 degrees with the humidity making it about 120. I'm NOT kidding!! I changed clothes yesterday about 5 times in an hour. I have to dress nice for work in the morning, and then I have to plan my wardrobe around carrying Aiden. He pulls on my clothes until they're almost stretched out completely. I tried to wear a dress yesterday, but learned very quickly that it didn't "breathe." Therefore, it will not be worn again until it cools off a bit! If any of you plan to come visit, PLEASE wear "breatheable" clothing!!!

My Little Man

2007-05-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been here about 2 1/2 weeks now and things are okay. Ben is still not working and I only work 4 hours a week, but we're hanging in there! Thank heaven for our little man!! He is so happy and good that we are able to keep going! He lifts our spirits minute by minute. I can't explain it . . . I know all parents feel that way, but I do especially!! We are in such a stressful situation that it's so wonderful having a happy baby that loves to smile and laugh! He has been an absolute joy and is that way for everyone that he comes in contact with. You can't help but fall in love with his smile. I thank God everyday for him and his fabulously sweet disposition! The attached video gives you a little bit of the joy we get on a daily basis!!!

This Week . . .

2007-05-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Things are moving along here. I finally have a job that I can tell. I didn't want to jinx myself by telling everybody. I tend to do that! I'm working at an English School and at a hotel as concierge. I'm really excited about both of them. I taught my first class this morning. It's at a business called Tuny. They catch fish and can it, I think. I have 6 students and they all speak English, I just help them continue their pronunciation and grammar. I'm learning a lot of grammar that I didn't already know. It's kind of interesting. This morning we had a lesson on opinions and how to defend your opinion. We had a pretty good debate about a few different topics. It was great! I was very impressed with their ability to speak English. Tonight I am teaching another class and looking forward to it! As for the hotel, I went in to meet the owners on Saturday. I had already spoken with the owner's daughter and she didn't think I could do the concierge job because of my lack of Spanish. I completely understood, but she really wanted to find another job for me at the hotel. When I met her parents on Saturday, they really wanted me to work there in some capacity, they really wanted me for concierge, but also felt that Spanish was needed. I met with the Manager/Other Owner of the Hotel who is Mexican, and he wanted me for concierge. He felt that they had enough Spanish to cover me. I just have to practice a lot. So, I went in last night and he told me that I was to start Monday. I'm really excited about it. Of course it's hardly any money, but at least it's full time and something coming in. So, my schedule is as follows, or what I want it to be,
7-9 English Teacing
9:30 - 5:30 Concierge
6-9 English Teaching
Yes I wll be VERY busy, but I love to be busy and if I love both jobs, I should be very happy!!! We really need to work on getting Ben a job. It's killing him and in turn killing me!! Aiden is doing well!! He is loving it here and getting SO much attention. In all honesty, it makes me crazy because he wants me to hold him every second of every day. Not okay with me!! But he is so dang cute!!! That's just about all that is going on. Today we may go to the beach or to see Spider Man 3. I don't know. I teach again tonight. Have a great day!!!

Finally here for good!!

2007-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well we made it. Not without mishap however!! My mother and i drove from Salt Lake to Phoenix without any problems. I stayed there for 2 days with my mother's best friend Suzi. It was great to finally relax after a week of packing and cleaning. However, it was not good to have 2 days to continue to stress about getting across the border!! I was so nervous, I had heard horror stories. NOT my favorite. I finally talked with Ben on Saturday night and we planned to meet at the border at 7:00am. I got to the border and got flagged over to the side. I put on a smile and got my shaking knees under control and got out of the car. The man smiled, asked me what I was doing and sent me on my way. I was shocked. As I crossed into Nogales, I looked for Ben, I actually spent 2 hours looking for Ben. He went to the wrong border crossing. By the 2 hour mark, I had lost it and started to cry. Right in front of where I parked there was a money exchange store and the guy that ran it was so nice to me and helped me look for Ben. I was very thankful considering that border towns tend to be very scary!!! We got on our way at about 9:30 and drove until our fanbelt went out at about 7:30pm. Thank heavens that we found a garage and pulled in right as the car died. The mechanic told us that everything was closed because it was Sunday and we would have to wait until tomorrow. The owner ran right over and told us that he would take Ben to the AutoZone and get the part. Of course it took 5 trips to AutoZone to get the right fitting belt and I stayed at the mechanic's shop waiting patiently each time. The owner came over and spoke with me in between each trip. Ben told me later that he had spent the entire time talking about me and how beautiful I was, how nice me legs were and that he wanted us to stay in his City. He would have me work in his shop at the computer and teach English in town. It was hilarious. Ben and I call him the horny grandpa. It was funny! We slept in the car at a gas station with about 5 other cars doing the same thing. We made it to the Ranch that night and promptly went to bed. We spent the next few days sitting around and I went CRAZY!! Sitting around is not something I enjoy for too long!! By Sunday I was so ready to leave. I spent the day at the hospital with my sister-in-law, my mother- in -law and a couple of other ladies in the Ranch. Negra (my sister-in-law) couldn't go to the bathroom and decided that the hospital was the place for her. Boy was that an interesting adventure!!! We sat outside in the waiting room, which was literally outside for 4 hours. In the meantime, a minivan pulled up and a couple of men carried in an old man that looked dead. They put him on a stretcher in the hospital then rolled him out in front of us into another part of the hospital with a white sheet over his entire body, including his head. Isn't that what you do with the dead? It was very interesting. They promptly announced his death to the family and they of course showed grief and then left. Just after that, a hurse pulled into the waiting area asked where the body was and then left. About a half hour later, he came with a coffin in the back. They took it into the room where the old man was, put him in it and then carried it back through the waiting room and into the back of the hurse. It was all rather strange!! After Negra felt better, we went home. I began packing up the car. For those of you who know how much I love animals, this next part will have you feeling for me. Ben's family has 3 dogs. One female and two males. The two males are sweethearts and are craving attention. I give it to them because nobody else there does. It drives me crazy!! So anyway, the older one and I have become great friends over the course of the past couple of months. While I was packing up the car, all of a sudden Perro went crazy, ran under my car, rolled around, made horrible noises and then ran into the bathroom, jumped into the tub and promptly died. It was AWFUL!!!! I bawled and bawled. My mother-in-law couldn't understand why I was so upset. She could've cared less. As well as everybody else in the Ranch. I was physically ill!!! I then became the laughing stock of the Ranch. Everybody knew I had cried over the death of the dog. It was horrible!! I was very ready to leave there, needless to say!!! So early Monday morning, we left and got to Manzanillo around 3:00pm. I'm really glad to be here. However, as we got up this morning, we found out that it is a Holiday and NOTHING is open. How annoying!! So, Ben and I went to a few Hotels, got numbers and names of all the Human Resource people and then bought some groceries. It is only about 85 degrees here, but the humidity KILLS me! It feels like it's 100 degrees!!! GROSS!! Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more productive!!!

The Rest of the Trip . . .

2007-04-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Manzanillo looks like it's going to be great!! We found a house, it's REALLY small, but has 2 bedrooms, a new fridge, microwave and stove, a washing machine and air conditioners in all the rooms. It's completely furnished and has a front and back yard. I'm really excited about it! Ben and I both loved it! The job at the Port for Ben looks really promising and I've got a couple of leads with English Schools and at a hotel. It just seems that things are falling into place. After we left Manzanillo, we went back to the Ranch and boy is that different!! There were HUGE alacrans (scorpions) on the bathroom walls, I actually washed my clothes by hand, I had to deal with a MAJOR language barrier, but hell, what's life without a few challenges. :) I'm back in Utah until Thursday and that is a disaster in and of itself!! I'm trying to pack up, clean and sanitize my house, get a million errands ran and fix things on the car before the big drive down there. I'm excited and nervous, but I know it's for the best. It really should be something else. Please remember that our door is ALWAYS open for you to come visit. We now have an extra room for you and will feel hurt if you don't take advantage of it!! Have a great week and I'll add more when I get down there sometime next week!!!

Getting Here . . .

2007-04-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, we made it!! It was sure interesting getting here! Most of you know that I brought 4 kids with me including my own. For the most part they did pretty good. Security was a little stressful getting through in Utah. However, once in Mexico, the fun really started!! I had six 70lb bags that I had packed. The kids had 2 between the 3 of them and boy was that a lot of work. In Salt Lake, I had my sister and her husband helping pack everything. Once in Mexico, I had myself and 4 kids. Thank goodness for the kindness of others!! I had quite a bit of help and had no problem tipping!! Ben was of course late, as usual and we had to wait outside the terminal for him. When he pulled up and realized all the bags we had, he about died!! I had tried to warn him, but I'm guessing he didn't quite understand, I don't think anybody really did! Once in the truck we made way for La Piedad. Of course we hit traffic, it was 85 degrees and the air conditioner didn't work. Does it get better than this? I don't know . . . Once at the ranch things went well. The kids were thrilled to be there and frankly so was I. We put the jumper together for my nino and it took him awhile to figure out that it would jump like the one in Utah. Once that was figured out, it was like riding a bike. We put it outside and he went to town. I don't think the people at the Ranch had ever seen anything like that and would sit there and watch and laugh. After the first day, it was like I had never left. All the little kids came around and once again I didn't understand anything that was going on. There are 3 little girls that NEVER leave, the typical Mexican hospitality. Ha! Ha! We spent one afternoon picking garbanzo beans and hay for the cows. That was fun, something I had never done before. Other than that, the Ranch was pretty uneventful. We are now in Manzanillo and getting here was once again an adventure!!! We got about 25 minutes out of La Piedad and hit a cop stop. Because our license plates were from Utah, of course we got pulled over. I'm sure it looked funny, two Mexicans and a Gringa with a kid. They checked the car for drugs and such. They also took the car's registration and Ben's license and checked all that out. It took about 45 minutes. We got on our way again and made it here about 8:30pm. Aiden did great until we actually got into the City and then it was a done deal. However, our rooms were ready and cool and bed was something I was looking forward to! The bed back at the Ranch just about killed me and here the mattresses are brand new! FABULOUS!! The day after we arrived, we went grocery shopping to get the food and just hung out. Ben and I got massages and his sister sat in the pool for an hour. She's never been in a pool before and never seen the ocean. It's been fun to see her reactions!! Today, I had my job interview and on the way there, we got lost . . . of course. We finally found the place, right where we started and I met with Troy. He was very nice, however, I don't speak Spanish and he was unable to help me. BUT . . . I got the inside to getting Ben a job and we're going to get his resume over to Troy tomorrow and get that underway. Troy gave me a bunch of places to try to get a job teaching English. I checked out two of them, but of course they were all closed because of the Holiday this weekend. I've got numbers and will try to get ahold of them next week. Tomorrow we are going to look at a house to rent. It's small, but has 2 bedrooms and fully furnished. It also has aircondioning, a must considering the weather is unbearable until November. It is only 85 degrees, but feels like a million with the humidity. I am loving it though and am excited to finally get down here. Aiden is so happy and loves all the attention he gets! Ben is so happy to have him here. My little nino isn't so little anymore. He just keeps porking out. It's unbelieveable!! He went swimming with his poppy yesterday and today and just splashes the water everywhere. He LOVES it!! He's going to be a fish like both his parents! I hope everyone is doing well and hanging in there! Check for updates later this week!!