HONDURAS part 3-a little of this and a lot of that

i certainly meant to get to this sooner, but alas, i have been a little busy-did i say alas? what i should have said was a blast-i am having a blast, which has slowed down my ability to sit down and write. i am in VA, visiting my cousin carrie, who i haven't seen in about... um.. we figure about 17 years (which, by the way is way too long- especially when it's someone you appreciate!) but that's a part of the trip i haven't gotten to yet-be patient, i promise that i will get there!

so, we left la ceiba on sunday morning, and stopped at tio dolmo's for a quick little rest stop. it was the perfect place to stop, and we were able to get some typical candies and corn tamale-type things. YUM!

we missed out on the movie that we were thinking about going to for our sunday evening in sps, so we did a little tour of the mall iinstead(remember, this was my first mall i'd been in since we got to sps, and i was impressed!) then we went on a longer tour around town to see some of the new neighborhoods that were not in existence when i left. because it felt like just yesterday that i was home, it was very strange to see all of the changes, even though i knew there would be changes, i didn't realize how much!

from many of the restaurants that we have here to malls in almost every sector, you can get pretty much anything we can get in the U.S...

monday morning I pulled out some tie-dye kits that i had taken down
 with the specific intention of making t-shirts with steph and elias; let's not be modest, we made some of the coolest shirts! of course it took a few hours...ok we had to let them marinate overnight until we were able to pull them out and reveal their awesoawesomeness! that is the nature of the tie dye! Fortunately that worked out really well and allowed Sheryl to get some things done that really needed doing! i knew that she was going to have to run a lot of errands and get a ton done because she was leaving for the U.S., so i loved that we got to do the everyday routine errands together (that she was willing to drag this gringa along)  maybe for some people that would not be their cup o tea, but for me, spending time with people doing ANYTHING is quality time! i know, weird, but i loved it!

Part of our errand-running including getting to meet up with this handsome guy-Sheryl's dad never a dull moment!

i wasn't expecting to, but it worked out that i was able to get together with my old volleyball co captain (mind you, i am NOT calling her old-that would get me into a bit of trouble!!) actually hanging out with yanira was a highlight because when you hang out with someone after so long, it really does change things! It's one thing to catch up on facebook, it's a bit better to catch up in letter-form (actually it's great because it is something that you can physically hold on to and read over and over again!), even better to talk on phone and Skype, but nothing beats face to face physically being together!! So when yani got in touch and we went for coffee, i loved hearing all about the growing and learning, family, fun. i am SUPER IMPRESSED by her commitment and dedication to running and prep for the upcoming ironman! i have such a high regard and admiration for the lady she has become!

My co-captain, my friend!

i also got to see my old classmate juan pablo for coffee the next day, and catching up with him was enlightening. although our time was short, it was good to hear what was going on in his life and the way everything cycles around. i am so proud of him and the way that things are going for him and his family! one of the greatest things about jp is that he is a life-long learner and he really takes knowledge seriously! that was refreshing!

never stop dreaming and believing, jp!

there were a couple of friends i was hoping to connect with, that just didn't work out-for work or vacation reasons, which was sad-not like i cried sad, more like-bummer, perhaps can plan better next time-sad. such is life, and as tom hanks says, there's no crying in baseball, well, i submit that there is not enough time to cry while vacationing either! so, moving right along, i was beside myself (like...dancing beside myself!) when i finally got to see erika and her husband for dinner! this was the first time that i got to meet jose enrique, and i knew he was the right match for erika because i could see the adoration and pure joy between the two of them!

i had one day to swing down to the Mercado guamilito, where I was looking for some small-ish things. i had one thing in mind for sure- i knew i wanted to find some stationery that was handmade in HONDURAS (which you may recall i saw for  the first time when I received one from brandy)so i scoured the place until I found it; i actually had to describe what i was looking for to a man and he pointed me to a lady down at the end of the aisle, and when i got to her, i re-explained what i was looking for and she thought for a minute, then opened up one of her glass cabinets and these beautiful cards were kind of hidden in the midst of all of the other knick knacks, so i bought all of them.

This was the view from my room-great inspiration for letter-writing!

then i decided to run over to the shop of one of my friends to drop off a simple note and something that i had thought to bring her. so i dropped that off, and decided to go in to look around so that i would be able to imagine it better when i see posts on fb; i'm so glad that did because it really was an elegant store and the girls that were working there were very attentive- great customer service! i found some merchandise that i really kinda fell in love with and may have spent more money than i should have!!

Adorable shop! I love the feel-very quaint.



this is the dress I fell in love with, now i just need to find an occasion!

then friday came, and i went with erika and jose enrique to copan! oh wow! the trip was a long one, but the views were to die for! there is just something about the untouched mountainside of this area of HONDURAS that is simply breathtaking. i wish that i could post a picture along with the way that the scenery makes me feel in every fiber of my being-admiration, love of country, peaceful, relaxed--if you could look at a picture and feel the way i felt as i absorbed the surroundings.. more than happy; i'm not sure if it's pride or peace or perhaps exhilaration would best describe the feeling.

 as I said, it is somewhat difficult to explain, but these hills, this terrain, it is a part of my identity. it brought back so many memories of travels with my parents in the truck to different churches in small villages and outlying neighborhoods! the closer we were getting to copan,the worse the road got, and of course, as it goes in driving, it seems that when the roads get bad, you are almost certain to get stuck behind the slowest bus or truck for several miles because passing on crazy mountain roads is ill-advised unless you are 125% certain of your odds! but, even at that, it felt so normal and routine.

we arrived at a little tucked away area called hacienda el jaral, and checked into a cute little cabaña. what impressed me the most was all of the vegetation and greenery. had we more time, i would've really taken an afternoon to thoroughly put the hammocks to use! yes, yet another tidbit to add to you julie file, i am an avid hammock napper/sleeper- i'm pretty sure i would have NO problem doing one of those canopy adventures in which you sleep above the rainforest in the hammock-no problem!

oh to have just a few more days!!

birds of paradise!

these two are such a cute couple! the epitome of fun!

i would have loved to attend church in his little chapel!

anyhoo, once we got settled in and looked around for a minute, we went into the little village of copan, which is a nestled in mountains; there was a little bridge that was a sort of guardian to the city, and as soon as we entered, we were greeted by the cobblestone hills of the village. i was immediately enamored. i'd been to the ruins, but never to the village. we went to this great little restaurant which they were familiar with and our server carried the anafre-beans and cheese-if i remember correctly-on her head (an impressive feat when climbing the stairs!). what a meal!

my world would be better if i had one of these around every day...and the food would be great addition as well!

 the next morning we had grand plans, but because we were thorough, we made it through two parts of the ruins, and the museum; which is fine, one more reason i'm going to have to return. i am fascinated by history and this has always been right up my alley. so, although i took a gazillion pictures, i don't want to bore you, so i will only pose a few, suffice it to say, there is much more to see, and i hope that if you ever get the opportunity, you will venture down to check it out!! It will be well worth it!

I was  loving the macaws! they were so beautiful and i especially like the way they were being reintroduced into the wild! there is no reason these majestic birds should be in captivity!

The view of the plaza from the top of the ruins



hieroglyphic stairway was finally 75% accurately completed

the tunnels were finally complete-very cool!

and this guy? well everyone needs a good 'stone face'

Hug/resting station... it's all the same, right??

Life- sized replica in the museum-pretty amazing

one of the better macaws so great with the beak, tongue, garras...



I loved the colored stones-symbolizing the elite.

copan the village vendors

 i did nothing to deserve it, but erika and her husband spoiled me. their generosity was over the top- i had an incredible time and i loved every minute of hanging out with them! as i said before, being with friends that you have shared so many experiences with in the past is invigorating because it allows for comfortable conversation. it was certainly refreshing, and it made me really appreciate our friendship so much more! the saying is that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but truthfully, it only makes the heart grow fonder when there is the acute wake up call reminding me of what life was like when proximity was involved! i in fact felt a little like robin williams in hook when he realized he was pan and started to remember things he'd forgotten...

 so, lesson learned-don't put those memories away for safe-keeping, they must be revisited and stoked often! i am going to work on being keenly aware of my priorities and being intentional! i will probably be sucking it up and using the phone more as well... pick your jaw up off the floor, ya heard me right.

i'm falling behind-but no worries, i'll have a spell here soon in which things will calm down and i'll be back to writing about silly things again!

good day! julie

20 minute massage? 20 dolla! chapter 2 HONDURAS keeps getting better

the next morning when we woke up and went to breakfast, vendors were in high gear, in and out wanting to sell their wares-everything from earrings and necklaces of coral, and string to movies...lots of pirated movies, fruit, and we were just enjoying breakfast watching the ocean and people-watching. then when we finally got around to going down to west bay, where the nicer beach was, we took a short ride in a water taxi.

we had thought about walking because the lady said it was possible, it was just long and there were a few difficult places to traverse. well, as we rode and watched the shoreline in all its splendor, there were actually several places that looked like you might need some climbing rope and a harness, perhaps a stash of band-aids, gauze and possibly a splint with bandage for afterward...i think we were both glad that we chose the boat!

when we rounded the final turn, the beautiful stretch of fine white sand of west bay lay before us just waiting to be walked upon and for whatever reason, the water seemed bluer; perhaps because of the white sand/ or was it just psychological? it really doesn't matter, it was clear just as i remembered it.

the driver docked at the resort and the guard said that to sit in that area you have to pay, but he pointed us down the beach and said there was a little restaurant called the argentinian grill, and they allowed you to use their area as long as you ordered something; well, that wasn't a problem! so we headed down the beach, and i know this is going to sound ridiculous, but you may or may not remember me mentioning that dirty hands bother me, hence it was surprising that i actually enjoy caving and gardening (the two are so unlike apart from the dirt)...well, as you can imagine, sand on the feet rubbing against the chacos...mmmmmmmaaarg. the price one must pay.

it was as if they knew we were coming and had set up the perfect spot for us.

i'm pretty sure i saw this same sign on a facebook post from a different angle, at night...just sayin...mine's better. that's all.

we sat down in the chairs and the first thing we heard was a lady out in the water talking to some of the tourists and some kiddos. she had one of those booming voices that carries, whatever she was speaking of seemed somewhat exaggerated, but with a voice like that, i'm sure no one was interested in calling her on it.

she seemed to be a natural story teller, because by the time we decided to get into the water, she was still carrying on, and i could be mistaken, but i am almost positive the couple that was  stuck there being talked to was looking for an escape route... i was just glad it wasn't me!

hey lady telling crazy stories...i'm far enough away that i don't have to pay attention!!phew!

does it get much better? i submit that it does not.

we stayed on the beach all afternoon and into the evening. throughout the day, at approximately 10 to 15 minute intervals, ladies were walking up and down the beach and if they caught your eye, they would say any variation of "massage? 20 minute, 20 dolla" "hand massage? feet? i do the feet?" "back massage? a dolla a minute?" and then it would repeat. the same woman we had already said no to would come back and repeat the same thing. perhaps she had a very short memory...as sheryl said, perhaps had it been a hot guy, the answer may have been different. in the very last five minutes, one of the ladies said, "FREE! five minutes-free hands!" we still passed.

beach bums. true, and proud of it!

sheryl, best gift ever!! i treasure my matching bracelet! best souvenir ever!

we  had the best dinner-i must reiterate from yesterday that when on the beach, seafood is a staple. argentinian grill, you did well, it was even better than the restaurant on the pier!

if you've seen my facebook, you have seen this, but it bears repeating- YUM!

we missed the last water taxi and had to grab a four-wheeled vehicle and it took a bit longer to wind around back to west end.

when we woke up the next day, we went around to take some pics of west end, and do some souvenir shopping in west end.

gecko theme

 the rest of the day was pretty much a repeat at the argentinian grill. more offerings for massages and more of the booming lady in the ocean...reminiscent of a modern day ursula, turned into a human...only friendlier. perhaps the friendliness was the guise to draw unsuspecting tourists into her trap. there was definitely more sunshine and it was a gorgeous day! it was the fourth of july, so that may have been part of the beauty of it.

we caught a water taxi back before they shut down, and we should have known better than to trust this guy. we got going and before long, the boat was slowing, and others were passing by and calling out to him. finally sheryl asked why we were going so slow (i mean, we didn't ask for the slow scenic tour), and he said he was trying to conserve gas. well, truth was he was running out of gas. finally he was able to wave down one of his buddies who was a little reluctant to help him out, but offered to siphon off a bit of fuel-enough for him to get us back to the dock. i think he could see the pleading in sheryl's eyes, and felt enough pity to help out damsels in distress and the mooch driver. of course when we got back to the dock, he said he didn't have change for the 10, even though before we had left, he said he did. jerk. but i wasn't in the mood to argue over four measly bucks-he probably needed it more than i did. (so if you don't get a souvenir from me, please blame it on the water-taxi driver!)

then we went back and got dressed up to go out to a couple of the hopping joints in west end. we stopped at one little place on the 'strip' (there is only one main little street), because it was loud and they had some great music, then we made our way up to the boske and up to the club. we found out to our glee that women had free entry, so we went in. nothing like a club that is so loud you cannot hear yourself think- i must be getting old! anyhoo, while we were in there, this drunk guy asked to buy me a drink, i ended up not getting a drink, but this guy kept hanging out with us and trying to yell in my ear to talk to me and finally i told him i wasn't interested, but he continued to hang around even when i turned my back to him...when he tried to put his arm around me, i definitely felt like i was in a comedy trying to grab his hand and divert it, thinking about injuring him, but then deciding that it would be better to not make a scene, as i did not feel threatened, just annoyed. did i mention that when he was trying to yell in my ear that he 'respected me,' i could feel his stubble? ew. nightmares...  the sights were fun though- we had the perfect spot for people watching, and there were some funny moments.

when we did get back to the inn, sleeping time was about to be limited, as we were on the early ferry back to the mainland!

when antonio, our taxi driver showed up to take us back, it was pouring out, and his car had a flat. he said, no problem, that he was going to stop and fill it with air at the next gas station, so we rode on a flat for a bit in the rain; i don't know about sheryl, but i was praying that we didn't fall off the edge of one of the ditches in these conditions. once the tire was aired, i wasn't as concerned. (flat tire, rain, hilly roads with steep ditches...it just doesn't bode well).

the ferry ride back was much smoother and we were in la ceiba in no time.

once we got back, we got in touch with carolina and our friend, angelina, who had just had a baby and we met up for coffee/tea and had a good time catching up that afternoon..ok, it wasn't as much catching up as it was preggers talk and new mom talk with tips. i didn't have a lot to add, but i definitely stored away the information for use in later conversations. smile. i feel like i learned a lot!anyhoo, it was great just to see her and i was glad that she and carolina could be reconnected since they both live in the same place now! you can never have too many friends!

love these girls!

then we went over to hector and carolina's and i got to meet the rest of the family. they have the most adorable family! cute, fun kids! i failed to mention anything the other day about sheryl's kiddos, but this would be the perfect place to sing their praises-they are both so much fun and quite well behaved. they were great with their cousins and also with the ferreras' children! it was fun to watch them all interact! after we took a little tour of the neighborhood, we went out for dinner one last time, and it was so nice to just sit and conversate (perhaps i am creating my own spanglish vocabulary-spell check tells me that is not a word, and in my opinion it should be).

happiness.

i mean, come on! stop being so cute!

i could do this night over and over and over again!

the fact that i got to hang out with these two amazing families puts a smile on my face even as i type. how fun to see friends growing, learning, becoming and constantly moving forward, but always keeping true to who they are!

next post teaser: sps (only i am not quite certain when that will be as tomorrow marks the beginning of yet another leg of the vacation! -which i am equally excited about!)

have an incredible evening-
julie

ah, 23 years? WHAT WAS I THINKING??? part 1

i know, i know, if you follow this blog at all, you may be wondering: ARE YOU BACK? ARE YOU ALIVE? WAS IT ALL YOU HOPED IT WOULD BE?

well, let's start with are you back-that one is the easy. yes, i am back from HONDURAS. the second question...well, it seems pretty obvious that indeed, i am alive. and as for the third question, i don't know that i had any huge expectations, therefore it was MORE than i hoped it would be. 

i think i will post this in a mini series so that it is not completely overwhelming. i had hoped to write some posts while i was away, but alas, the recharging cord that i specifically set aside to bring with me on the trip for my tablet is probably still setting aside in my apartment. boo. i was rather disappointed at that turn of events, because it handicapped me to using only my phone (not ideal by any stretch of the imagination). sheryl was great about taking me to stop in at every electronics place that we could think of, but sadly, surface tablets aren't a big market in sps. 

the trip was a bit long, as i left from springfield; when i got to miami, everything looked great right up to flight time, when it started to storm and lightning. grr. the worst part was being right there, knowing that i have several friends in the miami area from sps who i would have LOVED to see...in fact, when i posted something about that, karla, one of my friends said that she was at the airport! she was actually in a plane on the tarmac, waiting to deplane, but they were waiting for a space-bummer! how devastating would it have been if she had deplaned in the same gate where i was waiting to board (with the glass there separating us, it would have been like a sitcom or something). 

so, eventually the lightning strikes subsided and we were able to depart, placing us in sps about a little over an hour later than the original schedule; sheryl was there with the kids and it was SO good to finally meet them!

 the last time i left sps, i had to walk outside to the tarmac, and the whole customs thing was a bit messier coming in. it was at that point that i began to realize that yes, indeed, San Pedro Sula had gone and grown all up without me! and of course, as we went on a night tour of the town, it was very apparent that SO much had changed! but then, what do you expect after 23 years?! it was so late that one of the few places that was open to eat was denny's, and that was perfect by me, because once again, it was an opportunity to laugh and begin on the catching up!

the next morning, we got up, and yolanda, sheryl's maid had cooked the most amazing plato tipico-i was in heaven! she really can cook! and i was dying for some platano maduro, eggs, beans with crema, salchicha...coffee-blessed coffee! yes, in short (or maybe i am being long-winded...deal wit it), it was as typical as i ever remembered it! thank you, sheryl, for thinking of the best way to start off a welcome home vacation!

and then we were off to la ceiba, one of the thriving coastal cities-the drive was surprisingly smooth and the road was in great shape (which cannot be said of all roads in HONDURAS!) the scenery was soothing to my soul. there is nothing more beautiful than the honduran mountainside. the various shades of green from the abundant varieties of flora are impressive, and seeing some of those trees against the backdrop of the gray-blue sky was pure artistry! my favorite part of the trip to la ceiba was learning about the connection between red clay and pepto bismol-long story, but a good one!

home

sweet home

once we arrived, we were greeted by her aunt, who is one of the most hospitable ladies i have met (it must run in the family!) and she really did make us feel at home! we were only in la ceiba for one evening before we took the ferry out to roatan, but it certainly seemed like much longer, because we got to see sheryl's cousin and her husband, and a couple of friends from our EIS  days (hector, carolina and jo ann) for dinner that evening, which was delicious and just plain fun. not to mention, they paid for our meal, which was completely unexpected! the only problem was: IT WASN'T LONG ENOUGH!

friends and family in la ceiba

another classmate was celebrating her bday in sps, so we were celebrating from afar

cheers!

the next morning, we were up early and off to the ferry. perhaps it might've been better to sit out in the open air, but we opted for the ac on the lower deck. unfortunately it was rather choppy and that causes motion sickness. fortunately we were prepared for the worst and then things got a little better. but when all is said and done, a "rough day at sea" is exhausting! so once our taxi driver got us to our destination: Splash Inn Dive Resort, West End, Roatan, the check in was painless, and came with a little complimentary fruit juice (which was refreshing), but for real, i think the only thing on the immediate agenda was to take a nap!

like i said...rough day at sea...

swan, you're cute and all, but you must move so i can take a nap!

Splash Inn Dive Resort is a comfortable little motel with clean rooms and bathroom. the staff was very friendly and helpful. we didn't do any diving, but the outfit had a little diving training and equipment available for rent, and they also had a restaurant in front. i need to go to their website and write a review. it was perfectly situated in the middle of everything. 

the view from our little in-spectacular #postcardsfromroatan

once we got up from our naps, we went to a restaurant on one of the piers, and of course, ordered seafood-how do you order anything else when you are on an island?? even if you're allergic, c'mon! live a little! (or die a little?) what's a little swelling and difficulty breathing?? then we did a quick little scouting of the area so we'd have an idea of what was going on. and down the way, toward the end of the yellow brick road...or the grayish cement road, as it were...there was an area called el boske, which was rather intriguing, so we went in to check it out. it seemed to be a happening little area, with a variety of food vendors to choose from and a dance club at the top of a very steep hill-nothing like being completely winded before you get out on the dance floor! maybe that is the prerequisite test: must be able to make it to top of hill without passing out to enter.

after that, it was back to the inn to be ready for day 3.

more to come,

julie

good self and bad self just need to learn to get along!

can you believe it? ONE WEEK!!!!!! (ok, enough of that)

ok, i have a quandary...this hasn't happened in like...EVER! good self and bad self are at odds and not talking. stick with me, i need to get this resolved before vacation begins, or we're going to have problems!

it all started while i was at school and good self, which we'll just call GS for short- obviously, and appropriately bad self is then dubbed BS (karma, bad self!); but i digress...GS went out to the garden to check on everything and found the garden to be very giving after a 3-day weekend and some rain! i took a variety of veggies into the building to clean, and then decided that i should stop by tom thumb grocery on the way home for  cauliflower and a jalapeno.

this was the big deal-minus the okra....please note that the toms on the plate are going to ripen, but i did arrange them in color-scheme green to orange-ish. good job, GS!

so i stopped at the store for my cauliflower and jap, and i was drawn like a moth to the light...it was almost as if i was in a trance when BS reached out and opened the freezer door containing the tiramisu gelato. i will admit, i almost didn't even catch it!

when i got home, i couldn't even get it into the freezer before bad self was lifting off the top and digging in. good self kept putting the top on, but BS kept saying, "no, it's uneven...just one more bite". finally i was able to get it into the freezer...for 5 seconds before i had to pull it out to see if it still tasted good. i'm not even joking around about this. good self said, "you've been working so hard, don't ruin it now!" and bad self just guffawed and said, "i guess you'll be doing burpees until 2am, eh?" (bad self is a jerk). 

so, here's the truth, even though it's breyers, and not real italian gelato, it is still 50,000 times better than regular ice cream. if you couldn't tell, regular ice cream is not the way to my heart. i never should have tried this stuff. now i understand how it must be to get addicted to crack after the first time. i completely underestimated the power of gelato.

don't be deceived, this wasn't where i finished...this was pretty much the first bite...

in other business, when we were walking around the complex the other day, i was thankful that it is such a pretty area. blessed by the beautiful landscaping and the fountains in the various ponds. 

crepe myrtles

but then there are the cons...there is so much poison ivy lining the back path that i can't let the dogs roam-they are too curious.

poison ivy...if you need a reminder to recognize it, put your hands on top of each other, palms up-that's the middle leaf, then move right hand right, and left hand left, and there are your outer leaves.

 the other issue i have is that my mud dauber friend, has decided that she needed a two bedroom instead of a one-bedroom she had in the previous post. i'm not impressed. ok, i am actually a little impressed, because she did that rather quickly!

just needed a little addition.

 and back to the garden, today i was super excited when i found that the canary melons are growing! they will obviously not be ready before i leave, but i am hoping that they will need an entire month to ripen and be ready for pickin!

this is exciting! i know there are at least 3!

 the one thing that i didn't get a picture of due to low battery, was the cucumbers! WHAT?! they won't be ready before i leave either, but boy are they cute! i know, i sound like a proud mother-i will post pics tomorrow! they really are kinda cute. (i think i counted 3)...if they are anything like the tomatoes, we will have an abundance!! seriously, i left on thursday and had picked until there were no more red, or blushing tomatoes, and go back to the pic you saw at the top-all of those were out today!! ridiculous, i tell ya!

we also had okra-i did post that one on fb and instagram, and mentioned that i really don't know what to do with them, although i HAVE had them fried (in HONDURAS with a missionary family from the south, and also at the classic lamberts cafe in ozark, mo)! the problem is i don't have the energy to bread and fry okra this week..a couple of friends offered up some great ideas-i will have to wait until i get back to try them-i gave them to jason, our custodian, because i am certain that his mom knows exactly what to do with them!


well, like i said before, good self and bad self had better start acting like a well-oiled machine, because i'm pretty sure i'm going to need a little bit of both of them over the next month!
 i'm sure i'll wake up tomorrow morning and they'll be bff again!

julie

i could be a professional refried beans chef...but i'd rather make boys run and do push-ups...more rewarding

i am happy to announce that i will no longer be purchasing refried beans in canned form...why, oh why did it take me this long to realize how easy refried beans are to make???? good grief! so i made some last night and then had some for breakfast this morning with my eggs and thought of a teen-camp i went to with our church when i lived in HONDURAS! i was not accustomed to the idea of beans for breakfast, but i warmed up to it pretty quickly with a little crema!

obsessed!

so, yes, then this afternoon when i got back from school, i may have made a bblt with no bread-that would basically be a large leaf of romaine lettuce, a couple of cherry toms sliced, refried beans, and yes, bacon...don't judge...you probably eat interesting things as well! -it was healthy and delicious! and i will most likely do it again..just not tonight.

yesterday when i got home, i noticed a mud dauber on the side of the apt wall, and i decided to take a picture of the beginnings of her nest...right after she flew straight at me, but i was able to avoid contact, then watch her fly off, out of sight. i wondered how in the world she was going to find this particular wall again (everyone tells me that it's difficult to find their way around our complex...it's somewhat of a maze, and i feel like i have to be on the balcony watching for people when they come over to make sure they don't get lost in the labyrinth), but apparently she had no problem-insects amaze me...now please just even TRY to tell me that God is not an amazing creator to have created these insects with such instincts (amazed by nature)...anyhoo, i woke up and as i was walking out to go to school this morning, i noticed her finished home...just a little 'hole-in-the-wall' type place...

humble beginnings

home sweet home...for a dauber!

 and since i have the boys, and i saw something the other day about what boys need in school....i offered them a choice after they finished their review: go out into the garden and relax in the shade, or go out to the fields out back and run around until they were tired...they made the not-so-surprising choice to go out back and run! it made me smile as i sat there to see them get such joy out of running around, playing tag, racing. then they made their way to the swings for about a minute or two; then i went over and told them that before we went in, they had one last task. they had to run across the field to the far fence, do five push-ups and then run back. they were up to the challenge!

about three of them ended up walking part way back, one of them set a good pace and didn't stop the whole way and wasn't even breathing hard when he got back to the finish-i told him he needed to look into cross-country in middle school, high school and perhaps a scholarship...and of course, i had one that just couldn't quite do it, so as he was getting closer, i suggested a couple of them go help him run it in the last 100 yards, so two of them did-they were very encouraging to him. i smiled-good job guys!

'my other boys'

i will say that the running around certainly worked! they were focused when they came back in, and they were happy-that makes things much simpler!

 when i got home, i was thrilled to see that my jury check arrived...because six dolla go far!

i'm rich! (to be read in target-lady voice)

and i just saw that HONDURAS is set to play tomorrow...i will probably be catching most of the games tomorrow-that way i have an excuse not to go out and spend money...good plan!!

i've come to a slight 'packing stand-still' because i don't know what i'll need to have out for use between now and then! i will end up doing what i vowed not to do...i will be rushing around last minute before we take off to mom and dad's...i have been packing up the crucial items that i cannot do without and want to make certain i don't forget.

i need to clean out the trunk of my car tomorrow to make room for the boys' extended stay at mom and dad's...my tent and camping gear stays there pretty permanently, and i'm pretty sure i won't have a chance to take advantage of it this summer. need space for the boys' baby gates (they don't like me referring to i that way...it's the whole "WE'RE NOT BABIES"-thing), and the pens for them to hang out outside out of dad's way while he's in the shop or whatever he's doing! i need to then sneak them down when the boys aren't looking...operation pack-the-car.

goodnight!
julie