Thanksgiving Weekend

What a WEEKEND! I feel like so much has happened, both good and bad. Thanks to Jesus Calling this week, I am reminded we "reside in a fallen world, where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely". THE BEST PART is that if we choose to remember to thank Him at all times, both good and bad, "we may walk through the darkest days with JOY in their hearts because they know that the Light of My Presence is still shining on them". So, thank you, Jesus, for being "my steadfast companion".

This week I was so happy to have a visitor, Emily, who came on Wednesday and stayed until Monday morning. Although I was elated to have a Thanksgiving visitor, I had some previously planned business to attend to.

My car got a facelift... just kidding. But I did trade cars! My other car really had taken a lot of beatings and had some big internal problems, so my mechanic suggested we try and sell it and buy another that had been taken better care of by the previous owner. Here's the new girl - Mitsubishi Montero Sport. She's maroon, which seems to run in my family for our cars... Either way, I'm much happier. It's quiet, runs well, and came over from the US with only 1 previous owner. I'm hoping it can serve both myself and JEC much better than the last one.

So after making final arrangements with the car, my teacher friends and I headed to Tegus to have Thanksgiving lunch at TGI Fridays and see Twilight! We even participated in a little dance competition in the mall and drew quite a crowd.

The movie ended up premiering here a week later, so we returned on Friday to see our friends Bella & Edward. Well... mainly just Edward. The theatre here has a restaurant inside where you can order coffee, crepes, paninis (hot and cold), and curly fries. So this gave us an excuse to order a few too many Nutella crepes. I personally shouldn't have had coffee, because I was a little too excited during the film. It ended up being a great two-day Thanksgiving celebration, and I'm so happy we were able to finalize all the details of the car and have a fun outing (or two).

After getting some housework done on Saturday morning, I get a call that one of the boys had chopped his leg pretty bad with the machete (this is not the first time I have received this call). So I rushed over to our other property and picked up Samuel Guity to take to the clinic. He got 4 stitches and was very brave.

After eating lunch we took a few of the boys hiking. Emily is an avid hiker, and she suggested we go to the river where she had been before with some of the boys several years back. I'm not much of a hiker, but I agreed since I had never been. After driving on a "road" (huge exaggeration by using that word) and walking uphill a while, we took the last stretch downhill to this little paradise. The day could not have been any more beautiful and breezy, so we enjoyed snacks and "platica" (chatting) while sitting on the rocks and the cool mist of the waterfall. Poppy enjoyed herself, got out of her leash, and ended up being carried most of the way. Shocker.

Sunday Emily invited me to stay at the Mariott with her before having to catch her plane on Monday, so we headed into the lap of luxury... plush beds, hot showers, and a NICE dinner. We took several of her friends to dinner at a place I had heard about, but never tired. WOW. It did not disappoint. Hacienda Real is now my favorite Honduras restaurant. So delicious. We ate tilapia, guacamole, etc etc etc.

Now its back to reality here at JEC. Sorry this post is mainly about me and not so much about the boys. Just wanted to update friends and family on what I did for Thanksgiving weekend! We're in the grind here for my Alison school boys. Trying to get last minute projects done and finish the semester off right. The public school boys will have their graduation next week, and Antony (kinder) graduates this Saturday. Hondurans make a big deal out of kindergarten graduation, so I can't wait to see little Antony in his cap and gown! Pictures will come soon to a blog near you. Hope you all had an amazing holiday!!

Back in Action!

Sorry for the hiatus, but I’ve been away! I snuck away to the states for some much needed R&R and time with family. This summer my two trips were specifically for best friends’ weddings, therefore not leaving too much time with my family. It was great to be home, experience a football game or two and see the fall colors! I realized last year I missed fall entirely - and it’s my favorite season!

Here in JEC things are going really well. The public school boys are most all our for “summer vacation”... meaning December and January are the two months in between school years. My Alison boys are still in full swing getting ready to end first semester. As posted last year the school has an annual pajama night where the kids come dressed in their favorite pj’s, drink hot cocoa, and read in their classrooms with friends, parents, and their teachers. Here’s a picture before we left (Shelly had just woken up from a nap) and when we arrived. Much different, eh?

The next activity we’re preparing for is “dress like your favorite story-book character day”. This is on the 30th, so we’re trying to pick characters, dream up costumes, and then actually get them together in time. This is all because November is reading month, so the boys have been taking part of lots of reading activities.

We are also getting excited at JEC because soon we will be able to release all our new products. This includes our new 2013 calendar, new logo, and new website design! The proofs are looking awesome, and we are so excited to be able to share it with you all soon!!! Above is a picture of our newest addition, Amilcar! He’s such a sweetie!

For Thanksgiving I celebrated last Friday with the teachers from the Alison school. I made garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes to go along with our turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, roasted veggies and pumpkin pie. It was a fun day - lots of work - but shared with lovely people being thankful for a little piece of home down here in Honduras.

Since tomorrow is actually Thanksgiving, the girls and I are thinking about heading into Tegus to do something fun. Maybe see a movie in the new City Mall, where supposedly has a restaurant inside the theatre so you can order and be waited on while watching the movie. The best part is it only costs about the same as a movie in the states, so it’s not exactly even a splurge.

I will have another exciting announcement to make before the end of the year (SI DIOS QUIERE - LORD WILLING), so stay tuned! Please check out my new headers of my blog which include my story, how to help, and JEC info links.