First of all, we have not been hit hard with the winter storms of these past weeks. At one time we were able to see the dead grass in our backyard and not only snow! Last year we didn’t even know we had grass until late March/early April when everything finally melted.
We had our first visitor of 2010. Our friend Scenet flew in from Denver and spent some time with us. We had a great time with her and I’m sure she enjoyed my “cooking lessons”. Here are some pictures.
During our morning walk:
We went to downtown Boston and the weather was perfect!
At the Cheers Bar:
Another event was my birthday in late January. My dear husband surprised me with an amazing birthday gift: a Canon Rebel! I absolutely love it! For now, Atenas has been the focus of most of my pictures but that will change whenever the baby arrives. I took these shots last Saturday during our evening walk:
My dear husband (it was chilly and it was getting dark):
Atenas, begging for a treat from Cameron:
In celebration of my birthday, our neighbors invited us over for dinner. The vegetarian dinner was delicious and the home-made green tea cake was SO good!
Our neighbors, Christian and Muriel:
And Robin:
And Maya:
And Lilo (Atenas's best friend):
Cameron encouraged me to visit my parents in Juarez early this month. The main purpose of the trip was to spend time with my family. Most of you know about my mom’s battle with breast cancer. It has been four weeks now since she had the double mastectomy and she is doing great! We have definitely seen God’s kindness during this process. It has been a tough process but we also see it as suffering for blessing, where the Lord is being glorified and we are all growing in faith and knowledge of Him.
It had been over eight months since I last seen my parents (last time was in Cancun last year). They were very excited to see me, especially since I’m carrying their grandchild. My visit to Juarez was short but we all enjoyed it so much!
One of the things that I wanted to do is for my dad to teach me how to make chorizo. This is my grandfather’s recipe and my dad started making it after I got married and moved away from Juarez. Last week Cameron and I made a batch of chorizo and it came out pretty good!
My dad showing off the chorizo:
The Maldonados invited us over for dinner one night. They are an amazing, loving, caring couple that has known my family for over twenty years.
Cesar and Lupita:
Lupita made tamales; they were so good that I lost count of how many I ate!
My parents:
Job is missing in this picture. Unfortunatley he wasn't able to come to Juarez; he had to study for an exam.
My mom, aunts and Lupita surprised me with a baby shower! It was Saturday morning in the hall of a hotel in Juarez and there were over 70 people present! A typical Mexican breakfast was served; everything was so good and I’m sure everyone enjoyed it. I was able to catch up with my friends and people that I hadn’t seen in over two years! I was so blessed with the shower that I immediately called Cameron to let him know about it!
The hall:
Aunt Martha, Mom, me, and aunt Goretty:
With Monica Rueda:
With Roxana and Paola (last time I had seen her she was three months old!):
Paola:
My little cousins: Genesis and Rosangela
I’m glad I was able to visit my family and friends in Juarez. This is a trip that I will cherish for a long time.
