Tuesday, December 30, 2008

How Not to Get to Honduras From Mexico, and More


For the first time since we came to Honduras almost six months ago, our family all piled in the mission van and took a little excursion on a recent Sunday. The destination was the San Pedro Sula airport; the occasion was the arrival of three very special girls who were coming from Mexico to spend Christmas with us. The midday sun beat down on us from a gorgeous cloudless sky as we bounced our way to the city. Mandie, who never goes anywhere except to church, hung her head toward the window and simply gaped at the sights the entire trip! I’m sure she had no idea there was so much to see in the wide, wide world. My enthusiasm nearly matched the children’s, who were positively sparkling at the prospect of seeing their beloved Aunt Joy. As usual, the atmosphere in the waiting area of the airport was charged with emotion as scores of people pressed against the security barriers, craning their necks toward the arrival gates and chattering in high excitement. I am always amazed how many Latinos it takes to pick someone up at the airport! We found a space behind the crowd and waited… and waited… and waited. At long last I spied a lone familiar figure moving our way: Cousin Linda pushing a cumbersome cart piled with a generous amount of luggage. Rather a lot, I thought, for one who is just coming for a two week visit. I pressed through the multitude and finally caught up with her just as she headed outdoors into the blazing sunshine. As I grabbed her, she turned to me with the funniest, apologetic expression on her face. “I am so sorry,” she began, “But I am by myself! The other girls are stuck in Mexico City!” Stuck? As in, they’re lost, they’ve been nabbed, or they’re having passport problems? My mind raced through the possibilities. It turned out that Aero Mexico had overbooked by a long shot and apparently Joy and Lauren looked like good candidates to be chosen for standby status. While Linda received her boarding pass with no questions asked, Joy and Lauren were told, “Um, we’re not sure you two can fly today… maybe on the 24th (three days later!)… maybe we can get you a flight to Miami and a connection from there…” Someone goofed, however, and Linda wound up in Honduras with the other girls’ suitcases, while Joy stayed in Mexico with all the baggage claim tickets! Fortunately, the lady at the customs desk in San Pedro believed Linda’s story and allowed her to collect all of the luggage. We had no choice but to leave the airport, since there is only one flight a day from Mexico. While we soothed our hunger pangs and our disappointment at a quiet Pizza Hut, Joy and Lauren were having a blast touring Mexico City, riding the metro, and maxing out the accommodations offered them by Aero Mexico! When the girls showed up at the airport the next day, they still were not promised any seats until they mentioned the fact that their bags had been shipped the day before. This caused some consternation behind the check-in counter, and within a short time they were confirmed to fly! Needless to say, our reunion on Monday evening was quite a bit more dramatic than it would have been if they had come the previous day, and we had a PARTY, as Derek would say.
Christmas in Honduras is mostly celebrated on the 24th, and it means eating tamales and shooting firecrackers, so that’s what we did. We had our traditional celebration on Thursday with some very special treats from “home”, and very special people to share it with. All the Troyers from Erandique were here and we enjoyed a blessed time together, concluding with an “open house” at the guesthouse for the rest of the gringos. Large quantities of coffee, cookies, and other equally ruinous fare were enjoyed by young and old, but especially by young, of which there are plenty around here!
This week brings on the New Year’s celebrations, which on a local level mean more firecrackers and lots of drinking, but in this house we have one thing on our minds and that is another trip to the airport! My parents are coming to spend a month or more, and with them--- well, who knows what surprises are in store for us!!!
Derek's Picturesque Speech:
"Mom, I can talk Spanish now!"
(Mom:) "Really? What can you say?"
"We-e-ell... I can talk it, but I don't really know it."
(Bright smile) "But when I get bigger, I will talk it AND know it!"
I think I know what you mean, Derek.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

What's Happening

Life in the Fishbowl is busy. The children bend over their desks, sometimes frowning at decimals, now cheerfully designing snowflakes and paper airplanes. The kitchen is filled with exciting aromas which regularly bring Derek to my side declaring he's hungry and simply can't wait another minute... Treats of all sorts line the countertop- fat, brown molasses crinkles, petite jam gems, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies. Strains of joyful music echo through our house and drift out the open windows. Large pots of cafe con leche disappear at amazing rates. The guesthouse springs (creaks would be more like it!) to life as visitors of all shapes and sizes pass through its famous doors. The fish swim about their tank: happily when the sun shines, sadly when it doesn't. The tomato plants are blooming alongside the poinsettia, the chickens cheerfully lay their precious brown eggs, and the banana plant groans with the weight of its green fruit. A huge landscaping project is in process in the front yard, and we are bursting with beautiful ideas. The grass needs mowing, the flower beds need weeding, and the cobwebs need sweeping, but we are still having our cup of coffee. Aaahh... it is the best of times: Spring and Christmas all combined into one jubilant experience. Joy and Peace to all!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

All About Mandie

This is our baby... a year ago. Wow, she had hair!
And here she is now, bald and beautiful!


Checking out her birthday gift- a doll stroller to push around. (The doll is an old toy.) This is supposed to motivate her to walk on her own!


Carrot cake... that counts as a veggie serving, right?


I know the light is terribly harsh (and no, I don't know how to fix it) but you just gotta love that grin!
Just this week Mandie is really trying to walk- hurray!!! The weather is cold, the ceramic tile floors colder, and she's about done with this business of crawling around chilling her knees.
Ok, folks, one of these days we'll be posting something other than pictures... maybe when we have internet service at our house. Yes, that's supposed to be happening soon!




Thursday, October 30, 2008

Celebrating Emily!

This smiling young lady celebrated her tenth birthday last week, can you believe it? The little girl disappears and the lady is emerging (sometimes invisibly, but there, nonetheless!) She is the dependable helper who fulfils the meaning of her name very well... Diligent and industrious. Emily loves to read, create cards for her family, tidy the house, drink hot tea, and ride bike at full speed. Long division, Mexican food, wearing socks, and washing dishes are not too high on her list of priorities.
Notebooks, scrapbooking stuff, stickers, and a new book to read... this is her cup o' tea! Thanks to the grandmas for remembering this special day. Emily loves gifts!

After her favorite meal of baked chicken and mashed potatoes, we enjoyed this yummy strawberry creme pudding cake. This begins the birthday season at our house... Coming up next is Mandie Jane!


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Today's Derek Moment

How do you explain the term "punish" to a three year old? In devotions we have been reading Bible stories about the sufferings and death of Jesus. This morning we came across the thought that Jesus took our punishment for us, which provoked an interesting discussion. "Punish is when we spank you for doing something wrong," we explained. "Or when a man kills another man and he has to go to jail, that is a punishment." Derek nodded eagerly. "And when a car hits someone, that's punish, right?" No... That would be an accident. We tried again. "Punishment is paying for your sins." Pause. "Oh, and sometimes you need lots of money-?" (Chuckles.) We'll try again another day. Ideas, anyone?
The idea that Jesus is coming to earth to take us to heaven is a little more comprehensible and fascinating. Derek agreed that it will be great to go with Jesus, "If he has little children for me to play with!"

Men Working

No, this is not sarcasm. These men are some of the hardest working men you can find anywhere. Not only do they provide for their three wives and their 16 children (collective number, folks; not respective!), they are also missionaries, preachers, teachers, prayer warriors, farmers, and businessmen. Would you give them a hand and lift them to the Throne today? Much appreciated....

Monday, October 13, 2008

Surgery On My Kitchen Table

Several weeks ago while picking oranges, Tim had the misfortune of running a very large thorn deep into his arm. He pulled it out, but the tip broke off and remained deeply embedded in flesh. We tried putting salve on it in hopes of drawing it out, but instead, it just healed over nicely with nothing more visible than a small bump. Depending on his arm movement, Tim could feel the prick of the thorn, but hesitated to dig for it himself. When we heard that the two clinic nurses were coming to our house on Friday, we asked them to come prepared to do surgery.



The victim solemnly anticipating The Event of the Day.
For some reason my tough hubby requires about twice the amount of lidocaine that the rest of us would need. (Yep, coffee's allowed in this OR!)
If two heads are better than one, all these heads surely guarantee success!
Cool and professional... except not so cool. Perspiration was running pretty heavily at this point. Missy took a stab (yeah!) and had the fun of extracting the thorn...
While Rick gets the fun of stitching up.
The POINT of interest... all of 3/8th inch long!!!
Like I say, no time for boredom around here........


Monday, October 6, 2008

Puppy Love

No words needed here, right?

When Life Hands Us Oranges...

We make orange juice, of course!

Oops... I don't really want this pic here, but it won't move either, so here it is! (See, I'm not so bright, really.) Talk about juicy fun!
The classic Tony wink... complete with a juice drop on his eyebrow!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I DID IT!!!

Will you all just take a moment and appreciate the pictures below? I feel like Eeyore: "If anyone would like to applaud, now would be the time...... Thank you. Unexpected but gratifying... (if a little lacking in smack.)"

This is a Test, 2

This is Mandie. She is a charming ten month old who is about to toddle around the house developing all the cleaning genes she inherited from her Grandma.

This is Derek. You will be seeing a good bit of him on this blog, since he is the most photogenic person in the family. Life is one big party to Derek.


Yes, there are three other kids in the family, but this post is only a test, remember? When I get this tech-y stuff figured out, or when my little sis donates her laptop to me, we will share PICS!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Help!

Does anyone have a book called "Posting Photos for Dummies"??? How do you upload pics when your only internet access is a public computer?

Sunday, August 31, 2008

This is a Test

Does Imoan know how to publish a post¿?

Tuesday, August 26, 2008