Girls Night Out!

My girls and I enjoying a night out on the town. It is always so fun when we go out because everyone wants to talk to us and know where we are from and why we are in Mexico. We end up meeting all different types of people, from all different walks of life. I am so lucky and extremely blessed to be able to have this experience here in Mexico. I am learning so much about myself and my faith with each and every day. The Lord is good!

Dinner at the school with our whole mexican "family"

There's me trying to pick some of the ripe manderines from the trees in the backyard of the school. I am the tallest one around and I was still having problems grabbing them so I instilled the help of my trusty, plastic rake. I was only able to get 2 down, but they were totally worth the effort.

Here is a picture of the whole Mexican family, minus about 20 other people that make up our extended family. We had an amazing dinner at the school on Ashley's parents' last night in Mexico. We had homemade Tamales. They are a lot of work to make, but they are so tasty. It was fun sitting around a big table chatting with everyone. It gave me a sense of being at home during the holidays when the whole family is gathered around the table sharing stories.

Xochicalco----The City of Ruins

One of the trips we went on while Ashley's
parents were here was a day trip to Xochicalco, which is a place that is famous for its ruins. Tavo, the nephew of our teacher, was our tour guide for the day. He doesn' speak much of any English so Ashley and I were the translators for her parents.

The picture to the above is of all of us inside the Observatory. This observatory is incredible. There is a small hole that leads from the top of a cavern to the outside of the observatory. One day out of the year the sun shine at the perfect angle and shines directly down through the hole. One this day the whole observatory and all of its underground tunnels become illuminated by the light. We were able to go into the tunnel and the picture of our hands was taken directly beneath the hole.

This city was located on top of a mountain so there is an incredible 360 degree view of the surrounding areas. Pictures can't even begin to capture the beauty of God's majestic land.

The picture to the below is a picture of the field where the indignous people would play, "el juego de pelota," or "the ballgame." Two teams would play one another and the team that won had the honor of being sacrificed to the gods.


Here is the biggest pyramid at Xochicalco. We were even able to climb up to the top of it. It's not really easy to walk up or down the stairs because the staires are very steep and the stairs are very narrow. These cities were also built so that there is perfect acustic sound. You can clap or talk and hear it echo throughout the city.

Here I am on top of one of the pyramids. Great view!

"What?....Do I have the letter 'S' tatooed on my forehead?"

Everywhere you go in Mexico there are people who are trying to sell you one thing or another. When you are in places like Taxco the people swarm to you, especially when they see that you are a gringo (a white person). If you make the mistake of buying something from one person, then every other person thinks that you need to buy something from them too.

This is my little friend. I can't remember his name now, but he was selling chicle (gum) for one peso. When I told him that I didn't want to buy any gum this is what he said to me: "Por favor amiga! Si no compras chicle no voy a tener dinero para zapatos para mi escuela." Translation: "Please friend! If you don't buy gum from me then I won't have enough money to buy shoes for school." Talk about a heartbreaker. I'm sure that his parents taught him to say that to everyone, but I totally fell for it. I gave him 10 pesos instead of just 1 and then he went and told all of his friends about me. Shortly there after, I was bombarded by all of the other children who were selling gum. See the picture above. Evidently after I bought the gum from my first friend I had a big 'S' tatooed on my forehead signifying that I was a 'sucker' gringa who would buy anything from the cute little kids. I just couldn't resist.

Second Trip to Taxco with Ashley's Parents

We got to go to the town of Taxco for a second time when Ashley's parents came to visit. I was so glad that we got to go back for a second time becuase the town is so beautiful. The last time that we went to Taxco and visited the church, we were unable to see very much of the church because there was a wedding taking place. This time we were able to explore the church and see all of the intricate details and artwork. The pictures don't even begin to capture the beauty. We were also able to see artists who were restoring paintings for the church. These paintings dated back to the 18th Century and were originally painted by Miguel Cabrera. It was so neat to see the paintings up close and personal.

This is a picture of the amazing church. The picture is a little decieving because in reality it is much larger than it seems.

This is the inside of the church. The whole place is covered in angels, statues and figures all encrusted in gold. It takes your breath away when you first walk in and it would take days to be able to appreciate all of the intricate details and artwork.

Ashley's parents, Steve and Cathy, me, Ashley and Jodi all taking the bus to Taxco. It was fun showing her parents around....and even more fun translating for the two of them becuase they didn't know ANY Spanish.

Ladies Night!....Noche de Mujeres!!!

About a week ago we had a Ladies Night with us three girls and our teacher, Lety. We spent the evening listening to music, giving massages, painting nails and giving facials. It was so much fun to just relax and enjoy each other's company. I know that our teacher, Lety loved it too! Earlier in the day I cooked for everyone, which was quite an adventure in itself. It is different to cook in a kitchen other than your own, and to cook with materials that are different from those that you find at your local grocery store in the U.S. Our teachers always tell us that by the time we leave Mexico we will all be able to improvise with ease! I definately have to agree with them. The meal I made was nothing I had ever made before but everyone loved it, so I guess my improvising skills are getting better and better.

After being pampered all night we had dessert. This is a picture of Ashley and Jodi cooking the newly famous, Bannana Boats! Bannana Boats are a hit in Mexico and now everyone at the school loves them!
Bannana Boats are something that I learned back when I was a Girl Scout and our family has also made them at our Aunt Carol and Uncle Lou's house. Directions: Cut a bannana down the middle and stuff the insides with any ingredients you like (chocolate, marshmellows, peanut butter, nuts, etc). Wrap the bannana up in tin foil and place near a fire, or on a stovetop so all the ingredients can melt together. It's a treat that EVERYONE will love!

Lety and I relaxing with our facial masks and cucumber slices. Pure heaven!

Green is a good color for me, right?!?!

Jodi and I relaxing and resting!

More pics of our day at Ojo de Agua...the water park!!

HAHA!!! I hope you all get a good laugh out of this picture. Ashley and I were having so much fun at the park. The whole day we felt like big, little kids running around the parks and going down all the slides. It's only fitting that we did the typical George Washington hair doo. Cute huh?

Only in Mexico will you see a sign that says "no tire basura" ("don't throw your trash on the ground"), and then see tons of trash lying on the ground next to the sign. How I ironic!?!

The girls and I had fun playing in this waterfall sign. In fact, we had a short photo session where we took turns modeling. You can tell that we really had fun. I'm just glad that Ashley and Jodi are just as big of goofs as I am and will put up with my silliness. :0)

Ojo de Agua Water Park.....our day in the sun!!

On Sunday we went to Ojo de Agua, which is a water park that is located close to Cuernavaca. We spent the day soaking up the sun and playing on the slides and in the water like little kids. It was SO much fun! It is so strange to think that it is almost the middle of October and we are going to water parks and wearing shorts and tank tops, when the trees are changing and the mountains are getting snow in Colorado. It will be a real shock when I return to Colorado and it is winter.

This is a picture of me in the bathroom stalks at the water park. I guess they didn't take into consideration that not all people are short. There is no sense of privacy when you can see over the top of the stalks and people can see you...it was very comical to the girls.

The girls and I getting all ready for our day in the sun! I was the momma bear making sure that everyone had plenty of sunscreen...unfortunately Ashley ended up getting burnt to a crisp anyway.

My Mexican War Wounds....no me gusta ormigas (ants)!!!

We had a great time at the Zoofari, but this is what my legs look like after all of my mosquitoe and ant bites. The pictures don't even show the whole of them. It's real cute when you wear shorts and your legs are covered in what look like chicken pox. Oh well, I will survive!

Our trip to the Zoofari.....the drive thru Mexican zoo

Last weekend we went to the Zoofari, which is the Mexican version of a zoo. You can drive/walk through the park and see all the animals. We bought little buckets of food to feed the animals. Parts of the park are open range for the animals so they bombard you when they see that you have food....kinda scary. This zebra was literally right next to our car and we were able to feed him. He was so beautiful.

Me and the girls after our picnic break! Uno, dos, tres....queso!

YES!! I am totally feeding a griaffe and an elephant!!! It was so cool. Never would I think I would feed these animals by hand...only in Mexico!

We had a great day exploring the Zoofari. The only thing I would have changed would have been all of the red, fire ants. I have bites all over my legs that itch and burn like CRAZY! No me gusta ormigas! (I don't like ants!)

Our trip to Taxco....The city known for it's amazing silver

Jodi and I having a nice, cool drink after walking around so much. It was a nice taste of something American.

Las tres amigas in front of the church.

A picture of the beautiful church we visited with the blue sky as a backdrop.

We went on an excursion to Taxco, which is a town close to Cuernavaca that is known for it's barrato (cheap) and beautiful silver. The town was absolutely beautiful. The houses are scattered along the mountian side and the views are breathtaking. We walked around the town and looked in several silver shops. The streets in Taxco are just like the streets in San Francisco....either straight up or straight down. After walking for a while we went to a balcony resturant to have a cerveza. The view from the balcony was increbile. We also visited a church while we were there. The church was HUGE and ornately decorated in golden angels. It was a beautiful day for our excursion to Taxco.

The view of the town. So PRETTY! In the far, upper right-hand corner there is a big Jesus statue with His arms wide open. No matter where you are....Jesus is always with you....even in a differnt country.

The Zamora's House in the Mountains

This last weekend we spent the day at the Zamora's second house in the mountains that are close to Cuernavaca. The house is georgous and there are amazing views of the Cuernavaca and the surrounding areas. It was quite....no car horns, no buses, no dogs barking, no radios blaring....just solitude. It was so nice to relax and enjoy the pool. Mr. and Mrs. Zamora'a daughter and grandson came with us, so I spent part of the day playing in the pool with the kids. We had a big lunch and relaxed all day long. Mr. Zamora made ceviche. This is a very typical Mexican dish. It is fish that is cooked in lime juice. You chop up the fish and then let it marinade in lime juice for 2 hours. This is how the fish "cooks." Then you add onions, cilantro, pepper, and olive oil. I had a mental block about eating fish that is "cooked" in lime juice, but it turned out to be very tasty. It was a great day for sure!