tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58144592664459110882024-03-05T15:18:45.420-06:00Mi Familia es LocoFamily of four moves to the Lake Chapala area of MexicoMertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-77287569425746835932009-09-14T15:27:00.013-05:002009-09-14T19:38:28.503-05:00Vacation to the US/Beach<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzlBxu4O9S04PqCEzh1FSSNoTDeqjUuPCzq0jUNPn9qc_aLBXVAutJC_nWqDMuPKx-coFK00Gy_C_CotJJEQ9_a4nTUSWboZsmyEM0185m-6Cw1S3qM6VCWSizWwhyphenhyphencgdYvuRRH8jKAZ3/s1600-h/Vacation+Summer+09+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzlBxu4O9S04PqCEzh1FSSNoTDeqjUuPCzq0jUNPn9qc_aLBXVAutJC_nWqDMuPKx-coFK00Gy_C_CotJJEQ9_a4nTUSWboZsmyEM0185m-6Cw1S3qM6VCWSizWwhyphenhyphencgdYvuRRH8jKAZ3/s320/Vacation+Summer+09+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381485562183547154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ8eCb-VE40as6AFPlF-guVh7xfVF2v5v0AZbfXNcKRnOcP6jyrtXChnE0wjqLXZNZO5fNq3FJvI35_Uo0Wq-NYzqxtuw8g1MYAHGXxEl3HiE8G5ADp8tIQs22LDC6BzDXVZHe7Rm6c9n/s1600-h/Vacation+Summer+09+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0EeaKLlbDrZLekMrSKBS0LG6M-SdlsZN5_IKnBvjJaYj2sLrCtAq1ao5JgGl4KqXo1yWwqGgVnlaBv09ozXTqdRE08v7OjH9XiIqnYWiFdUMs2_Gdx-VD6xSeGPtNx5S_kg6XB2P1IVc/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381470956922690402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnvrIigA4ECHKMexzm3V976-tTKDvKlvawkCgmO-v_3ItTJY6etR4uQzBThAFQZjVtK38S-BjiSSLpapr6eoFS9gpU7RIakvT-Ii1R93vonUjR7q8Uy8HuvMcc-Nl3ZIZJs_8vtf8M5Ks/s1600-h/July+09+Vacation+USA+143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnvrIigA4ECHKMexzm3V976-tTKDvKlvawkCgmO-v_3ItTJY6etR4uQzBThAFQZjVtK38S-BjiSSLpapr6eoFS9gpU7RIakvT-Ii1R93vonUjR7q8Uy8HuvMcc-Nl3ZIZJs_8vtf8M5Ks/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381469997947386338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWH02bWmG80ZNpzccaLIKdRn6pR9go570QgUQyGb3sGrSJV0wpGB8PlJwzu8l5jn6dOtYHv2Q5TjchdcPG9YsD-X8e2qt2Sazw146aMSTuaSZstr8udaIjPjdQz69MckqD5BuuVNQNz0W/s1600-h/July+09+Vacation+USA+119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWH02bWmG80ZNpzccaLIKdRn6pR9go570QgUQyGb3sGrSJV0wpGB8PlJwzu8l5jn6dOtYHv2Q5TjchdcPG9YsD-X8e2qt2Sazw146aMSTuaSZstr8udaIjPjdQz69MckqD5BuuVNQNz0W/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381467255989200642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus22ssW142MPptq6Tiq2EBB1SH10QbCKEWT32avkLZ7z1SblVWcoaYdvwYxHbFhVZ0J_uTOw7Tfc552zgXPWo9fc5x2q2DlWOu7-8PQmduRUHcGGLNORpgE7JlGZ-f23eOUQSmaphyphenhyphen6BL/s1600-h/July+09+Vacation+USA+130.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus22ssW142MPptq6Tiq2EBB1SH10QbCKEWT32avkLZ7z1SblVWcoaYdvwYxHbFhVZ0J_uTOw7Tfc552zgXPWo9fc5x2q2DlWOu7-8PQmduRUHcGGLNORpgE7JlGZ-f23eOUQSmaphyphenhyphen6BL/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381449680639041506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzq6p1av__DPGgcVDlRsN9odQtCz4BZszd87Coe7JctNgGXqL3xbaO3KzO85l1lnsv-Len3TTpp-5HpEUTAqxxcQDHU60b49mkDkb_n8wSrG82mJBLb1MLNLfT6rkY2sJ-_owZQpTiJBS/s1600-h/July+09+Vacation+USA+154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzq6p1av__DPGgcVDlRsN9odQtCz4BZszd87Coe7JctNgGXqL3xbaO3KzO85l1lnsv-Len3TTpp-5HpEUTAqxxcQDHU60b49mkDkb_n8wSrG82mJBLb1MLNLfT6rkY2sJ-_owZQpTiJBS/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381426356506415282" border="0" /></a><br />Hola again. Many of you already know we went to the US in July & August. We drove from Guadalajara to Denver in 3 days, and then stayed with friends in Denver for a week, and Joe's brother Alan for a week. We then preceded south to Houston, and stayed a 5 days with Uncle Dan & Aunt Marty. Again the long drive home from Houston took 2 days. Yeah!! All things considered, the kids did great in the car. They are good travelers. Like they had a choice. The hardest part is the 12 hour drive from Laredo, TX to Guadalajara. We had a great time with our family and friends, but were glad to get home. Thanks to Joe's pre-planning, we had a 5 day trip to the beach to enjoy before school was to start for us again. The weather was hot in August, but since we spent most of the time at the pool or beach, it was bearable. Alexandra and I went to a few night shows, however, and about passed out from heat stroke. It is clear that HOT for us, and HOT for Mexicans is not the same. I was pouring sweat, and they appeared to be fine, even comfortable. Maybe it is just bad genetics that I sweat so much. Luckily, my daughter has inherited those genes. Anyway, it was a great trip, and we are extremely grateful for all the hospitality shown by our family and friends. We wish we could have stayed longer, but because we only had 5 weeks off until school started, we had limited time. Thanks for the free lodging and food, the laughs, the babysitting, and diaper changes, as well as the free concert tickets (including child care), Tucker walks, and Mega Mel competition. We love you guys!!!! We hope so see some of you at Christmas, and some others at Easter vacation. Otherwise, we have a place for you if you want to visit when the weather up north is COLD.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-73386488481979580712009-08-09T07:12:00.009-05:002009-09-14T15:27:11.528-05:00New House Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyidfb7epPTbFETxZ6bjEzOY_ZExbENR1r3fVIWAyvFRSG0Ca0PFh3uVWgoBU4mrXMIE7UgMYiKC8Ctiad7mv8YudubqM_3cnlrnSRL1UFqO87uIF19MLfFJJbLp39WLkbrIHOXetuLFg1/s1600-h/Globos+%26+school+09+023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyidfb7epPTbFETxZ6bjEzOY_ZExbENR1r3fVIWAyvFRSG0Ca0PFh3uVWgoBU4mrXMIE7UgMYiKC8Ctiad7mv8YudubqM_3cnlrnSRL1UFqO87uIF19MLfFJJbLp39WLkbrIHOXetuLFg1/s320/Globos+%26+school+09+023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381422037691693442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYQbBCp55vCTej_stI0KIyMp3QpC65gmZnA-XNavnMtS6GItBtF2ijbMEFgtVFaq-HdHx0-OEn3YdDxTYym9yseQYxROXwPpfnWdYLF6VUHpyZkgf9NVdXVipPptMFh_FY62OtTkLF4g3/s1600-h/Globos+%26+school+09+131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYQbBCp55vCTej_stI0KIyMp3QpC65gmZnA-XNavnMtS6GItBtF2ijbMEFgtVFaq-HdHx0-OEn3YdDxTYym9yseQYxROXwPpfnWdYLF6VUHpyZkgf9NVdXVipPptMFh_FY62OtTkLF4g3/s320/Globos+%26+school+09+131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381420704699693970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPBRj4x7C8KGPFPaA4O0LXmigdBNtZEaymvwQwMwrLSsZ5COnGMWi5TJepLaUx5Gij4klaCYIiRjApVENfwLU6RYIu7jGVrQz5b-Dky1SEuFd-mARZCgZ79S8eza9p9wPf5Yp3-G-wL1z/s1600-h/Globos+%26+school+09+129.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPBRj4x7C8KGPFPaA4O0LXmigdBNtZEaymvwQwMwrLSsZ5COnGMWi5TJepLaUx5Gij4klaCYIiRjApVENfwLU6RYIu7jGVrQz5b-Dky1SEuFd-mARZCgZ79S8eza9p9wPf5Yp3-G-wL1z/s320/Globos+%26+school+09+129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381419718532241106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9pE19M0GA17IbRdZkOxqNQ1AfB2cER8a9zj4lvN9hyphenhyphen9JJy4uCT0qFp118e9JnzOJjYnvGzJDDzgBWS2Frkqmder3GWGIus__-gq-tGZdZAmPnvu-RYKquThmHIYoHRSDDGXOFyEeKHpb/s1600-h/Globos+%26+school+09+128.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9pE19M0GA17IbRdZkOxqNQ1AfB2cER8a9zj4lvN9hyphenhyphen9JJy4uCT0qFp118e9JnzOJjYnvGzJDDzgBWS2Frkqmder3GWGIus__-gq-tGZdZAmPnvu-RYKquThmHIYoHRSDDGXOFyEeKHpb/s320/Globos+%26+school+09+128.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381418820742451890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWvsISSCJbKCtvXt3KXW24lcIM6o6PG1G6SfsGS_LGiilmlmc3uGR8e6J-5AbVGvXkg_JIm7vb5B32he3GU3U_Niz4juA0328ihO6dyk6LEljBo1fCl1CP5r57m2lwRyMACNRmhvd9zv/s1600-h/July+09+Vacation+USA+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWvsISSCJbKCtvXt3KXW24lcIM6o6PG1G6SfsGS_LGiilmlmc3uGR8e6J-5AbVGvXkg_JIm7vb5B32he3GU3U_Niz4juA0328ihO6dyk6LEljBo1fCl1CP5r57m2lwRyMACNRmhvd9zv/s320/July+09+Vacation+USA+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381414266201613618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Everyone has been asking for pictures, and now that we are back, I am finally posting this. We are still working on the casita, so I am not putting pictures of that yet. It is hard to get the full picture so hope you like them. The house is one floor with three bedrooms. There is a separate "den" that is our TV room. The master bedroom has two spaces. One is the actual bedroom, and the other is a sitting area/???? We are using it as our office area. The house is so comfortable for us, and we are so excited to be home. We still have a ton of work to do, but it keeps us busy. Hope you like the pictures. I am posting our vacation update next.........<br /><br />Pictures are of the living room, den, kitchen and front & back of house.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-29256008346762741392009-05-29T15:27:00.006-05:002009-06-15T14:23:01.170-05:00Alexandra turns 4!!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN22BGxt0ZN1qLmsSNlY3BOg0j3ttgafp_cjxlcpQsWiXL8XkJRdWFfeaIPqpsSFM8e_svSxNSTdzsr0G0yyW8P1NzcjzySx0XFV47G4-iXuuHVLo5ohEfRx-AyGIv3eSxgdfN3MHon7K/s1600-h/dresser2+030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN22BGxt0ZN1qLmsSNlY3BOg0j3ttgafp_cjxlcpQsWiXL8XkJRdWFfeaIPqpsSFM8e_svSxNSTdzsr0G0yyW8P1NzcjzySx0XFV47G4-iXuuHVLo5ohEfRx-AyGIv3eSxgdfN3MHon7K/s320/dresser2+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347636804510286546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUIq3FtelwrwAfi3XIQ_kUEDz4KS9n-74PEpBYCcjgSv1BqdRiqwdMC3wNT8IbZXzKAx5rbTNUkyJaW1SSjQCUmgNzLSWUby7QxXdta67kgz3R7KW1Atd4y5xcmJurlUPc2nb6pcV8dnr/s1600-h/dresser2+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUIq3FtelwrwAfi3XIQ_kUEDz4KS9n-74PEpBYCcjgSv1BqdRiqwdMC3wNT8IbZXzKAx5rbTNUkyJaW1SSjQCUmgNzLSWUby7QxXdta67kgz3R7KW1Atd4y5xcmJurlUPc2nb6pcV8dnr/s320/dresser2+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347636323892574290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo79FOTQelV8DxJAqVUr7KB2dHWX2FL_4XyZwgUmIdS3AUZpTv0rEUJYlvsqU2M8a3Zb03kkNprp3Q6MMdZUZTUXWyPOhYFm7wYxuJt1L_jOQLkcDnXVzY3uM1hhHbpwdoVGruXvZBV3D/s1600-h/dresser2+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo79FOTQelV8DxJAqVUr7KB2dHWX2FL_4XyZwgUmIdS3AUZpTv0rEUJYlvsqU2M8a3Zb03kkNprp3Q6MMdZUZTUXWyPOhYFm7wYxuJt1L_jOQLkcDnXVzY3uM1hhHbpwdoVGruXvZBV3D/s320/dresser2+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347635821386190210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW34SsXB_QYaCOedzLe5830ZttYg49Ky9hnTYo7VDDBIc4x_bKcNA2eyp_XTmkBt-wL-EPdXcXZY5tB12WaM_19sFT0NMhRR2g3P3PMfLpCmk-Uk53GXt5ze3ghmcGH63MiGty7243ujw/s1600-h/dresser2+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW34SsXB_QYaCOedzLe5830ZttYg49Ky9hnTYo7VDDBIc4x_bKcNA2eyp_XTmkBt-wL-EPdXcXZY5tB12WaM_19sFT0NMhRR2g3P3PMfLpCmk-Uk53GXt5ze3ghmcGH63MiGty7243ujw/s320/dresser2+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347634947771178098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiK-vZW7twfKpxkwh3yXE9vJjiMC1wTxQe7OquzNW8GwyQXs1in3asqCU4d-MlFsJeW9W0jfSn0PKgbynyrGV3hw5M2QcTlJxAYqI5at8MWfMGoauqnVevlFxtezqv7sctWkXvsPM5oTV/s1600-h/dresser2+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiK-vZW7twfKpxkwh3yXE9vJjiMC1wTxQe7OquzNW8GwyQXs1in3asqCU4d-MlFsJeW9W0jfSn0PKgbynyrGV3hw5M2QcTlJxAYqI5at8MWfMGoauqnVevlFxtezqv7sctWkXvsPM5oTV/s320/dresser2+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347634526479202418" border="0" /></a><br />Hola Familia y Amigos!<br /><br />Things here are crazy and good. Things were shut down from the flu scare for a while, and now things are back to normal. The school year is being extended by a few weeks to make up for lost time. No one we know has gotten the flu. We did hear that it may have been around since November, and just not identified until April, so we could have already had it. We were all a bit ill for a while there. Who knows.<br /><br />Alexandra turned 4 on May 16th. I am a bit slow updating this. Alexandra had a "party" at school, and then we took her to her favorite place for dinner. It was nice. She got a "computer" and she really likes it. Pink even. Time seems to be flying by. The school year got extended until July 10 (which is the current update). I am so looking forward to being out. So are ALL the kids. It is hot here right now, and it is beating all of us down. Teachers, students, etc. We are planning on driving up to the states when we get out, but no definite plans on where we will be when yet. I am planning on working at the school again next year, so we only have about 5 weeks off for the summer break. Considering it takes at least a week of driving time to get there and back, we don't have as much time as we would like.<br /><br />We moved to a different/nicer location house about a week ago. We have a much bigger yard, and it is much quieter. The place had not been lived in for about 1 1/2 years, so Joe has been battling the "rats". We have not seen a single sign of them in the house, but we have seen them out in the bushes, so they are around. Joe managed to feed them 10 ice cube size death pellets in about 2 days, so we know they are active. We also haven't seen as many squirrels around, so they might have helped. Either way we are very happy with this place. The parking area is nice, the security is good, the house is laid out well for us, and the kids love it. It is also MUCH cooler and quieter here. We can sleep with the windows open!!!!! Not much else happening here besides just life. Good overall, so we can't complain.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-2639119823124443222009-04-12T13:47:00.010-05:002009-04-13T07:15:56.340-05:00Alan Turns 2!!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK9rIoue2d9XW3Bt4Psagqm3oZ_pR4ATj41CMcOxRc5iDxbUOVGTz2zYlYm51wiewsFbchXS12s0DKr12THi7qhHq7f5WPO7CEKiRGHatBO-GVjxTzGZrj_wS2MaLd8mHtAf8Imm6LkPj/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK9rIoue2d9XW3Bt4Psagqm3oZ_pR4ATj41CMcOxRc5iDxbUOVGTz2zYlYm51wiewsFbchXS12s0DKr12THi7qhHq7f5WPO7CEKiRGHatBO-GVjxTzGZrj_wS2MaLd8mHtAf8Imm6LkPj/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323888213224874018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgoy9i81O_WPFzN1JN0qos4TMdtd_VrhfLBDGpMUvx40DySr9Ia5Y_p4I7qJ1MwW3sr4Q2nnEoMgU0fduYwsyl3CntRHEwCe75WoEBRRh87zu5Tuy-tEmOw2PtZPEjtnPeGfO5BPLktPK/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgoy9i81O_WPFzN1JN0qos4TMdtd_VrhfLBDGpMUvx40DySr9Ia5Y_p4I7qJ1MwW3sr4Q2nnEoMgU0fduYwsyl3CntRHEwCe75WoEBRRh87zu5Tuy-tEmOw2PtZPEjtnPeGfO5BPLktPK/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323890101869973298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ieKEpXv_GsbW1nBF9N9iFaF8NC6t7TkliXSz5JyfuVZXMgh5mw-urZEXSk4yPM1HzF8UkpWEtcZntQ2z0cDP6wxSDP24acFUPniHQemrALVHATXO_Aj-G1Cp4LmdS2BOxx10arJehNZf/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ieKEpXv_GsbW1nBF9N9iFaF8NC6t7TkliXSz5JyfuVZXMgh5mw-urZEXSk4yPM1HzF8UkpWEtcZntQ2z0cDP6wxSDP24acFUPniHQemrALVHATXO_Aj-G1Cp4LmdS2BOxx10arJehNZf/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323889669140623650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRG-NA9Y8mLjsCfpelS32DpDLtfSRJZlI-nYnlB6f6K6WfZMq9hjK-pd_rCJb3wCMCEit78fj54DU58LpQ6C1Dc6OKZ9n1XMHo92OlMWFTrp5VxKgDtcK8Nr6JbdhtuMEwKLOgFYoyaMf/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRG-NA9Y8mLjsCfpelS32DpDLtfSRJZlI-nYnlB6f6K6WfZMq9hjK-pd_rCJb3wCMCEit78fj54DU58LpQ6C1Dc6OKZ9n1XMHo92OlMWFTrp5VxKgDtcK8Nr6JbdhtuMEwKLOgFYoyaMf/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323889119428605938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpGb6uJ8sFJ1xfqpgZ1PtEN0RYOohoJ6S9ebGTD1khXap1tzjazeQPztG2HhcHIay5llI9N_vVmdHkZ3j6LPsRKKzYOj1dwwr7htkSkLMISN9EECqWz0Mn2eUUI5CcujDJsyuKUiWH-j2/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpGb6uJ8sFJ1xfqpgZ1PtEN0RYOohoJ6S9ebGTD1khXap1tzjazeQPztG2HhcHIay5llI9N_vVmdHkZ3j6LPsRKKzYOj1dwwr7htkSkLMISN9EECqWz0Mn2eUUI5CcujDJsyuKUiWH-j2/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323888656086058082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Wow! How is my baby 2 years old already? We had a "party" for Alan on his birthday (which is the 10th of April), and it was a good time.<br /><br /><br /><br />We had spaghetti for dinner, which is one of his favorites, and then he got a cake. Alexandra was such a big sister. She kept asking me all day when Alan's party was. He then opened his gift, and it was a big hit. It has only taken me two years to pick out a toy that he will actually play with. A race track! We ate cake and ice cream, and he spent the rest of the evening playing with his toy. Pretty good birthday for turning 2.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrXay2oTY5i6SFLFotFXEgFE0JCVDYh85N6hpzF-AVml1uwenIybtHbQ2DgzecWP_j6mzbIdDsVjmriozqLuq4FFhrrFPprplwJMmujBH8WmIscCc1vV8IuLQehT3Ts8Cl3tZG34EO39e/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrXay2oTY5i6SFLFotFXEgFE0JCVDYh85N6hpzF-AVml1uwenIybtHbQ2DgzecWP_j6mzbIdDsVjmriozqLuq4FFhrrFPprplwJMmujBH8WmIscCc1vV8IuLQehT3Ts8Cl3tZG34EO39e/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323891725149072962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We had a great time on our trip to Houston. We had a good time shopping, and we just hung out and chatted with the family in the evening. Aunt Marty and Uncle Dan were great. Alexandra was a bit confused about the grandma status, but all worked out fine. One morning Alan sneaked out of his crib and wandered around down stairs. Uncle Dan found him grunting at the back door trying to open it. I guess he didn't want to be the only Alan who didn't set the alarm off at 5:00 am. Luckily we got home and he hasn't tried to climb out of the crib. I don't know what I would do with him if he could get out of that thing. Overall, it was a welcomed trip. We are enjoying our last week off work/school, and it will be back to the action again. I think the kids will be glad to get back to school since Alex has already been asking if she has school today.<br /><br />Alexandra's Easter Egg hunt at school. Check out the tail!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhKAYmPzI_1lLWMiJaSMICs-urkTMdqWUFpj4YdHVjzRfCfs4TEFkA4vyuwxxbr8HxRVAHluUPLKQ5uOLQr_ENwHwBUzT-yl2w2y2sq2WIUHs7zaUwg6eCnB0VWm8dw4pehCfMQ4N8XOe/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhKAYmPzI_1lLWMiJaSMICs-urkTMdqWUFpj4YdHVjzRfCfs4TEFkA4vyuwxxbr8HxRVAHluUPLKQ5uOLQr_ENwHwBUzT-yl2w2y2sq2WIUHs7zaUwg6eCnB0VWm8dw4pehCfMQ4N8XOe/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324148209445017938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t9xzIyhy8_LBU2UR0GYJHm64RQ6dZ596j6kek-H5CFLCU5Ia_yIJN1LLN86G3kgQUXxZMzOMQ__9m_OBji_elbxMlP0t48nJ1bH-aYQrHLkZdekoOJXB2FD7n_mSWuoFdQRumzQ8JyNI/s1600-h/Misc+Alan+turns+2+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t9xzIyhy8_LBU2UR0GYJHm64RQ6dZ596j6kek-H5CFLCU5Ia_yIJN1LLN86G3kgQUXxZMzOMQ__9m_OBji_elbxMlP0t48nJ1bH-aYQrHLkZdekoOJXB2FD7n_mSWuoFdQRumzQ8JyNI/s320/Misc+Alan+turns+2+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324146799946814834" border="0" /></a>Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-24987687997473058222009-03-07T07:56:00.005-06:002009-03-28T05:38:25.428-06:00March Already, Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dN84Tv1L1cWVmLTpx0wf_Mj5sg-HQdY2FufLxbtskJ3drRJ4sc0Vcz2M4BaQPPxP4H9JjdknMLDWROmy89ygb0wA_RmBTL4hR0AfHvOrWHrmPLev1K9CW_E1-zzZ-tXswKPmIwOkfdGb/s1600-h/New+house+09+030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dN84Tv1L1cWVmLTpx0wf_Mj5sg-HQdY2FufLxbtskJ3drRJ4sc0Vcz2M4BaQPPxP4H9JjdknMLDWROmy89ygb0wA_RmBTL4hR0AfHvOrWHrmPLev1K9CW_E1-zzZ-tXswKPmIwOkfdGb/s320/New+house+09+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318201258653821490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcADgqI9qTaDFbx-wylysZM8OB_eH5Oujo_ftfLwVULiFGqcQQ7414GHstbIXVitF3WfJLI3uuiYyPBNmsjwikCo3tP9kHnwcPKvVttWjsmbGYfUp6Zd9BMVhAl78AqnTM_EEtOv-T8jo/s1600-h/New+house+09+021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcADgqI9qTaDFbx-wylysZM8OB_eH5Oujo_ftfLwVULiFGqcQQ7414GHstbIXVitF3WfJLI3uuiYyPBNmsjwikCo3tP9kHnwcPKvVttWjsmbGYfUp6Zd9BMVhAl78AqnTM_EEtOv-T8jo/s320/New+house+09+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318200485462585458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tgqtYeGr6D6OO9BKj1lygxQ6KEKfq4DtBeHEF1EppS48r88FWY0sn98Icu0VPF66gwVmIPcHf0eKErCb_OnDOsjKCnHORjqK7DvR7IEqh30pp3xxWs9OGMu1WAQNQeM9WAio8IF2xNTD/s1600-h/New+house+09+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tgqtYeGr6D6OO9BKj1lygxQ6KEKfq4DtBeHEF1EppS48r88FWY0sn98Icu0VPF66gwVmIPcHf0eKErCb_OnDOsjKCnHORjqK7DvR7IEqh30pp3xxWs9OGMu1WAQNQeM9WAio8IF2xNTD/s320/New+house+09+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318199678250766850" border="0" /></a><br />Hola! Things here are rolling along. We have been crazy busy. Between work and kids and life, we keep things interesting. We have been checking options both here and in the States, and we have decided to extend our time here by at least another year. The kids like school and the schools are fantastic and affordable. Alexandra is speaking Spanish, and so is Alan in his limited almost 2 year old vocabulary. The economy in the US is not very good, and the job markets are tight. We both have job options here (although the pay is low), and we really have no reason to return at this time. We are starting to find our comfort zone with the language and culture. We have made many friends, love the weather, and are really starting to embrace the lifestyle. Maybe we may never leave!!!!<br /><br />We are planning a 5 day trip to Houston, TX next week to take care of some things, and get some "supplies". Mexico has tons of benefits such as inexpensive fresh fruits and veggies, great weather, and any pirated movie you can imagine for about $10 pesos, but if you want a decent sippy cup, shoes you can afford, toys, or a decent makeup counter, you really may have to go to the US. Alan's birthday is coming up, so we planned to get there and back before he turns 2 so we don't have to buy another full price ticket for him (considering I will be holding him with all my might the entire trip anyway). We have a 2 week vacation for Easter/Spring Break, so we figured it was a good time. It is hard to believe we have been gone for almost a year already. We are planning on driving up to Colorado sometime in July. Depending on when we leave here and how long it takes us to get there, we should arrive time time mid-July. We need to take care of some things up there, and it will be a good time to visit with some of our friends and family. We have 6 weeks off during the summer until school starts again in mid-August. Summer is the rainy season here, and we are looking forward to that. It hasn't rained a drop here since October, and it is getting dry. We arrived here during the rainy season, and it was fantastic. May and June are supposed to have a decent amount of rain (approx 6 inches?), so that will start soon. We have been looking at some other homes to move to that might be a bit quieter than in the city. There is a lot of street noise and roosters here, and we are hoping to find something with a bigger yard for the kids. We might move sometime in June or so. We will see how it works out.<br /><br />We have discovered an unknown resource here. Birthday Parties!!!!! As of late, the kids have been invited to several of these, and they are really fun for the whole family. Even Alan gets involved. One or more pinata's is a guarantee, and there is usually a bounce house, icy pops (called Bolis), face painting, and other activities. They have a company that you can hire, and they send a group of teenage girls to keep the action going. Alex LOVES it. The adults can usually hang out and just keep track of the constant flow of sugar, hold the pinata bags, and chat with the other parents. It seems like there is one every week lately. For the price of a small, inexpensive gift, you get several hours of kid fun. When the kids get a little older, we may even be able to do a drop off, and not have to spend a full 3-4 hours there!!!<br /><br />That is about all the update for now. You really just want to see the pictures anyway. Alexandra and Alan in their "fubol" outfits, and us at a chili cookoff (awesome time). Will update soon.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-17151950643380032702008-12-25T13:28:00.017-06:002008-12-25T15:18:00.979-06:00Christmas/Puerta Vallarta<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IMUecdF-bj-u4NJ4lpMPFpnrRn74JuctQDOYMYI4_7Arm9reMSbhMsbi5lcQfSdUOyCETgQUVEhb5IfPZKocKY8kirh_oHhgIo9LIw9fz612I6WHJ6lbPWbeXaBba54j0nnZtMseqFdf/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+201.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IMUecdF-bj-u4NJ4lpMPFpnrRn74JuctQDOYMYI4_7Arm9reMSbhMsbi5lcQfSdUOyCETgQUVEhb5IfPZKocKY8kirh_oHhgIo9LIw9fz612I6WHJ6lbPWbeXaBba54j0nnZtMseqFdf/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283828875384065394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPlMxEi5PUEYh02kGn4I1cku4aEfghZ51qA4jL-kVFq7Fb3jVyTzV8RzyGFLrCI94D_HKilZO4kMF40O2XsrsnHKG5w2h1P-BUldiq6t-N7w3vt8Q2FZCb-cdMmABvErTx6ojtpUsVuRS/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPlMxEi5PUEYh02kGn4I1cku4aEfghZ51qA4jL-kVFq7Fb3jVyTzV8RzyGFLrCI94D_HKilZO4kMF40O2XsrsnHKG5w2h1P-BUldiq6t-N7w3vt8Q2FZCb-cdMmABvErTx6ojtpUsVuRS/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283828382984683714" border="0" /></a><br />Merry Christmas!!!! Thank you for all the Christmas cards we received, and the well wishes. It has been an exciting month for us. I have been busy as always teaching school, and managing the house. It is amazing how much time it takes to do laundry and keep this place clean. We had a month of school programs and activities, some parties for the holidays, and we spent 5 days at the beach in Puerta Vallarta. Tough life I know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam_0C2DvXQMi1wq76lTSB4s55ZtzQWy-lAIOQiBHGSEQdqLTN-py7_lJrL4Koa7Tr73cd2f6OowoCitRGYmGwkg9AUaHdkw-B1x579eykEzTlH5wsPTRAf7rzkXgInfek3s89rnBBR-Ot/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+171.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam_0C2DvXQMi1wq76lTSB4s55ZtzQWy-lAIOQiBHGSEQdqLTN-py7_lJrL4Koa7Tr73cd2f6OowoCitRGYmGwkg9AUaHdkw-B1x579eykEzTlH5wsPTRAf7rzkXgInfek3s89rnBBR-Ot/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283833729919607474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyDyf5b2kVanXKid4D1yD-f7jgSS6li8HgaAlfvwOcaHtB9U8uMfQvTEPl0zhOG3HQHB38ip4d4mrhDCw6Is3iEbd3DCkp5nAtOkEsHW5zgd_5KsQNDSbVTnWyUum8UXzIYg2FEWffgi2/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyDyf5b2kVanXKid4D1yD-f7jgSS6li8HgaAlfvwOcaHtB9U8uMfQvTEPl0zhOG3HQHB38ip4d4mrhDCw6Is3iEbd3DCkp5nAtOkEsHW5zgd_5KsQNDSbVTnWyUum8UXzIYg2FEWffgi2/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283829342125932578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjSi8dKmMWbq60FXdRd6z2VjVqDA15D0iZKNkFBfZZMcMcgBk7WYKFZCZgJ1Xu9MasAz-2dFXOaYEeBqLjapKYlcrBMuyFjVc0DM06cs7nkFGu044Hm095G56TK4sRyfW2iFnxUXHHB0/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjSi8dKmMWbq60FXdRd6z2VjVqDA15D0iZKNkFBfZZMcMcgBk7WYKFZCZgJ1Xu9MasAz-2dFXOaYEeBqLjapKYlcrBMuyFjVc0DM06cs7nkFGu044Hm095G56TK4sRyfW2iFnxUXHHB0/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283830219507717826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnlxGq05crs21GOLhsaAcOZSLoWdSIT_VychWJoWy3AA47QdFYFcT0O1vfTYimrNdWEa-5WPmiCtoVbYx0W8gaVcROCv1j_XP0IqpGA5moqomZxPIdZ2fIZvPl0-oBeuzk01yp5cZVKvW/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnlxGq05crs21GOLhsaAcOZSLoWdSIT_VychWJoWy3AA47QdFYFcT0O1vfTYimrNdWEa-5WPmiCtoVbYx0W8gaVcROCv1j_XP0IqpGA5moqomZxPIdZ2fIZvPl0-oBeuzk01yp5cZVKvW/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283830808493301810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G0cZJfUq9U465-dIrY21xCN9sDwlqfgfdALezNsVJoKGQQ9OmRdCmSWcvcFVLFMoTJUPcUm34jpUGaM-P7gSX6J2mT6O1norxDcasNS0j7c34mn2yYGAb8wCOYX_RzyKIHUXWYxIK8Z5/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G0cZJfUq9U465-dIrY21xCN9sDwlqfgfdALezNsVJoKGQQ9OmRdCmSWcvcFVLFMoTJUPcUm34jpUGaM-P7gSX6J2mT6O1norxDcasNS0j7c34mn2yYGAb8wCOYX_RzyKIHUXWYxIK8Z5/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283832154611687858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qEGfTo_r5yZ6_GpJ1nNJnItxi9F7okbFcbwWCENqTEx0H5COOpjLsvsLX1CF2lhMyaYA3SWqV6iTxEgcVPKmE7CDx3d8b2hTyJldMc8bDuF7p_c4Tec3ew4-AdK-fmNfkuoAaObb6bZB/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qEGfTo_r5yZ6_GpJ1nNJnItxi9F7okbFcbwWCENqTEx0H5COOpjLsvsLX1CF2lhMyaYA3SWqV6iTxEgcVPKmE7CDx3d8b2hTyJldMc8bDuF7p_c4Tec3ew4-AdK-fmNfkuoAaObb6bZB/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283833123908120050" border="0" /></a>School is out for Christmas break, and we don't have to go back until Jan 7th. Joe found a great "last minute" deal at an all-inclusive in Puerta Vallarta, so we drove over there on the 18th, and returned on the 23rd. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive. It was beautiful. The kids loved the pool and we had a great time. The hotel itself was older, but we didn't mind. The food was great. We watched CNN every morning, and giggled when we saw all the snow. I don't miss the snow at all.<br /><br />While we were in Puerta Vallarta, we visited a Mexican Zoo. The place was AWESOME. You purchase a bag of miscellaneous animal food when you enter for $50 pesos. Then, you walk a paved path through the entire zoo. As you go, you see the different animals, and you can feed them. Peanuts, carrots, bread, etc. We got to feed a Giraffe, and it was great. You could touch him if you wanted. We also fed monkeys which took the peanuts right out of our hands, and Zebras and camels also. They even had a baby tiger, and a baby jaguar that you could hold and get pictures of. It was the coolest zoo I have ever seen. I would go back anytime.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX-cRcXUfcuh9_Kw_a1VMaZ24eqWKFuBNPoePjO51_-Ze2zvpBOxQ6qvzbkBWNzcF3Bx2K8E07Tl5V9x3XAckY30fcu2gE893L2trLzrfysJRWvQ47ZcfoEA68u4jtel3l9aum1L14w8G/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+210.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX-cRcXUfcuh9_Kw_a1VMaZ24eqWKFuBNPoePjO51_-Ze2zvpBOxQ6qvzbkBWNzcF3Bx2K8E07Tl5V9x3XAckY30fcu2gE893L2trLzrfysJRWvQ47ZcfoEA68u4jtel3l9aum1L14w8G/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283838671368121506" border="0" /></a>Whenever you go outside here, it feels somewhere between 70-80. It is like a beautiful spring day in Colorado when you take a deep breath and just smile. FABULOUS!!!! It hasn't rained since September, and it is sunny EVERY DAY. We spent this morning opening gifts from Santa. It took Alexandra about 2 seconds to rip the paper off her two gifts. She also got a bike. Along with the doll and the stroller, her life is now complete. For now anyway. Alan got a truck and a trike. Alexandra couldn't wait to see what Alan had received, so she also had to help him rip the paper off his presents. Joe and I carried their bikes to the plaza for the kids to ride, and both of them have already crashed. It was a nice morning. The weather is perfect as always, and it is a quiet day in Mexico.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-66065587614376797232008-11-21T15:27:00.011-06:002008-12-25T13:27:45.315-06:00Weekly Update/Manzanillo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfs_ZahUJWpK31NefCnK9y5eXbs5bgLnCLzYlwL_jzsokR295MimLTo-sXO9lPPVSjVIZ2H69l-i0yl7-QaPEj2_Vve99R-LrLAp8qU7T9vlMx8Etnxtu1SJefJCL06F3ojqXf3KTjG9k/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfs_ZahUJWpK31NefCnK9y5eXbs5bgLnCLzYlwL_jzsokR295MimLTo-sXO9lPPVSjVIZ2H69l-i0yl7-QaPEj2_Vve99R-LrLAp8qU7T9vlMx8Etnxtu1SJefJCL06F3ojqXf3KTjG9k/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283803446779766194" border="0" /></a><br />These are pictures of us at the beach in Manzanillo, and Alexandra for her school program. She cried before she got on stage, and this is the only picture we have of her before the program.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUSZXcnVx83K9Q0QOn1gKUEeCjsgJY-PjQw5kfF-v2HZM7WJNvmhiXoKW7QPSL6sna5ZvPOcLW5omUnKNtF78ny7ScoJ8Yy8v3QalIRSbNoRrzxPBdjXomfAprrPsUIPfdTwqv7_61TUP/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUSZXcnVx83K9Q0QOn1gKUEeCjsgJY-PjQw5kfF-v2HZM7WJNvmhiXoKW7QPSL6sna5ZvPOcLW5omUnKNtF78ny7ScoJ8Yy8v3QalIRSbNoRrzxPBdjXomfAprrPsUIPfdTwqv7_61TUP/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283804970366261890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMbBtEIXJTtJw9bHfbQN_HkfeBhRSNODr3EMGLsOuWaGDFt1_TGb6M8AdyimXJjV8LkBa83KEej2GxTLEHK9zEEEQ0_2uqbYu7xLl0v5kJgLszqylZXpOfKCrOEtz1MrmnKWLkvrAaS18/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+073.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMbBtEIXJTtJw9bHfbQN_HkfeBhRSNODr3EMGLsOuWaGDFt1_TGb6M8AdyimXJjV8LkBa83KEej2GxTLEHK9zEEEQ0_2uqbYu7xLl0v5kJgLszqylZXpOfKCrOEtz1MrmnKWLkvrAaS18/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283803995863804082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hola! It has been a while since I posted, and we have been very busy. Life keeps us that way. We made a weekend trip to Manzanillo, Mexico, and it was a great time. The kids were good, with only a few glitches. We found a hotel that is right on the beach, and was less than $50 dollars a night. The have a pool, and the breakfast was included. Overall, we loved it, and are planning another trip for the week before Christmas. Manzanillo is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Chapala, and is a major port town in Mexico. The beach was very nice, and the weather was warm. When we first arrived, the kids were hungry so we decided to go to the Burger King because it had a playland. We parked and walked in, and Alan must have been a little car sick or something. He threw up all over the floor as we were waiting to order. Needless to say, I was mortified, and we left with no food. Luckily, there are not a lot of sympathy pukers in Mexico, because no one seemed to notice. He was fine after that. The kids loved the sand and they could have stayed there forever.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaDdtUoWOSjW641DHSFmERd88tV1UmW71nFW-oK3STlyUoth_7Pv5sYbuX2oCqCaRKNNMiZnRQ47nUzb6rpgYluwRJHjMIOigI8YLh5iFXrMM8tpOLt0SJ75eLDRWGECwwhsj-Spxr9FP/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaDdtUoWOSjW641DHSFmERd88tV1UmW71nFW-oK3STlyUoth_7Pv5sYbuX2oCqCaRKNNMiZnRQ47nUzb6rpgYluwRJHjMIOigI8YLh5iFXrMM8tpOLt0SJ75eLDRWGECwwhsj-Spxr9FP/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283804506419953682" border="0" /></a>Here is me and Alan on our first day of school, and me and Alan at his school program. He was dressed as a Christmas ornament.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst1sdHTHD7FdCn29TE0ZuQ5I8GqgCRoxSXhyYc_s-3fQTHRQ44PShiQICqJqsOzG6bXKjaB4IPbrwC1qXIToycVK579Tn_PDeNP3SDdD63GygExn5R9ZrcXBo7ObG-lUwCpVSg6Jx8L6X/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+117.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst1sdHTHD7FdCn29TE0ZuQ5I8GqgCRoxSXhyYc_s-3fQTHRQ44PShiQICqJqsOzG6bXKjaB4IPbrwC1qXIToycVK579Tn_PDeNP3SDdD63GygExn5R9ZrcXBo7ObG-lUwCpVSg6Jx8L6X/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283806219591758962" border="0" /></a><br />I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0U8z_YQHEYWuaoQSy5CpWmyB39nmDq2FQ7p2GJnjzcRPLu6x2f8lw7HPWG4ZadkWk3sA8JhGabNTzObQOeqTBILjYv5-N1YUuAhBZ31kI83Ie4OaF5T3t_e5X1B3nHN8iuYBxI1LOAAP/s1600-h/Blog+Mexico+08+119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0U8z_YQHEYWuaoQSy5CpWmyB39nmDq2FQ7p2GJnjzcRPLu6x2f8lw7HPWG4ZadkWk3sA8JhGabNTzObQOeqTBILjYv5-N1YUuAhBZ31kI83Ie4OaF5T3t_e5X1B3nHN8iuYBxI1LOAAP/s320/Blog+Mexico+08+119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283809614213481986" border="0" /></a> took a job. I wasn't sure it was the best idea, and I am still wondering, but I was offered a job at a ...... you better sit down for this..... a preschool teaching English. The school is called Tohui. I have no teaching experience, so I couldn't tell you if I am doing a good job or not. I guess I speak English, so that is the only requirement other than showing up. The classes have about 1/4 English speaking students. It is actually a very good program, and it is right down the road from Alexandra's school. I can take Alan with me, and he is in the Maternal program at a discount. He is there for about 2 hours including eating lunch, and then he is at recess with me, and then he takes a nap and we go home. I was a little nervous about putting Alan in there, but he seems to be doing good. So far he hasn't made as much of a fuss as Alexandra did when I took her to preschool. They also speak only Spanish in Maternal, so he will be learning that as well. It could work out really good that the kids can both get some good exposure to Spanish in the next year. I have spent 3 weeks there so far, and I am catching on. If you would have told me several years ago that I was going to be a preschool teacher, I would have said NEVER! It is a bit challenging, but the best part is that only 1/2 of the day I teach English with the help of the Spanish teacher in crowd control (there are 21 students total), and the other 1/2 I am a helper to the Spanish teacher (crowd control). We also have another helper in the classroom with us. It is a definite eye opener to me on how 4 year olds act. I wonder how Alexandra acts at her school. I also think she is ahead of a lot of these kids in speech. They are planning on giving me my own classroom after Christmas, and split the class so that I only have about 10 kids at a time. I am actually looking forward to that. It doesn't pay much, but it does cover the kids tuition, and I am finished when they are finished. School here runs from Mid Aug to the end of June, so they only have 6 weeks off during the summer. Since Alexandra is only right up the road (about a block away), I walk up there right at 1:30 and bring her to my school until 2:00, and then we all go home. It works out pretty good. I could have never gotten a deal like this in the US, I could have, however, made a lot more money.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-74245395873048763052008-10-31T15:00:00.014-06:002008-11-01T14:46:26.503-06:00Weekly Update/Joe's Birthday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGIs8cLdl8CFJXcxqAr8Qtrzx0eoX8Vn5HgIzSrqCydL7rvILnUzV83dOP8gakkX-ucBQRNC0uya1Z6WmLjUfiwKep0IUEy5NFHFgIA_hsnNEMo8vNesYj_zNTrYd1Cfcs0-JsiVfvP-L/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGIs8cLdl8CFJXcxqAr8Qtrzx0eoX8Vn5HgIzSrqCydL7rvILnUzV83dOP8gakkX-ucBQRNC0uya1Z6WmLjUfiwKep0IUEy5NFHFgIA_hsnNEMo8vNesYj_zNTrYd1Cfcs0-JsiVfvP-L/s320/Nov+1+2008+051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263787983476648562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRfBhsgRJvU4xpwghrJvmgEVIURG8uSr2GQlC8UrQA4QWyK4932-_172lkogGT_I27PKz3NWEJSegHLXnAKsOD31zk3ZPynixb5qXniYEa_deJOmqXCL4bDKAU7Q3sHf3AlUwJq4lmE2k/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRfBhsgRJvU4xpwghrJvmgEVIURG8uSr2GQlC8UrQA4QWyK4932-_172lkogGT_I27PKz3NWEJSegHLXnAKsOD31zk3ZPynixb5qXniYEa_deJOmqXCL4bDKAU7Q3sHf3AlUwJq4lmE2k/s320/Nov+1+2008+058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263784740342123922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzca2nJ_WCspwYRMGLWmcqZ23hbUh1-Tu9EDmtzGiX6wJVJB0lLYcvTLNlmBOTcsGqiPNZtIqd6_sukg6HC7C4cIwDZ3kUD3cB-fr3W1Qqu-3pW2E5zejcH2RU1yJ4sKWe7N7fFVj1E40/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzca2nJ_WCspwYRMGLWmcqZ23hbUh1-Tu9EDmtzGiX6wJVJB0lLYcvTLNlmBOTcsGqiPNZtIqd6_sukg6HC7C4cIwDZ3kUD3cB-fr3W1Qqu-3pW2E5zejcH2RU1yJ4sKWe7N7fFVj1E40/s320/Nov+1+2008+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263784171850827970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2zO8r3zXS4dDBb4FNjRvsFgpSzmED3xTVDFRaTSivMChTfnS4PhxWYG-qFzILkGE5WqRgC0E3TVYfPbI-UzUTu1-KroDJ8XJkY8Lw6-zd5OJGNaOoFPPq_1Zx9JrjjKV66Jb2ApX6kGO/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2zO8r3zXS4dDBb4FNjRvsFgpSzmED3xTVDFRaTSivMChTfnS4PhxWYG-qFzILkGE5WqRgC0E3TVYfPbI-UzUTu1-KroDJ8XJkY8Lw6-zd5OJGNaOoFPPq_1Zx9JrjjKV66Jb2ApX6kGO/s320/Nov+1+2008+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263783688350506754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hola!!! It has been an exciting week here with the Day of the Dead. They don't really have Halloween, although most of the children know what it is. We went to a Halloween party at some American friends house, and it was mostly us and a bunch of kids. It was fun though. I always think Alex is getting big until I see her around a bunch of 8 yr olds. We carved pumpkins and had a big pinata (check that thing out! $65 pesos for custom made) Alex loves the princesses, and Alan loves Elmo. Joe got the costumes when he was in Vegas. Then we went trick or treating. Only about 1 in 10 houses was giving out candy, so we had to walk a bit more, but they got a good amount of stuff. We tried to stick to the Gringo neighborhood. I am posting some pictures of the kids and such.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUtsV2uDsQxF0jBY6cgLDqKX0Ki2jOIxKOEIQTLqOPZ5PRlTEjrKAE2jmHa3yptyRGOPzLa1tA1q25rwyaCaHpcbahgvudixJtN3XOg5As-rxcTlg8FRyPK6hbkyACjmP1aFAVLsHeZX4/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUtsV2uDsQxF0jBY6cgLDqKX0Ki2jOIxKOEIQTLqOPZ5PRlTEjrKAE2jmHa3yptyRGOPzLa1tA1q25rwyaCaHpcbahgvudixJtN3XOg5As-rxcTlg8FRyPK6hbkyACjmP1aFAVLsHeZX4/s320/Nov+1+2008+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263783357527086722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0lv3p-9rujWVnsvX9ph0frulDD7kj_RXw9q5q4V9plgT75r8JJh6uBLrtSpZ5j2l7Y-vzXpqJwKfjFcHzqTgilBXAdsyO1gz7GVucLqcQMv25pbZVLoHnho1GUAytwORLlRGoDmKTwgL/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0lv3p-9rujWVnsvX9ph0frulDD7kj_RXw9q5q4V9plgT75r8JJh6uBLrtSpZ5j2l7Y-vzXpqJwKfjFcHzqTgilBXAdsyO1gz7GVucLqcQMv25pbZVLoHnho1GUAytwORLlRGoDmKTwgL/s320/Nov+1+2008+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263788401433309330" border="0" /></a>The Mexicans use Nov 1-2 to remember those family members who died. They buy these very elaborate wreaths and have parties and such. It is similar to Memorial Day for us, only they take it up a notch. They decorate the graves and hang out there and eat food, sing songs, and party all night. We went by a cemetery today and they had vendors with food, flowers, etc setting up outside. They did have a procession of sorts that went right by the house with a small statue of a virgin? They did not say it was Mary, and it was sanctioned by the Catholic church because the altar boys and priests were involved. If you double click the picture, you can see the statue. They have it on top of the truck. It is very difficult to understand some of it when the language is still not strong for us. Either way they had a little carnival for the kids, and fireworks and such. It was all good until the church started blowing off these bombs at 6:00 am the next morning. When I say bombs, I mean BOMBS. Sounds like a canon. Very loud. Joe thinks it is a half stick of dynamite. We are approx 1 1/2 blocks directly diagonal from the church, and they are close and loud. The only one who didn't wake up was Alex. I swear she could sleep through a war. The Mexican people are always up for an event with food and music and such. We heard a saying that says, "Mexico is easier to love than to understand." That is VERY true. In a country that has a good bit of poverty, why is every kid here running around with cheetos and pop and always snacking on something?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGOWZhsEsnFzvNKhoh89N2eaGAzLNVqHiM1a6Uifrog_UXUS0LnAFXpMOKChEk-CL2HXxf280EGxg3Kl2BsBkKELHB42m87d0kpAxT0tFnLK30rwm64e8exPti49WihKKAnKaFTDZPIS2/s1600-h/Joe's+40th+Bday+Vegas+%286%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGOWZhsEsnFzvNKhoh89N2eaGAzLNVqHiM1a6Uifrog_UXUS0LnAFXpMOKChEk-CL2HXxf280EGxg3Kl2BsBkKELHB42m87d0kpAxT0tFnLK30rwm64e8exPti49WihKKAnKaFTDZPIS2/s320/Joe's+40th+Bday+Vegas+%286%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263787066287614498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ckDa2itaFIXbGx0-LjPmWwJuWsRjURPGF5trtY0z1FFQ1v0Z_Ws1stu_yHO6F6OnhuJIY51TLPuhjgDesms9ak5_b3FCZVv5T0YnH8z43x1xZH8ZxMDmgjZvEM_jHq2Fqx_AFygmIsn8/s1600-h/Joe's+40th+Bday+Vegas+%2814%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ckDa2itaFIXbGx0-LjPmWwJuWsRjURPGF5trtY0z1FFQ1v0Z_Ws1stu_yHO6F6OnhuJIY51TLPuhjgDesms9ak5_b3FCZVv5T0YnH8z43x1xZH8ZxMDmgjZvEM_jHq2Fqx_AFygmIsn8/s320/Joe's+40th+Bday+Vegas+%2814%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263786421975447394" border="0" /></a>Joe had his birthday, and is now officially 40. Alan and Dan paid for a trip for him to go to Vegas and they had quite a trip. Dan sent me a few pictures, and I am going to attach. The deal was that I did not pack a suitcase for him, just a few necessities, and they were going to provide the wardrobe for him. I guess they found a few select clothing items that would have made your average person take a serious double take, but then again, they were in Vegas. Notice I said average person. Is that pink tie dye, and what does that shirt say? Not Mastercard, Master Pimp? Aren't those pants a bit tight? Where do you find these things? They had a ton of fun and I am forever grateful to them for footing the bill and the arrangements for the trip. Joe is already talking about the next trip. He did get a chance to do some shopping while he was there, which was nice. Toys are very expensive in Mexico. Actually anything that is imported from China has a HUGE tariff on it, so it makes most of the plastic stuff expensive. Your average barbie doll here is about $140 pesos. In the US it is about $5 dollars. Even though they have Walmart and such, the prices and the selection are different. He did get the kids some stuff so that we have Christmas covered here, and he paid for it all with his winnings!!!!! Thanks guys. For Joe's actual birthday, Alex was sick, and she didn't go to school because I didn't want her hacking on all the other kids, so we went for a drive and stopped at the Burger King playland. It was just like the US. The prices were about the same too. We had Whopper combos for Joe's 40th. Now thats living, right?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl6Ga3p220lCeiVvg-d3mB8Ticz5Em77dgtgB1I3Xitklp30TlJfyY3dfnLX6lofsFO5ytEhiCZK0My53i3T5mlTXrheAG8p1ep8E6GsIWVALowXqODikOX7Semwx4Gg5RfACgx7m48sp/s1600-h/Nov+1+2008+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl6Ga3p220lCeiVvg-d3mB8Ticz5Em77dgtgB1I3Xitklp30TlJfyY3dfnLX6lofsFO5ytEhiCZK0My53i3T5mlTXrheAG8p1ep8E6GsIWVALowXqODikOX7Semwx4Gg5RfACgx7m48sp/s320/Nov+1+2008+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263788868865251218" border="0" /></a>Other than that, it is just the same things. The weather here is PERFECT. It is cooler at night, so we actually do use a blanket, and you sometimes need a long sleeve shirt in the morning until about 9:00 or so, and then it is sunny and a high is the 70's. The rainy season is over, so it probably won't rain until April. Alex is doing good in school. She is using Spanish words a lot, and doesn't even notice it. When I take her to school, the teachers talk to her in Spanish, and she responds with yes or no answers, so I think she understands more than she knows. Joe and I are still struggling with the language, but now everyone around here has seen us with the kids, and they know we live here, so they are patient with us. Hey, they need to make money too, so they are very willing to accommodate the caveman language we are using. Alan has learned the word, "no", and is using it. He also knows, "Hola", and yells it at everyone we pass while he is on the stroller, or those he sees in the street. Very cute. I never put a lot of thought into socks until now.......Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-72403828114677269632008-10-23T21:30:00.008-05:002008-10-24T15:38:12.333-05:00The circus, Alex got her ears pierced<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grqpdYtfHakfdOriUAYmDchlshyI5MJ8T4_Efnawt1R24A9kmW3q3B9UDos2POd1nmdmYW9A44tHZkC8wqt-vP7IkCg0cMSShvpRSv8N36TMc5dWeEaeSpAek0AvVUy7uv-3TYEoFGud/s1600-h/Blog+04+084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grqpdYtfHakfdOriUAYmDchlshyI5MJ8T4_Efnawt1R24A9kmW3q3B9UDos2POd1nmdmYW9A44tHZkC8wqt-vP7IkCg0cMSShvpRSv8N36TMc5dWeEaeSpAek0AvVUy7uv-3TYEoFGud/s320/Blog+04+084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260820167002508626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_D-W6fbRny7Sba5RVeMIWe5gFsnwdtCrdijG2fwDz84m_1RlPJsuUq0A5N8VaLbIu4l5NpN-k8jNXv09TXurwB4TI4QkAzCVlVDK7uWjrTN9E3hZnh1Vq48V_q7oCGLAtMJ5iQLRqh6d9/s1600-h/Blog+04+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_D-W6fbRny7Sba5RVeMIWe5gFsnwdtCrdijG2fwDz84m_1RlPJsuUq0A5N8VaLbIu4l5NpN-k8jNXv09TXurwB4TI4QkAzCVlVDK7uWjrTN9E3hZnh1Vq48V_q7oCGLAtMJ5iQLRqh6d9/s320/Blog+04+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260819692471933762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2oJf2MDGorf0m5SL1ci3vP5mvABNmPNLfOUXH5WrzyWAUWmm82ioLOFx5bLhXtff-ri3h6hyuYddJ8OwcWA_KdjhgrCZFShMu5A27SLCz_HbUHvvrIp7uGMMlAl6-xczuCDz4hV4FAne/s1600-h/Blog+04+074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2oJf2MDGorf0m5SL1ci3vP5mvABNmPNLfOUXH5WrzyWAUWmm82ioLOFx5bLhXtff-ri3h6hyuYddJ8OwcWA_KdjhgrCZFShMu5A27SLCz_HbUHvvrIp7uGMMlAl6-xczuCDz4hV4FAne/s320/Blog+04+074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260818693514002754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiM3m5Jkx1CDm8_uv2hotxQa11nWFwoVrkzIDrd6EseDnfA_g4S-61_5q3P3osglPjndXDVXTExM9Cgtsg-fwSTaj7QRD_2HEB_jcbyzcRbkriynP1u9Nvxd8JXb9BH-A44gFpXc8ubR4/s1600-h/Blog+04+043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiM3m5Jkx1CDm8_uv2hotxQa11nWFwoVrkzIDrd6EseDnfA_g4S-61_5q3P3osglPjndXDVXTExM9Cgtsg-fwSTaj7QRD_2HEB_jcbyzcRbkriynP1u9Nvxd8JXb9BH-A44gFpXc8ubR4/s320/Blog+04+043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260817946531845490" border="0" /></a><br />Time is flying by here. The weather is fabulous. It is truly one of the best parts about being here, especially when we know it is COLD in Colorado and other places. It was sunny and about 80 degrees today. We went to the circus, and it was great. Both of the kids really enjoyed it. Alan sat very good and paid attention for almost the whole thing (1 1/2 hrs). For an amateur performance, it was really quite good. They drive around with trucks blasting the announcements (in Spanish of course) but they have trailers with cages with animals. You can go up to the trucks a buy tickets to the show. We have seen the tigers many times, a kangaroo, some lamas, and some miniature ponies. One thing we did discover is that the tigers are very neat, but they are not in the show. Just the cages outside. For the entire thing being in Spanish, it was fun to watch. Mostly some low grade acrobatics, but they did have a big ball that three motorcycles drive in at one time. It was quite impressive, except they seriously need to tune those machines up. I was starting to become concerned that we might all asphyxiate from the exhaust while watching a bunch of crazy acrobatics in a giant blue tent in Mexico. We also about lost consciousness while laughing so hard when the tightrope walker repeatedly bagged himself while bouncing on a rope to "She Bangs" while wearing something stolen from a Brady Bunch episode. Well worth the money if you ask me. We would definitely go again if it comes to town.<br /><br />Alexandra got her ears pierced today. She had been asking for a long time, and we finally said yes. It is very common here for girls to get their ears pierced at birth. Literally before they leave the hospital. All the girls in her class have them, and she was very concerned that she was missing out somehow. It was worse for me than for her I am sure. We had to buy the earrings and take them to a doctor or pharmacist. I find it extremely odd that in a country that you can buy just about any drug over the counter, but you have to have a physician pierce your ears. Where's Claires when you need them. Almost any jewelry counter in the US does ear piercing. The earring that we bought had a point on them, and a ball on the back that you screw on. The pharmacist just soaked them in disinfectant, put some numbing stuff on her ear lobes, and shoved them right through. She was so brave. She only cried just a bit on the second one, and once she found out it was over, she was A-OK again. She is so proud. I hope it all goes well after this. She is definitely a girly girl, so we have a long life of girly stuff. She is adorable though.<br /><br />Joe and I found a babysitter and are trying her out for the second night. She speaks NO English, and we speak little Spanish, but Alex seems to like her. She probably feels like she is at school. She is a maid for another friend of ours, and she has three kids of her own, so crying probably doesn't bother her a bit. Her name is Lulu. We also got the house sprayed for roaches and such. Every morning since, we are excited to get the "count" of dead roaches and such. We have not seen any more scorpions, so that is good. As long as we don't all die of an unknown cancer later in life, it is working out great. The guys who sprayed the house is the "rooster" guy we spoke about early. He told Joe, "it kiills eeveryting!" He was right. As long as it doesn't kill us right? Not much else for now. I will try to include some more pictures of the Circus. My ESL article was published in the paper, so I am going to write a Circus review next. <br /><br />Pictures are of me and Alex and with her earrings, the tigers that are paraded around town, Joe and the kids, and Alan unhappy about his pacy being taken. Until next time......Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-78098544245980805672008-10-12T20:15:00.013-05:002008-10-23T21:28:38.926-05:00Crazy busy doing what??????<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPf-y1OhktFIgOXqTM9Xq-EHxMBjbczKqKVmn_RAJSMIex0hT78-T5XgtaZe_P3Q3y4Jer0GJt6O44qel-Au4xw8G9rzGsf95YHxeXKw7HuyNU52x-h3KODNr46Kwc5GzMwF3RaGB_B9rb/s1600-h/Blog+04+057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPf-y1OhktFIgOXqTM9Xq-EHxMBjbczKqKVmn_RAJSMIex0hT78-T5XgtaZe_P3Q3y4Jer0GJt6O44qel-Au4xw8G9rzGsf95YHxeXKw7HuyNU52x-h3KODNr46Kwc5GzMwF3RaGB_B9rb/s320/Blog+04+057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260540183166124178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiJw_1ttZgnXH6v_7juNuM1uR0OXTCoghh-pCa7BtWZiVeTdQ9_tAwEz4FyTvLsjBFKNZmrWABDWF2oIaQ30BlnqhqR7zIpstm10dipfdbCvlGFnUvCc42_7M5IaDIxpgN6X3Fz58JIIg/s1600-h/Blog+04+055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiJw_1ttZgnXH6v_7juNuM1uR0OXTCoghh-pCa7BtWZiVeTdQ9_tAwEz4FyTvLsjBFKNZmrWABDWF2oIaQ30BlnqhqR7zIpstm10dipfdbCvlGFnUvCc42_7M5IaDIxpgN6X3Fz58JIIg/s320/Blog+04+055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260538462383989538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrorkuKW7tczghg1x9gplYCG-q5G3V-vazFMftjC2kEIT2ZKuj0QMYb7ClBisnDnY2nB76y_-yO2TPi7XSnm8-5WTCpDfGMT_9HULUbgs27YEYm1S6JOadYfvd1wmRu1pEejK4GG-wCNH/s1600-h/Blog+04+062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrorkuKW7tczghg1x9gplYCG-q5G3V-vazFMftjC2kEIT2ZKuj0QMYb7ClBisnDnY2nB76y_-yO2TPi7XSnm8-5WTCpDfGMT_9HULUbgs27YEYm1S6JOadYfvd1wmRu1pEejK4GG-wCNH/s320/Blog+04+062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260538052056652242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH1XyWLRqjJQ_OGGiRHf-hS-8r7Q4LNpGwlD3GvdB2-b5qirvumKvJ66XYymclMljeyf_yJGkoFweJuDJgNEMefgvL2APttk5tvdCLq5F0vKbRhenfpYvCdhKwNPXheDCz3DJAgwKVmvZ/s1600-h/Blog+04+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH1XyWLRqjJQ_OGGiRHf-hS-8r7Q4LNpGwlD3GvdB2-b5qirvumKvJ66XYymclMljeyf_yJGkoFweJuDJgNEMefgvL2APttk5tvdCLq5F0vKbRhenfpYvCdhKwNPXheDCz3DJAgwKVmvZ/s320/Blog+04+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260537507779043026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfa_uu-o3HDnfPlZVUy3vi37plCxjtm8SHjnjOirgTm4GXm1hDoLZoMoiATNnKWkkLcrin9SAB_wEX_twItldngvaqUYceqcCHrePcCE7-JNx1An1rgxrYasKdV_mBRQ8HapRAt0T5zTL/s1600-h/Blog+04+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfa_uu-o3HDnfPlZVUy3vi37plCxjtm8SHjnjOirgTm4GXm1hDoLZoMoiATNnKWkkLcrin9SAB_wEX_twItldngvaqUYceqcCHrePcCE7-JNx1An1rgxrYasKdV_mBRQ8HapRAt0T5zTL/s320/Blog+04+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260537000092648626" border="0" /></a><br />Hey Everyone. Sorry it has been so long since I have updated. Joe and I have been very busy it seems, but what we have been doing is a mystery. I have been teaching my class two days a week, and I really like it. I wrote an article for a local newspaper here, and another small publication. Nothing great, but I am going to clip them for sure. Joe and I have been looking around for other interesting things to write about.<br /><br />Here is a note about the medical care and facilities. Alan had a bad string of diapers (if you know what I mean), and we started to get worried, so we took him to the doctor here to get checked. Turns out he has an 'Intestinal Yeast Infection". Who would have thought. They think it was something he ate, or found somewhere. The amazing thing was, it cost us out of pocket less than $100 dollars. We had a doctor appt, a lab test on one of his diapers, three different medications (two prescriptions), and about 6 bottles of Gatorade. The doctor was awesome. We never even saw a "nurse" accept to drop the diaper off, and get the test results later that day. We got there when the place was just opening (they only make appointment for tests and specific things), and we waited about 10-15 minutes until the doctor could see us. We went right into his office, he asked all the questions and filled out the paperwork. He spoke PERFECT English. He examined Alan thoroughly, and wrote up a prescription and a lab order for the next diaper. It was amazing. The doctor charged $150 pesos. PESOS!!! That is the equal to about $15 dollars. The lab was the most expensive at $29, and the medicines and Gatorade were the balance. The worst part was we were told that Alan could have no bread, pasta, or juice for a week. Can you imagine what you feed your child with no bread or pasta. He has had a bunch of eggs, cheese, bananas, and Gatorade this week. He does seem to be getting better, but he HATES to take medicine. I have to hold him down and hold his mouth open and keep my finger in there until he swallows, otherwise, he will spit it out. I know the stuff tastes OK because Alex licked the dropper and said, "MMMMMMMM", so I am not sure what the problem is other than he hates you to tell him what to do. He saw Joe put the medicine into his Gatorade one time, and he REFUSED to drink it. After that, I just force feed it to him.<br /><br />Joe got a surprise trip to Vegas this week for his birthday. His brothers paid for the ticket and we sprung it on him at the last minute. He had NO clue. I packed his computer and a few things, and called a cab (our landlord), to come get him. He was a bit confused as to what was happening, but he left, and I haven't heard from him. I am sure they are having a good time. He will need to come home just for the rest when they are done with him. Alan and Dan had an idea to buy him some clothes for his trip, so I didn't pack him anything but an extra pair of undies. He left with only the clothes on his back. Hopefully, customs didn't give him too much trouble for going to the USA for 5 days with nothing but a computer, a shower kit, and an extra pair of undies. Then again, it is Vegas. Knowing Dan, he may be showering with his clothes on a few times.<br /><br />Not much else going on for now. I should have some good stuff in a few days with the Vegas update, and such. The weather here is beautiful every day. The high is around 80, and the low 60. It did rain yesterday, which is unusual during the day. It usually rains at night, and clears by mid morning. With the rain, I wasn't able to hang clothes out for a few days, so I got a bit backed up. Of course I planned to wash the sheets, which take up most of my lines just with them, so it pushed me back another day. Alex found a small scorpion on the back patio by the washer this morning. It made me a bit nervous. I squished him, but I wonder if there is more. They can be a bit dangerous for the kids because they are so young. So far we have only seen two, and the other one was across the street under a rock. I have heard other people report seeing more, so hopefully they will avoid us. We are getting used to the roosters and dogs. It does seem that I am sleeping better. There was a band practicing for a while that was playing until 3 am, but they have seemed to move locations lately. We still don't know many of our neighbors other than in passing. The language barrier is a bit of a problem so we are mostly polite in passing. I am sure they all talk about us though as we are the only Americans they have seen with no maid or gardener. The family across the street is Mexican, and they have both.<br /><br />We started going to the local church, and they have a fair amount of children there. They have several missionaries that attend that do not know how long they will be there, so that accounts for some of the children. Alex does OK, and Alan sometimes falls asleep. He is just 18 months, and sometimes that morning nap just doesn't wait. The biggest problem is that he usually fusses quite a bit before he will fall asleep, so that can cause a problem. Most of the people there have been wonderful, and they have ESL classes, so I may switch next year depending on the arrangement. So many of the American/Canadians we have seen here are somewhat disgruntled. Not sure what the story is. The rest look like they are about to drop dead at any moment. Clearly here for the health care?????? If we would have know there would have been so many retirees, and so few younger people here, we may have picked another location. Until our language skills improve, we are somewhat limited. Once we can get in with the Mexicans, we should be good to go. We do have an invite for a BBQ this weekend, and other prospects in the wing. We will see how it goes. Will post soon.........<br /><br />Pictures are of an activity at Alexandra's school (notice she is the blonde), meat delivery, and another visit to the lake. The liros are gone now and it looks good.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-7558329691504437342008-09-26T20:49:00.010-05:002008-09-27T21:02:36.529-05:00Shopping trip/ESL/Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjFbKwynl-6uj8QnoUz489fhtTnGfM7p8m7wy7zo9ygfOs9fWAW0z-Ltu9LaD6k_322N_Shryk4Nd396tjAJel789lwT5PqyPC42RrxistFBHfYC0oTzciD3LLXICJPsYYSncIDW-tT9p/s1600-h/Blog+03+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjFbKwynl-6uj8QnoUz489fhtTnGfM7p8m7wy7zo9ygfOs9fWAW0z-Ltu9LaD6k_322N_Shryk4Nd396tjAJel789lwT5PqyPC42RrxistFBHfYC0oTzciD3LLXICJPsYYSncIDW-tT9p/s320/Blog+03+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250884025726533234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFICXLAFcBB52aiBxDRZHUMFE8moeGfILrbS_QTC7x0hrkBGz8L6Os3ZNamjr5PamDECqSIMivkIJImzpfKvaF2UygA2vJdMFFTnoZnQQPO2B4Zmwmn1iw7fcpyxdXnOJQ0Ygd_I8wjxd/s1600-h/Blog+03+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFICXLAFcBB52aiBxDRZHUMFE8moeGfILrbS_QTC7x0hrkBGz8L6Os3ZNamjr5PamDECqSIMivkIJImzpfKvaF2UygA2vJdMFFTnoZnQQPO2B4Zmwmn1iw7fcpyxdXnOJQ0Ygd_I8wjxd/s320/Blog+03+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250883661869967954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0E63VFAM6zSt5V6GPPEQzs3Rm_OJqqv92KKTni4Fc-QRDUymplZ14bQLTNBnK230rtv6Qrq4SJF3xMHEFYGkARnW19Wi1QISDz3iXvgmHRjzXGz176JstFVktTiuWZPlSDrExg9wRwN3u/s1600-h/Blog+03+017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0E63VFAM6zSt5V6GPPEQzs3Rm_OJqqv92KKTni4Fc-QRDUymplZ14bQLTNBnK230rtv6Qrq4SJF3xMHEFYGkARnW19Wi1QISDz3iXvgmHRjzXGz176JstFVktTiuWZPlSDrExg9wRwN3u/s320/Blog+03+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250883261457562226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u8aJZ57anYwNE3aRk8q4-LyvPzv1M-BxEHAx9kawkMhi8RHlkppPzUBk-3Gn2E7P5ggjFJ7w7VrFZyXA9Dhunwly75yQ8lhi6ZHRsU11UJHavu5Ss6YY9MIbBMIE8S9PNui99Z1K1g_t/s1600-h/Blog+03+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u8aJZ57anYwNE3aRk8q4-LyvPzv1M-BxEHAx9kawkMhi8RHlkppPzUBk-3Gn2E7P5ggjFJ7w7VrFZyXA9Dhunwly75yQ8lhi6ZHRsU11UJHavu5Ss6YY9MIbBMIE8S9PNui99Z1K1g_t/s320/Blog+03+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250882582123041170" border="0" /></a><br />Alex didn't have school today, so we decided to take a field trip to Tonala, Mexico. It is basically a city that has a TON of pottery, furniture, and just about anything that you could want for your house, decor wise. It is about a 45 min drive from our house in San Antonio. The walls are looking pretty bare, so we were looking for strictly bargain merchandise, so that when we left this house, it could all just stay here. We found a bunch of Sun/Moon combos for $3 each, and gecko's for $2.5 each. It was a lot of fun, but when we got home, we hung up what we bought, and wished we would have bought more. We really liked the gecko's and Alex and Alan loved the ones we hung in their rooms. It did give the place a bit more color. We couldn't believe the deals we got. We are planning a return trip in a month or so. While we were there, we ate lunch at a taco stand. Joe got a few pictures. This was actually one of the nicer ones. We got gordita's. We had never eaten these at a "stand" before, and they were excellent. The kids liked the potato/cheese ones the best, as did I. They are nothing like Taco Bell. They actually reminded us of the perrogies we ate this summer in PA. Just not fried in grease. We wished we would have ordered more after we had eaten them. 10 gorditas and a coke were $8. I know this sounds cheap, but the pop is always the most expensive thing. We have decided to just order one pop and all share. We could always get something else to drink cheaper elsewhere. You can get freshed squeezed juice or fruit just about anywhere for about $1. Viva Mexico!!! I thinking we could eat just about anything, anywhere, and not be sick. Anyway, Alan was still a bit hungry, so I got him his favorite, bag of cheetos! (Thanks Deb and Brian for introducing him to those!) Joe has a video of the boy eating. He eats more than me easily, and is just 17 months. He is heavy. He was chunky when he was a baby, now he's just heavy. Joe and I found a Thai food buffet here for $3.80 per person. (Imagine egg rolls made with tortillas, but the chicken wings are good!) We take Alan with us, and he looks small, so they don't charge us for him. If they only knew. We will only be able to get away with if for a while longer I'm guessing. When they find out how much the boy eats, they may charge us extra.<br /><br />Not much else has happened in the past few days. Just life. I have my ESL class twice a week, and I have been teaching with another teacher, but I will be getting my own class in January. The guy who is teaching that one is going to India! I guess Mexico wasn't quite cheap enough. So far I enjoy it a bunch. I have actually learned a lot of Spanish. I have been trying to learn the Spanish equivalents with each class. I am going to write an article about the class and send it to the local "free" paper. They have two pages of English each week, and are looking for articles to fill them. Joe and I are going to start writing about different stuff in the area, and see if we can get "published". <br /><br />Joe did get invited to a cock fight on Sunday. We walk past this guys yard every day, and tonight he was holding one of his roosters (he has about 15). He waived at us and said, "come on in." We did! He had some beautiful birds, and was telling us that he was planning a "match", but it would be quick (5-10 min) because the Policia might show up. Anyway, the lucky bird might have his debute this weekend. At least will will know what all the commotion is at the end of the block if it goes off. The guy was very friendly and spoke pretty good English. He said he lived in Vegas for a while. Too hot though, so came back here. He is now a gardener.<br /><br />I may have a job making potato salad and cole slaw for a guy that runs a BBQ stand. He is one guy by himself, and he smokes ribs and chicken on this little grill, and then sells what he has until it is all gone. So far his business is just starting, but he needs someone to make his sides. I am going to make him some samples and see what happens. It could turn out to be something big if his business does well. It could also be nothing, so we will see what happens. <br /><br />The attached pictures are of us at the taco stand, my ESL class, and Alex's new "french" braid hairdoo. Not much to work with there!!!! She is so proud! Until next time.......Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-74383992474952341592008-09-17T14:15:00.016-05:002008-09-20T15:08:24.403-05:00Independence Day/Noise/Misc<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCt2ixIp0FKAKaRgml3eJw_b-AD-ekwkhusDBr1Lun9GGsk4SGwppqRVvXdWtTlfgNrgE3_TLKDokkOCV-g8e5bYjndPN60YG_VXGK2-2c5yLNIbWJ-JmQjwIpQTFT_yG59LrmCc4zcvH/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCt2ixIp0FKAKaRgml3eJw_b-AD-ekwkhusDBr1Lun9GGsk4SGwppqRVvXdWtTlfgNrgE3_TLKDokkOCV-g8e5bYjndPN60YG_VXGK2-2c5yLNIbWJ-JmQjwIpQTFT_yG59LrmCc4zcvH/s320/Blog+08+2+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248197667394784290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjM4uRSYmjRDKxSMxHNEa6RvuTUaAslh2rcEpDH5ok84sBzxZOMi3fvxrY1DN4TiCaxe0botrwe-rwRrjZn7g8NkaWNy_IswMb-CZ7Apny4TmnfXTGLuxpIUExSt6SNymhmFXUUCX0mZl/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjM4uRSYmjRDKxSMxHNEa6RvuTUaAslh2rcEpDH5ok84sBzxZOMi3fvxrY1DN4TiCaxe0botrwe-rwRrjZn7g8NkaWNy_IswMb-CZ7Apny4TmnfXTGLuxpIUExSt6SNymhmFXUUCX0mZl/s320/Blog+08+2+023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248196764721395266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtSIJ4OIOyyegE2WBBFzmg6xwXTf-teaDMGxZbhNaDSbFIvdMpWZfTU2WN4Ffe6GvMqzaAtIBPml8bLXvqWUvA_CtdjwJHZ_GlUF1M1_JMSKDCld-xQQnSHd5O24qG56SjAZL9BEIDUSE/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtSIJ4OIOyyegE2WBBFzmg6xwXTf-teaDMGxZbhNaDSbFIvdMpWZfTU2WN4Ffe6GvMqzaAtIBPml8bLXvqWUvA_CtdjwJHZ_GlUF1M1_JMSKDCld-xQQnSHd5O24qG56SjAZL9BEIDUSE/s320/Blog+08+2+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248196179417728898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEa7_JZQZgQnONTbIvWQJvzYF0XdPCkshmuJM8DkTzyT9-T1O8GwhJkTmyDjx3BkfbPW99LfmQuzJdjDregTKjhm73Ea5QZdh7np0VgyRVMhL5scLWfSZ5EjBzcLVddoQLCzrvHOwkjJ4/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEa7_JZQZgQnONTbIvWQJvzYF0XdPCkshmuJM8DkTzyT9-T1O8GwhJkTmyDjx3BkfbPW99LfmQuzJdjDregTKjhm73Ea5QZdh7np0VgyRVMhL5scLWfSZ5EjBzcLVddoQLCzrvHOwkjJ4/s320/Blog+08+2+038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248195022236031362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UgDcjylm_tJmVCW92ciwuB_dSYjXQDdWR-5qY24X3GNJeUm4hCy_Rw5OmwDZemajOVy_H8-biv9HlW3FqXySNJ6ZnRj59ECfTd_S60lOyffqp0HpAEJRd9lHXfzkLlYQvKwILm0ByKRR/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UgDcjylm_tJmVCW92ciwuB_dSYjXQDdWR-5qY24X3GNJeUm4hCy_Rw5OmwDZemajOVy_H8-biv9HlW3FqXySNJ6ZnRj59ECfTd_S60lOyffqp0HpAEJRd9lHXfzkLlYQvKwILm0ByKRR/s320/Blog+08+2+035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248194299700364130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8-TxyKrDGukjLSCArWjYRFG1nERDsmk_aQ5U-1CclOsdxqNT2KtDYgJYrSS6-sZe76_2nbJTS97QPajs39KAAhm1ohREjJXwLwIJd77g7RZ_qTJffPFXQ9UYNUCi-hkb3zGECN6Ch1a0/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8-TxyKrDGukjLSCArWjYRFG1nERDsmk_aQ5U-1CclOsdxqNT2KtDYgJYrSS6-sZe76_2nbJTS97QPajs39KAAhm1ohREjJXwLwIJd77g7RZ_qTJffPFXQ9UYNUCi-hkb3zGECN6Ch1a0/s320/Blog+08+2+045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248193450313205874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvMLZaTGtwmCJhb0g803rWOj_5hxj0u7NJbpcL50zh64lUdbpiuC7l_uUihAMe9uldxqBmZR8enHAoI5ifF5hzn7fFQgmmsdur8vvCHbitiypyc-59yP-jqA8raIJevqcL5tEqmkjpHhO/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvMLZaTGtwmCJhb0g803rWOj_5hxj0u7NJbpcL50zh64lUdbpiuC7l_uUihAMe9uldxqBmZR8enHAoI5ifF5hzn7fFQgmmsdur8vvCHbitiypyc-59yP-jqA8raIJevqcL5tEqmkjpHhO/s320/Blog+08+2+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248192681909799074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurpQt_jI0g8kryq75vCWFsJ9gi7bexO4cO9wEskE15Me-VXgOVQ_XPUyTl9h5t487drlkOLUlg0Y5CQgD8o22TyreTGL2P_ksIodKPOrneRGVEo1e8mPLUjjJwBqiGckMhEy-mpsaSCne/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurpQt_jI0g8kryq75vCWFsJ9gi7bexO4cO9wEskE15Me-VXgOVQ_XPUyTl9h5t487drlkOLUlg0Y5CQgD8o22TyreTGL2P_ksIodKPOrneRGVEo1e8mPLUjjJwBqiGckMhEy-mpsaSCne/s320/Blog+08+2+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248191707717557666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0_mGRg1OoFGVpps_bkEHu8L0HjGjbcJdAPzmuM93DmLF5Z4c3Bgr-uQSAO4Wabzoov-NGwHX2TFqkorXxltCgOGVk1W9wWgLtoDZGAPOitSprP0zCtLVbmH7owQNokQTMvdn5iwZW38b/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0_mGRg1OoFGVpps_bkEHu8L0HjGjbcJdAPzmuM93DmLF5Z4c3Bgr-uQSAO4Wabzoov-NGwHX2TFqkorXxltCgOGVk1W9wWgLtoDZGAPOitSprP0zCtLVbmH7owQNokQTMvdn5iwZW38b/s320/Blog+08+2+039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248191274695446402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-TLuaq-uUsGjgyjbmvQV4iLEmf-2OQgVjT4rErgvmEMkJkZ8flAk3-XFCovVq1Tp3EFxwU4eegIioJ9eCutLMVkG9k6Rri5VDz-WPCNF_fspWV3Bt2PCbRDy2-4eqyOdthig-iqL6w7/s1600-h/Blog+08+2+049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-TLuaq-uUsGjgyjbmvQV4iLEmf-2OQgVjT4rErgvmEMkJkZ8flAk3-XFCovVq1Tp3EFxwU4eegIioJ9eCutLMVkG9k6Rri5VDz-WPCNF_fspWV3Bt2PCbRDy2-4eqyOdthig-iqL6w7/s320/Blog+08+2+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248190824788028050" border="0" /></a><br />Mexican Independence Day holiday is the 16th, but the party is the 15th. We could hear music and shouting until well after 2:00 am. It was raining most of the night, but that didn't seem to stop the party. VIVA MEXICO!!!! All in all, the music didn't bother us much. We went to the parade on the 16th(pictures attached). It was mostly the school children marching, and a few horses and the Queens (Check out that crown). The entire day was very quiet. It was our anniversary (14 years), so we looked around for some place to eat, but most was closed. We did find a taco stand that was pretty good, and the kids behaved well. That is the summary of the holiday.<br /><br />Noise. I want to mention the noise around here. You would not believe it. After living in the almost country, I thought Glade Road was a bit noisy with the traffic. That place has nothing on here. The roosters are crowing at all times of day. Dogs are kept on roofs as security, so depending on the house, a dog will bark at you from the roof. The trash trucks go rumbling by early in the morning. There are NO inspections of ANY kind here, so things are very noisy. Missing mufflers and bolts are very common. Also, the streets are all rocks, so even the nicer cars are noisy. People drive by with the music blasting. The spirit of the Mexican economy is to sell something. The water delivery and gas (propane) trucks drive by with speakers on their roofs shouting the price of gas and that they are there if you want it. People push wheel barrows down the street full of buckets of corn, tamales, taquitos, and just about anything you could sell. We never fail to be offered watches or baskets on certain streets. There is even a guy that drives around every Wednesday in our town selling litro's of bleach, fabric softener, pinesol, etc. Bring your own bottle, and it is even cheaper. The ice cream guy rolls his cooler down the street, and somehow people know to run out and make their purchase. It is overwhelming, and awesome all at the same time. Most of the stores close up from about 2:30-4:00 pm for siesta, but that is easily the noisiest time of the day. I guess they know people are at home, so they concentrate their efforts.<br /><br />Joe and I took the kids to the Malecon in Chapala on Friday night. We go there occasionally just for fun. I am attaching pictures of the area. There has been an infestation of hiasynth at the lake. It looks almost like grass in the pictures, but it is the water. Charallitos. Basically just fried sardines with hot sauce and lime juice. Great with a beer! Alan enjoying his snow cone.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-8435033638468913102008-09-11T21:09:00.007-05:002008-09-15T16:34:38.420-05:00School Lunches/ESL/Independence Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eXhEoaVkcK1aWNlTQdxnDloSra1Lks623ilBV2W5U8qH-wULu8Ne9cvAzPYEs3IP2gb0vZGVeDr53uUvuFBgUlsbaggXmTLsd9bmdPavscpc2jyShbxJhJ27Y1edQRZC9_rnEkK2oWjs/s1600-h/Blog+02+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eXhEoaVkcK1aWNlTQdxnDloSra1Lks623ilBV2W5U8qH-wULu8Ne9cvAzPYEs3IP2gb0vZGVeDr53uUvuFBgUlsbaggXmTLsd9bmdPavscpc2jyShbxJhJ27Y1edQRZC9_rnEkK2oWjs/s320/Blog+02+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246364320065717106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDE66ysDkNOatFM_4Xpju9wV9G4VMhY1quvveLpNK2Kx4vocbgCmYTkyl8uQQ6sMyAqH5EC9ZwJ3eQpPyqOz9IJLQgTJ8lYV6ZNpbDZv3pzDOAsPb0gzfRNK4Mbe4BwTiy9nTEOZT3Iz_/s1600-h/Blog+02+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDE66ysDkNOatFM_4Xpju9wV9G4VMhY1quvveLpNK2Kx4vocbgCmYTkyl8uQQ6sMyAqH5EC9ZwJ3eQpPyqOz9IJLQgTJ8lYV6ZNpbDZv3pzDOAsPb0gzfRNK4Mbe4BwTiy9nTEOZT3Iz_/s320/Blog+02+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246363731208222946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1rfr2Z4U-GzA0c8LUTNi7ZDxTl8VPlNTLma9lWvdB0csBkhKxq8cOn4F20gweUCGhbfMHJCVA-M4WNSgNzZFU2foGBowLRammCL-7CO5G5kHXyI2TVt2xZ0Zhub6jDQ2uguMQKXUIlW5/s1600-h/Blog+02+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1rfr2Z4U-GzA0c8LUTNi7ZDxTl8VPlNTLma9lWvdB0csBkhKxq8cOn4F20gweUCGhbfMHJCVA-M4WNSgNzZFU2foGBowLRammCL-7CO5G5kHXyI2TVt2xZ0Zhub6jDQ2uguMQKXUIlW5/s320/Blog+02+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246362862960857954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9nvYmf-tVIQWWp8bXBFnee8t7Ehsbjy_37ltjaStnl08uhdZfF_jrOMnIqPkMpAHoJHMlIxdvfW9T52_RF-rOef6Y3x89WF1rLJsA6u6kr4e2PFSAxkErR3c5NO8NPlAFMkUFqt8cIkw/s1600-h/Blog+02+017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9nvYmf-tVIQWWp8bXBFnee8t7Ehsbjy_37ltjaStnl08uhdZfF_jrOMnIqPkMpAHoJHMlIxdvfW9T52_RF-rOef6Y3x89WF1rLJsA6u6kr4e2PFSAxkErR3c5NO8NPlAFMkUFqt8cIkw/s320/Blog+02+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246361863633340738" border="0" /></a><br />Today 9/11/08, it was our turn to make lunch for Alex's class. How it works at the school is they have a lunch menu, and they assign days to each child. There is a big plastic container that has plates, bowls, forks, drink jug, and several large containers. You pick it up the day before your turn to make the food, and it is your turn to wash all the dishes for the day, and prepare the food for the class (according to the menu) for the next day. Our day was hamburgers, peaches and juice. There are 12 kids in Alex's class. Joe is such a trooper and was out firing up the grill by 7:00 am to cook the 12 small burgers. I had to teach my ESL(En<span style="font-family:georgia;">glish Second Language)</span>, so I took the food when I dropped Alex at 8:30 am. With groceries, and prep, it cost us less than $10 dollars for everything, and I don't have to cook again until Oct 1st!!!! What a concept. America can seriously learn something from this. I don't have to worry about making her lunch, and she gets something different every day. She really likes it. The school really seems to have themselves together. I think Alex is finally starting to enjoy it. I still don't think she totally knows what is going on because of the language barrier, but she is learning a lot already.<br /><br />I had my second ESL class today. There are 13 students in the class, most of them are under 25. They all want to learn English for their jobs, and they all seem very motivated to learn. I took a Spanish class at CU, and no one in my class seemed this motivated!!!!! So far I have just been "helping", but I am teaching the entire class next Thursday, Sept 18th, so I hope I do OK. I have never taught anything in this format, but I am sure I will survive. Hey, it's volunteer, so what can they do, fire me???? The hardest part is when you say something, but don't know how to say it in Spanish, and you can tell they have no idea what you are saying by the blank looks on their faces. I wonder if that is the same look I have when they speak Spanish to me? Probably.<br /><br />The workers are pretty much done with the house, so we started doing some work on the front lawn. They cut down a few cactus, but left the stumps about 2 feet off the ground. We are attempting to chop them down with our primitive tools that the workers left here. Alan was also a big help with the water, until I looked over and saw him drinking from the hose. Ok in US, not OK in Mexico. The roosters on the roof next door had an "outing" the other day, and only one of them returned. The remaining one is the only one who won his match? At least the morning noise is cut down by a bit. We also noticed they don't crow as loud when it is raining in the morning.<br /><br />We went to one of the Independence Day activities, and we forgot the camera, so we don't have a picture, however, here is the summary. ANYONE, makes a paper mache ballon. They then fill them with Kerosene gas, and light the bottom. The gas is warm air, of course, and they begin to float into the air. As the gas begins to burn, the "balloon" starts to burn up. A successful balloon will burn up before it comes back down. HOWEVER, sometimes the very large ones catch fire before they leave the ground. You would think they MIGHT have a fire extinguisher near by, just in case the burning balloon thing begins to blow toward the crowd in the stands, BUT and army of youths manned with large sticks to beat the fire out seemed to be adequate. Who would have thought? It was quite impressive to see the balloons that were handmade. Some were over 10 ft tall. There is a parade tomorrow, so we will try to get some good Mexican float pictures.<br /><br />Pictures are of Alex in her sports day uniform, Joe grilling 12 little burgers at 7:00 am, and Alan and I working on the yard.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-70769112149508349672008-09-09T21:18:00.005-05:002008-09-10T21:35:17.944-05:00First week plus adventures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuxbYIiGlCN7s_0vmpexaIPRcPFxAmuKE_z0UQotgQq8BrmRNM9oV2PGYN9WRcPEHrs3zHz1WYyAJLgfAjuMMaQn-w4MWKh6UT7dg4ES9t1Li-Xh7H5jE0Rhkb4712OeAUKWj6sWn63M9/s1600-h/Blog+08+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuxbYIiGlCN7s_0vmpexaIPRcPFxAmuKE_z0UQotgQq8BrmRNM9oV2PGYN9WRcPEHrs3zHz1WYyAJLgfAjuMMaQn-w4MWKh6UT7dg4ES9t1Li-Xh7H5jE0Rhkb4712OeAUKWj6sWn63M9/s320/Blog+08+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244586467573061058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycwW3amqhAIF9zsfp07wSupWmAogMKP1lVYd6yTX8ZfKXGmD9WRHqU2yqlSTI8fdpIIM_UBrO040uCOxKDkjdqtbWmBeGJ7NPT23N-PfEa50MWo7kIQHf7Qch8tGr5A6CKJJ7-sZdzCQa/s1600-h/Blog+08+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycwW3amqhAIF9zsfp07wSupWmAogMKP1lVYd6yTX8ZfKXGmD9WRHqU2yqlSTI8fdpIIM_UBrO040uCOxKDkjdqtbWmBeGJ7NPT23N-PfEa50MWo7kIQHf7Qch8tGr5A6CKJJ7-sZdzCQa/s320/Blog+08+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244585892255932146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_uAnTEd6vh3k5eLqRPNAjA8ZVsUAe1ZBpUpOLRE-cSNkJHACYT9p4ovp7z1wHLSz6KGNECFmOb8-DPQm-XWYdntfXJbC5PYTq7q8gtxZ3VArgQsYah8czgoHF4t__a956XgP-RphytJP/s1600-h/House+77+021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_uAnTEd6vh3k5eLqRPNAjA8ZVsUAe1ZBpUpOLRE-cSNkJHACYT9p4ovp7z1wHLSz6KGNECFmOb8-DPQm-XWYdntfXJbC5PYTq7q8gtxZ3VArgQsYah8czgoHF4t__a956XgP-RphytJP/s320/House+77+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244585188897778562" border="0" /></a><br />Hola! The first week in the new house has gone pretty well, with only a few snags. The workers are still painting the outside of the house, and we have things pretty well situated inside. We have used things enough times now to remember where we put them. The first thing we noticed when we moved into the kitchen was that there were no drawers. We worked that out, but the water pressure is not strong enough to get our water filter system to work, so we are still trying to figure that out. We are getting used to the noises, and sleeping better at night.<br /><br />Yesterday, I was taking Alex to school, and it looked pretty nice, so I took her on the scooter. We made it all the way to school and it started to sprinkle. After I dropped her off, it started pouring rain. What else could I do, but jump on and ride like crazy. Luckily, the rain kept the traffic light, so only some of Ajijic, Mexico saw a crazy gringo chick flying down the road on the bright yellow scooter in the downpour yelling "YeeHa". I did have my sunglasses. They kept the rain out of my eyes, but didn't do much for visibility. I finally resorted to squinting one eye at a time. Just as I was pulling up to the house, the rain let up. Figures. No shower needed that day.<br /><br />Today, however, I did have quite an adventure in the laundry area. The door does not have a key, and if you close it, there is no way inside except to have a person in the house to open the door for you. Well, Joe decided to take a nap with the kids, so he was upstairs sleeping, and I went out to hang the laundry...... anyway, I closed the door all the way (we have been trying to keep the flies out), and my fate was sealed. In my attempt to keep quiet and not wake the kids yelling, I tried just about anything you can think of to free myself from my laundry. I tried to pick the lock (yeah right), I attempted to climb the wall, and noticed "Cujo" next door. I attempted the SOS tapping, I attached the dust pan to the broom and tried knocking on the upstairs window. Finally, TWO HOURS LATER, the guys that were working on the house arrived back after siesta, and one of the guys saw me leaning on the window yelling Joe. I can't believe they slept so long, even with the roosters, the announcing vendor trucks, and the barking dog (who saw me looking above the wall and went crazy). Even the broom banging on the open window didn't stir them. Needless to say, I was extremely embarrassed when the worker finally let me out. I was sweating and dehydrated. I'm just glad he didn't know I was there for 2 hours. How is it you beg your kids to take naps, and when they finally listen, you lock your stupid self outside. Now, if Joe asks me where something is, I just tell him that "I am sure it's not out back."<br /><br />This weekend is 16 de Septiembre. Mexico's Independence day. It should be good for some interesting events. Until the next update....<br /><br />Pictures are of the kids eating their 'beans", and the neighbors yard from our mirador. Check out that view!Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-81578201828608406822008-09-03T21:34:00.010-05:002008-09-08T20:40:43.594-05:003 nights in the new house<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAALldmEx8hT8dWJsXfXGLZs2zgbYNczTK7jbMFHp9vEjXVUVoD4XxSUJ4yFd4zl7v_fXq99pIqrBo1fgonDLYh6fFDeuKmNGCihlX09QolyCY631Q1y0depfm4oABixbzpcIio7OD6ylB/s1600-h/Blog+08+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAALldmEx8hT8dWJsXfXGLZs2zgbYNczTK7jbMFHp9vEjXVUVoD4XxSUJ4yFd4zl7v_fXq99pIqrBo1fgonDLYh6fFDeuKmNGCihlX09QolyCY631Q1y0depfm4oABixbzpcIio7OD6ylB/s320/Blog+08+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243828654235781442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDInv6aH9OiFq3bKRAGTeoXofpMTaqbwQc_KI9ypC_jOaiuys-it6tqglIrI4Nd58DZdh_dSmpOYDGrJ6XyQcfaybapvvwF6s8xDv_ybl9-sYCrFoFBM8HtTJqeT1GzMa1n9GjcoCKtcQb/s1600-h/Blog+08+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDInv6aH9OiFq3bKRAGTeoXofpMTaqbwQc_KI9ypC_jOaiuys-it6tqglIrI4Nd58DZdh_dSmpOYDGrJ6XyQcfaybapvvwF6s8xDv_ybl9-sYCrFoFBM8HtTJqeT1GzMa1n9GjcoCKtcQb/s320/Blog+08+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243828221871185522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemi5YaSCtihtBQo4s5LSqDEq_W9EMyYODKj0yh-5TGfQAEV6_mvDdunjsy9gWIFNnrQIjmpmLUSw6-336OO1cAvofuYnnCejQdx5W4sV98b4yvHali2XSe5t82MNKPhciiWiT5cl3lAyE/s1600-h/Blog+08+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemi5YaSCtihtBQo4s5LSqDEq_W9EMyYODKj0yh-5TGfQAEV6_mvDdunjsy9gWIFNnrQIjmpmLUSw6-336OO1cAvofuYnnCejQdx5W4sV98b4yvHali2XSe5t82MNKPhciiWiT5cl3lAyE/s320/Blog+08+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243827714441233298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5inCYJZ0epC8jJimIM56jIz77-seSVznHocp0vHWKDrazeY0ob5tLCDP4qha9se93FSIat0TBFHkUD4kaCZ9xAu60Oc7JqbzSPKf_aGOq_hKqDP5Zywu4OjDGvCHYsZeim8m28qTs4mmD/s1600-h/Blog+08+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5inCYJZ0epC8jJimIM56jIz77-seSVznHocp0vHWKDrazeY0ob5tLCDP4qha9se93FSIat0TBFHkUD4kaCZ9xAu60Oc7JqbzSPKf_aGOq_hKqDP5Zywu4OjDGvCHYsZeim8m28qTs4mmD/s320/Blog+08+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243826474218594050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2atPmKDSaU9Q-jR1il_OtkuhEanI-XHS2go7XD7RU2GYq_3nIGKywlliZULU_6xNgrCkoWHNpExjE1uB9hfRO7D8tiCzO6NVcCsY5ZyHsalweDaO2iF5xrzKveTg2tG_BPLxb2xB0_Q4/s1600-h/Blog+08+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2atPmKDSaU9Q-jR1il_OtkuhEanI-XHS2go7XD7RU2GYq_3nIGKywlliZULU_6xNgrCkoWHNpExjE1uB9hfRO7D8tiCzO6NVcCsY5ZyHsalweDaO2iF5xrzKveTg2tG_BPLxb2xB0_Q4/s320/Blog+08+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243826062929313986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBkMns7_s0VAw0KK_wRyRg9Z82Fzr26a6uu2Z5psn2YUWKSDchoTbUx777muWeN5mEbOuAbVwPNVZCfjXPMhn_yiuZMWRixHlmR6tbLwATVzoQsNO0UtSoanbq1CayX8G6F4fMvJPKWO6/s1600-h/Blog+08+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBkMns7_s0VAw0KK_wRyRg9Z82Fzr26a6uu2Z5psn2YUWKSDchoTbUx777muWeN5mEbOuAbVwPNVZCfjXPMhn_yiuZMWRixHlmR6tbLwATVzoQsNO0UtSoanbq1CayX8G6F4fMvJPKWO6/s320/Blog+08+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243825614736100610" border="0" /></a><br />After three nights in the new house, here is the overall rating. The roosters on the next door neighbors roof are not too bad. All hours of day or night, you can hear roosters crowing about town, but luckily these seem to sleep in until about 6:30. Joe found out that they are raised for cock fighting, which is sanctioned in certain areas. Thankfully, none of our immediate neighbors have dogs, or at least really barky ones. You can hear dogs barking often, but not for long periods of time. The church bells ring at 6:30 every morning to let us know that the Rosary is being read, and then again at 6:45 & 7:00 for Mass to start. (I think this wakes the lazy roosters, who then spring into action) Alex does not hold out any love for the roosters. We sleep with all the windows open to keep cool, so you can hear it all.<br /><br />The trash truck sometimes picks up the dumpster at the end of the street at about 2:00 am. Joe and I couldn't help but laugh at that one. The trash pick up daily and I am trying to get a shot of the trash truck going by. One poor guy is inside the truck stacking bags, and it just rolls really slow down the street and they toss the bags up to him to stack up. That is what you call low man on the pole. The street traffic is a bit loud, as there is no inspection of anything here. Mufflers, windows, doors, taste in music, etc are all optional. It is not uncommon to see about 10 people in the back of a pickup truck traveling down the highway, or a person or two holding on to something being transported. We sometimes hear kids screaming, which makes me feel like mine are not the only whiners in the area. I am sure the neighbors talk about our loud kids. We also discovered the milk cows grazing in the lot across the street. Joe saw one munching on a tree down the road, but we didn't realize they were that close until today. Pic attached.<br /><br />The house itself is huge, and we found some cheap rugs at the market to cover some of the floors. We found some used living room furniture, and got the internet working. We should be falling into a rhythm of life sometime in the next few weeks. The plumbing works pretty well considering the town shuts the water off at 7:00 pm, and you are running only on your cistern (giant jug on the roof which gravity feeds the house). Joe got some clothes lines hung for me today, so by the time I got the laundry hung, it was late in the day. I will leave it out all night, and hope it doesn't rain.<br /><br />The guys have been working on the house all week, and will hopefully be done in a few more days. They have gotten most of the outside patched and some painted. If the weather holds out, they may get it all done. The guys are pretty friendly, and seem to really like the kids. Joe gave one of the guys an outfit and some shoes that no longer fits Alan, and he seemed pretty excited. They have a bunch of highly neglected plants in pots in the yard, and I have started to "repot" them. Mostly just root bound. Joe bought a push (Brady Bunch) mower for $400 peso to mow the yard which is about 12'x20'. We could hire a gardener, but at $10 a week, we thought we could make up the money real fast. Good luck Joe Brady! If they don't finish their work soon, it is going to be tough to push that thing!!!!!! More to come.....<br /><br />Pictures are the ice cream man on foot, the trash truck, the milk cows across the street, the Mertens' laundry, and more of the house.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-68837180624619240292008-08-31T20:46:00.007-05:002008-09-03T21:31:22.941-05:00We finally move in!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2QRTyigqhHez7Fa3samiim-vgOWVOJnpw1oDPGrP-bq4MqT3LDMin_wbZ8lx6ADqP45VCghLBbOskWCVegmaBw_3ZIFAnXir22XE5J6j-v_Z-QqW6rnlfzhyvhhApYb1XWUGPU2ZJDxM/s1600-h/House+77+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2QRTyigqhHez7Fa3samiim-vgOWVOJnpw1oDPGrP-bq4MqT3LDMin_wbZ8lx6ADqP45VCghLBbOskWCVegmaBw_3ZIFAnXir22XE5J6j-v_Z-QqW6rnlfzhyvhhApYb1XWUGPU2ZJDxM/s320/House+77+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241982326127415666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSLSCQCcE6I4vZFzl2mH0rG3UgXZlwYYObnNMUs_NW51ADpTYFPqY11XNEkq4E2-aiK5sx6cYHGBo7Q4EhFe8ZEidKA6pdYYSTX5JzV7IcrMbPG2y1XGtIMr2hK1juZ6I3w715eJNKb6n/s1600-h/House+77+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSLSCQCcE6I4vZFzl2mH0rG3UgXZlwYYObnNMUs_NW51ADpTYFPqY11XNEkq4E2-aiK5sx6cYHGBo7Q4EhFe8ZEidKA6pdYYSTX5JzV7IcrMbPG2y1XGtIMr2hK1juZ6I3w715eJNKb6n/s320/House+77+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241981627699894098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPN72sT00cO3_-XI-qGmYuI_13h1-OIou45wJfb4PpIGGIpChE1BmQwHcRah3tfXrxlPUKfvLZdV8CigiXxyKSCb2hS4SJsOD34X3PjPmjpC85HkpZSEFDxkC1bWgYoW5gWBzUlZ5Ykjh/s1600-h/House+77+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPN72sT00cO3_-XI-qGmYuI_13h1-OIou45wJfb4PpIGGIpChE1BmQwHcRah3tfXrxlPUKfvLZdV8CigiXxyKSCb2hS4SJsOD34X3PjPmjpC85HkpZSEFDxkC1bWgYoW5gWBzUlZ5Ykjh/s320/House+77+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241980936595433138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCb9zwpKlvq732j4TFs13NFXMGYLDcaelR-KaRsZhTB9Apsmc9Y1FdU2xkjnjuY2LKVEcfpZ1DdSoPJSYz3KaBdH9Z8mAKluxfNAVzMct_l_cuUw2OEBrItFmvHxs8jFwRWDNF6YmI6xn/s1600-h/House+77+019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCb9zwpKlvq732j4TFs13NFXMGYLDcaelR-KaRsZhTB9Apsmc9Y1FdU2xkjnjuY2LKVEcfpZ1DdSoPJSYz3KaBdH9Z8mAKluxfNAVzMct_l_cuUw2OEBrItFmvHxs8jFwRWDNF6YmI6xn/s320/House+77+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241980327465178562" border="0" /></a><br />We finally get our house tomorrow. Between Pennsylvania this summer, and the last month of temporary housing and travel, we are looking forward to a dresser!!! We have been living out of suitcases for much too long. Alex and Alan are itching for some toys to play with, and we are seriously looking forward to some good knives to cook with. Joe spent most of today working with Senor Cruz to finish getting the house ready. The owner has seriously gone above and beyond for us. He mowed the grass and cut down a bunch of overgrowth. It still needs some TLC, but it looks much better. He painted the entire kitchen, and repaired a bunch of other things that needed to be done. We are excited to get in the house. The place is HUGE. 4 bedrooms plus a covered glass mirador on the top floor. The yard is small but workable, and it has secured parking which was a plus for that neighborhood. The only negative so far is that it only has a washer, so hanging clothes for an entire year may be a challenge. At least the rainy season is almost over, so that is a plus. The house is very "Mexican", but is sparsely furnished, so it leaves us some room to "decorate".<br /><br />Most of the houses that we looked at had been "decorated", so that is all well and good unless you have a 16 month old boy who would like nothing better than to see some glass break! The house we are currently in has every top shelf of everything covered with the nick nacks we moved. We also had to pay to have one broken window replaced when we discovered that the TV stand had wheels on it, and Alan shoved it backwards into the "Wall of glass". The window was the perfect height for the back of the TV to fit through the 24" x 24" space. He also broke the leg off of the clay lizard, but we managed to glue that back on ourselves. Other than that, some of the plants out back have been pruned and beaten slightly.<br /><br />We have only been here three weeks, but have seemed to cover the place pretty good. Almost every time we go out somewhere, we see someone we know. Either their lives are as uneventful as ours, or we have met a lot of people in a short time. I am going to start teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) on Sept 9th. It should be a good way to meet the locals, and learn some Spanish as well. It is a volunteer thing, but I think it will be a great experience. I have never taught, and get a bit nervous in front of a lot of people, but if we never challenge ourselves then we will never know. Right now I am with another woman in a class of 20 students. She said that most times several of the other volunteers duck out fast, so I will likely end up with a class of my own, and am on the substitute list. It could be great if I can get a little help for the first few weeks, and then fall into my own class. All the other teachers are over 60, so how bad could I be right??! My only other option was to locate some art supplies and start painting abstract or Mexican landscapes, and selling them at the weekly markets. How bad could they be right??! That is about all the news for now, until later......<br /><br />Pictures of Alex & Alan having helios (ice cream) on the plaza, and the new "long term" house. Chickens on the neighbors roof, the great view of the mountains (if you can overlook the laundry), and the other neighbors yard and street view from the balcony.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-56128858101721913972008-08-24T20:26:00.007-05:002008-08-27T16:36:42.028-05:00Mexican differences!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGh-8tlzk8HEtc6ekKvz3eczVrJVnChyphenhyphenspv6hyphenhyphenRNj8eigqF25L7RSvq2kpdzLR5BrXdF9LxJHvBIWMjoRgpqOWTcCXCyKuKmfx-csDoWhvjzRzIMw_L3URvVwkY5rfcaVx69fSPSmBXJ1/s1600-h/Moped+08+093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGh-8tlzk8HEtc6ekKvz3eczVrJVnChyphenhyphenspv6hyphenhyphenRNj8eigqF25L7RSvq2kpdzLR5BrXdF9LxJHvBIWMjoRgpqOWTcCXCyKuKmfx-csDoWhvjzRzIMw_L3URvVwkY5rfcaVx69fSPSmBXJ1/s320/Moped+08+093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239313949907642834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGM8mY8g8pMxAl5fGHj_J3mQVXk9FoqjYjy9hVJEP_C_IV1TzxZcVRZPrlI7BbAlfi3IX6mak-1cHGCnYNkcJ5oRizCtmlFnGGEQB9xWWmkveRDhyQ3Pm8UX74YpEHbftA2B5qBmuacFI/s1600-h/Moped+08+090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGM8mY8g8pMxAl5fGHj_J3mQVXk9FoqjYjy9hVJEP_C_IV1TzxZcVRZPrlI7BbAlfi3IX6mak-1cHGCnYNkcJ5oRizCtmlFnGGEQB9xWWmkveRDhyQ3Pm8UX74YpEHbftA2B5qBmuacFI/s320/Moped+08+090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239313581864994002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlZJJeyS1ZDxmOfMSgh3C45zdxEESCpvyMNxrGdZD2WJP1GlVuEfygOTYwOBzekEEhhg5kI71tvAjpwGFYjpZDd5o8u7ZyL9JHqlmY2ntBpJVrghg9mW8TskXLedCjFH4l_HOI6LURTno/s1600-h/Moped+08+086.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlZJJeyS1ZDxmOfMSgh3C45zdxEESCpvyMNxrGdZD2WJP1GlVuEfygOTYwOBzekEEhhg5kI71tvAjpwGFYjpZDd5o8u7ZyL9JHqlmY2ntBpJVrghg9mW8TskXLedCjFH4l_HOI6LURTno/s320/Moped+08+086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239313094376742322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEEVeATQZkFWyFOJZQMhge-ddbKthkLVQl-aoeqAnNA6KyQM8uyIRr8tAA_rpEDJ1T9ectx0EKDyuLjFHDTZ5fioNGbN0fb8QLm0PE0K4mJs79LzH03aUGdMmbP5WrgRI0cwX7e7OpDB3/s1600-h/Moped+08+105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEEVeATQZkFWyFOJZQMhge-ddbKthkLVQl-aoeqAnNA6KyQM8uyIRr8tAA_rpEDJ1T9ectx0EKDyuLjFHDTZ5fioNGbN0fb8QLm0PE0K4mJs79LzH03aUGdMmbP5WrgRI0cwX7e7OpDB3/s320/Moped+08+105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239312164248802610" border="0" /></a><br />OK! Yesterday we went to Costco here in Guadalajara to check out the selection. The store is huge, and they had a ton of selection. They give samples of food and such here just like in the states, however, they were giving samples of Tequila!!!! Lime and salt included! Joe and I had to have a sample, and it was quite good. They weren't even cheap about it, they gave you a pretty big taste! We couldn't believe it! Then we went to the mall across the street, and it was just a nice as any mall I have ever seen in the US, but people were walking around smoking!! It was weird. Then when we were leaving, we saw a machine that we thought was to validate your parking (because it was a secured lot). I took the ticket over and put it in, and it asked me for 10 pesos. Not knowing what to do (and I needed my ticket back to get the car out of the lot) I put in 10 pesos, took my ticket, and went back to the car. When we went to drive out of the lot, you had to put your ticket in the machine to get the arm to lift and let you out! Can you believe you could have a pay lot with NO attendants! What an idea. We could learn something from Mexico about this.<br /><br />We also bought a moped scooter this weekend. As much as we have been driving our van on the coblestone roads, we were wanting something to get around quickly, and improve our parking. We took it out for a spin around town, and found out that we could all fit on the scooter. When in Mexico, so as the Mexicans. We got quite a few curious looks, bet we weren't sure if it was because we had well over 400 lbs of gringo on a single scooter, or if it was because the thing was so bright yellow, it blinded them momentarily. Either way, we all had a great time.<br /><br />We move into our house next weekend, so we are busy taking Alex to school and back, and acquiring a few needed items for the house. Alex has not warmed up to school completely, but she did count to 6 in Spanish out of the blue. She said that God taught it to her, so she must have quite a teacher! <br /><br />The pictures above are average traffic in Guadalajara, sharing the road with others ????, Alex and Mom on the new scooter, and Alex going to school. More to come......Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-76138919351771250002008-08-22T08:21:00.005-05:002008-08-23T20:18:37.706-05:00Found a house<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIuadAo0ep0gCKszz1TR0wvwVB5Uz4uCDl9iUi0DfAyDIheLbZ0OpmSkxJ9177uFPS6dIsZlFKdfwIEDj530_uKA5Rj8TGJ9b8SFvjr5PzxPuV75feKA09X6qN5q-1O3Am9WtBakbW0VV/s1600-h/Alex+first+day+school+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIuadAo0ep0gCKszz1TR0wvwVB5Uz4uCDl9iUi0DfAyDIheLbZ0OpmSkxJ9177uFPS6dIsZlFKdfwIEDj530_uKA5Rj8TGJ9b8SFvjr5PzxPuV75feKA09X6qN5q-1O3Am9WtBakbW0VV/s320/Alex+first+day+school+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237886219609853026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN23c6zMWI0ncyIwMuDN9xY_R2ZZeq_SvjOlvPmREMbjnye5QGRbGIsYC1u1c8-phS-TdxbfnZ6lB1htLCTpAPB9IpMTKPSs5i_jmymZbuEBjs3t3lt3kPY7hWLHLpUEYIVF0wf5Vpd2v1/s1600-h/Alex+first+day+school+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN23c6zMWI0ncyIwMuDN9xY_R2ZZeq_SvjOlvPmREMbjnye5QGRbGIsYC1u1c8-phS-TdxbfnZ6lB1htLCTpAPB9IpMTKPSs5i_jmymZbuEBjs3t3lt3kPY7hWLHLpUEYIVF0wf5Vpd2v1/s320/Alex+first+day+school+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237886223043406530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyYaH_gBIuFuDAv07jfB3dGr9-cUxKSN9qsaPw4Adoyingotx_b-etTtvU7zWFJFzt02r1z1Jfyg6ZGddzGLs7hsqtIQj24gyBOEvIZo2RoXGd8vEsOkV406eWBANTd0_AqjcwQIrbMcW/s1600-h/026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyYaH_gBIuFuDAv07jfB3dGr9-cUxKSN9qsaPw4Adoyingotx_b-etTtvU7zWFJFzt02r1z1Jfyg6ZGddzGLs7hsqtIQj24gyBOEvIZo2RoXGd8vEsOkV406eWBANTd0_AqjcwQIrbMcW/s320/026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237886247161475858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Wtxwo4KDUNHz61eLwegAXRZRW2llYTIceMvXpc1RQmdKBPJBu8QfAmQoDRtwvp0EGNHir624JCJqtnndrmove908RwQpEr87W-xDiACTYXtVS-TicgXH6tO-YJ3jGSLk79fr7vMtq8ox/s1600-h/027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Wtxwo4KDUNHz61eLwegAXRZRW2llYTIceMvXpc1RQmdKBPJBu8QfAmQoDRtwvp0EGNHir624JCJqtnndrmove908RwQpEr87W-xDiACTYXtVS-TicgXH6tO-YJ3jGSLk79fr7vMtq8ox/s320/027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237886255611709170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4psVkrYBMkKMXRtifSCV8h5aRpnv1NzFvDFI64ZfPMRCidoFWd_IxxVam78MPs31miUQvO1haoJPklvfPLjug-5z8Wd55bY1YLz_vPb-_tIoAmRjLN1kzWJzNFLpMXffE8b_nv9cyK-_/s1600-h/028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4psVkrYBMkKMXRtifSCV8h5aRpnv1NzFvDFI64ZfPMRCidoFWd_IxxVam78MPs31miUQvO1haoJPklvfPLjug-5z8Wd55bY1YLz_vPb-_tIoAmRjLN1kzWJzNFLpMXffE8b_nv9cyK-_/s320/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237886260806599698" border="0" /></a><br />Apparently, the search is over for the casa. We have made a deal with a Mexican owner in San Antonio Tlayacapan to rent his home. His name is Cruz and his English is better than my Spanish, but I still took a Mexican friend I made named Manny to referee the negotiations.<br /><br />Manny is a dentist (hence the good English) in Guadalajara that we met at the park in Ajijic last Friday afternoon. Cruz has agreed to paint the entire inside of the home by August 31 in order for us to move in on September 1. We will see how the manana/manana goes on this one. Manny has lived in San Antonio T. his whole life and says we can trust Cruz.<br /><br />The home is pretty big and partially furnished, so we are on the look-out for any used stuff we can find. Yard sales are called bazaars here and there is no rhyme or reason to when or where they occur. Just have to get out and look for them. San Antonio T is a quiet, small town and I think all our neighbors are Mexican. All the town roads are cobblestone or dirt, but they have high speed internet that works 3/4 of the time. Go figure. We heard a rooster crowing from the "yard" next door when we were looking at the place.<br /><br />In the neighborhood there are the standard mini-store, Abarrotes, that sells chips, drinks, 1 can of this, 1 can of that. There is a carniceria (butcher) a block away and numerous little shops in that area. Two blocks away is the town Plaza that has a grocery store with most things we will need, although it is about 1/2 the size of an American 7-11. The Plaza is peaceful and fills up in the late afternoon and evening with people eating outdoors, kids playing, an ice cream shop and numerous vendors selling food/trinkets/clothes or whatever they have that day.<br /><br />The kids love to go to the plaza and play with the other kids. Hopefully, they can start talking to them pretty soon, although a lack of understanding English has not slowed Alex down from yapping the whole time she plays with the Mexican girls. The house is also a block from the lake, but no pier or malecon (boardwalk). The only thing we saw when we went to the lake on the street was a guy with a small fishing boat tying it up for the evening.<br /><br />Alex has been in school 3 days now, and has not been loving it. She has cried when I drop her off, but the teachers say she had done well once I am gone. If we can make it through the next few weeks, things should go very well. I keep thinking what a gift it would be for her to speak Spanish.<br /><br />We took our lives in our hands again and went to Guadalajara to visit the Sam's Club. It was really similar to the states. Just like everywhere, anything plastic or imported from China is expensive, but everything else is about the same. Think we will stick to the local grocer and the market.<br /><br />Photos above are of a picture of a donkey one of the locals rode in to town on to eat at the restaurant that can be seen in the picture (zoom in on the picture and look for the guy in the hat sitting at one of the tables), Alex and Alan eating treats at the plaza in Ajijic, and tree pictures of the weekly market in Ajijic.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-10485121660273140362008-08-19T14:51:00.004-05:002008-08-19T17:31:52.552-05:00Alex goes to school/Walmart trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zJl0GW0YhUYz995BQ4j08woh5clE-RxO0VQ4Fbj1DOyBdJAMb4JfyRfWpZ3LzPSws4ZR06V02e8pCvQbkVGCFaBSrq_aOu7OBADzVHW_BYuJfWGZm9BPoJ3C7_UGYUIb6VjlgdnYBzuS/s1600-h/Alex+first+day+school+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zJl0GW0YhUYz995BQ4j08woh5clE-RxO0VQ4Fbj1DOyBdJAMb4JfyRfWpZ3LzPSws4ZR06V02e8pCvQbkVGCFaBSrq_aOu7OBADzVHW_BYuJfWGZm9BPoJ3C7_UGYUIb6VjlgdnYBzuS/s320/Alex+first+day+school+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236356396122833922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgwrXpjZh2g5VMQB8qPCRJSbuU0zg9_Wi8JWASPFXkqNPbLfzxvKf9yCWFHFGdDnM_vgWqyOl59-DdCj2o455pcxSUjlO4fA0XeOky-bgwYD1Nlpe5glTm2gGHeL5GFK4zC0zegTd5mCw/s1600-h/Bertha+and+Manny%27s+house+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgwrXpjZh2g5VMQB8qPCRJSbuU0zg9_Wi8JWASPFXkqNPbLfzxvKf9yCWFHFGdDnM_vgWqyOl59-DdCj2o455pcxSUjlO4fA0XeOky-bgwYD1Nlpe5glTm2gGHeL5GFK4zC0zegTd5mCw/s320/Bertha+and+Manny%27s+house+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236356603650756210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P_ggFTvZtWZ6MBHQRBNGu5-KFDtglXRcfjoCGJH56qkKbqbBPSwN3Xp10gJGOzLt2ryGA8WkFrYl21H9oV6EgsC6v_H2_BOA9Tu0UsfGLpYHUaNyznryDrk9FBEixBUz99y68JdkpaIg/s1600-h/Alex+first+day+school+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P_ggFTvZtWZ6MBHQRBNGu5-KFDtglXRcfjoCGJH56qkKbqbBPSwN3Xp10gJGOzLt2ryGA8WkFrYl21H9oV6EgsC6v_H2_BOA9Tu0UsfGLpYHUaNyznryDrk9FBEixBUz99y68JdkpaIg/s320/Alex+first+day+school+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236356610963886850" border="0" /></a><br />Alex had her first day at school. 11 children in her preschool class. I think she is really going to love it. None of the children in the class speak any English, but most are girls, so that is a plus. It will be interesting to see how fast she learns the language compared to us old folks! I was the only parent who spoke English, and I struggled to follow as my Spanish is not good enough yet, and they speak very fast. I did have an "interpreter" there who told me most of what was going on. I did manage to introduce myself and Alex in Spanish. I wish I could go to class with her just for the language. I think she will do great. She got a Hello Kitty backpack and lunch box, so she is ready for action.<br /><br />We are still looking for a rental house, and waiting on a few responses for houses we liked, but things move very slowly here in Mexico. We are looking forward to getting settled in a place long term after the summer in PA, and then the traveling and the temporary rental. A dresser is looking pretty good right now. The roads here are VERY bad. They told us they have cobblestone streets, but I have never seen streets like these. Apparently they never thought about filling in the cracks! So far our right side mirror on the van is "missing", and we managed to scratch the side door up pretty good because we failed to notice the boulder that was sticking out in the road while parking. Good thing we got the used van which now has 95,000 miles on it! Once we find our permanent place, we will be able to park the van and only drive occasionally. Most things are centrally located so we can walk almost everywhere. Joe is offering to buy me a moped to get around on. A lot of the locals are driving mopeds or 4 wheelers. The traffic laws are pretty much everyone for themselves, so they don't bother you unless you crash.<br /><br />We went to Guadalajara to visit the Walmart, and were almost finished off by a bus! The Walmart had most things you could want. Pampers were $148 pesos($14 USD)for 46 size 5. I do believe that is cheaper than the US. I was tempted to try the local brand, but Joe cautioned against it. My good friend Deb gave me some Pampers cruisers diapers and I have been terribly spoiled by them. It is hard to go back from the Cadillac of diapers! Baby wipes are WAY expensive. I am going to check the bulk at Sam's. The big difference I found from US/Mexico Walmart is that they sell appliances and mattresses here. The food selection is smaller and they have all Mexican labels. Other than that, pretty much the same. They even have Great Value. A gallon of milk is cheaper here, and so is Cheddar cheese! Anything made in China or plastic seems to be more expensive. Almost double. Napkins are reasonable, but paper towels are expensive. We will figure out more as time goes by.<br /><br />The above pictures are of Alexandra in her school uniform, Brandi and Alan at the park we frequent, and all of us in from of the church near the plaza we go to in San Antonio Tlayacapan.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-78023985510342131832008-08-14T09:53:00.000-05:002008-08-16T21:23:31.486-05:00The search continues for casa/Alex registered for school<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsq6iqOB__wte9lWFZOv_88pXSp3Zz962KmXL7IhUpqfmj8ubC3p_X13cN1VDE2RhNwKSLmr4bvP_d-eCQbxtwQ5lt3ahMEEfrfZgw92eRrRWZJsWA55XV268kuZj5wmPh0CwAqm1lfIS/s1600-h/062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsq6iqOB__wte9lWFZOv_88pXSp3Zz962KmXL7IhUpqfmj8ubC3p_X13cN1VDE2RhNwKSLmr4bvP_d-eCQbxtwQ5lt3ahMEEfrfZgw92eRrRWZJsWA55XV268kuZj5wmPh0CwAqm1lfIS/s320/062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235304531734832658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mo-S-sRm81Fh1sMPpuaC3aHEsGXZcn3b-cZhjFgfC1Tda5Ku-q5VhyrbvrIoyyUI-KvkA_dAy8A97ZAU4CYVUOOBzBO5TzWtB7yoPhsjgv-lQ7yfHWxk_Gusf8AE1eh433LRDS3L24rJ/s1600-h/058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mo-S-sRm81Fh1sMPpuaC3aHEsGXZcn3b-cZhjFgfC1Tda5Ku-q5VhyrbvrIoyyUI-KvkA_dAy8A97ZAU4CYVUOOBzBO5TzWtB7yoPhsjgv-lQ7yfHWxk_Gusf8AE1eh433LRDS3L24rJ/s320/058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235304533870840706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4m-HwLEVfaYDYaUwk6q137qLRnHY_qpNDHMcVj7xJxGdxP9JmMk7KU1EaJ0HN8gb-2-qZVKfX9If8tIq4v0bUXIlYrAJeRLZOfynllaw4DMcOaYO7r5axkwp72uD3cgu32oV5OGD6SX7/s1600-h/032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4m-HwLEVfaYDYaUwk6q137qLRnHY_qpNDHMcVj7xJxGdxP9JmMk7KU1EaJ0HN8gb-2-qZVKfX9If8tIq4v0bUXIlYrAJeRLZOfynllaw4DMcOaYO7r5axkwp72uD3cgu32oV5OGD6SX7/s320/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235304541876459170" border="0" /></a><br />We are still looking. We have looked at about 15 houses. All have something good or bad about them. We found one that we think we can live with, but the owners are fixing a few things and it could take over a week to finish. Thus the manana/manana may take longer than we have to wait, so that makes us a little nervous. We are also still looking at other options. Joe is working very hard to find the right place. It is hard to believe the variance between houses in the area.<br /><br />Alex is registered in school. It is a bit expensive, but I think the Spanish she will learn there will be worth it. There are only 5-6 students in her class. The small private school has about 200 students total, and is preschool-high school. They will teach Spanish for half day, and English for other half. The uniforms are polo shirt and jeans for most days, and a jumpsuit for the sports days. I had to get her a physical for school, and it cost $15.00. The Dr did all the things you would do for a physical, and it took all of 20 minutes. Walked right in, talked with the doc, paid the money, and left. In the USA it would be at least a 20 min wait in the waiting room, and cost after insurance (if they even cover it), $20-$60. Go figure. Either way, she will be in school on Tuesday 8/19. I will post picture of the uniforms when I can get them. So far I am quite impressed with the medical services, and we will see how the school works out.<br /><br />Last night we were at the Malecon in Chapala, and were walking around and checking out the sights. Alan walked up to a lady and grabbed her hand. Evidently she thought she grabbed her grandsons hand, but when she looked down and saw the blonde hair she about had a heart attack. All her family thought it was VERY funny, and they laughed about it for a very long time. We get a lot of head turns whenever we take the children out. <br /><br />Here are a few pictures of the kids playing at the park with the Mexican kids, back yard cushion wars, and fun by the lake. More to come.....Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-34256240836427267882008-08-11T15:43:00.000-05:002008-08-16T21:00:23.410-05:00The search for a casa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6CUuiFzEKNRXfBjfHtggFVY598G1dyhKMgtB2sqR9PF84TRdE48su87i-_OlgYfYSuBIywUaNfrI7lgcKz2RV9aC5GJwdD-ImXsOR9Qm9p4jxs4rzJi9Pw1z-5yGTjVoOmJtAvaUA7km/s1600-h/053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6CUuiFzEKNRXfBjfHtggFVY598G1dyhKMgtB2sqR9PF84TRdE48su87i-_OlgYfYSuBIywUaNfrI7lgcKz2RV9aC5GJwdD-ImXsOR9Qm9p4jxs4rzJi9Pw1z-5yGTjVoOmJtAvaUA7km/s320/053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235298026544103618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmWYOd5zfeLE-Oa8xdndOLkNDjnwCPiSwzYx9ODT08vHNSPJUvv1DOdNgZyYx31QEb0dVfq7R9ovyAKueG-gdJnLaAVABm6iuePmVUOzuxGca0aQ4oUnLTmA67EeMrCygS7irrlFvYdkI/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmWYOd5zfeLE-Oa8xdndOLkNDjnwCPiSwzYx9ODT08vHNSPJUvv1DOdNgZyYx31QEb0dVfq7R9ovyAKueG-gdJnLaAVABm6iuePmVUOzuxGca0aQ4oUnLTmA67EeMrCygS7irrlFvYdkI/s320/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235298037944679026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsi0ItHLJya5QHtHljeum4zj1yp-0umWEYfiCzRBnltfiouMIrFwdX1vh4aHoEANVKGLMtYo2cdKIslE2zawENR7Eg9BNx6T4W9jmqyrNxPmhoi4CcrmID2lF6lwhxiHon3IIw5NbCVR0/s1600-h/042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsi0ItHLJya5QHtHljeum4zj1yp-0umWEYfiCzRBnltfiouMIrFwdX1vh4aHoEANVKGLMtYo2cdKIslE2zawENR7Eg9BNx6T4W9jmqyrNxPmhoi4CcrmID2lF6lwhxiHon3IIw5NbCVR0/s320/042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235298046469709730" border="0" /></a><br />Ok, we are now on a full on hunt for a year long rental for a home. We have looked at 3 casas so far and only one is in the running. Not everything is as advertised with the homes. We looked at one that was called 3 bedrooms, but you have to go outside and up a small steep flight of stairs to the roof to get to the "third" bedroom. One thing is for sure, Mexicans live in 2 bedroom homes. A lot of them have a "casita" which is a small room on the outside of the home for grandma?<br /><br />Other than that, we are surviving the food and finding out where to find things. The cobblestone streets are somewhat difficult to manage even with our stroller with big wheels. Joe and I are seriously wondering where they got all those rocks! It does cut down on the speed of traffic, and would not wash away with a big rainstorm. Alan would prefer to walk, but he gets so distracted by the sights or the stray dogs, that it is hard to get anywhere fast. It is surprising how many dogs are running around this place. They all seem friendly enough, and seem to all know where they are going.<br /><br />We went for a walk last night at about 7 pm and had a great walk through the neighborhoods. The weather here is fantastic. It has not rained since we have been here even though it is the rainy season. It seems like the Mexican people really love the night. Even late they seem to just getting started. The street vendors don't start setting up on the plaza until 7 or 8pm. I am not sure how late they stay out since we generally get home by dark with the kids. Joe is loving the $1 beer you can get on any corner while we are out walking. While at the American Legion we saw the bartender was only about 16? No laws on who can sell beer here, but they do have signs about selling tobacco to minors. Not sure about that yet.<br /><br />We are looking forward to getting settled in a longer term place, and Alex wants her toys out. So far they have had quite a time playing with the tie down straps, the empty cooler, and some buckets. They are also pickers of the fruit on the orange tree out in the yard. Joe and Alex juiced a bunch for breakfast yesterday, and it was great. We did eye an avacado tree next door, and are thinking of ways to make friends with the neighbors. I figure if it is hanging in the street, it should be fair game. We also have a mango tree in this yard, but it must be at the end of its cycle because there are only a few pieces of fruit left on it.<br /><br />Until next time.......<br /><br />The photos above are of one of the nicest homes we looked at, a standard kitchen, and a view of Lake Chapala from a mirador on one of the homesMertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814459266445911088.post-57275179419286178282008-08-08T20:36:00.000-05:002008-08-13T08:31:52.899-05:00We have arrived.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktaIpdP7IDtL6Pr61fus7RjTpeS9C8ctDFxH6Vr150EvbQte7txIDv2aqVWqxb6f4mkt0ceobDFERmNwF-0ErCWF-Qy3B-dfin_8jzmXuZtkx1IOJkVwyNJfC9fLZR_9E5O3lkXLvV1xd/s1600-h/Ajijic+Arrival+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktaIpdP7IDtL6Pr61fus7RjTpeS9C8ctDFxH6Vr150EvbQte7txIDv2aqVWqxb6f4mkt0ceobDFERmNwF-0ErCWF-Qy3B-dfin_8jzmXuZtkx1IOJkVwyNJfC9fLZR_9E5O3lkXLvV1xd/s320/Ajijic+Arrival+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233993341470778914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw_Zw_0wBLIWdrRP2qYb3LMou9LYpaUkiRJD1CJC1oi378vaBwrynkh66PRTajsvoQ9SSUI5TAqOYwP6tpm1bHlunOUd8YzecZZR8k3FpAaCjLdYxH3H8r-vZyGqsk9ER3R0-djofM48v/s1600-h/Ajijic+Arrival+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw_Zw_0wBLIWdrRP2qYb3LMou9LYpaUkiRJD1CJC1oi378vaBwrynkh66PRTajsvoQ9SSUI5TAqOYwP6tpm1bHlunOUd8YzecZZR8k3FpAaCjLdYxH3H8r-vZyGqsk9ER3R0-djofM48v/s320/Ajijic+Arrival+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233993349189030658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPligqXw0wagHoVZlTk1Q_S-lr95V6La8Mzkv0dkjetTVDzJ1JjVhYsvqDNYfhCUqNQTfO2W5AoAflKs5bNCjq8vnCan8OBUiirn7xbW-yWJN9IKWgqbyho49d85VdEelARG4CVVR2HnJ/s1600-h/Ajijic+Arrival+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPligqXw0wagHoVZlTk1Q_S-lr95V6La8Mzkv0dkjetTVDzJ1JjVhYsvqDNYfhCUqNQTfO2W5AoAflKs5bNCjq8vnCan8OBUiirn7xbW-yWJN9IKWgqbyho49d85VdEelARG4CVVR2HnJ/s320/Ajijic+Arrival+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233993353759385090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0dmghaRjuTs4RBEXYDikiKay0TZ189iNKKo3K29wVZIHqOHwDu-_x-mVRUOq_UEwiXUKQ4vP1ezYPDBcL9lYmH9WXhcvBdaynI-c0-sxxqzaevxIJXKi2meVIjLob_a7Je30xCiEnTfZ/s1600-h/Ajijic+Arrival+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0dmghaRjuTs4RBEXYDikiKay0TZ189iNKKo3K29wVZIHqOHwDu-_x-mVRUOq_UEwiXUKQ4vP1ezYPDBcL9lYmH9WXhcvBdaynI-c0-sxxqzaevxIJXKi2meVIjLob_a7Je30xCiEnTfZ/s320/Ajijic+Arrival+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233993359065329282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkx5C28_Ubnfwb9DfnCWwEbFxPw114DrNU4w9sFMsAFEI3Rh90nqjZkr4Jj0G01gUOIG47p8xGNiz_ONXK-nAX3ap4cA5t8AuIWzSsbvw41yosE1AMSq-3H7pQOeqI-XHqswk40h69RAb/s1600-h/Ajijic+Arrival+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkx5C28_Ubnfwb9DfnCWwEbFxPw114DrNU4w9sFMsAFEI3Rh90nqjZkr4Jj0G01gUOIG47p8xGNiz_ONXK-nAX3ap4cA5t8AuIWzSsbvw41yosE1AMSq-3H7pQOeqI-XHqswk40h69RAb/s320/Ajijic+Arrival+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233993362772213426" border="0" /></a><br />Hola! As most of you know, we have moved to Mexico! I am still trying to figure out what we are trying to do with this, but I am sure it will be more evident as time goes by.<br /><br />As you can guess, it was a VERY long drive. We drove to Houston from PA to stay with cousin Tom for a few nights and psyche ourselves up for the drive. We drove to Laredo, TX and stayed over night at a hotel before crossing into the unknown. Our first challenge was to get our temporary visa to stay in the country for 180 days. We crossed the border and paid our $3.00 to get over the bridge, and then it all started to fall apart. We got the green light, but didn't know we had to drive about 2 miles to get to the building that was only about 20 yards from us. After we finally got there, the whole process took about 2 hours. We got our paperwork and drove out of there. Alan's head was a bit sore from all the good luck he was passing, but didn't seem to mind too bad. We drove for about 6 hours and decided to stop at about 3:00pm. The kids were tired, and we found our hotel. The Las Palmas in Matehuala, Mexico. It reminded us of a hotel from the 1950's in Vegas or the Godfather movie. We were issued our key and remote control, and were pleasantly surprised at the size of the room. Even had a small playground that the kids loved. The pool was a bit cold for swimming, but Alex made the best of it. They had a Walmart supercenter there, and we walked around a bit as an educational trip. They actually had most of the stuff we had in the US with different labels. We found a little Cocina to eat at, and so far have survived the "revenge". All in all had a good nights sleep, and headed out early am to finish our drive.<br /><br />Our final 6 hours took us into Chapala. The area is beautiful, and even different than I expected. VERY green and hilly. We found our temporary rental, and the local grocery for a few supplies. We practiced our spanish a bit on the locals, and found a place to have dinner. 4 beers, and 6 burritos for 10 dollars. We may have found our favorite spot. The biggest negative besides the fussing of the kids on the drive was that Alan lost his pacifier in the chaos of the unload, so he had to go to bed without it. I guess that is one way to cure an addiction. Cold turkey. I am hoping for a good nights sleep, and we are setting off to search the area for a long term rental tomorrow.<br /><br />The above photos are, in some sort of order, us in PA at Dan's before we left, an example of fellow motorists on the highways of Mexico, Brandi and the kids at a self-made rest area, Alan and Alex in the driveway of our current home, and Brandi and Alan in front of a tree growing in the middle of the street in front of our current home in Ajijic.Mertens Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444163613206095301noreply@blogger.com1