Landon and Alyssa

We had heard that Landon and Alyssa Carlson (a young couple from California) were going to be honeymooning in Guatemala but didn't know exactly when. I was so excited to walk into Sunday meeting and see two more Americans! Laura, me, Landon, Alyssa - that made 4! They actually got married on Saturday, flew overnight, and got to Guatemala on Sunday morning. What a couple of days they had. When the meeting was informed that they were celebrating their first day as a married couple, they jumped into planning mode, and before we knew it, a cake had appeared. We sang a hymn for them, ate cake, and drank soda. (They asked me what we sing at weddings... "Happy Birthday??" But we all agreed that wouldn't be appropriate.)

After cake we went to the fruit stand near the house. Landon apparently developed excellent watermelon picking skills during his years as a single man, and he did me the honor of sharing some tips. Knocking is required, as well as acute hearing.

And it really worked!

Unloading their things... Abraham, always of service, met them at the airport at 5:00 am that morning and brought them to meeting. Landon and Alyssa had lunch with us, and then Esa, Laura, and I took them to find a hotel. They spent the rest of their time in Guatemala traveling and seeing all that they could see. We were so glad we got to meet them!

*And I almost forgot to mention: thanks to Laura for the photos!

Aniversary Breakfast

Our 15-month anniversary fell on Sunday, so before meeting we went out to breakfast together at Cafe Saul, a delicious favorite (made even more appealing by the 2-for-1 breakfast offer with the Prensa Libre card). We sipped coffee, sat cozily on the same side of the table, and moved closer toward our goal of trying ALL of the breakfast menus!

Farewell Dinner

The night before the girls left we went out to an Italian place for one last farewell. I ate a delicious vegetarian panini (a kind of fancy name for a hot sandwich), and enjoyed everyone's company once again. A few of Laura's friends came as well. Linda, Laura's apartment-mate, also a teacher at the school, is sitting beside me. Next to Linda is Kelly, Laura's mentor teacher. Then it goes Roxie, Heidi, Laura, and Merra, Leslie, the other girl that came from Wyoming to student teach, and Courtney. We made lots of promises to do our best to see eachother again soon!

A Fabulous Shot

We were driving along in the inner city when I was struck by this graffiti. I said to Esa, "Stop, stop!" and realized I had a good man when he did, in fact, stop. (I later chalked it up to the red light.) Anyway, I managed to snap one single picture with no cars in the way, and this is it. There's so many things to love about it. Take note of the grandma feeding the baby a piece of mango!

Mtg. and Big Macs

Judging by the title, you might be wondering, "Now just what IS the relationship between meeting and Big Macs? Frankly, there is none. We just happened to go to McDonald's for Sunday dinner, which was more than okay with a group of 6 American girls!

This picture is of Wednesday night meeting the day the girls got to Guatemala. They were very tired but determined to take in the whole Guatemalan experience! They also wanted to get to meet Ken Johnson, one of the workers here in Guatemala. He has been here for around 30 years, and getting to know him, it didn't take long to figure out why he's always spoken of so warmly... He's a very special, easy-going person.

And their last Sunday before they headed back to Wyoming (minus Laura, thank goodness!). We spent most of the day together with my nice Esa taking us wherever our little hearts desired.

Enjoying my standard grilled chicken with bbq sauce... It actually has something that resembles whole wheat bread!

And the other side of the table... Poor Esa didn't appear in any of the pictures, but he WAS there. :)

Antigua with the Girls

It wasn't even the weekend, but Mera, Roxie, Courtney, and Heidi planned a trip to Antigua, and I happily got myself out of a couple of commitments to tag along. From the moment I set foot on the chicken bus (yes, I took the bus!) I knew I was doing the right thing. Sometimes a girl just needs a break from the city! And some time with the girls. :)

My cozy $15 dollar hotel room.

And my view of an Antigua city street below.

Our special friends Abraham and Sylvia in front of their store in the market.

Abraham insisted on taking us to a few of his favorite hang-outs! First stop: the macademia nut farm.

I just loved how Heidi matched the sign.

Ahh, nature.

The eccentric guide and owner of the farm. (His humor was a bit off-color.)

A really neat, rather airy bathroom.

Giving out FREE chocolates.

And FREE facials!

Roxie enjoying hers.

Heidi

*I loved the whole macademia experience and came home with a small bag of very delicious nuts. They sold various tempting macademia products at rather inflated prices, so I figured it would probably be better to stick with something I knew I would use and wasn't priced too outrageously.

El Cerro de la Cruz

Next Abraham took us to the hill of the cross which has one of the best views overlooking Antigua of anywhere.

Taking in the city. (P.S. We are all jealous of Merra's beautiful curly hair!)

Me, Heidi, Roxie, Courtney, and Merra.

It is also a romantic lookout for couples in love.

Next stop: La Merced, the beautiful yellow church in Antigua. The contrast of the purple flowered tree against the yellow church took my breath away!

The church yard. Some native women are usually set up outside the door selling traditional snacks and drinks.

Another beautiful church seen during our wanderings.

Night arrived, and we went to see the Central Park...

Heidi

The fountain with the palace in the background.

We also had to make sure we saw the arch for which Antigua is famous.

Along the way, we came across "The Cloister."

Unfortunately for Merra, who hates the word! (Which she is expressing here by fake-vomiting.)

After seeing the city and taking in a movie at a restaurant where they serve you your food during the movie, we went back to the hotel for a little bit of Rook!

Score-keeper Merra

And a disappointed Roxie after some mishap.

The next morning the girls went to climb Volcano Pacaya, but I needed to get back to the city before them so I had a lesiurely morning of shopping and breakfast in the park.

I went to the grocery store to buy some fruit, yogurt, and nuts, walked to the Central Park, bought the Prensa Libre, and spent an hour reading the paper and soaking up the peaceful sunshine before going off to do some shopping at the market. I came home with some long-anticipated decorations for my room and the glow of taking time to do something special for myself!