Today was Labor Day for Guatemala so there was no school for the kids. We stayed home and tried to get some cleaning done while Chris went to work for a while. After lunch we took off for Guatemala City to pick up our new van!!
We were so excited that nobody got sick on the drive!! ….until we pulled into the parking garage of the hotel and started to get out and Alysa threw up all over in the rental van!! UGH!! I don’t know what is worse than having to clean up throw up!!
5/2/09
You know that your family sticks out a little bit when the hotel employees remember who we are!! The lady (Wendy) at the breakfast buffet even remembered what foods we liked to eat!! I wonder if she sees any improvement in my Spanish from trip to trip!! (I hope so!!)
We left the hotel in a stinky van to visit the Guatemala City Temple for the first time. I am so impressed with our ability to get around now. We only had to do one u-turn!! I was surprised at the location of the temple. I was expecting it to be up on one of the many hills but it was down in a valley next to a gas station. It was still beautiful though. We walked around the grounds and took some pictures after we visited the distribution center.
We had a little bit of time to kill before the van was supposed to be ready to pick up so we headed to a mall. We met Lily’s sister there to get some stuff to take back for Lily. It sure felt good to be able to help Lily out after all that she has done for our family!!
We were able to pick up the Honda Odyssey van in the afternoon and return our rental. Hopefully the van will be good for us. The dealership is still trying to get a 2nd set of keys from the original owner. I sure hope we don’t lock the key in the car!! It sure feels good to have our “own” vehicle (at least for a couple years) instead of a rental....especially one that smelled of baking throw up!!
The drive home was miserable to say the least. It started out great but as soon as it started to get dark, the rain started, the fog set in, and the road conditions continued to go downhill. Every time we do the drive between Xela and Guatemala City I am amazed that people don’t wreck more often!! By the time we got home everybody was exhausted and tense so we were very excited to go to bed!
5/3/09
I was sustained today as the new ward pianist and choir pianist. AHHHHHH!!! I am sure my mom and dad are ecstatic. I am pretty nervous. Not only am I not comfortable playing in front of people but the hymns are a little different in Spanish so if I don’t pay close attention, I’ll play the wrong version!! I am thankful for the examples that I have had to watch over the years to help me feel a little more at ease. Sis. Eastmond - always humble!! I love the little pieces of advice that I learned from her! I already highlighted the introduction marks for Sunday!! Sis. Swartz – Yes, it is o.k. to make mistakes. I love how she was always able to laugh when she made a mistake and just keep on going!! I just hope that I will be able to follow in your footsteps and and have a positive attitude and just do the best that I can do.
A miracle occurred today….all four kids went to their own primary classes all by themselves!!! Yes, even Alysa!! Chris and I were able to go to Gospel Doctrine. To be honest though, I think I would have learned more in Sunbeams!!
Before church started one of my friends (Vilma) handed me a piece of paper asking me (in choppy English) to read a scripture in Relief Society. I would never think twice about reading a scripture but today it was like I had to give a lesson or something. I had to “study” the scripture to figure out how to pronounce all of the words. I did my best accent and was shocked by all the smiling faces when I finished. I like to think that they were pleased that I was participating but they were probably just laughing at me!!
After church a lady approached me and asked if I could help teach her son English. The Elders had to translate for me of course! Apparently her son is getting ready to graduate from high school and wants to go to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Before he can even apply to BYU, he has to pass a bunch of tests showing that he can read, write, listen to, and speak English well enough. I don’t have a clue how to teach English but I told her I’d try. I think I am going to tell them to ask Lily since that is what she does professionally. I don’t mind helping but I don’t know how much help I will be. The Elders brought him by the house tonight so he could see where we live. He knows a little bit of English but has a ways to go to be ready for college in the state.
Everybody has been craving homemade chocolate chip cookies lately so I thought today would be a great day to make them. I got everything made and went to turn on the oven but it wouldn’t work. It turns out that our gas tank is empty!! Why did it have to happen when I wanted cookies???? Why couldn’t it have happened when I didn’t feel like making dinner and use that as an excuse to go out to eat????
I have been so impressed with how much Spanish the kids have been picking up. Morgan and Cole are doing really well. They’re going to pass me pretty soon!!
Coles Spanish translations: high five = hola (hi) cinco (5)
Hot dogs = caliente (hot) perro (dog).
Alysa said that she is going to school tomorrow without crying. Laina said that she is going to do the same so Chris and I told them that if they do go without any problems that we’ll take everybody out for ice cream for Family Home Evening.
I sure hope that we get to go out for ice cream!!
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