A day to rest

Hello family and friends...

All is well in our home. The weather has gotten cold again, but the woodstove makes the house cosy-warm all the time. We have saved a ton of money this year by using it.

Greg is still in Mexico. He left January 3rd and will return January 18th. He visited the Hawkins in Tucson for a couple of days, then rode the bus with Petra to Los Mochis. He's also been able to visit 21de marzo, the village where our house is, a couple of times. He's been visiting, but mostly working there, fixing things and getting things in order and line up things that need to be done there.

Work has been going well, even though Greg has been gone. He has a friend cleaning at the mill in Pilot Rock, so I don't have to do it. The girls have really helped and we have enjoyed working together without stress.

So, today we had the whole day off. We went to church this morning together, then came home and have been just resting. I joined a writing class and did my first lesson, a character sketch on a fictional person. It took me a lot of research, and work to get the class set up, but I finally got it done.

Matt Maher - Alive Again (Lyrics)

New Life Worship | Great I Am

Howdy from Texas

Greg and I are enjoying our time here in Texas. It's been so good to spend time with our son David son and his family. It's the first time in several years that Greg and I have gone on a trip together because of our cleaning business. This year our eldest daughter & 2 younger daughters are managing the business till we return.

It ‘s hot here, but not nearly as hot and humid as it is in Sonora in the summer. If you’ve ever spent a summer in Sonora you’ll know what I’m talking about. We’ve gone swimming twice at the community pool. It’s free and really cooled us off. I forgot how long it takes to go anywhere with a 2 year old and baby. It's an event, but even baby Sophia enjoyed the water. A little girl named Rebecca made friends with us, swimming under the water through our legs like a fish. 

David is an amazing cook at the grill. We have enjoyed 2 BBQ's with Zyanya's parents so far. Zyanya’s cooking is really good and I’ve gotten some ideas for when I go home.

 Sophia was getting fussy while I was watching her, but the kiddy pool cooler her off (and me too J ) 

All is well on the home front in Oregon. We'll have birthdays’ to celebrate when we return. They celebrated on the day(s), but we’ll celebrate again.

                                        Abuela Mariana with baby Sophia and Nathaniel    

(Don't) Let 'r Buck!

I Just got back from riding my horse, Lady. I have been working with her a little each day, but not riding much.

First, I rode around the corral a little, then decided to ride her in the big pasture where "Annie" her horsie friend was. The first time around went OK. The second time around Annie decided she wanted to race. Annie is between 25 - 35 years old, so I didn't think she would get going very fast, so I let my horse go faster. As she started in a gallop, she decided a little bucking would be fun (for her). I did have on a bike helmet, but only a riding pad.  I got my balance and squeezed my legs as tight as I could around her fat horse belly. They started to get shaky right away, but I thought, "I cannot fall off". So I hung on and slowed Lady down.

Whew.... she walked the rest of the way back to the corral. I told her she was still a good horse, but she needs to quit that bucking or I could get hurt!

Switchfoot - This is Your Life

What's been happening in my life?

Writing has been put on the back burner lately. I keep hoping I will have more time, but it's really a matter of priority. I only have a few minutes to write now. Today is Saturday and Greg and I are doing all the cleaning jobs by ourselves. We took a lunch break and will go back and finish most of the jobs by tonight.

Last week the girls and I traveled to the coast for one of my nieces wedding. It was really beautiful and I'm so glad we were able to go. I did go for a walk on the beach with my sister Caroline and neice Amber & her girl. It was relaxing and refreshing. This was one of the best family times together, even though it was short and not all the relatives were there.

We also enjoyed time with Titus, Ruth, Demetrius and Gabriel. I was so tired on Sunday I took a very long nap and missed out on time with Judah and Noel :( and other time with the girls, T & R.

The girls are visiting our dear friends in Bandon. They are having a wonderful time and I am missing them very much. I also miss the 3 in Alaska. I miss everyone, but that's life.

We are having a pretty good day working, not getting too excited about it. We stopped by and separated the horses and I washed my horse down. Of course she would roll in the dirt afterwards, but at least it cooled her down! After that we came home, I took a shower and made lunch.