Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

Last week, we had school at Rico's Cafe in Zona Dorado (The Golden Zone), here in Mazatlan.  The local kids here didn't have school on Monday and Tuesday because of Carnival, so Tuesday while we were having school, these sweet kids came in and tried to sell us bracelets. We told them "no gracias" (no thanks), but they seemed really interested in what we were doing. I asked where their parents were and they said they were on the beach selling, so I invited them to sit down and join us. From left to right, Jocelin, Judith and Luis. I think Judith was 8 or 9 and the other two were 11 years old. The perfect age for me to practice my Spanish with! lol They stayed for Math, Reading, and were obviously the perfect addition to our Spanish lesson for the day. After we finished school, we ordered a huge plate of French Toast and we all ate together.  When it was time to go, they asked us if we could be friends, and Luis drew us this

Well, it's hard to believe we are already half way through with this 6 month adventure in Mazatlan. It's been amazing to see God's hand in so many areas of our lives here. It really is exactly what our family needed. Let's take a look at our original goals and see how we are doing: #1- eliminating sugar from our diet. FAIL! I say as I sit in a coffee shop sipping a delicious white caramel mocha. I knew the sugar thing was going to be a huge bust as soon as Christmas Posada parties started happening and there were pinatas everywhere we went! In addition, our lovely Spanish neighbor who has kind of adopted us, loves to give the kids candy and treats, or take us to the bakery right when the pastries are warm out of the oven... and well, it just seems rude not to accept. So, my compromise has been to stick firmly with goal #2, eating mainly fresh, unprocessed foods. We still to try to buy as much as possible from the local fruit stand and mea