Visit from Bryan's Parents

Bryan's parents just left. We had a nice visit. They were here for a week. It was actually really good timing because I am going to be starting a part time job at the embassy soon. This is us at the circus which was actually really good. Kind of like what I would imagine cirque d soleil would be like only maybe not quit as fancy.

Catherine's baby shower

We had a little baby celebration for my friend Catherine at this great, girly restaurant called La Creperia. The food is amazing and the view is nice. Catherine and I, since we are both pregnant, saw it fitting to share a milkshake which was not up to par by my standards...far to milky and not enough ice cream. Anyway, I'll get a proper shake when I go home to Texas tomorrow!

Election Night 2008

The embassy put a big election night celebration on at the Marriott. They did a mock election for all of the Honduras guests. Bryan stayed until the end because he was working, but I headed home around 10pm and watched the rest from the comfort of my own bed.

Marine Ball

Our first Marine Ball was a lot of fun! It was much like prom, we even had professional pictures taken just like prom. We stayed until midnight dancing which was quite difficult for me as I normally go to bed at like 9:00pm. It was a good time!

Circus

We took Christian to the circus which he really liked. He sat still on dad's lap most of the time except between acts when the lights went dark and the disco ball started to spin, he hugged daddy because he was scared. We were so close to the action. You could never sit that close in the states, but it was like a small town circus in a tent. They had everything...acrobats, all the animals, clowns, contortionists. It was great! As you can see, Christian would not hold still for a family pic.

Halloween party

There was a big Halloween party at the embassy and Christian went as a pirate and amazingly kept the hat on for a little while. They had the kids trick or treat up and down the halls and then there was a little kids haunted house which wasn't scary but cute. Bryan, however, spent the evening in the big kids haunted house where he made a lovely grim reaper who ushered everyone in. He isn't a big halloween person so I was suprised at what a good job he did. They had some theme rooms like the alien spaceship room that Christian is in.

Mutually Beneficial Relationship

Dixie and Christian have worked out a good relationship. He feeds her from the highchair and she serves as a chair and jungle gym. She is very good about it, but we have to watch him close because he can get a little wild with her.

Taco man

This is a picture of the famous "taco man". We were at a embassy party this weekend and everyone invites the taco man to feed the crowd. He is very popular, but due to being pregnant, the smell made me want to vomit. Even the picture looks awful to me right now, but I hear its good.

Christian in his playroom

We set up a playroom for Christian upstairs and he loves it. Every night before bed he spends an hour clowning around. He is really into drawing now. I think he got it from school and he really likes to try on mom and dad's shoes too. The picture on top is his school shirt. Its like a little uniform. He is getting to be so much fun!

Christian "helping" daddy

Bryan put the grill together yesterday and of course, Christian had to help. The instructions read "with the help of a friend turn the grill frame over being careful not to put too much strain on the legs". Christian is very mindfull of that as he sits on the frame directly. Watching him imitate Bryan was very cute though.

Friends

This is a pic of me and a couple of my good friends Kim is the blonde and Liza is the brunette. We are at a Marine Happy Hour. Kim is from Texas also and she has three boys. Liza's husband is in Iraq and she has three kids also.

Socialite debut

There it is, ladies and gents...my socialite debut. Bryan didn't make it this time, but I'm sure there will be other opportunities. The key is to hang out with important ppl. They guy with the blue tie in my picture was the main attraction and the rest of us rode his coattails.

Ambassador's party

We just got back from a party at the ambassador's. There was lots of press and lots of important Hondurans. The two guys that are running for president here and congresspeople and stuff. Mind you, most of the Americans, especially the wives, had no idea who these ppl were, even the presidential hopefuls, but by being in close proximity to them I think we might make it into the newspaper. Exciting! I'll take a photo of it and post it if we do.

Walking

About 5 women including me try to make it out to the walking track "Villa Olympica" 3 times a week or so. It is one of the few places in town where you can run or walk, in my case, outdoors safely. We think it might be there training facility for their olympians too, but aren't sure about that. Yikes, I was by far the whitest person there. We always get "gringa" comments.

Haircut

I took Christian to get a haircut at a Peluqueria Infantil (kids barber shop) a couple days ago. They actually have one here with fun cars and everything. My incredibly wonderful description in spanish of "short on the sides and use the scissors on top" actually produced a cute haircut and it cost me a whopping $3.50. He was a champ!

Sunset

I was walking around the house the other day and this sunset caught my attention out the window so I went to the balcony off my bedroom and took a picture. Its the only one without bars.

Lenca

My friends Liza and Kim and I took a little trip to Valle de Angeles this weekend to buy Lenca angels. Love them! We all got some. Lenca is a very Honduran thing and I will spare none of my husbands money to make sure I leave here with an adequate supply. Just kidding. It wasn't too expensive. About $45 for both angels, but in the states they would be very expensive. Who wants some??

The house

I finally got the first floor unpacked and decorated. I took a few pics. We are going to hold off on the second floor because it still needs work.

Grocery store

Some of you requested pics of the grocery store so when I went to the grocery with my friend Kim, I pulled out the camera and conned her into taking one with me and a cow tongue...yummy. Local delicacy. Other than some of the unsavory items on the shelves and the lack of normal items like bacon and sour cream, it pretty much looks like a regular grocery store in the states.

Spouse's Coffee

I've actually been kind of busy this week, which is really nice. I went to a spouse's coffee on the 18th, which is above. There are lots of nice women and I've already made quite a few friends. Thats me in front looking ridiculous. I have no idea how I got stuck in front alone.

My sister requested a pic of the outside of my house and my street. Its not very impressive. The street is awful because there is a ton of construction and enough potholes to damage a small vehicle.

We live really close to the American School and we walk around there a lot and let Christian play at the park. It is one of the few places in the city where you can roam free safely and there is a nice view from the school.

Christian having fun

Christian seems to be adjusting to the change well. He is always happy when he is allowed to play in the car and with the buttons! We took him to Wendy's to play in the indoor park today also and he was pooped afterwards.

Stuff arrives

Our first load of stuff arrives!! Yay! This is a picture of our nanny/maid doing lots more work than me. She can uppack 3 boxes in the time that it takes me to do a half of one. Problem is, I find a picture and then I walk around the house saying to myself "I wonder where this will look good?" Its very counterproductive.

Touring the hospitals in Teguc

Today I toured the two main hospitals in Tegucigalpa. Yikes!! The first one is in a bad part of town and looks like its straight out of a World Vision commercial on the outside. Its called Viera Hospital. However, it turns out it has better equipment and is better staffed with doctors educated outside of of Honduras than the other hospital. The doctor that gave us a tour spoke good english and I was actually, considering my expectations, rather impressed with the facilities afterwards. The second one looks like a Western Hospital. Its really nice and its called Honduras Medical Center, but its really only good for outpatient procedures b/c there don't have adequate staff or equipment for real emergencies. Who would have guessed? Anyway, I think if I have a real emergency here, I might not die afterall.