It wont be long now. . .

We went to ANOTHER doctor appointment today for Leti. They informed us she is 37 weeks now. They told her to rest more. Her feet are huge due to the liquids draining out of her body into the feet.(they say) So as I have no home computer and no photos to upload, this is about as exciting as it gets. But keep reading. SOON we will have baby news for you.
Everyone have a great weekend!!
Words of wisdom;
Two nuns cycling down a cobbled street. The first one says "I've never come
this way before"; the second one replies "Must be the cobbles"

May be a little slower in posting from now on.. .

It is now the rainy season. 2 nights ago we got a real duzzy of a rain storm. Lightning hit the house(or VERY close to it-it was loud) so now my computer monitor is out. I either need to get it fixed or get another one. As no one grounds houses here (even though I did have it on a surge protector) that is what can happen. Chalk one up for American building codes, where the grounded wire would have done it´s job. One nice thing about the rain is it does cool us down at night.

Just about to burst. . ..

As you all know my wife Leti is pregnant. She is at the 8 month mark now and her belly looks like it contains a large watermelon. Her Bellybotton is now a definite "outey" and sticks out to the tune of almost an inch. It is so cute. She however does not think so. When you are pregnant in a tropical climate it is not much fun. Her feet have swelled up like ballons at times. Poor thing. Magical things are happening in there and when you see her belly move as a hand or foot goes up or down it is truly one of God's miracles. Just think in a month, more or less we will have 2 kids under 5 living in our house. YIKES. Does anyone have ear plugs and Valium for sale!!

Back in the grove. . .

Well we are back up and running now. The heat is starting to really rise here quickly. As I write this it is 91.5 degrees which in an of itself is not bad but the humidity is 65% also. Ahh but the skin loves such tropicalness. (the person inside the skin may not though) There were a few changes here while we were gone. The Liverpool they are building by the WalMart is starting to look just about done. My bouganvellia bushes grew what looks like a foot each. My sunflowers grew about a foot and a half and are now well over the top of the Isuzu Rodeo. Flowers are just starting to pop out.
Also I wanted to give my take on Mexican airlines as I compared them to their American counterparts. We flew AeroMexico. They had leather seats on all seats and on all jets/prop planes we went on.(We had a total of 4 flights if you count the connections) The stuartess' were all very friendly and not "by the book" unfriendly like their American counterparts.(Which in part I can see now due to the terrorist situation) For one leg of our trip we could not find the Doctor;s letter for Leti to fly and the stuartess just let us on after a little talking. Not that much fuss. All flights were on time and there was very little time in between flights leaving and taking off at their gates. They had things printed on the seatback in 5 languages for passengers. All Stuartess' spoke fluent Spanish and English. AND, the biggie, we actually ATE a full meal on these flights even though the longest one was only one hour and thirty minutes. I don't know about all Mexican airlines but I do know that my experiences with American company airliners in the past has NOT been good for about 5 years now. They keep getting cheaper(their quality/offerings NOT their prices) and ruder and offer less and less every year. I guess I am an old fashioned consumer but you have to EARN my repeat business.

Visa APPROVED!!!

Well we leave today from Juarez.(The armpit of Mexico - NO it wasn't too bad or too unsafe just HOT and not much to do) We were approved for Leti's visa so now we can travel back and forth.
That is all for today's good news. More soon when we are home again.

Sebatical. . .

We will be on a little vacation this week so the entries may be sparse if any at all depending on when I can find internet cafe's. We are going to Juarez to finalize Leti's immigration papers for the U.S. While we are gone our employees will be running the business. Immigration has become such a hot button lately. Who knows what the outcome will be. Hopefully good so she can go back to the U.S. and visit anytime she wants to. I will keep you all posted.
Today's words of wisdom;
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."

Thoughts of summer

Today's blog is a little airy. Sorry but today I am in a kind of thoughtful, reflective mood.
Summer approaches and I am reminded of sipping iced tea on the back porch with Grandma and Grandpa. With hair as yellow as the sun and tanned skin that rivaled some of my now countrymen. How I miss those days of not a care in the world, playing cars, walks to the store with Grandma/Nanny. Putting together puzzles, and watching the Muppet show with Mom and Dad on Saturday nights with a big box of fried chicken.(In my part of the woods back then they gave us a box that was printed to look like a train car) I know that looking back things always seem rosier than they really were but those were good, rich times. I miss them. Yes summer makes me think of all the good things in life. Watermelon juice running down your chin as you bite into that first sugarfilled piece. The smell of fresh cut grass. The laughter of children running through a sprinkler. Women in small, dainty, white summer dresses. Walks in the evening while the sun is setting and the cool night's breeze is blowing with the faint scent of jasmine in the air. A walk in a neatly tended garden.
Oh one last bit of news. In case you missed it on CNN or one of the news channels. They found another chapter of the Bible. Here is how the story read;
Here is the LOST CHAPTER IN GENESIS....
Adam was walking around the garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so God asked him,
"What is wrong with you?"
Adam said he didn't have anyone to talk to.
God said that He was going to make Adam a companion and that it would be a woman.
He said,
"This person will gather food for you, cook for you, and when you discover clothing she'll wash it for you. She will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it.

Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?"
God replied, "An arm and a leg."
Then Adam asked, "What can I get for a rib?"
The rest is history..

(See what happens when you bargain kiddie's?)

Our newest arrival!!

Ahh gotcha!! No we did not have the baby. My banana tree sprung up a new little tree the other day. Soon we will have a grove. That is how they grow from off-shoots of the roots, like aspen trees. Now our little tree frog has another option on those steamy summer nights when the cats are out and about.
OK sorry short one today. Photo to come of the banana off shoot.

A few odds and ends to wrap up the weekend.

Well this week I found out that the one place I just found that sells italian suasage is up for sale. Appearently in this housing market of fast profits they want their share. I am BUMMED! My traditional Italian Sunday dinners might be in jeapordy, but alas not to worry. The internet holds the cure for all things. I found a few recipes and am goint to try to make it myself. After first finding recipes for 100lbs of pork(arghhhh) I got scared but then I ran across a couple with only 3 lbs and 1 lb so that will work perfect for a family of 4 and soon to be 5. I am becoming a Jack of all trades here. I guess that is what Mexico does to one.
While sorting through laundry this morning an old friend of mine returned to greet me. We have an iguana that is about 2 1/2 feet long(an adolescent I suppose) that sits atop our wall in the back and suns himself. He popped his head up to make sure I was sorting the coloreds correctly and then rested it again in the sun. I named him Rocky. He just looks like one.
And I recently received an email from an old friend and former boss of mine Jim K. which was great to hear from again. Hi if you are reading this Jim.
Saturdays make me long for my Saturdays back in the states where I would watch Mexico One Plate at a Time and later Lydia's Italian Kitchen. MAN I miss PBS!!! Also I miss Coconut Fred, which was a cartoon Oscar and I would watch on Saturday mornings together. (luckily I have a lot of those on my Tivo I brought down.)
OK that is it. One last word of wisdom;
The Pope, Billy Graham, and Oral Roberts were in a plane crash over the Pacific Ocean. They all died and went to heaven together.

"Oh, this is terrible," exclaims St. Peter, "I know you guys think we summoned you here, but this is just one of those coincidences that happen. Since we weren't expecting you, your quarters just aren't ready... We can't take you in and we can't send you back...."

Then he got an idea. He picked up the phone, "Lucifer, this is Pete. Hey, I got these three guys up here. They're ours, but we weren't expecting them, and we gotta fix the place up for 'em. I was hoping you could put them up for a while. It'll only be a couple of days. What d'ya say?"

Reluctantly, the Devil agreed.

However, two days later, St. Peter got a call.

"Pete, Lu. Hey, you gotta come get these three clowns.
This Pope fellow is forgiving everybody,
the Graham guy is saving everybody,
and that Oral Roberts has raised enough money to buy air conditioning."

-Mom I am praying for ya. Love, Mike