My Birthday February 2026

 On February 25 I celebrated my birthday. Here's a look at how I spent the day. 

 

the kitchen decorations 

 

 

 

 

This blue plate is very special to me.  We use it for all special occasions. 

 

 

We had chocolate chip banana pancakes for breakfast. 

 

 

 

We spent the morning doing school.  Then, we went out for lunch at Hector's Bistro.  I did not plan to eat out for lunch because I had plans to eat out that evening.  The boys insisted on taking me there because they would not be with us that evening. We all love Hectors!

 

We returned home from lunch and had cake. It was strawberry with vanilla icing.

 

 

Happy Birthday to me! 

 

 

me and my boys 

 

I then opened gifts.  While in the States last fall, I developed an obsession with plain M&M's. I was happy to get some for my birthday.

 

 

I also got a larger stock pot for boiling homemade pasta noodles. 

 

Next, I headed out to have afternoon coffee with my friend Betsy. 

 

I loved my cup- Always coffee time! I do agree. 

 

 

We carpool to youth group on Wednesday nights.  It was our week to drive, and I was happy about that.  It meant we could drop the kids off and then head into the city to eat at TGI Friday's.  Since we arrived in Guatemala back in 2006, Friday's has always been my favorite place.  It holds so many memories of visits over the years,  and I was overjoyed to get to eat there for my birthday this year. 

 

David and I on a birthday date at TGI Friday's in Guatemala City. 

 

 

I most always order the chicken finger BLT sandwich with onion rings.  You can order from the lunch menu at night so that includes your drink, coffee, and ice cream.  It's a great deal! 

 

Their cookie ice cream is the best!

 

It was a great birthday, and I am looking forward to all that lies ahead in this new year. I'm praying that it's a good one.

Valentine's Day 2026

 We had a fun Valentine's Day celebration this year. 

 

As always, I decorated our table and had gifts set out for my guys that morning. 

 

My gifts were roses,  a new table runner for spring/ Easter, and a coffee cup.  Both of those came from San Martin.

 

David got a tea blend from Pachamama and some honey from Doña Luisa.

 

 

We had heart shaped chocolate chip banana pancakes and bacon for breakfast. 

 

Later that morning, I headed out for a walk in town.  From this corner you can see all three volcanoes in our area- Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. 

 

 

 

I made a strawberry cake for our Valentine's dessert. 

 

 

David and I went out to eat that night at Pappy's BBQ. It was our first visit since being back in Guatemala.

 

We then spent some time walking around town and enjoying the sights.

 

Overall, it was a simple but lovely day! 

Flowers in Our Yard

I mentioned before that we live in the "Land of Eternal Spring".  That means flowers bloom here all year round.  I recently shared on Facebook some of the flowers that we currently have blooming in our yard.  I thought I'd share them here as well.  I love to look out and see the pops of color.  That makes me smile! 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, I truly love azaleas!  They remind me of home.  I have two big pots on my patio.  These make me smile the most. 

Snapshots of our Beautiful Town

I love walking!  It is one thing I was looking forward to getting back to doing when we returned to Guatemala.  We live in the "Land of Eternal Spring" so our weather for outdoor walking and activities is perfect.  Several days a week I walk with a friend.  On the other days I walk by myself in town.  It's fun having a walking buddy, but I also enjoy walking alone listening to praise music.  

Our town is beautiful!  The views never get old to me.  Many times I stop along the way to take photos.  Here are some random photos of our town that I took on recent walks.

 

My walking buddy, Betsy, ordered us these matching hats.  She knows I love purple. 

 

I especially love the gates and doors in our town.  Many are colorful and unique. This blue gate with the pop of color from the flowers always makes me smile. Another great thing about where we live is that flowers bloom here all year round.

 

Many people have flowers in their windows. 

 

We have beautiful ruins all over town. 

 

street view 

 

I love this purple!  I have some of it at my house.  I think it looks like grapes when it's blooming.

 

As I was crossing a street, I looked up and noticed that you could see the cross from where I was. The cross is a famous overlook in our town.  The views from up above are fabulous. 

 

 

On the path that I walk with Betsy, we pass by a coffee farm.  Lately, the beans have been bright red and ready for picking.   It's harvest season for the coffee growers.  

 

 

 

 

The purple Jacarandas are in bloom all over town. They are my absolute favorite!

 

Bougainvillea

 

Our town is colorful as you can see from these buildings. 

 

Inside view of one of the ruins. 

 

a local fruit market 

 

 

The entrance to a hotel.  How unique to use chairs for decorations. 

 

This made me chuckle. 

 

Another hotel entrance.  

Most everything here is open air.  I love that about where we live! 

 

That yellow building was once our language school. We spent six months there back in 2007 studying Spanish. Every day at break we’d sit in that park and eat our snack. We rarely talked because our brains were too tired . It’s now a hostel, but I will always smile and reminisce when I pass by it. 

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse of our town.