The Weekend

After finishing up school on Friday morning we loaded our car and set out for Guatemala City.  Another missionary family had told us about some traffic delays on the route that we normally travel so we decided to go a different way into the Capital.  Our trip took us through Jutiapa where we stopped for lunch at Wendy's.  It is located in a shopping center parking lot that also has a really nice playground area for kids.  After eating we let the boys burn off some energy so that they would nap the rest of the trip.  They did.

playing in Jutiapa

Our first stop after arriving in Guatemala City was for afternoon coffee.  When you are our age and have young kids afternoon coffee becomes a regular part of your day.  It's about surviving. ha

We then drove over to our pediatrician's clinic to get the boys a vaccine.  We love this clinic and the great staff that they have there.  We have used them since our boys were born.

The rest of the day was spent shopping for supplies.  Trips to the Capital can be very tiring because we always travel in with a long list of things to accomplish while there.  We spend most of our time running around from place to place trying to get everything done.  We don't go in often so we try to make the most of our trips when we do.

On Saturday morning we drove over to the Christian Academy of Guatemala to attend the graduation ceremony of two of our IMB missionary kids.  Our mission family is a lot smaller these days so we felt that it was important for us to be there to show our support.

Hannah receiving her diploma

Josiah receiving his diploma

C.A.G. Class of 2016

my boys with Josiah

my boys with Hannah

That evening we finished up our shopping by making a stop at a new store that recently opened- Save a Lot.  Several other missionary families have talked about the products that are sold there and we wanted to check it out.  We liked it and found several things that we have never been able to buy here before.  We always get excited when we find new food items!

new in Guatemala City

My boys LOVED getting to ride in this shopping cart!

Here are just a few of the things that we bought.   Canned green beans (regular and French style), blackeye peas, and lima beans were a few of our favorites.  We also found Honey Buns, Oatmeal Creme Pies, and some delicious donuts.  I'm not sure if we saved a lot but we sure bought a lot. (corny, I know)

Another thing we found there was okra.  We love fried okra so that made us very happy!

We stopped for supper before heading back to our mission house for the night.  The boys begged us to go to a place with a playland.  We chose IHOP.  How much playing do you think they did?  little to none.  They spent most of the time fighting over my lap at the table. 

me and my boys

life with these two is rarely dull

On Sunday morning we attended the early service at Union Church. We were all a little excited about English worship.

Afterwards we loaded our car again and set out for the drive back home.  We stopped for lunch along the way and then arrived mid-afternoon.

the boys playing while waiting on Sunday lunch

Overall it was a pretty fun weekend.  We were glad to be back home but thankful for the few days break we got.  Every now and then you just need a change of scenery and climate. 

"Looking Back" #4- Our Mayan Wedding

One of our favorite and most interesting field trips we took while living in Antigua was to the neighboring town of San Antonio Aguas Calientes. We visited there on January 25, 2007- just shy of our first month in Country. It was on that trip that we first learned much about the Mayan culture. The people group that live in that area are the Kaqchikel. You can see how the women dress in the photo below. (click HERE to see photos of our neices getting dressed up in Kaqchikel clothing)

They taught us many different things on this trip such as how they grind coffee beans,

how they make their fabric,

how they weave their mats,

how they tie up their babies, (some are carried in the front, some on the back)
(I love this next photo- he looks really interested, huh) and how to carry things on your head.

they let volunteers come up after each of these and practice. I was chosen to carry the basket. Our greatest memory from this trip was being picked to be the bride and groom in a mock wedding. They dressed us up in typical clothing and we went through the whole process. This is us during the ceremony-

after the "service" we had to do the traditional Mayan dance. We danced...

and they danced. (and everyone else laughed and took pictures, ha)

And here we are- the Bride & Groom!

It was soo much fun and very interesting! Afterwards they showed us all how to make tortillas and then we ate their typical food- Pepian with tortillas and drank coffee. This day will always be a fun memory of ours in Guatemala!

Getting all dressed up...

There were some indigenous ladies that were selling typical items outside of the hotel lobby. They asked if they could dress-up Robin and the girls in their typical attire. It was fun watching them get dressed and seeing them in the clothing. It was a nice gesture for those ladies to do.