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.

My Birthday 2025

 Like all birthdays in our house, we began the day with decorations and pancakes.

 

David did the decorating.

 

 

me on my birthday morning

 

 

Cruz blowing up my balloons

 

my birthday decorations

 

 

my birthday breakfast- chocolate chip banana pancakes, bacon, orange juice, and coffee

 

 

 

me and my boys

 

 

We always make homemade cards on our birthdays.

 

 

this made me smile

 

They gave me a new watch that will count my steps. I walk almost every day. 

 

For lunch I met a group of friends at Santo Gyro, which is one of my current favorite eating places in town.  The chicken gyro is what I always order.  It is delicious!!

 

 

They surprised me with dessert and singing.  The dessert had a small firework on the top that I loved!!

 

listening to everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to me

 

That afternoon I went on a long walk around town, and then, before returning home, I stopped for an iced latte at one of my favorite cafes.

 

That evening David and the boys took me out to eat at Hector's Bistro.  It is a family favorite.

 

 

A friend insisted that we try the bacon wrapped dates.  Oh my, they were delicious!

 

I ended the night with my favorite dessert- creme brulee. 

I'd say it was a fabulous day from start to finish! 

Life Lately August 2024

 

  We began the month celebrating David's birthday.   He turned fifty-one on August 2.

 

 

On Monday, August 5, we started back to school.

 

 

The boy's youth group also kicked off the new year with a fun "groovy" themed celebration. Wednesday night youth group is a highlight of their week!

 

 

We made an overnight trip to Quetzaltenango to secure housing for the English family.  While there we had a pizza and movie night with the Robertson family.

 

They watched Rio 2.

 

 

Cruz and Luke

 

Ben started back attending Encounter Academy for extra-curricular classes.  This year he is only attending one afternoon a week and will have health, P.E., and art classes.  They had their first field trip recently.  They spent the day at Finca Florencia, which is a park about fifteen minutes up the mountain from Antigua. 

 

 

We spent an afternoon visiting with a prayer supporter of ours.  Mrs. Debra taught preschool at her church in Florida and learned about our family several years ago through their Lifeway curriculum.  She has been receiving our newsletters ever since.  She was in town on a mission trip and wanted to finally meet us in person.  We love encounters like that!  It was great to spend a little time with her and get to know her better.

 

On another occasion, we met a missions pastor and his wife for supper.  They serve at a church in Kentucky and were in Antigua on vacation.  It is the home church of one of our IMB colleagues who serves in Mexico.   He put us in touch and that allowed us the opportunity to discuss a possible partnership with them in the future.  They are specifically interested in mobilizing their students to be on mission.  We had a great starter conversation and will follow up with them soon.

 

Here are the boys one Sunday after church waiting to eat lunch at a local restaurant. They are growing and changing so fast these days!

 

 

David has been patiently teaching Cruz how to drive the motorcycle.   Currently, he is only making loops up and down our street.

 

He also started rehearsals for Little Women.  There will be weekly rehearsals from now until the play in mid-October. 

 

At the end of the month, Cruz joined a local youth group here in town for a scavenger hunt at Telares Mall.  They were divided into teams and had to take photos with the items they found. His team didn't win, but he had a lot of fun! 

 

youth group scavenger hunt

 

 

Cruz at Telares Mall in Antigua

 

It is rainy season, but August has been more dry than rainy.   We took advantage of a beautiful clear mid-week evening and ate outside.  We built a fire and cooked hotdogs and marshmallows.   Sitting out by the fire is one of my favorite things to do.

 

 

We were thankful for two date nights this month.  Here we are enjoying pasta at our favorite Italian restaurant in town.

 

 

I began the task of restocking our freezer with baked goods.  I began by making several loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread and chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

 

 

Later I made a few loaves of chocolate chip banana bread. 

 

I made several batches of sausage balls.

 

Lastly, I made several pans of cinnamon rolls.  I think we should be well stocked for a little while.  It would be a great time to stop by for coffee.

 

David has been busy this month finalizing plans, paperwork, and preparations for our upcoming medical team.  They will arrive on Saturday, August 31.  Be praying for us this upcoming week as we host this team. 

 

It's time to drag out the fall decorations!!!