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! 

Life Lately January 2026

The new year is off to a great start!  This month was all about returning to life in Guatemala. Here is a look at our life during the month of January.  

 

After just having returned from the States, we rang in the new year at our home in Antigua. 

 

 

We spent that first week unpacking and getting our house back in order.  It was also bowl game season which meant I was quite distracted by watching football while trying to get everything else done.  Before all the luggage was even unpacked, I had decorated our table in a football theme.  I love table decorations!! 

 

 

We spent a lot of time out shopping for food and supplies.  We had been away from our home for 6.5 months and it was empty of both.  We had to completely restock the kitchen which meant trips to several different grocery stores to find everything and also a drive into Guatemala City to our PriceSmart warehouse store.  It takes time to get it all done! Here we are in February and are still looking for certain items.

 

Cruz's bedroom needed to be repainted so we did that the first week we were back.  

 

 

We had promised Ben a trip to the local climbing gym so we squeezed that in the first week also. 

 

That Sunday after church we met these sweet friends for lunch in town.  Brandon served here as a missionary for a few years.  They were back in Guatemala for a visit, and we were happy they took time to see us.  

  

 

We started the second semester of our school year on Monday, January 5.  

 

 

 

 

The following Wednesday night the boys returned to youth group.  They love their youth group here! 

 

 

With the boys being at youth group every Wednesday night, that gives us a weekly date night.  On that first Wednesday night we enjoyed supper at Panda Express.  We love their orange chicken and spring rolls!  

 

 

That weekend we made an overnight trip to Quetzaltenango to visit our teammates.

 

 

We most always stop at the Cafe Barista on the way for a bathroom break and drink. Our choices that day were black coffee, cold brew coffee, an iced latte, and a mango smoothie.

 

 

Our family in Xela with the Santa Maria volcano in the distance. 

 

I chuckled at the size of this McDonald's billboard.  It is huge!! 

 

 

The following Monday morning we were up bright and early for a visit to the U.S. Embassy to renew Ben's U.S. passport. 

 

 

David spent time that week reconnecting with pastors and ministry partners. 

 

 

I started back my walking routine.  I walk several days during the week with my friend Betsy.  On the weekends and days she can't go, I will walk in town.  I love daily walks.  

 

 

a beautiful view of Agua volcano from our house 

 

a sunset view of Agua 

 

 

I found this pasta drying rack right after we returned and was eager to get back to making homemade pasta.  

 

Here's a dough for cinnamon rolls I made.  I make several pans and freeze them. 

 

I baked some chocolate chip banana bread to have in the freezer. 

 

I made a lemon pie.  It is a family favorite. 

 

I also made a few batches of sausage balls to have in the freezer for future breakfast meals.

 

 

So far, Ben has had two sleepovers with his friend Joshua.  On one of those they went to the climbing gym.  Both of those boys love climbing!

 

He also spent an afternoon at the local arcade with his friend Josue.

 

I have no photos, but Cruz and his friends have gone out for lunch, coffee, and had weekly meet ups at the local gym. 

 

 

David preached at a First Fruits service on a Sunday night.   

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After the service they served tamales and sent us home with several.  We had them for lunch the next day. 

 

Guatemalan tamale 

 

 

On a recent Sunday morning, Ben was at Joshua's house, David left right after church for a dentist appointment, and Cruz and I were left to have lunch together.  I love these one on one moments! 

 

 

The month ended with David and Cruz taking part in a father/ son hike on the Santa Maria volcano near Quetzaltenango. There were five dads and nine high school boys on the hike. If you'd like to read about it, click on this link- Hiking the Santa Maria Volcano.

 

 

With them being gone, that left me and Ben to have a weekend to ourselves.  On Saturday we joined friends for pickle ball and swimming.  It was a fun day in the sun.

 

We went to church on Sunday morning and then had lunch at Luna de Miel afterwards. Ben loves their crepes.  I loved spending time with just him.  

 

 

Lastly, this semester as an art elective, Cruz is doing a cooking class.  He has learned some new skills already. For his first lesson he had to read through a specific Betty Crocker cookbook and pick out which recipes he planned to prepare based on several categories. Here he is picking out his recipes.

 

 

The first week was appetizers.  He made Cheesy Potato Skins.  

 

We had them at lunch and he liked them so much he made them again the following day. 

 

 

The next week he learned about breads.  For that he chose to bake a Sour Cream Coffee Cake. 

 

It turned out pretty and delicious!

 

 

I now have our house looking lovely for the Valentine's season.  Seasonal decorating is something else I enjoy doing. 

 

Lastly, we are thankful for a very smooth transition back to life in Guatemala after being away for a while. Life seems normal and routine.  That is a blessing!  The boys are thriving in school and life, which is an answer to prayer.  We are thankful for the friendships they have both in the U.S. and also here.  Those friends help make them feel at home in both places.  

 

 

We are looking forward to this new month and all the things it will bring with it.