Mother's Day Weekend 2025

Mother's Day in Guatemala is May 10.  This year it fell on a Saturday so that meant I got a whole weekend to celebrate.  Here is a look at my weekend.

On Saturday morning we drove up the mountain to a beautiful outdoor place called Altamira Oriole.  It was our first time to visit there, and we loved it.  Last year for Mother's Day we visited a place next door called Antigua Boreal and rode their giant slide.  That was fun also! There are about five different places to visit all on top of the same mountain.  I am already thinking about which place I might want to go to next year.

 

a scenic photo as we arrived

 

Altamira entrance

 

There were so many cool photo props there!!  For someone like me who loves to take pictures, it was a perfect Mother's Day choice!

 

 

 

We always enjoy these mountaintop places because we like looking down and picking out landmarks of our town and surrounding areas.

 

 

They have a Mario Cart dirt track that Cruz and I rode.  It is all downhill, super fast, and a lot of fun! 

 

a video of me driving the trail

 

 

We enjoyed a delicious lunch with amazing views.

 

Before leaving I took a ride on the cable bicycle.  I have seen this advertised for a few years now and was very excited to finally get to ride it.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!

 

 

 

a video of me on the cable bike

 

Later that afternoon I took the boys to the Tacana Climbing Gym.

 

After a few hours of climbing we returned home to grill hot dogs and call it a day.

 

 

my Mother's Day cupcakes from San Martin

I get these every year and I always love the different designs they come up with.  Not only are they always pretty, but they are so sweet and delicious!

 

Mother's Day balloon

 

No pancakes for breakfast this year.  Instead I made sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits.  It is our Sunday staple breakfast meal so I just kept it consistent.  

 

 

me and the boys at breakfast on Mother's Day Sunday

 

I am so thankful God chose me to be their mom!

 

We attended church and then had lunch at Castor's Pizza. 

 

 Pizza is one of my favorite foods. 

 

That afternoon I took a much needed nap and then a long afternoon walk around town.  David grilled steak for supper, and I made a baked potato casserole to go with it.  It was delicious and a wonderful ending to my celebration.  

New Year's Day 2025

In spite of a late night on New Year's Eve, we were up early on New Year's Day ready for a fun outing. We traveled out from Bogota to Zipaquirá to visit a salt mine. 

 

outside the salt mine

 

 

The technical term is Catedral de Sal which translates to Salt Cathedral.

 

Entering the salt mine.  Overhead were lights that changed to show flags from many Latin American countries.  

 

 The mine is carved from 250,000 tons of salt and goes 190m underground.

 

a map of the mine

Cruz got a piece of salt for a souvenir.

 

We stopped for ice cream inside the mine and also did some shopping at the gift shops.

 

We enjoyed a Christmas themed light show.

 

a reflection pool 

 

some of the video I took while inside the mine

 

 

a family photo on New Year's Day outside the salt mine in Colombia

 

We stopped for lunch in town.  We enjoyed a delicious variety of meats.

 

Ben at the restaurant.

 

  

Next, as we made the drive back into Bogota, we stopped along the way for an afternoon hike to a lookout.  It was perfect weather to be outdoors, and I think everyone loved the fresh air and sunshine.

 

We saw many beautiful views along the way.

 

We also saw many beautiful flowers in bloom.

 

After walking for 1.5 hours, we arrived to our lookout destination only to find the gate locked.  We didn't waste the time though.  Instead, we spent some time singing praise songs and praying.  It was sweet!  At some point the owners noticed us there and came to open the gate and let us in. 

 

a few of us at the end of the hike

 

the ladies

 

 

almost to the lookout

 

 

Cruz and Evan playing around on the property

 

 

our group at the mirador (lookout)

 

 

views from the top

 

 

 

They opened their restaurant and served us coffee and hot lemon tea.  This was the sunset view as we drank and chatted.

 

another sunset view 

 

We made it down the mountain and back into Bogota that evening.  We were all tired but full of fun memories from a fabulous day together. 

We had two more days of meetings ahead before we flew back to Guatemala.  Overall, the week was fantastic.  We love the people we serve with on our indigenous leadership team! We look forward to a wonderful year ahead of leading and serving together.