We recently hosted friends from our home State of Mississippi. I will share about their overall visit in a separate post. One of the things we did while they were here was attend the Antigua Flower Festival in our town. It was the sixth annual event and it seems to grow every year. It falls on the third weekend of November every year and was a great time to have them in town. Everything is beautifully decorated with flowers and is a spectacular sight to see.
It is a popular event so parking in town can be a challenge. We opted to take the bus in, which turned out to be a fun experience for our friends.
Cruz and Sara Madalin on the bus. It was a short ride but definitely saved us some walking.
Our crew ready to explore the town.
It was a beautiful clear sunny day. It was also very warm! You can see Agua volcano in the distance.
me and my long time friend Malinda
We made a stop by Wendy's for Frosty-ccino iced coffees. It was a nice cold treat on a hot sunny day.
This was my favorite display of all! It was gigantic and gorgeous!
Live music was playing all over town. The atmosphere was quite festive. Here was a marimba band entertaining the crowds.
Our family at the Central Park fountain.
You could smell the flowers as you walked through.
We had lunch at McDonald's. It is always beautiful there but was especially pretty all dressed up in flowers.
We ended the day at the artisan's market letting our friends do some shopping. It was decorated also.
Malinda and I bought hats. You cannot tell from the picture but they have embroidered flowers all around the rims. They were a perfect souvenir from our day.
When we were all done we took tuk tuks back to our house. That was another fun experience for them.
We returned home hot, tired, a little sunburned, and eager for showers. I cooked supper and we spent the evening watching the Ole Miss football game. It had been a lovely fun-filled day.
I realize that it's almost December but here is a look at some random photos I took during the month of October.
Exploring our town one evening. That beautiful arch is one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Guatemala.
Every Friday night our Central Park has an artisan's market and oftentimes live music. This particular Friday night we were entertained by marimba.
We tried a new rolled ice cream place that had recently opened in town.
We had banana ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce.
Below are some videos of it being made.
Cruz bought himself a new chain with his allowance. He is growing up so fast!
We hosted a volunteer team from FBC Mt. Pleasant, SC. David took them to the Chiquimula area. Here they are making a house visit in San Juan Ermita.
The boys and I enjoyed visiting with them in Guatemala City on the end of their trip.
My sweet friend Jennifer!
Supper with the team at TGI Friday's in Guatemala City.
Our October team
The boys and I eating Sunday lunch at Taco Bell while David was away with the team.
A donut tradition sounds fun, right? We usually pick up a few while he is away.
When it's cool, we enjoy evenings by the fire.
and roasting marshmallows
We even cook them on our stove when we don't have a fire built.
Hot chocolate on a cool evening
We love honey! We usually buy ours at Dona Luisa bakery.
Cruz and I love to get Frosty-ccinos at Wendy's. He likes the chocolate and I prefer the vanilla.
Any other Panda Express Orange Chicken fans? It is one of our family's favorite meals.
We met the Waldraffs in San Cristobal and enjoyed watching a live performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Here is Ben with his Sunday School class at the Baptist church in Parramos sharing with the congregation what they had learned that day.
more donuts
We celebrated 16 years of service with the IMB.
David and I are continuing our Friday afternoon coffee dates while the boys are at Awana class. It is a highlight of our week.
David and the boys one Sunday morning before church.
my big boy
We watched a lot of football in October! It is how we relax on Saturdays. In this photo you can see the moon and stars from where we were sitting on the couch. It was a pretty view.
Ben is continuing to enjoy his weekly tennis lessons.
I took this photo on my way to buy groceries. I was stopped in traffic and just happened to look in the mirror and caught a beautiful view of Agua volcano.
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