Sorry photos are out of order. I don't know enough about blogger to do it right. Lo siento. I was sidelined this week with a UTI and the side effects of medication so I didn't run this week but I am feeling better and was able to go for a run this morning. I took pictures which you can see in my previous post ("Settling in...") about my new running route. It is beautiful and today was a particularly beautiful day. Everything was brighter and crisper today and I couldn't get over the beauty of God's creation around me. See the pictures for yourself. I did a lot of walking on my run but it felt good to be out and I look forward getting out and running consistently this week and from now on.
After my run we all went out for breakfast and had pancakes at a restaurant right on the beach (see photos). There is nothing quite like having breakfast as a family right on the beach. Even Gus couldn't finish his one pancake! Then we decided to walk around to check out potential neighborhoods for a new rental house. We are looking for something a little less expensive and with a little more room (and probably less of a view). We ended up stopping to see our new friend Jane at her house. Jane has been the most amazing connection we have made in San Juan del Sur. She is a gringa from Colorado who has commuted here for the past 12 years. She owns a hotel here but she is also responsible for starting the local lending library. She works with numerous organizations to bring about positive change here in Nicaragua. I couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of what she does here. She has a huge heart and is incredibly generous with everyone. Just stopping by to say hi to Jane turned into a couple of hours of talking and then heading to lunch with Jane but not before we got to see a local marching band here for a celebration for cleaning the beaches, Bridget got her own library card, and we paid for our laundry (not a direct route to lunch). "Lunch" was at about 3:30. Jane continued to share more about life in SJDS over lunch and ended up offering us tongs, ice cube trays and a popcorn maker; all things missing from our furnished home. We watched an amazing sunset from her patio (again it was a spectacularly beautiful day and sunset did not disappoint) and at around 6 we heading to Eskimo for our "dinner" (ice cream).
We planned to go home and watch a movie (from Jane's personal collection) but on our way home we ran into our neighborhood friends, Yosseline, David and Israel. We stopped to chat and met David and Isreal's mother, Maria as well as their little sister Iliana. It was a great opportunity to practice my Spanish. Joe has been taking Spanish classes for 5 weeks and he understands (and speaks) much better than I do. I believe Joe invited them to our house for dinner on Monday. What do I feed the Nicaraguan neighbors? They are such a nice family and the kids are so great. We feel very blessed that they are friends to our children (and us). They live up the street from us so after chatting on the beach for about half an hour we walked home together. They came up to our house for a drink of water (after walking up 95 stairs, most people need water and a chair).
Then the woman who works at the Lavanderia, came by to drop off our laundry. Joe has worked out pick up and delivery as toting 1 week's worth of laundry for 5 people is hard. Now she picks it up and drops it off in her truck. We give her and her son a drink of water and a seat after coming up our stairs too. We chatted with her while she recovered from our stairs and she asked me how cooking was going. I am sure that Joe told her that I am struggling with cooking in Nicaragua with a small kitchen, limited pots, pans and utensils, and drastically reduced food options. She told us that she could teach me to cook in our kitchen for a day. I showed her our limited resources. She said it could be done. I asked her "Cuanto cuestra?" she replied "Nada." She likes to cook and she would be happy to do it for free. I told her no, but she insisted. It is such a blessing to be here for this extended time because it is only after almost 7 weeks that we are really getting to know people.
Tomorrow Bridget and I will be going to Los Quinchos to help Jane serve. Los Quinchos are 2 houses for abandoned and mistreated children. There is a home for girls and a home for boys. The organization keeps children off the streets. They give them shelter and food. Jane is going tomorrow to get measurements for the kids for Christmas gifts and to bring lunch and snacks. We are both looking forward to meeting some new kids and practicing our limited Spanish. There isn't room in the truck for the whole family (we have to drive on the busy street and Jane only allows people in the back of the truck for slow trips to the local beaches) so Joey and the boys will go with Jane another time to visit and serve.
So it shaped up to be a pretty nice Saturday. We are very blessed. Enjoy the pictures and I hope to post pictures after our trip tomorrow.
P.S. I'm throwing in a picture of a monkey. We learned there is a lady in town with one as a pet. It bites.
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