surprise.

I have had spring fever. So very bad. I have grown so very tired of the daily, monotonous routine. I have been truly sick of J saying, "I have to study." Day in. Day out. I have been a complete beast of a wife and mom. It's true. I continued on thinking I would eventually snap out of it. Maybe I was just being nasty in the mornings and I'd feel better after I worked out? Maybe I was just having a bad day and tomorrow will be better? Nope. Just a beast. For a few weeks. The semester has just started to drag. I found myself desperately longing for the my hot summer in Arizona. Two months was feeling like two years.

One morning I was sitting at my computer and I received a new email. This email came from one of my best friend's husband. In this email he asked what I was going to be doing for the weekend... since it was going to be my best friend's birthday and all. He then proceeded to ask if he flew me up and surprised her, would J be willing to watch the kiddos. As I read, and reread the words, I completely freaked. I immediately got out of my chair and was jumping up and down and screaming. "WAS THIS FOR REAL?!?!?!?" I was going home and I was going to be there for 6 days. And J was completely supportive...he probably was thrilled even that his beasty wife was going to be gone for a few days. So the arrangements were made and I was going to return to Arizona, and the best part was...nobody knew!!!!! I didn't sleep for two nights.

I flew into Sky Harbor and the feeling of pure excitement totally came over me. Who knew I'd be so thrilled to see cactus, desert, and flat roads? When B picked me up from the airport and we drove to their house, I was overcome with so much happiness, it was obnoxious. Driving by ASU, seeing In and Out Burger, I mean, all of it was making me happy. I know B could understand my state of mind, as he served a mission in the Dominican Republic, so while I may have been ultra crazy with my happiness and excitement, he was probably remembering similar feelings himself.

The best part...the surprise. B goes inside to tell my dearest friend, Jenesey, her birthday present came a little early and it was in the garage. So she comes down and I couldn't help myself...I screamed when I saw her. And, of course, instant tears. And when I saw her kids, I had to squeeze them. It was the best. And I think I kept hugging Jenesey. The other wonderful part is that she just had a baby a week ago so I was able to see him. I was loving the feeling of her house, the smells (her house always smells so good, even her garage smells good!). I wanted to kill her for looking so amazing, being that she gave birth to a baby less than a week prior!
Then, my other best friend lives right next door! So of course we had to go surprise her as well. Again, instant tears. Her reaction was priceless. You know, I knew I missed my girls...but I didn't realize how much until I saw them. You spend time cultivating relationships and I had this small fear that my absence would make things different. Not at all.
Then... my sister, who lives down the street was next. I almost didn't bring Lola, but I knew my sister would kill me if I didn't so she came and surprised her too. We got to stay at her house and it was perfect that way. I got to spend time with my sweetest, fattest, most delicious nephew, Jack. And I completely enjoy my nieces. I love the ages they are in right now. So helpful. So sweet.
Then I surprised another beautiful friend of mine, who's reaction was sord of delayed. I think it took a whole minute for her to recognize that I was actually standing in front of her at her door. She and her husband are truly some of my favorite people in the whole world and to spend time with them both is something that really makes me happy.
I also got to see my mom and mother in law, and even though I have seen them more recently, it was still wonderful to see them again...in Arizona.

So here's what I realized during my time in Arizona:

• I love Trader Joe's. They have the best selection of yummy, yet somewhat healthy treats. 
• Food. Some of the places I went to: Costa Vida, The Coffee Shop, Pita Jungle, In and Out, The Tortilla Factory, Nielsen's, and Yogurt.
• Flat roads. Really. It's no joke. Driving in Mexico is such a nightmare. The roads are so bumpy and there are topes (speed bumps) everywhere. 
• Lifetime Fitness Gym. The machines worked so good. It has air conditioning! The people are amazing. The classes are awesome. Love this place.
• The radio. I never listen to the radio down here. It was so nice to turn it on. I especially enjoyed the jam sessions with my ghetto-sister. So glad she will still get down with me. Even though we are getting old.
• Carpet. Having this in your house really helps with a lot of things. Mainly, keeping the noise out when the baby is sleeping. With tile throughout, you can hear EVERYTHING. Thus, waking up sleeping baby. Not cool.
• Family. Friends. The time spent with the people I love was completely and totally what I needed. I didn't realize how homesick I was. I wanted to stay up every night to absorb as much as I could.

Before I left to Mexico, I remember asking B what he would miss the most about America if he had to move away. He laughed and said, "Um, AMERICA." I didn't fully understand what he meant until now. 

So has anyone ever done something so significant, that you're so overwhelmed with gratitude. And you don't know if there's any possible way you can express it that will make them understand? That is how I feel. All I can say is thank you. Thank you Jenesey for having a birthday. Thank you B for flying me home. You made it possible for me to see friends and family who made the time to see me and allowed me to interrupt their busy schedules. Thank you Jessica for being the sister that you are, and for loving Lola.

I feel rejuvenated. I feel like the beast is gone and I am once again ready to conquer this insanity. I feel like I can handle 6 more weeks here and it will go by a little faster now.

Here are some pics...sorry about my bad camera! 

LoRo on the plane...she has no idea :)

My girls.

Dinner at Tortilla Factory. Thanks Kris for always liking the same things I do so we can order and share our food. You are a beautiful person. I appreciate you. I love that you can always read my mind. I am glad we are friends.

When these two are around, it's a guarantee for some entertainment. Club 4 :)

Birthday girl. Love you. (One week postpartum..hate you) Jenesey, the only person I know who can do it all. She makes everything seem so effortless. She is an example. She is wonderwoman.

B and Jenesey at Tortilla Factory.

Yes I am totally the third wheel. It was totally fun anyways! And Jon Sarager...always make me laugh...

Ugly pic but really...Jon Sarager...always makes me laugh!!! In fact, I laughed this hard the whole night. Dallas...great idea with the youtube videos.

Sweetest, newest member of J's family. Baby girl Lucy. She was perfect.

Easters.

Can you believe we used to hate each other? We fought all the time. Who knew we'd ever become so close. I was so sad to leave her at the airport. I felt a little empty.

This little person is so fun to be around. I especially loved hearing her chain-smoker voice again.

This little man is my boyfriend. He wouldn't leave my side. He followed me to the bathroom. He sat on my lap. He kept hugging me and kissing me. He told me I was cute. I could have boxed him up and taken him home. He is seriously the cutest little man. He has little man muscles. He is tender. He is going to be a heart breaker. I love it.

Love love love for these ladies. (and little people)

Baby boy Bode. He was so good the whole time. I think I heard him cry once.

CHEESEBURGERS! Krew...smart, thoughtful little man. Cash...happy, silly little man. Loved having dinner with Kris and the kiddos. 

Again...THANK YOU.

XO

feliz.feliz.

Today is a happy day. Today is when Lupita...my mom :) will be turning one year older. 

I am glad my mom was born. 

I am glad for the many things she has taught me. 

I am glad that she is Mexican! 

I am glad that she knows how to have a good time.

I am glad she loves Zumba and wouldn't miss it for anything. 

I am glad she is brutally honest. 

I am glad that she is confident.

I am glad that she loves to eat good food.

I am glad she loves music.

I am glad that she has an unwavering testimony of the gospel.

I am glad that when I return home, she will be the first person I see. 

Feliz Cumpleanos. 

Mucho amor.

XO

Lupe y Lola

I have had quite a busy week. First, let me preface with some information about my most recent visitors:

• My mom and aunt are twins
• They are from Veracruz, Mexico and they didn't even live in the U.S. until their 20s
• When the two of them get together, watch out. It's a party. And practically nothing is going to get in their way.

This busy week included some amazing things while my mom and aunt stayed here with me in Guadalajara. Here are some of the many things we enjoyed :

• Lots and lots of food. We ate at some amazing restaurants, lots of tacos, churros, crepes, and icecream. 
• Movies at the VIP theatres. These theatres are amazing. You sit in lazy boy seats that recline all the way. There are mini tables in between seats where there are menus that you can order items such as: drinks, candy, popcorn, sushi, pizza, smoothies, etc.
• Shopping! We went to Tonala, Tlaquepaque, and San Juan. Tlaquepaque was my favorite. It's an artsy place. Beautiful architecture. Fun shops. Tonala is a good experience because they have so much and it's so cheap. 
• We went to the Teatro Degollado and saw a show. The theatre was beautiful. The show was kind of long but still a good experience.

Being that these women are true Mexicans, they reminded me of some of the things that are amazing here that I will miss when I leave someday:

• In the mornings, I drive by this little stand where this young girl squeezes oranges and drains the seeds and pulp. I get fresh squeezed orange juice with no added sugar or preservatives. I give this to my kids almost everyday. 
• The fruit and vegetables market is amazing. The produce is soooo good, and it lasts forever. The guy that works there is so nice. He loves to give me samples of everything, which is smart, because I almost always end up buying it. And it's also so very cheap! 
• I can actually afford a cleaning lady here! And it is worth every penny. It gets so dirty here.

I am grateful to be reminded of how fun it is here. Don't misunderstand, it is still Mexico. Bad roads. Lots of dirt. Lots of Spanish. An occasional drug bust. But I'm glad to live in this big city full of so much life and culture. I'm glad to have had these women absorb it all and enjoy themselves.

I will say one more thing...we all got sick by the end of their stay. Not a great way to end the week.

Good: We put grass in our front and back yards and it looks so pretty and it will help keep the dirt out.
Bad: I am so sick of my kids having permanent diarrhea. Their little stomachs just can't seem to get used to it here. Lola misses her 2nd mommy...still wants to be held all the time. Two more months...

XO

bad hair day.

So I have been wanting to grow Noah's hair out to be kinda shaggy. It is always unsuccessful because of that one stage where it just looks awful. However, while being here in Mexico, it has been a little easier to get through that stage, as I have been a little more consumed. It wasn't quite to the point I wanted it to be, but finally one day J said it was time for buzz. He was right, it was time. Especially since there are many kids in his class who have had lice. Can't take any chances...
I hear the clippers going, followed by tons of laughter. In comes this person...

So so so many tears from laughing so hard. I think J told Noah to flex, which is the reason for these amazing poses and facial expressions. Maybe you just had to be there...or not because these pictures are worth tons of laughter. Aren't they?! Gotta love the old man :)

Good: My mom and aunt come tomorrow for a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bad: I am certain everyone except J has had a parasite since we've been here. I now feel like I can handle Mexico.

XO

four.

It was four years ago today that this little person came into my life. He is a miniature version of my husband. He is mellow. Sensitive. Kind. He has been challenging me more often these days, and I'm trying very hard to remember that he won't always be this small so I need to embrace every moment.
Some things about Noah:
-He loves chocolate.
-He loves gum.
-He loves to "fight" with dad. Lots of punching, kicking, etc.
-He loves to play with the itouch.
-His favorite superhero is Spiderman.
-If he could have chicken nuggets for every meal, everyday, he would.
-If he could have anything in the world right now, it would be a blue quad.
-He's a sneaker. When it's too quiet, it's because he is doing something mischievous.
-He loves to give me kisses and I will be sad when the day comes that it won't be cool give mom a kiss.

So since Grandma was in town we celebrated his birthday a little early and had a party at one of Noah's favorite places...Peter Piper Pizza. It was perfect for him.

Happy Birthday Noah.

visitor.

I feel fortunate that I have a wonderful mother in law. Mostly, I can't believe she took a week off to spend a week here with us in Mexico. She must have been so exhausted by the time she left. And we were sad to see her go. Very sad. I forgot what an enormous help she can be and she let me take advantage! Her being here was a tremendous help as I was able to get a lot more done. She helped fold my laundry, she watched the kids so J and I could go to the gym in the mornings, she carried Lola for a huge portion of the day (Lola still hates Mexico I think) and she was happy to do it all. We also had the opportunity to take her to a lot of fun places, some of which probably frightened her but hopefully provided a glimpse of what it's like here.

 

This is the temple in Guadalajara. It's a small temple, but very beautiful. My friend told me this story that I loved. A man worked across the street of where the temple was going to be built. He was able to watch the process from start to finish and this experience gave him the desire to become a member of the church of LDS. His wife later became the primary president in my friend's ward here. Pretty amazing.

We took Bonnie to a town called Tonala. This town has everything! They sell furniture, home decor, jewelry, food, etc. My friend bought beautiful 8X10 frames here but 50 pesos each! That's less than $5.00. I mean she had to drive down a creepy alley to get them, but seriously...that's cheap. You can take a picture of a piece of furniture you like and you can find someone here to make it for you. So we walked by this store and could not believe the toilets. So Mexican. Big smiles when we saw these!

I have never seen glass blowing. This picture is obviously not good, but it was fascinating to watch. 

Sorry for the blurry pic, but this was the best I could do. It was heartbreaking to see the kids say goodbye. I kept daydreaming of her flying into Sky Harbor. I was sad to see her go, but I was also sad she wasn't taking me with her.

We did so much more and didn't take pictures unfortunately. But we loved having here with us and look forward to June when we'll be able to spend time with her again. 

Good: I am meeting more people and enjoying making new friendships here. It allows the time to pass quickly. Ava was invited to a birthday party and didn't want to go without me, and I wasn't going to let her go alone. I didn't want to go spend an afternoon with a bunch of people I didn't know and I knew it would be difficult to communicate with, but knew I just had to go. I ended up spending 3 hours at this party and really enjoyed the people I met. And although it's frustrating trying to communicate it's a challenge I'm slowly learning to accept and find rewarding in the end.

Bad: There few people here I consider to be favorites. But I do have some. One of them is my good friend, Stacie. And her husband is allowed the opportunity to do his 4th yr rotations in Utah. Which means she will be leaving in June. Although this is GREAT news for her, and this is something I am desperately hoping will happen for us, I am enormously sad she will be leaving. She has shown me so many things while being here. My experience thus far would never have been this amazing without her. I suppose I should consider the fact that I have been blessed to have had her here to "show me the ropes." And I of course I am. Which makes it very sad that she's going to be leaving. But it will be another semester, I look forward to new students who will make their way down here.

XO

survival.

Without these things, I would not be able to survive here in Mexico...

 

Thank goodness for modern technology. This school has been around for years. I don't know how people did it. I suppose you just adapt with the situation you're in. I am grateful to have these things; they bring me comfort. They make me happy.

Bad: For the first time this week, Ava said she missed Arizona. She asked if her friends will remember her. It was kind of heart breaking to hear her ask me that. And right now, my number 2 child is KILLING me. Almost everyday I want to strangle him. Learning to be patient with him is a constant struggle. Treasure these years?!!! Ya right. I'll be happy when he can wipe his own rear, put himself to bed, and not make the biggest mess every meal. Patience. Lots of patience. 

Good: This past weekend was my first Girls Night Out. It was fabulous. We went to Johnny Rocket's! We ate outside and the weather was beautiful. We were welcomed by many happy Mexicans :) I ate a cheeseburger. And best best best of all..they were playing American oldies. The good stuff. I even got to hear "Brown Eyed Girl." I loved every minute.