Happy Birthday Mom!

This weekend I traveled to the Fort Worth area to surprise my mom with a 60th birthday celebration.  I made a rainbow cake for the celebration, which I carried on the plane with me.  It was TSA inspected and approved.

All of  my mom's sisters, my dad's sister, and several of my cousins gathered at my Aunt's house on Saturday morning to surprise my mom when she came over after church.  She was very surprised to find everyone hiding in the kitchen.

On Sunday morning, the ladies went to the ArtBarn in Joshua for a private party.  The ArtBarn has a variety of glass, ceramic, and woodworking projects to choose from.  We had so much fun picking different projects and working around the large tables.  My aunt Denise brought lots of yummy food for everyone to munch on.  It was really fun to see everyone's finished projects at the end of the morning.  

Sara, Kelly, Hazel and Katie - the ambitious table.

Mom, Jennifer, Julia, Mimi, Lynda, Denise, and Jenny.

My mom and I. 

One of the employees helping Mimi finish her mug.

Such a fun place!

With our finished projects. 

I used to stay with Jolene and her girls while I was in undergrad.  Now
Jolene's girls are collegiate aged. 

Sorry for the picture overload, but we just had so much fun. 

Before returning home on Sunday evening, I met my first newphew.  Holding tiny baby Elijah while he slept in my arms was the icing on an already wonderful weekend.  

Tia Kim meets baby Elijah.

My First Trip to Mexico

This month, I finally traveled to Chihuahua to meet Chris' maternal grandparents.  I had been apprehensive about traveling in Mexico for quite some time.  Prior conversations about traveling to Mexico usually consisted of Chris telling me it is safe to drive to Chihuahua and me disagreeing.  I knew things were serious when, after talking to his mother about his grandmother's health, Chris informed me that he would book plane tickets to Chihuahua.

In the end, we both compromised on the travel arrangements.   We  drove across the border to a nearby airport and then flew to Chihuahua city.  The first flight left from a very small airport in Mexico, so small that passengers boarded the plane by walking out on the runway to a set of stairs attached to the plane's door.  Had I been any taller, I would have been too tall to stand upright inside the plane.  

After a brief layover in Mexico City, Chris and I arrived in Chihuahua city, where Chris' parents met us and drove us south to Valle De Zaragoza, the small town where Chris' family lives.  Although the next three and a half days moved at a slower pace than life in the United States, the days were full of new experiences.

I saw the humble house where Chris' grandparents have lived for many, many years.  The wood-burning oven was used to make empanadas, the women made homemade cheese from fresh cow's milk, and I drank water filtered through a bowl-shaped stone in the kitchen.

The house where Chris' grandparents live.

The stone that filters water.

Making cheese: boil fresh milk, strain out the curds, squeeze
out as much liquid as possible, mix in salt, and press together.

I saw the old arches carrying water into town as part of the aqueduct system.  I ate ice cream in the town plaza.  I relaxed by the river.  I feasted at Tia Mimi's popular loncheria (lunch counter), which features burritos, tortas, and hamburgers.  I went swimming at a relative's beautiful cabin.  I rode an ATV into the dessert.  I snacked on freshly picked peaches.  I woke up to the rooster's crow.  I ate beans and fresh eggs for breakfast.  I saw lots of animals, including a pair of dogs who chased and rounded-up a large herd of cows at the command of Chris' uncle Jose.

Lots of animals!

Mimi at work, and one of her burgers.

Tio Jose uses this large, red rattle to scare the cows.

The arches and aqueduct, the river, ruins, and a small church.

Relaxing by the river after a dusty afternoon on an ATV.

I went to Parral for a day to visit an old mansion, the Pancho Villa museum, and the place where Pancho Villa was fatally shot.  I was the only one in the group offered the "Mexican Photo Op" at the museum, which required me to step into one of the exhibits, don a serape, and hold a large gourd while everyone watched me.

Streets of Parral.

Palacio Alvarado

I unknowingly joined a group destined for the sobador, a traditional healer who uses rubs and massages to treat people's ailments.  The sobador was located off a steep and narrow alley between a row of small stucco buildings.  The office consisted of  two small rooms joined by a doorless passageway.  The first room, a waiting room, was so small, the entrance was so short, and the furniture was so large that it is possible the room was built around the furniture.  The second room contained matching twin beds, a stool, and some shelves with a variety of homemade rubs.  From the waiting room I watched the sobador provide adjustments to everyone in the group, some of whom had saved up their ailments for this trip to Mexico.  After watching the sobador's rough techniques, hearing the cries of pain, and seeing the industrial engineering degree on the wall, I passed on the offer for my own adjustment.

The sobador.

The highlight of the weekend for Chris's family was the mother's day fiesta at a ranch owned by one of Chris' uncles.  The party took place under a grouping of large trees in an alfalfa pasture. Mariachis performed from the shade of one tree while Chris' uncles pranced and danced their horses to the music in the open field.  I ate freshly slaughtered lamb cooked in a large barrel, head and all, and tasted the grilled fish.  There were lots of cowboy hats and even some pointy boots.  Chris' uncle David eagerly invited Chris and I to ride his horse name Pata Blanca, and his uncle Jose showed off the tricks he taught his horse.   The cow dogs were always right behind the horses.
 

With Tio David and the Mariachis in the background.

The fresh lamb.

Good horse.

Riding Pata Blanca at the fiesta.

My mother-in-law has 13 siblings, some of whom still live in Valle De Zaragoza and the rest of whom returned for the weekend.   The family squeezed into one room in Chris' grandparents home for Friday night worship, singing hymns and sharing bible verses.  The family organized and attended an outdoor church service at an uncle's ranch.  On Saturday afternoon, while relaxing in the shade at the ranch, the family spontaneously began singing hymns.

Most importantly, Chris and I spent time with his grandparents.  I even had an opportunity to speak with Chris' grandmother when no one else was around.  Even though I'm pretty sure she had no idea who I was, she held my hand like someone who already considered me part of the family.

Chris with his grandpa, an uncle, and his oldest cousin.

La familia Sias con los abuelitos.

Chris says goodbye to his grandma.

Prior to this trip, I had visited Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.  This trip, however, could easily be classified as my first real trip to Mexico, and I liked it.

Interracial Humor

The car I drive is relatively rare.  Given the rarity of my car, I was surprised when one of my newest coworkers told me that he had seen a car just like mine, in the same color, driving around town over the weekend.  I told my coworker that the car he saw must have been mine.  I have only seen one other car like mine in town, and it is not the same color.  My coworker disagreed with me.  He explained that the car he saw could not have been mine because there was a young hispanic guy driving it.  I should have retorted with a comment about my mechanic because in reality, Chris had been driving my car after working on the brakes.  Unfortunately, I wasn't that quick-witted.  Instead, I politely explained that my husband is also a young hispanic guy.

A couple weeks later, I was talking to a coworker about my recent trip to Mexico with my husband.  We were discussing the suspicion my travel prompted with customs when attempting to reenter the United States at one of the nearby land border bridges.   My coworker replied with something like, "Well, it is unusual for two white people to travel to Mexico in a car."  Again, I politely explained that my husband is hispanic.

Seriously, I think I need to take more pictures of Chris to work.           

Bon Voyage!

The last few weeks were a blur of traveling.  It started with a weekend trip to Kerrville.  Not only is Kerrville far prettier than the Valley, but it was also considerably cooler than the 100+ temperatures temporarily left behind.

Who doesn't love the lovely Guadalupe?

A matter of hours after returning from Kerrville, I boarded a plane for San Diego.  Wow - yet another place that is more beautiful and cooler than the Valley.  

Who doesn't love a nice ocean view?

After a week in San Diego, I returned home for a few days and was off again.  This time, Chris and I traveled to Valle De Zaragoza.  I could write a novel about this trip, and may very well do so over the next week or so.  For now, suffice it to say that the rural area was beautiful and the dry desert climate was awesome.  

Who doesn't love a lazy afternoon by the rio?

I'm home for a while now, and it feels good. Who doesn't love coming home?

Tall Tales

Being above-average height and living in a predominately hispanic area does not stop me from indulging in my love of tall shoes.  There's something exciting about being almost six feet tall and talking to the men at work at eye level.  A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through Hobby Lobby in a pair of particularly tall, denim pumps.  After walking by a small woman with a pre-school age son, I heard the boy tell his mother, "That lady is really tall."  The mother nonchalantly agreed with her son and continued shopping.  Unsatisfied with his mother's unimpressed response,  the boy reiterated his point: "That lady is really tall, and you are really small."   I wanted to compliment the boy on his use of rhyming comparison words, but instead I just smiled.  Being tall really is exciting.  

Last Day in Seoul

My last day in Seoul was a quiet one.  Heather left for the airport before me, so I spent the morning wandering up and down Insadong street one last time by myself.  I had a few thousand Korean wons left to spend!

One of the few shops open early.

Empty Insadong early in the morning.

A funky animated character store.

I arrived at the Incheon International Airport a few hours before my flight.  A large sign boasted that the airport was voted the best airport in the world nine years in a row.  As it turns out, the sign was not boasting; it was merely stating a fact. 

First, the airport is beautifully clean and modern, filled with loads of natural light and large plants. 

While walking around, I found a Hello Kitty Cafe and a Charlie Brown Cafe.  

I also found a live strings and piano performance of classic love songs.

At the Korean Heritage Center, the free craft for the day was a 3-D paper doll wearing traditional Korean clothing.   As I was finishing my craft, a reenactment of a Korean royal family processional passed by and stopped in front of the heritage center for a ceremony.

My finished paper doll.

The craft area with processional passing by outside.

The royal processional in front of the Louis Vuitton store.

It was so easy to pass a few hours at the Incheon airport, which is by far the nicest airport I've ever visited.  

The flight from Seoul to Dallas was only 12 hours and went by very quickly thanks to a good book and no thanks to the kid next to me who promptly asked me the following question: "So, did you hear about the Malaysian Airlines Beoing 777, the same kind of plane we're on, that disappeared a couple of days ago over Vietnam?"  No, I had not heard about the disappearing plane and no, I do not talk about freak plane incidents as I am about to embark on a 12 hour flight, especially if it is the same kind of plane I am riding in and it disappeared very near to my departure location.  I politely ignored his comment and said farewell to my final view of South Korea.

    

Because of the time difference, I left South Korea at 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday and landed in Dallas a little after 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.  It was an amazing feat of time travel.  

My trip to South Korea was my first trip to Asia, and it was a lot of fun thanks to my super travel guide.  Thanks again Heather!  I can't wait to see you stateside.