The agreed supreme walks before the pretended governor.

The Baptism

Two weeks ago, we attended classes to prepare us for godparenthood. Ismael’s baptism was last weekend. It was beautiful. He actually enjoyed the cold water running over his head. He didn’t cry or fuss even once. The party Ismael’s family gave was amazing. They served piña coladas in pineapples, lime sherbet inside melons, a rice dish of various sea foods including shrimp, squid...and chicken. There was every sort of drink imaginable, too! And of course, live music and dancing! As godfather and according to tradition, Victor was responsible for the ‘’bolo’’ which is the act of throwing money to the guests, particularly the children. We threw $80 in coins and it looked like so little! It was a blast and nearly every child was satisfied with what they could grab. I found 5 pesos an hour later that the guests missed!

A quick trip to Italy

Last Friday, our friends joined us as witnesses of our intention to join in a ''mixed'' marriage in the Catholic church. We took a short stop in Florence on the way. To my surprise, this replica statue of David is right in the middle of Mexico City.

The 2nd Floor

It may not sound very exciting but I was happy to finally take a drive on the 2nd floor of Periferico, a main artery in the city. Our godson, Ismael, stopped by to visit this weekend, painted as a cat. I don't remember why, but he looked adorable! He will be baptized in two weeks. On Sunday we went downtown and picked out his baptism gown and all the accesories that go along with it!

Xochimilco....kind of

We went camping on Good Friday with some friends. It turned out to be a mistake. It rained a lot and we didn't bring a matress. It was cold and my body hurt all over. I got some excercise though! To arrive to the site we had to climb up a huge stoney hill and then down a steep incline into a valley. It was pretty, anyway. On Easter Sunday we spend the afternoon with Victor's aunt and cousins. We visited Xochimilco, but in a less-known area of this famous place. We took a boat ride and snacked on fruit that they literally sell you on the river. It costs $20 to rent the boat for an hour, and you can pack on as many people as you'd like. We saw one boat with around 30 people...but they had a motor. Our driver used a huge stick. We later returned to Aunt Theresa's house for some great cooking where more family joined us. Somehow, we finished the evening telling ghost stories. ? We were sad to return to work on Monday after a long week of hardly working.

Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday we woke up early to go for a walk and take pictures in an old convent in a huge forest by the house. It is an amazing place for photo taking. But we had trouble taking pictures of the sites with both of us in the pictures! Afterwards, we went to church where Victor's niece was dressed as the virgin Mary in a procession. We have been extremely busy with wedding plans. So many places and people to visit and ordering to do. Flower picture credits go to Victor.

String Quartet & Lunar Eclipse

Last weekend, we went to see a string quartet that we are considering hiring for our wedding ceremony. We were invited to the balcony to watch the musicians and witness a gorgeous, candle-lit wedding. To our surprise, the church was stunning! We were excited by it, in part, because we had seen this church in photos but we didn't know where it was. We also enjoyed the lunar eclipse on February 20th We were able to see the darkening moon from the living room sitting comfortably in the couch. The night was almost perfectly clear.

February 2nd

Over the last few weeks, I kept wondering why the nativity scenes, especially in public shopping centers, hadn’t been put away yet. Instead of asking I just figured no one was in a hurry. Now, I understand. In an earlier post I had mentioned Three Kings’ Day. On this day, the tradition is to share a special bread, called rosca, with a group of people. Inside this bread are randomly placed dolls. If you find a doll, the rule is that on February 2nd, you bring tamales and atole (a hot drink) for everyone. (I wasn’t lucky enough to get a doll!). February 2nd is exactly 40 days after Christmas and in Mexico it is know as the ‘’Candelaria’’. It is a celebration of the day when, according to Jewish practices, Christ was presented in the temple by his parents. On this day, the manger babies are lifted out and taken to the church to be blessed. I was surprised by the excitement and celebration of this day! The sanctuary was full from wall to wall with most people standing, and a huge group had to stay outside. There was loud music, king costumes and dancing everywhere in and around the church!

The Church

Victor has been installing air conditioning systems. This week, his team moved to a new site, where they will be working for several months. The apartments they are working in just happen to be right across the street from where we will be married! Standing by the church, it is impossible to fit the whole thing in a camera…but my fiancée has the perfect view! Also, we are now working close enough to eachother that we can go out for the occasional lunch together!

Acapulco

Victor and I ventured to Acapulco this weekend with Domingo and Lupe. It was a short but refreshing trip. The scenery on the way was breathtaking. The seafood was delicious. Once I had the most amazing garlic-battered shrimp with rice and a salad for 5 dollars. However, the rest of the trip wasn’t particularly cheap. The tolls totaled 50 dollars…and that is only one way. There is always the option of taking the free highway, but it’s curvy, a little dangerous and more time consuming. I hadn’t remembered that Acapulco had so much night life. After going to see the cliff divers, we looked for something to eat. It was almost midnight and we found ourselves stopped in traffic! We spent one full day just enjoying the beach. We rented an umbrella and chairs and played around most of the day. I took an hour-long nap on the beach! Domingo found 2 huge blowfish tumbling in the surf. At one point, I was tempted to go paragliding, but the landings of the other courageous tourists always looked a little rough. Victor and I had a dunking competition and he only beat me like 10 - 4!

Strawberries & Cream!

This weekend we went to a delicious strawberry stand just outside of Caujimalpa. The stand is famous for its strawberries and cream, which it serves 365 days a year. The luscious strawberries are smothered with layers of rich cream, sprinkled with sugar and topped off with nuts, raisins, chocolate, vanilla and wafer cookies. It was my fourth visit to this amazing place!

Ismael

Victor and I were asked to be godparents several months ago by one of his cousins. Ismael is now 2 months old. We went to visit him last night and brought him a gift for Three Kings' Day (Dia de los Reyes Magos). Three Kings' Day is celebrated on January 6th, twelve days after Christmas. Also known as The Epiphany, it is a celebration that commemorates the story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem. Gift-giving in Mexico is centered more on this day than Christmas. While children know about Santa Clause, it is the Kings that bring them gifts and leave them restless the day beforehand.

Cuernavaca

Victor and I traveled to Cuernavaca in the state of Morelos last weekend with some friends who have a vacation home about an hour and a half south of Mexico City. Cuernava is know as the city of eternal spring, and it was indeed very warm! We spent the weekend grilling outside, playing soccer (barefoot!), and throwing the losing teams into the swimming pool. I taught our friends and their family how to play Spoons and Marco Polo. The Spoons loser had to take a spoonful of Tequila with every 2 losses (not my idea)...luckily, I only lost twice in our 2-hour long competition.

The New Year

We ended the new year frantically calling the firemen when a neighbor's workshop cuaght on fire and no one was home! Everyone was running and hauling buckets of water until the firemen finally arrived after about 10 minutes. The fire truck didn't fit into the street and the first hose they stretched out didn't even reach the fire. The second hose did and by 11:30 p.m. everything was under control...but we bearly made it in time for the New Year hugs!! Victor's parents invited us to an excellent seafood restaruant on New Years day. Afterwards, we went to the Lion's Dessert (Desierto de los Leones). This picture was taken there.