Christmas Eve Dinner
Eating American-style: dinner at 6:30 PM instead of at 9 or 10 PM. We were the only people at the restaurant at this time. All the tables had "Reserved" signs on them for the people coming at 9 PM. We persuaded the manager to let us take a table by promising to be in and out quickly before the other diners arrived. I mean, come on, Asays can easily finish a big meal in 10 minutes.
Even on Christmas Day Dad dons his uniform.
Christmas Day dinner with thirty elders and hermanas. When I saw how many missionaries showed up for dinner compared with the amount of food we'd made I began to worry. However, it was a miracle of the loaves and the fishes... and all were filled. This was partly due to the many pies that Matt had made. I'm assuming that most readers of this blog have tasted Matt's pies, so you'll appreciate the fact that dessert was the best part of the meal.
A little après-déjeuner Christmas hymns sing-along. I just loved these Elders and Hermanas. Nothing better than seeing nineteen and twenty year-old boys doing the Lord's work.Such great kids!
Lily had yet again practiced deception in persuading Hermana Tracy and Hermana Urban to believe that she was a sweet, innocent little three year old. Just look at Lily's knowing glance! It's all a ruse.December 26th
We drove the four hours to Pinamar, a resort town on the coast. We'd stopped in Pinamar for a couple of hours when we were in Argentina in 2007 and we just loved the beautiful beach. So we decided to book a few days at a hotel on beach. We were lucky enough to have Matt's parents come with us, too.
The kids have a really wonderful Grandpa who always loves making sand sculptures with them.
Searching for some last sea shells to take home.
Yet again, Lily managed to find people to coddle and carry her,
Scout making yet another pit stop for helado at Freddo's. Believe it or not I never had any helado while I was in Argentina.
I loved going on running while in Argentina. Runs on the beach were, of course, wonderful, but I personally liked running through the neighborhoods of Banfield (where the mission home is located). With the help of the totally awesome site MapMyRun.com Matt and I found some good running routes. I have to admit that 1) I always got lost at about mile 4, and 2) there were a few dodgy places I ran through and just hoped I could make it out again. And then I would run through the same dodgy place the next day : 0
I just loved seeing where and how the average people lived. But, this photo gives you an idea of the terrain I was running on, and this wasn't nearly the worst of it. The pavement often had 12 inch drop-offs, dog poop and craters. It felt like I was trail running.
And I always passed several of these donkey carts that collect cardboard everyday.
As my sister-in-law Brittany put it, traveling to the airport in "true Argentine style. The whole fam, all the luggage, and a couple pigs." The kids had fun driving everywhere without car seats or seatbelts; roaming through the car as it zoomed down the highway. You know, the way people used to travel until about 20 years ago.
I'm ending with my favorite photo from the trip.
My father-in-law coming home from a long day of zone conferences and missionary interviews.
I know he had spent the day giving his all - mentally, physically and spiritually - to the missionaries he is over. And he would wake up and do it again the next day and the next day, and so on. Just as my mother-in-law does everyday, as well. We loved seeing them, but we especially loved seeing them work so hard in building the Church in Argentina.
We drove the four hours to Pinamar, a resort town on the coast. We'd stopped in Pinamar for a couple of hours when we were in Argentina in 2007 and we just loved the beautiful beach. So we decided to book a few days at a hotel on beach. We were lucky enough to have Matt's parents come with us, too.
The kids have a really wonderful Grandpa who always loves making sand sculptures with them.
Searching for some last sea shells to take home.Sunday, December 28th
We attended church in a little branch right outside of Pinamar. I love attending church in branches. It is so interesting to see the Church functioning on the small scale.
This little boy was my entertainment during sacrament meeting. I loved watching him beg crackers off of Lily and waddling around on his little legs. I went outside between classes and found him sitting on this ledge
I was somewhat gratified to see that my kids appear to be as bored in Primary while in Argentina as they are in our ward. I always thought it was just because they were tired of hearing me talking. See, the Church is the same the world over :)
I was somewhat gratified to see that my kids appear to be as bored in Primary while in Argentina as they are in our ward. I always thought it was just because they were tired of hearing me talking. See, the Church is the same the world over :)
Yet again, Lily managed to find people to coddle and carry her,despite her sulky little face.
Matt and me with Paul and Carol Gourdin. Mr. Gourdin was a Spanish teacher at the junior high school Matt and I attended. His afro hairdo my be long gone, but he is still the same man : )
Matt and me with Paul and Carol Gourdin. Mr. Gourdin was a Spanish teacher at the junior high school Matt and I attended. His afro hairdo my be long gone, but he is still the same man : )
Scout making yet another pit stop for helado at Freddo's. Believe it or not I never had any helado while I was in Argentina.
I loved going on running while in Argentina. Runs on the beach were, of course, wonderful, but I personally liked running through the neighborhoods of Banfield (where the mission home is located). With the help of the totally awesome site MapMyRun.com Matt and I found some good running routes. I have to admit that 1) I always got lost at about mile 4, and 2) there were a few dodgy places I ran through and just hoped I could make it out again. And then I would run through the same dodgy place the next day : 0I just loved seeing where and how the average people lived. But, this photo gives you an idea of the terrain I was running on, and this wasn't nearly the worst of it. The pavement often had 12 inch drop-offs, dog poop and craters. It felt like I was trail running.
And I always passed several of these donkey carts that collect cardboard everyday.As my sister-in-law Brittany put it, traveling to the airport in "true Argentine style. The whole fam, all the luggage, and a couple pigs." The kids had fun driving everywhere without car seats or seatbelts; roaming through the car as it zoomed down the highway. You know, the way people used to travel until about 20 years ago.
I'm ending with my favorite photo from the trip.My father-in-law coming home from a long day of zone conferences and missionary interviews.
I know he had spent the day giving his all - mentally, physically and spiritually - to the missionaries he is over. And he would wake up and do it again the next day and the next day, and so on. Just as my mother-in-law does everyday, as well. We loved seeing them, but we especially loved seeing them work so hard in building the Church in Argentina.
