Things we'll miss and things we won't!!

With only a few days left to go of our Mexican adventure, we all decided we would come up with a list of things we would miss about Mexico and things we would NOT miss. Everyone came up with a few including Owen. We then added a list of things people can't wait to get back to in VT. Here we go...

Things we'll miss:

• Really good gelato ice cream (cheap too)
• Bakery treats (cheap also)
• Waterparks and hotsprings
• Gringas and local taco stands
• Manzana and toronja soda
• Tamale, mole, and atole woman
• Tortillan sandwiches
• La Burger (steaks and burgers)
• Cheap taxis
• Walking everywhere
• Library with cafe
• Parroquia Church
• Tuesday Market
• Cheap beer
• Great salsa dancing lessons
• Micheladas, wings, and World Cup Soccer at Gozo's Bar
• Celebrations, fiestas, and castillos
• Haircuts ranging from 15 - 40 pesos (about $1.30 to $3.50)
• Creative artisans
• Tiendas right next door 
• Our new friends that we made here in Mexico
• Freshly squeezed juices
• Incredible guacamole and hot sauces
• Our dollar stretching so far

Things we won't miss:

• Dog poop on the side walks
• Garbage on the streets
• Fireworks early in the morning
• Our neighbor's band that plays Sunday and Thursday nights
• Not being able drink the tap water
• Pesky flies
• Cobblestone streets 
• Beggars
• Scorpions and cockroaches (especially in our bedrooms)
• Putting sunblock on every day followed by heavy dosages of lotion at night
• Cracked heels from walking so much
• Bad chocolate milk

Things in VT that we can't wait for....

• Family and friends and our pets
• Trampoline
• Good bagels
• Our grill
• Root beer
• Bike riding and the bike path
• Swimming, kayaking, and sailing on Lake Champlain
• Church Street
• Quiet
• English speakers
• Wii and our toys

4th of July in San Miguel

Funny how today of all days we did NOT get woken up by loud firecrackers! You'd think someone out there would set them off just for the heck of it. We are missing the annual fireworks down at the waterfront today and our thoughts are turning towards our trip back home.

Luckily, this weekend was a craft's fair at the Instituto that kids have been looking forward to. It was there when we first arrived in San Miguel, but we didn't buy too much since we had just arrived. The kids waited all this time for it to return as they had their eye on a few items. I took Hannah and Alex today (Owen had his turn yesterday and bought a small painted dragon), and they went straight to the vendors that they had remembered. Very cute. Alex bought a beaded jaguar head and Hannah a beaded mask. The Mexicans glue these small beads to bowls, animals, masks, etc. and make extremely intricate patterns with the beads. Hannah also purchased an obsidian rock that turned colors in the light, while Alex bought a small porcupine from Oaxaca.

After our successful shopping at the crafts fair, we headed over to a nearby hotel where the Democratic Party for Expats was hosting a 4th of July barbecue. We decided we needed an afternoon of good, old American fun. The weather wasn't too great...cloudy, cool, and threat of rain...but we all had fun nevertheless. The buffet of hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, potato salad, french fries, brownies, and carrot cake was delicious and enjoyed by all. Kids even went swimming in the pool although came out a bit quickly as it was chilly. We also met a few other American families who had just arrived so the kids were happy to play with their new friends. The party ended at 5:00 pm, so no fireworks for us though. Too bad, although I've probably had enough fireworks during our 4 months here in Mexico to last me until at least next year!

We have had a bit of rain lately and it is much cooler. I'm glad Lindsay and Joerg still had great weather when they were here because since then we haven't seen much of the sun. Much of this is due to Hurricane Alex so hopefully when that clears out the weather will be back to normal. We'd like some sun for our last week here!