Wonderful Visits with Family and Friends!

We were fortunate enough to first have my mom visit (from Florida) in December over Christmas, then our good friend Don Ferber (from Madison, WI) visit in January, then my dad and my stepmom (from New York City) later in January, and last but not least, our close friend Kirsten Johnson (from Madison, WI) in March. It was wonderful to have all of them! Since we don't have even one extra bed in our house, my Dad and Ellen slept closeby at a hotel and everyone else stayed at a local hospedaje. Hospedaje's are private, motel- like rooms that are generally part of the owner's home. Everyone (including us) made friends with the owners of the hospedaje which was really nice.

My mom has visited before, but not over Christmas! How wonderful for her to experience the festivities. Since she doesn't speak any Spanish, she felt much more comfortable with us meeting her at the airport in Mexico City. We stayed with a family in their home in Mexico City which was a wonderful experience for all of us, other than for Lea, who was really sick with the flu :-(

By their Christmas tree.

The grandpa was proud to share his home with us, which he built all by himself...

And what wonderful meals they prepared for us!

Lea and my mom with the city behind them...

We visited the large pyramids outside Mexico City named Teotihuacan. We were all WOWED! Unfortunately, Lea was too sick to join us.

The view from the top of the "Pyramid of the Sun".

My mom taking a break by a cactus tree.

My mom, Brian and I with two of the kids who joined us for the day. 

Here is a short video that will give you a sense of the pyramids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV-sBJaqo-Q

After our time in Mexico City with the family who was kind enough to take us all in, we were happy to return to the peace and tranquility of Tepoztlán. Other than my mom (and then Brian!) also getting sick with the flu, we had a wonderful time together.

Enjoying food in the market in Tepoz!

My mom with our kitty, Leo.

Lea and my mom at a small museum in Tepoz.

Lea enjoying an elote!

Lea and my mom by the bean wall in Tepoz. Incredible! It's replaced yearly, and completely made out of beans, rice, and different grains.

In the zocolo, or center of Tepoz.

Enjoying a pina colada in the market. 

And Lea, my mom, and I took a day trip to Cuernavaca.

Enjoying time at botanical gardens.

And at the big market.

 And back in Tepoz!

We had a nice dinner out our last night all together in Tepoz.

And since my mom also didn't feel comfortable returning to Mexico City on her own, we had some special mom- daughter bonding time there. It was very special.

Here we are at the museum of anthropology. You can spend days there!

And in Chapultepec Park, the largest park in Mexico City.

Then our friend Don visited. To give you an idea of the kind of friend Don has been, we didn't know him that well 14 years ago when we got married. We invited him to our wedding party because we practically invited everyone we knew! Anyway, he was the very last one to stay. He helped us clean up everything from our huge potluck out at the park. Every since then, he's come through for us through thick and thin. Thank you so much Uncle Don. This has become our name of choice for him!

Don speaks little Spanish, but was brave enough to take the trip by himself from Mexico City to our village.  We knew it was going to be a big fiesta weekend when Don visited. I think that was in part why he chose to come when he did!

Eating in the market.

And time in the zocolo.

Don really enjoyed the food. Here's what's left over of his tomale!

Doing some shopping in the market.

And we went on a great, day long hike with our good friends from here!

Photo op after our lunch break.

After our hike in the center of town.

And back to some food!

Mole with some friends of Jose, Aurora, and the kid's.

Teasing Uncle Don!

Enjoying time at the fiesta that I mentioned earlier.

With our friends...

Then my Dad and Ellen (my stepmom for many years who has been like a second mom to me) visited. Like my mom, my dad and Ellen also visited in the past so felt safe coming to Tepoztlán on their own. My dad also speaks a fair amount of Spanish which really helps!

Here are some photos from when they first arrived:

Lea cracked a confetti egg on their heads shortly after they arrived. They both had a good laugh!

And of course the grandparents came with some new clothes which Lea was  thrilled about!

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a wedding when they were here which was quite an experience! There will be more details on this in a future blog post, so stay posted!

All of us with the groom.

And walking in a procession from the groom's house to the bride's, which is where the party then took place.

And then there was the 15th birthday party that we were also invited to! They tend to be huge celebrations here...

Lea with her grammy in our backyard.

And then just some wonderful time together in the village...

And by our local tienda afterschool.

 And then there was cheering Lea on at her fútbol game:

 And her exhaustion afterward :

She seemed to wake up by the time this photo was taken.

And then there's ice cream!

 And a lovely day in Cuernavaca together:

An incredible art museum, The "Robert Brady Museum". Yes, he was an American man and this was his home.

Lea was thrilled to get a new pair of sneakers from her grandparents. It was great to have the man who helped us join in the photo!

 And celebrating my Dad's 70th Birthday!

With flan and a lit candle, and of course a special song!

Here we are at a great restaurant downtown on their last night.

And then our friend Kirsten came. Kirsten has been a friend since before we were married. In fact, she lived below us when we lived in co-housing many years ago and has been a really good friend ever since. I was fortunate enough to teach at the same school as Kirsten for the last three years so that was a real bonding connection for us too.

Kirsten has spent a great deal of time in developing countries and speaks Spanish well, so for her, it felt like coming home! We really had a wonderful visit with her. She was here over Holy week (Easter) which started with Palm Sunday. Interesting, no bunnies here in Tepoz!

Here is Kirsten buying an image of Christ on the cross made out of  palm. She had a great time talking to this man!

A closeup of the palm that the village people so dillligently made. The zocolo was full of palm leaves with people making these crosses. 

 And we simply enjoyed time in Tepoztlán together:

The market.

And again, ice cream.

This photo might look familiar from the last "Bug" post.

Around the corner from our house. 

And we also spent the day in Cuernavaca. This art museum might be looking familiar by now. I went to the museum with my mom, my Dad and Ellen, and then again with Kirsten. And I loved going every time!

And at the Palacio de Cortés (which is now a museum) in Cuernavaca:

Kirsten under a Diego Rivera mural.

And we went on a special hike. Here we are at the top of the mountain:

What a great view!

And at a church in a small town we visited.

And a wonderful dinner on Good Friday with our close friends. Notice the entire fish on the plate!

And a special dinner out our last night together, at the same restaurant!

How blessed we are to have friends and family so close to us! It was wonderful to have visitors.

And our contact with the rest of you has been so important to us throughout our stay. We miss you, and very much look forward to seeing you upon our return home.