Mexican Moments with Greg and Peg: One Wild Week Ahead!!

Monday, Feb. 2nd

THOUGHT: "MY MISSION IN LIFE IS NOT MERELY TO SURVIVE, BUT TO THRIVE:
AND TO DO SO WITH SOME PASSION, SOME COMPASSION, SOME
HUMOR AND SOME STYLE!" Maya Angelou

Happy Birthday Susan Stevens! I don't know why your mom didn't name you Phil? Anyway, I wish you the best year ever!!
Monday is another holiday here! They have more holidays here than our school district does at home! Greg is getting busier by the day! Some days the phone rings at least 50 times, other days not very many! Today wasn't too busy so we got the Andersons and went to a real fancy mall with very expensive stores! I don't know how all of those stores stay alive! Everything costs a ton of money. We went in Crate and Barrel and saw a plain leather chair (granted it was leather) but still it cost over $4,000 dollars! Who can afford that here! There is such a stark difference between the rich and everybody else (the poor)! Most of the people I have met can't afford food to feed their children! Any way, the Andersons got some smelly lotion in Victoria's Secret! Greg wouldn't even come in the store! He says - "that's not a place for missionaries!" Sometimes (most times) I think he thinks he is back on his mission from 42 years ago! He is always mad at me cause I don't want to get up at 6:30 every morning like a missionary so I can stare at the wall! I could always do more studying (which I should do) but seriously! You are not 20 years old any more buddy!!
We ate lunch at Quiznos at the mall. Then we left that ritzy place and went to Walmart! I felt much better being there! We got some new brighter lightbulbs that will last until the hotel is torn down! I bought a glass vase that I can use on the 10th (when we left on our mission) and the 22nd (when we got to Mexico)! I don't think that's too much to ask for Greg to buy me really cheap flowers twice a month! They have beautiful flowers here for not much money! Now I have a vase. I reminded him he has 5 days to go, he better start planning! Last month he asked me to drive him to get me flowers! I am not going that low! He had to walk!
We got home from shopping in time to eat some dinner and go to FHE! Elder Rice gave a lesson on the Mexican Constitution and the history of Mexico since it is Mexican Constitution day today! WOW! (that was an overreaction) He gave half the lesson in Spanish! I am not sure what was worse - Mexican history or giving it in Spanish! Well, the lesson I have learned is that the time does go by and I made it through! He had a couple come with their guitar and all the Spanish people in the room sang song for the next hour! That was a very long FHE! That's all I'm going to say about that.

Tuesday, Feb. 3rd

We got up early and left town for Puebla! A big town about 2 hours south of Mexico City! Greg was mad because I made him 15 min late leaving! So, since I was driving, I made up the time driving like a Mexican and we pulled into the church lot at 11:01! Perfect! It is hard for him to apologize all the time!! We met with the Christensens - who are over the Puebla North Mission. They are very nice people. They go home in June! In the afternoon the Stellmans came to the north mission and picked us up and took us to their mission office. They are over the Puebla South mission. Equally as awesome people. They have only been here since June so the Christensens have been a great resource to them. The Christensens are from Bountiful and the Stellmans are from Boise Idaho!
We visited with the Stellmans all afternoon, drove back to the north mission office to get our car, then back to the south Mission Home where we stayed for the night! All of the mission homes in Mexico have 5-6 bedrooms that can sleep a lot of missionaries! The mission homes are beautiful and big! Of course, every house is bigger that our little hotel room that we live in! But remember - we have a window!!! We relaxed for a few minutes and then got back in the car, drove back to the north mission office to meet the Christensens and went to dinner at La Ciudad! Good food and good company! We talked a lot about the health of the missionaries. We need to find some good doctors in the city to take care of them! The doctor that does help with the missionaries lives about an hour away in another little town! Greg has his work cut out for him - finding new doctors and hospitals and such! There is a big medical hole here!! We got back to the mission home late and went to bed in the NICE big kingsize bed! Life is good today!!

Pic out the window of people, people and more people!
They just keep moving up the mountains around here!
This is on the way to Puebla!

I don't know what this is!

Driving up the little lane to the Mission Home!
That is it on the left across from the car.
Everything is gated and barred and closed up tight!
We were turning around at the end of this lane and
two Dobermans came right to the gate and watched us
until we moved away from them!
Yikes!

I am so bummed that I didn't get a pic of the Christensens and Stellmans!
Next time!

Wednesday, Feb 4th

Another fabulous day! Sis. Stellman made us breakfast of a french toast casserole, scrambled eggs and bacon! I am so coming here again soon!!! We had such a great time with these people! I love getting to know these presidents and wives!! We took off to go look around the city of Puebla and then off to meet Dr. Parra who has been taking care of the missionaries from her home an hour away! Puebla is famous for Talavera which are ceramic dishes, vases, all kinds of things - mostly blue and white. Beautiful stuff! We will need to come here again to get some stuff, but we didn't take time today! We drove and drove and drove through all these little Pueblitas to get to Dr. Parra's house. One discouraging thing about driving is I don't get to take the pics I want and Greg never sees anything to take a pic of. I missed taking a pic of a cute little grandma holding the cutest little girl, leaning on a post waiting for the bus, also a cart being pulled by a horse or two, with the kid driving while standing on whatever was in the cart, a sweet little store full of fruits and vegetables in a really old little building with a rusty old bicycle sitting out in front that I know was being used by someone! You are just going to have to make your own pic of these things in your own mind! I did take some pics and forced Greg to take a few! I will post them.
On the way to the Parras we stopped at a huge pyramid that the Catholics built a huge church on top to. The history is that they tried to put crosses up on top of the church and 3 time they got hit by lightening and ruined! You would think they would get the hint! There are crosses there now! These pyramids are steep and high! I don't know how those little people that built them could go up and down those steep, deep stairs! They must have had strong thighs! HA!
We met the Parra's in their home. Greg and Dr.(female) Parra talked for an hour or so. Bro. Parra was there also and he was as cute as could be. He kept offering us drinks, cookies, fruit! Their little house is FULL of figurines, dolls, artwork, cross stitch, and more stuff! They can hardly move in there! I took a pic of the big heavy red curtain that is hanging in the middle of their living room! After we were done with them we were going to go see some other pyramids that aren't very famous, but have murals on the walls of a dark skin man fighting a light skin man! Go figure! People estimate these pyramids and murals were built between 600-900 AD. Things are a little old around here! Here is a fun fact you should know: There are 40,000 pyramids in Mexico, and only 10,000 have been discovered and of those only a handful have been unearthed and are visible! As you drive around this country there are mounds everywhere and almost 100% of the time they are pyramids that are buried beneath dirt, cactus and trees. It costs too much money to unearth them so they just sit - buried!
The Parra's took us to lunch around the corner from their house. It was our first experience of eating off the street! We keep preaching to the missionaries to NOT eat off the street. This was a little restaurant, but I prayed extra hard that I wouldn't get sick! So far, so good! Prayer works!
I had breaded chicken breast that someone had beat to a thin slice about as thick as a piece of paper! There was soup - not eaten, lettuce - not eaten - refried beans - not eaten - and most of the chicken - not eaten! I did eat the rice pudding for dessert! I ordered a Coka light and the waiter had to leave the restaurant and go somewhere to get me the drink! A yummy lunch all the way around!
After lunch, the Parras asked if they could take us to the pyramids - Cacaxtla! They are not well known pyramids, but very interesting because they have murals from 600-900 AD painted all over the walls. The murals are of dark skin warriors fighting light skin warriors! The pyramids are so cool to be wandering around in. It is so peaceful there and you just have to wonder what ever happened for sure at this spot! Who knows if the archeologists know what they are talking about! We wandered around for a couple of hours, then had to get on the road to get home at some reasonable time! We already had driven for a couple of hours and had what we thought was a 2 hour ride home! HAHA! It took us 3 1/2 hours to get home due to the dang traffic! I may go completely nuts with this traffic! What is happening at 7 pm on a Wednesday night that the whole planet has to be out on the roads! BLAHHHHHHH!
We have taken lots of pics so here are some of them!

Driving down the road looking for the pyramid!
It is under that Catholic Church that is standing
above this hotel!

Better pic of the church sitting on the pyramid of Chulula!

We are at the pyramid and this little pyramid
that is partially unearthed is sitting next to the big one!

A view back at Chulula from part way up the pyramid!

Beautiful blooming trees!
I am told people pick these red leaves and
eat them!

Another view of the city from the top!

Here is the church with the two crosses on top
that kept getting hit by lightening!

City view!

The town center or zocolo!

Down the back side is another pyramid that they have
unearthed the stairs to!

I love taking pics of the people all around!
A mom pushing her cart somewhere to sell
whatever is in it with her daughter
going along for the ride!

People set up these little eating areas wherever along the road!
This one seems quite popular!
Then every night they clean everything up, pack it away
and start all over the next day!

In the Parras home with the sister missionaries that live
in a little house in the backyard!
Don't you just love the red curtain in the middle of her living room!

Pic with the Parras!
Look at all the knick knacks in the cupboard behind us!
They also still have all of their Christmas decorations up!

I love this door! It goes to a little bathroom
that is 2 steep steps down and mostly under the
stairs that are to the right!
I could hardly fit to go potty!
Greg went after me - I don't know what happened there!!

We missed the good pic but look closely under that yellow sign!
Yep those are dead chickens hanging for sale!
There were hanging chickens all over this little town!
They look like they are made out of rubber!