Vacation Time Again!

Good morning my lovely readers,

  Rachel and I are staying in Antigua again for one more weekend and I have to say, we are having a blast! I left my lap top back home at the center so I'm currently tapping it out on my phone so bear with me if there are some mistakes, my thumbs are cramping...I am going to post as many pictures as possible from this weekend and I'll post the rest (that are on my camera not my phone) on Tuesday when I get back to the center.

Best. Smoothie. EVER. Period exclamation point.

Room service because I had a migraine one night :(

The church at the square illuminated at night! The floating orb in the middle-upper-right is a lantern :) Tangled anyone?

The interns (former and current) at dinner

Church on Sunday morning at Ilglesia del Camino!

I thought my job was tough...

If I could die of a good smell, I would have died in this bakery

My new purse

The arch! At night!!

Best cheesecake I have ever put in my mouth. Seriously.

Part of my fabulous breakfast.

So I was journaling this morning, and I decided to give all of you a peak into my mind by transferring my journal entry onto this blog for you to read! So without further babbling, my slightly abridged journal entry:

  "Good morning! I am currently laying in my hotel bed, eating a piece of dark chocolate, waiting for Rachel to wake up, to go down to a 5 star breakfast.  Yes, yes life is good. I have had the most incredible weekend! Let me just give you the rundown on Kaysey first.  After much adue and stubbornness, we finally got Kaysey (a former intern visiting with us) to the hospital after being violently ill for days. Turns out she has gall stones and is flying back to the states hopefully today. (Side note: Don't worry about her, she is in no pain now and it's no longer an urgent situation, it's all good.) 

  So Saturday wasn't that great. Sunday was another story!  We started our day with a leisurely breakfast before catching the hotel shuttle to bilingual church in downtown Antigua. The service wonderful and it encouraged me to re-read the book of Matthew and search out all 49 commandments of Jesus. 

  After church, Rachel and I split up from Art, Ilvie, and Howie in the market and shopped for the rest of the day minus our stop at McDonalds for some of the best smoothies ever! 

THEN, we came back to the room and chilled out and showered for just a little while before we all headed off to dinner for Alejandra's birthday. I had the most amazing fettuccine with crab and shrimp. After dinner I had a fabulous-as-always cafe con leche that I thoroughly enjoyed. Following dinner, there was a traditional Guatemalan folk dance (that's name escapes me) that I got dragged into...so I just danced with the masked man and shook my maraca.

  Finally, Howie, Rachel, and I rushed to the square to see the floating lanterns be launched into the inky night sky to celebrate Antigua's 35th anniversary as a part of an educational organization.  It. Was. Breath-taking.

  I love it here in Antigua so much but I can't help but think about my babies back at the center. Today is our last day at the hotel, then I get to go back home. It's funny how the center has become "home" in my mind. When I walk through that front door, I know a sense of relief  will wash over me. Of course, that's as long as the first kid I see is my Hugo!

  Last time I was away, my sweet boy Andy Alfredo was taken home, then right before I left this weekend, I ha to say goodbye to little Tony.  So really, I have no idea if tomorrow I will be happy or sad when I walk through that big iron door and discover what, if anything, has changed while I was away."

I hope you all enjoyed that!

Love,

Cierra