Trip to Jerez

Last week we had a wedding here in Phoenix on Friday for Paul Junior, my brother Paul’s oldest son. The next day, Saturday, we flew to Aguascalientes, where our Son and Daughter, Daniel and Ingrid, met us and drove us the last two hours to Jerez. We got there about midnight, so Marcela and the kids had already gone to sleep. We slept downstairs in Ingrid's apartment. Upstairs was already full of relatives from Aguascalientes who were there for the baptism that was to take place the next morning, all gone to sleep already.

The next day we got up to hug our daughter-in-law Marcela and the grandchildren, including the baby, Roberto Emanuel, who is four months old. That was our first chance to actually see him! Then we went to the English church service, where we got to see the Schierkolks, who had just gotten back from a 4-month trip to the US themselves.

The church was full for the Spanish Service, and we filled up the Salon de Fiestas that Daniel and Marcela had rented for the afternoon’s party. People came from Aguascalientes - many relatives from Marcela’s side as well as people from the old church there, some of whom we hadn’t seen for several years. It was great!

We had Monday to visit with Ingrid, and Tuesday we drove to the border with Daniel and Marcela and the kids, as they had to take care of some international paperwork.

We had an uneventful trip to the border, except for getting lost after a wrong turn in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. That delay, however, kept us out of Reynosa, Tamaulipas (the city on the border) just long enough to allow a gunbattle that was going on in that city to finish and for things to quiet down. (We found out about that the next day.)

We have learned over the years to not get too upset when some unexpected delay seems to inexplicably detain us on a trip. After 20,000 coincidences of this sort, it’s easier to believe that God is in control than that such things can happen for no reason at all.

We spent a day on the border, during which we took care of the 3 kids, playing grandma and grandpa, so Daniel and Marcela could have a day out by themselves. We had a lot of fun doing that, and in the process learned two important things: 1.) why God gives children to parents while they (the parents) are still young and 2.) why Daniel and Marcela are so tired so much of the time!

Then we had a 26 hour bus ride across the US from McAllen TX to Phoenix. It wasn’t as grueling as it sounds, although the seats seem to have been designed for hunchbacked midgets and American buses are not nearly as nice as Mexican buses. Greyhound doesn’t even play movies on their long bus lines! No sandwich and coffee service! Such barbarians!

Anyway, we are safely at Phoenix and all is well.

In Jerez for a visit

Debbie and I flew to Jerez a couple of weeks ago. Debbie stayed here with Marcela, who is due to have the baby any day now, and Ingrid and the two little girls, our granddaughters, Ari and Andi. Daniel and I loaded up the van with stuff we had left here and can use in Phoenix, and drove out of the country. Daniel needed to renew his papers, which requires him to be outside of Mexico for ten days.

We drove to Phoenix and unloaded, stayed a few days so he could touch base with his cousins there, and then drove back. On the way North I got really sick with a "stomach flu" (probably food poisoning), so I was out of it for about a week, recovering just in time for the return trip.

Now we are back in Jerez. We got to see most of the church members on Sunday and will have dinner with the Schiekolks on Thursday- all plans are tentative and postponable if the baby makes his debut.

It's so good to be here and see everybody.

Mexico is under siege with the AH1N1 "Swine" flu, but so far the Giles and Schierkolk families have stayed healthy, thank the Lord!

Debbie and I fly home on Tuesday the 12th of May. We hope we get to see our grandson before we leave. The Dr just told Marcela that he could be born any time after this Sunday.