Simplistically Wonderful

Today has been one of those wonderful days, a simplistically wonderful day that has been wonderful for no real reason. Woke up gently, snug under a soft blanket with cool air across my face and eased into my day. The weather went from all day sweaty to cool evenings to chilly days rather quickly, but it was fun spreading my blanket across the bed last night. David surprised me with an early morning video call, and passed me around the tailgate. It was wonderful to see my smiling friends, and catch sneaks of the blue skies and late-October leaves in Blacksburg. Mom and Dad gave me a call too, so it was neat getting to spend the morning with family. The air was so crisp this morning, and I couldn't shake off the campfire scent coming through the windows--it had me craving a hike and a couple nights in a tent. A lot of the neighbors have outdoor woodburning stoves, so that bonfire aroma is pretty steadily eminent. I feel like I didn't notice it as much when it was hotter out, but now it always leaves me smiling over autumn. We all woke up at different times, but ended up trickling out onto the porch for breakfast and a rock in the hammocks. Irene and I took our breakfast out with us, and Maryann brought her tea. I made a tasty egg and green bean sautee, and served it up with some aguacate chunks. Irene was all bundled up in her hammock, and commented that she felt like she was camping when she woke up this morning. I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one thinking of campfires and bundling up in tents! These houses aren't exactly built for insulation, and a lack of glass in the windows leaves the rooms about the temperature of outside, but it's so nice having some cooler weather. And the girls and I all agree that it is time to plan a camping trip.

with breakfast this tasty I was destined to have a great morning :)

We headed out to wander around town, and I always love how much fun I have smiling and chatting with strangers, friends and neighbors. There are so many fun sights and noises around the market. On chilly Saturday mornings you also get to experience the smell of coffee and fresh baleadas...mmm. The other day we noticed a man painting the store front of one of the shops in town, and I was so impressed with his painting skills. He has made some progress, and his bright red parrot is really coming to life. I wonder if we could get him to paint something on the outside of la casa rosada :) I had never been into the store, so today I decided to check it out. They have all sorts of Honduran touristy items, most of which they purchase from the market in San Pedro. I've been wanting some wind-chimes and little decorations to hang on the outside of the house, and this place was full of them! I didn't have the patience to think decorating ideas this morning, but it's nice to know I have the options right in town. I saw some neighbor boys sitting out front and greeted them with a smile. They've come by for fruit a few times, but I don't remember ever seeing them in town. Turns out this little tienda is owned by their family, and I got to meet their very pregnant mother, Yemi! She came up and asked if I was her neighbor, and I got all excited and asked if she lived in the house on the corner (yes) --she recognized us and commented that Maryann esta encantada de su perro, basically Maryann is in love/enchanted by their dog and always cooing at it when we're walking to town. Yemi is short for something I had trouble remembering, so she said to stick with Yemi. The boys are Mauri and Andi (also nicknames--Mauricio-11 y Anderson-9) and she has a twelve year old daughter I haven't met.

Yemi was incredibly friendly! Neither of us intended to shop much today, but we both noticed some winners. Maryann was picking out some fun jewelry, and had her hands so full she kept dropping earrings or bracelets. Yemi handed her a joyero (a decently sized basketesk type container) to put them all in, and then gave it to her when she made her purchases!  I've seen a lot of woven bracelets with little leather strips you can engrave, and have been wanting some ever since I arrived. I kept having a hard time deciding on color combinations, but today I was just determined to find a keeper. I knew I wanted two, and I knew what I wanted them to say, so it was just a matter of picking the colors that kept me smiling. At first I had two blue and white patterns in my hands, but Maryann suggested adding a little color to my life, and I'm of course always thankful to have her around. I love the two I chose! I was surprised to find one VT colored, and what better day than the day of the Homecoming game. Go Hokies :) Anyone who hasn't heard of "In the Heights" should look it up immediately, because it's a great Broadway show I was lucky enough to see a few years ago with a great message and lovely soundtrack. One of the recurring themes is paciencia y fe and it has really resounded with me. I'm pretty certain faith and patience are all we need to sustain a wonderful life. But every now and then I need a little reminder...

Sweet Yemi must have been in the mood for spoiling, because she insisted the bracelets be a gift from her! My wallet broke a few weeks ago so I've been on the lookout for a replacement (and being stingy with my monthly stipend makes shopping trips a rare occurrence) and found the winner at the tienda today! At first I was not ok with the bracelets being a gift, but then I just smiled and welcomed her kindness. I'm hoping we can get to know each other better, but she's busy with a house full of kids and classes at the university so we shall see how the relationship develops. We wandered up to Doris and spent a long while with her. She was working alone today and they got pretty busy at one point so Maryann and I started helping customers and tag-teaming taking money/giving out change. It was pretty fun! It was adorable because Maryann's Spanish isn't exactly fluent, but we made it work just fine. Doris is a very special woman, and I'm so pleased to be getting to know she and her family so well. She of course gave me some tortillas, and I enjoyed a couple as soon as we got home. One even smiled at me!

Mira la carita :) 

Later today I spent some time at the Barnabas House visiting with the families still there from last week's surgeries, and chatting with the staff. What a great group of people, but I'm working on an entry that updates all about the aforementioned surgeries, and some of the Foundation staff. It was great getting to see the kids after a week and embrace their moms like old friends. I actually ran into some of them in town today--always makes me grateful to live in such a small town when I get to bump into so many people passing around town. Little Joel wanted to play Bingo, and I got such a kick out of being a Bingo caller for a few games. Made me miss David, that's for sure, but in a nostalgically happy kind of way. For those who are now confused, David and I spent a good while as rival Bingo callers for a swim team fundraiser. I'll let you guess who holds the title :) One of the boys has me anxious to practice my accent with my Spanish numbers, and I am telling you every day I am practicing more and more with my poor lengua to make it more catracha. Hah--around town we joke that the biggest clue I'm not catracha is that I have a crummy accent pronouncing the word! A new brigade arrived tonight and it was nice chatting with some of them. One of the team members is mother to a friend of a very good friend at home, so it was such a small world feeling meeting her tonight! I'm going to translate for them at Melvin Martinez' church tomorrow night and looking forward to that.

May not have been anything overly exciting, but I love when an assortment of simple things make a chilly, rainy day so bright and wonderful.