Dave's Long Awaited Return to Leyah's Blog

Hola Leah's regular blog readers.

It seems she has something important to do this week so she asked me to step in and write this week's entry. I have been given free hand to write what I want with the exception that I can't write about her dog's personality or hibachi vs Smokey Joe grills. So I am not going to mention any of those things. I'll just say he a lovely little fellow who needs to find a girl friend soon, if you know what I mean.

Leah's mom and I have been down here now for five weeks. From the reports we have received from up north it is safe to say we prefer being here at this time of year. For those of you who will be making the trip down here in the very near future expect warm sunny weather. Tee shirts, shorts and flip flops are about all you will need from the moment you step off the plane until you get back on it to go home.

Yesterday we went with Pako, Leah and a surfer friend of Pako's to a beach called "the ranch" about 55 kms north of Zihua. The ride there was interesting as we were stopped by the Mexican Army so they could search the car and take a photograph. . Leah and Pako are used to the stops but the photography was apparently something new. It is a little disconcerting when you are stopped by men wearing hoods and carrying automatic weapons. Fortunately everything went smoothly and we were back on the road in about 5 minutes.

Driving in Mexico is a bit jarring for your average gringo. Pako is a good driver and understands the unwritten rules and norms of driving down here. It seems a little like bumper cars in reverse. Instead of looking to "bump" into someone the object appears to be to see how close you can get without actually making any contact. On the way to "the ranch" there were a couple of moments where I could feel my stomach start to travel to my mouth but everything turned out fine.

The last 5 kms to the beach are on a dirt and rock rutted "road". Pako was very careful not to tear the bottom of his car out as we rocked and swayed ourselves up the road. Pat and Leah felt a little carsick on the way back but no so bad that any medical intervention was needed. When we got to a thatched roof restaurant (the only one on this beach) Pako and his friend headed out to ride the 2 meter waves (about 8 feet). I was impressed with the size of the waves but Pako wasn't and Leah said she had seen 4 meter waves at this beach before. Being a water chicken myself, I was impressed with the way these guys would get up on the top of the waves and ride them. It's been a long time since I've seen people surf real waves and it was fun to watch.

Then we tackled the road out again. The road reminded me a little of a trip Pat, our friend Mary and I took about 35 years ago from Oaxaca City to Puerta Angel. This is a particularly famous road that we were unaware of at the time. The three of us were standing in line to buy bus tickets for a thirteen hour ride to the west coast of Mexico south of Acapulco when we were approached by a guy from Boston who said he was going to drive there and would we like to ride along. We decided to ride with this guy who was constantly popping candy in his mouth. His name was Andy and will be forever known to the three of us as Candy Andy.

Candy Andy had a mint condition 57 Chevy, a classic even back then. As we headed out the road snaked through jungle and was absolutely the worst road you can imagine. There were times when you actually stopped because it was very difficult if not impossible, to tell where the road was and what was just part of the jungle. The top speed should have been 10 mph but Candy Andy, perhaps all hopped up on candy, would go 20 and even 25 miles per hour at times. He proceeded to rip the muffler off his car and we were pitched back and forth and up and down hitting our heads numerous times on the ceiling of the car.

Just when we though it couldn't get much worse, Andy decided to pick up a passenger. An Indian woman was by the side of the "road" and she had with her a huge wicker basket. So Andy packed her in and the wicker basket ended up on my lap. So away we went pitching, bouncing and roaring (no muffler) for several hours. The only thing I remember about the end of the trip was running toward a small tienda and buying the last three cold beers they had and drinking them in about 20 minutes.

I have heard that there have been improvements made to that road but that it still is no picnic. Oh well, we were young and I am pretty sure that my spine has straightened out somewhat over the years.

Last night we went to Pako's sister, Lorena's house for dinner with Pako's parents, Lorena and her husband Luis and their good friend Jim. Luis has just began a job with a cookie and snack company and he was sent, last week, to Acapulco for a training seminar. At the seminar Luis learned about Vince Lombardi and was shown video clips of the Packers. The company is teaching a sales technique it has named after Vince that emphasizes determination and not giving up. I think we are getting closer to making Luis a Packer fan but have a ways to go before he asks for a cheesehead for Xmas.

The cookie and snack company was also naming a sales technique after the Vikings. It's called "that's how the cookie crumbles". I want to apologize to any Vikings fans who might be reading this but I can't control the actions of a Mexican corporation.

The wedding is less than a week away and things are getting exciting. This week we will be welcoming the 40 plus individuals who are coming from the states. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and having a real good time. The wedding itself will be on the beach around 5:30 followed by a dinner and reception at a hall in Zihua. Leah asked me what music I wanted for the traditional father daughter dance but rejected my first two choices - Yes we have No Bananas and I'm too Sexy for My Shirt. Now we will dance to something more "appropriate". One thing I know for sure is Leah will make a beautiful bride and Pako a very handsome groom.

Last, I would like to offer a shout out to all of those Wisconsin people who are resisting the union busting tactics of the newly elected Governor. On Wisconsin. Forward!!!

Take care everyone and next week, thankfully for you, Leah will return to once again to write her blog.

Leah's dad

Stressed? No. Tired? YES!

Hey Kids,

I know, I know, it's been awhile since I've written anything of substance (not entirely true, but more on that later), but better late than never, right? Right!

This is Wednesday night of the first week that I have all 5 of my classes again (6th, 7th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades) and I am EXHAUSTED! I correctly predicted that 3 weeks of only 2 classes would spoil me and I would be soooo not ready for full time school. Darn. I wish I had been wrong. How often does one say that?

I am happy to see my high schoolers, though! I missed them! They probably wouldn't believe that if I told them that, but I did! They are such a good group of kids and their levels of English make it possible to have some really great conversations! Plus, they're funny! I am happy to have them back, but the schedule will take some getting used to again. I'll only be here for another 3 weeks after this one and then it's another blissful vacation of 12 days! I'm taking 2 days before and an entire week after the wedding so that I can spend some quality time with my new hubby and visit with all of my lovely guests! :)

We're preparing for the 25th anniversary of Montessori (Feb. 14th) right now so I've been rehearsing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' with all of my classes so much that the dang-on song has popped up in my dreams! It's such a cool song, I hope it's not ruined for me forever! That also means that a lot of class time is stolen from me and dedicated to rehearsing for the big day. That's always mildly stressful because it means that I'm having to hurry up to stay on track for exams. This time around it's even more stressful because there is a certain amount of info I need to get to my kids before I leave for my wedding-stravaganza. Oh well, it's Montessori, I don't know what else I was expecting?

Wedding plans are pretty much on track. Within the next 7 days I'll be ordering the beer and wine and that will be the last of the major purchases. Everything else will be smaller details and won't be on my radar as much. Neither Pako nor I are feeling very stressed yet, but we are feeling fatigued! We've been (slowly, but surely) working on this wedding for about a year now and we are tired!!! I am SO excited to marry my best friend and to celebrate it with my friends and family, but I am also exceedingly excited for the planning part to be done! On Friday we're meeting with the caterer to discuss layouts of the hall and other details. The guy is a godsend! He is so organized that I don't even have to pretend I know what is going on! I can just nod or shake my head when he asks me something and then his people take care of it! Yes! I wish I had a person like him in my life all the time. Do you want fajitas for dinner? *nods* It is taken care of! Oh wait, I am getting a husband... they do those sorts of things, right? Right? Hahahahahahahahaha! Actually, my future hubby makes a mean chicken fajita!

My parents have settled right into their own routine here in Zihua. There apartment is nice (I think I probably like it more than they do, solely because of the hot water - which I use as much as possible) and in a pretty nice location. I'm sure you'll here more of that as I am going to ask my dad to guest-write the blog in the near future. Although, if he writes anything about my dog and crocodiles or hibachi grills, he will be in big trouble! Consider yourself warned, dad! Pako has been working the 3 - 11pm shift (the worst, in my opinion), so I head down by the rents after he leaves for work. We usually take a walk somewhere and then make dinner or eat out somewhere, then I shower (it's SOOO nice to have a hot shower!) and I cab home to my boys (Teki and Pako).

I had a momentary brain-fart and forgot what I was going to write next. And to think some people call me a writer! Ah yes, that's it! Apparently, I'm a writer... or so says my byline on Imagine-Mexico.com, the local Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo internet magazine that has just hired me to write 1 - 2 articles a month! Yeah, I know... what?!? I didn't even apply! Remember when my seniors participated in the peace conference and gave those AWESOME speeches that made me so proud I could have cried? Well, the woman who organized the entire peace summit is also the co-founder and editor in chief of this magazine and she asked me to write up an article about Montessori for a follow up on the conference. Luckily I had the anniversary to write about because I was majorly stumped otherwise. Anywho, she must have loved it because after Christmas she invited me to meet with her and talk about a possible position as a contributing editor. Wooo! Check me out! Here's the link to my first article (after the Montessori one, which I totally do not count). I'm going to write my next article on a program called Niños Adelante, which is a program that works with local kids and connects them with sponsors who help offset educational costs. It sounds like a really cool program and I'm looking forward to interviewing in person, face to face some old fart that I know around these parts :)

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, some uberextremelysupertotallyandcompletely awesome news: I'm going to be an AUNT!!!! That's right, my very own Lorena (haha, I've already become totally protective and possessive of her.. just imagine her husband!) is preggers! HOORAY!!! I am SO excited (if you can't tell)! Unplanned, but an extremely happy surprise! Tito can't stop smiling. She can't either, really! Neither can I! Not having siblings, I'm totally reliant on Pako's brother and sister to make me an aunt and here we go! Technically I am already an aunt as Pako's brother has 3 kids, but they're all older and I don't get to see them as much as I would like to! This is a NEW baby! I love those!!! Especially when I can give them back to other people! I know my mom's grandma gene is kicking in hardcore, but she is just going to have to wait another 2 - 3 years! She will make an excellent great-aunt to this little bebé!

Ok, that's all for now folks! Time for me to drag my tired nalgas into bed! Look for a guest blog from my father (as long as he's willing to behave himself) some time in the near-ish future!

XOXO - stay warm!

Leyah

PS. One of my all time favorite teachers is here for the month (and the wedding) and I am blown away when I think how much this one person has influenced my life! Great teachers really impact their students and often unknowingly turn into mentors and friends. I hope to someday have the positive effect on my students that this man has had on me! Go teachers!