just a question. . .

Can you get fired from a volunteer position?

Church stuff

Just a little info for my kids (probably the only people who view my blog) - dad was just called as interim first counselor in the Stake Presidency here (the two counselors , who work for the church, were shipped off to Utah for the rest of the year, and will probably be relocated when they get back.) I know, shocker. However, although we will never be listed as "The Cleavers" on Bethy's blog description, I honestly don't know anyone with a better understanding of the functioning of the church and working knowledge of the Gospel than dad. I'll miss him!

This weekend's adventure - La Malinche, Cacaxtla, and Xochitécatl

Chapter 1: Hiking La Malinche - (dormant volcano at 4460 m or 14,640 ft above sea level named after Cortés' interpreter/lover)We spent the Thursday night at Parque Nacional La Malintzi in this little cabin (actually much nicer than many of the homes in Mexico) making s'mores and enjoying a cozy fire.
The hike the next day was an arduous 5 hours but well worth the journey. No need to hire a guide - we were accompanied by a friendly stray pooch - for the bargain price of one taco longaniza (sausage.)
the top . . .and after the climb the three of us enjoyed lunch at this tienda/restaurante for a grand total of 42 pesos ($3.26 US)
Chapter 2: We then drove to Cacaxtla - (a 30 minute drive if you know where you're going, a 1 hour drive if you're trying to follow the Mexican road signs.) Cacaxtla was the capital of a group of Olmeca-Xicallanca, (Putún Maya if you're into archeology) who arrived around 450 AD. They became a chief power around Puebla after the demise of Cholula, and peaked around 650-950 AD, finally being abandoned in 1000 AD.
Cacaxtla is known for its well-preserved murals. This one is in the Templo de Venus - a representation of a guy in a jaguar skirt with a scorpion tail. I don't even want to try to interpret that.and this is a picture of both Cacaxtla - the covered structure (to protect the murals) and Xochitécatl - the pyramid in the distance.
Chapter 3 - Xochitécatl - (Pirámide de la Espiral) built around 1000 and 800 BC is the only spiral pyramid known. We weren't able to spend much time here.
And to top off the day - we enjoyed a great hail storm on the way home! (Eat your hearts out, Houstonians!)

Update (on Angel - see previous post on kidnapping)

Angel is doing well, thanks for asking (Ashley.) He was beat up a little, but survived without serious damage. Turns out, it was the state police that kidnapped him (yes, surprise, surprise, many of them are corrupt here.) They were trying to pick up someone else, but mistakenly took Angel, because he was wearing the same outfit that they were told the real target would be wearing. (Brandon and Landon beware!) When they discovered they had the wrong person (the one with no money for ransom) they dumped him. Sometimes it pays not to be wealthy.

La Novicia Rebelde

Last night we went to the play "La Novicia Rebelde" or "Sound of Music" as it is known in English. We were celebrating Lynette's (Sister Olson) birthday. (pictured below)
Actually, it was an amazing performance! So amazing, in fact, that dad didn't even fall asleep! And it was easy to follow in spanish because I was familiar with the plot and the music. They did, however, delete a couple of songs that didn't translate well. Very fun evening (for me, at least.)
Here we are in front of the theater - a very interesting mosaic-encrusted building.

Fun in Relief Society

Although I'm more a Primary/YW person, at times Relief Society can be quite fun - and informative. This week we had a lesson on appropriate attire for church. There was quite a discussion on what should and should not be worn to church. When the topic turned to wearing pants, one lady raised her hand. She immediately quoted a statistic of how many women die each year of vaginal cancer. She then proceeded to inform us that studies have proven that wearing pants causes vaginal cancer, concluding with her testimony that we could avoid a premature death by not wearing pants to church! Have you heard this one, Bethy? I thought you'd love it.

Poor Angel!

Our driver, Angel got kidnapped today. They took him out of the city toward a town called Querétero and, when they discovered he didn't have any money, they took his i-phone and dumped him. He borrowed a cell phone from someone to call his brother to come get him. Dad got a call from Claudia tonight informing him and warning him not to answer any calls from Angel's phone.

Mexico gets better every day. I think that's why I'm still awake.

Bored - again

So I went to the clinic this morning to find out that the clinica movil is canceled all week because our driver is sick. Apparently nobody could figure out a solution to that problem, so two physicians and one medical student will do nothing for a week. Very efficient!

I feel another dream coming on.

The Tunnels

We've been to the monastery at Desierto de los Leones many times and have taken almost every guest we've had, never realizing we were missing one of the funnest parts - the tunnels. A month ago we went with the Webers and Slacks from Houston. Angel drove and as I got out of the car he gave me his flashlight for our journey through the tunnels. I'd never even heard of them. They happened to be closed when we arrived, so we returned with friends today. I wish I had known sooner. Y'all will have to come back again to see them!Here we are exploring the tunnels - under the monastery. The flash makes it look light - but you can't see a thing without a flashlight. Fun!
our friends the Harts in front of the monastery