Back to paradise

The weather has changed ENORMOUSLY since we left, the bugs are almost gone, the mozzys no longer torment us, the fire ants have vacated their homes and hanging laundry is no longer the risky sport it once was, but the sun is bashful. We flew into cloudy skies, frighteningly similar to the SF Bay Area grey and overcast skies we’d been living in while in California but the last few days have shown us that we need not have worried; the sun is alive and well, though well accompanied by clouds, here along the Caribbean.

We have been fighting through more and more sickness and it is simply shocking how we can’t seem to get out of the sick funk. With four kids, even if they are only sick one at a time, it sure can seem like they are ALL ALWAYS sick. Truthfully, Jesse and Pike were quite well the entire time in the US, almost as though they were willing their young bodies to stay strong and maximize the Andrew-time. Sissy only really fell ill the last week we were there and has been in bed, pretty much constantly since our return, either tired or sick and tired of her headache and cough. Pike has the same cough and he and Jesse alternate days running around and days laying about. Ellen and I, who were so sick in the US, have really been quite fine here and are about the only ones not laying about on a daily basis.

We spent about 3 days getting the palapa back to sorts; we are LOVING our new kitchen cabinets and once I purchased a bookshelf for the oodles of books we brought back from the US (3-4 suitcases full) we were able to really take advantage of our magnificent counter space. We still have a laundry list of items we need to work on, but it is becoming very homey. We had a couple delays in the US, extra security for Pike’s cast, something about me TSA didn’t like, and a missing airplane caused us to run (what was reported to be a mile) from gate to gate in Phoenix but our real adventure was going through Aduana (customs) in Cancun. We had 12 suitcases, 1 carseat, 4 laptop bags and four backpacks and got the RED light! (coming into Mexico, you are randomly selected for extra revision of your luggage depending on whether you get the red or green light) They opened up another table for us once they saw the quantity of luggage and about 1/2 way through gave up after seeing suitcase after suitcase full of Christmas goodies or books. Finally the supervisor said, “well, you DO have a LOT of people” and let the rest of the luggage go un-searched.

The day then simply got better and better; our neighbors were at the ready to take us home in our car, they had dinner waiting for us and had cleaned our palapa! I have heard that Deb and Ian also arranged for cleaning of the recamera and it was indescribably sweet to come home to a clean and arranged palapa. I honestly cannot thank you guys enough. It is SO GOOD to be home; sick kids or not; we’re loving our own beds, though after driving a new gasser for a month, the diesel monster van sure seems to ride rough. We have a myriad of items on our to-do lists and may have lighting in the diningroom soon even though the first order of business is to get hot water to the palapa. Now that the weather is so cold I cannot abide a shower in the A/C of the palapa so I head to the public bathrooms or run up a sweat and then shower. Jamie and I are promising each other that we’ll start walking soon, now that he is finally better and we’re drowning ourselves in Airborne hoping the germies leave us alone. I finally got all the receipts entered and will be posting the budget summaries though it will be difficult to post without looking at the bottom lines; I’m afraid we went a little wild spending in the US.

At any rate, we’re back, we’re happy, we’re getting healthy and have a list of to-do items longer than we care to know.