Merry Christmas!

I know this is a little late...but I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas, as I did. I was lucky enough to start a couple of weeks early with a visit to St. Louis and the Gubler family. The boys are growing up so fast! We played, read, enjoyed each others company, and I got my Christmas wish of a little snow. Hopefully it didn't foul up the workings of the city too much-I'm told St. Louis doesn't usually get much snow. Cynthia threw me a late all black birthday party to mourn the end of a certain un-named decade in my life. I'm still waiting for the recipe for the delicious cake she baked!

I came back to SA for some work (and some time off since I caught a sniffle in the frozen north), and a week later mom and dad arrived. We had a good visit, though I was a little sick for it. Dad continued his reputation (hunting=camping with guns) by going on a doe hunt and seeing only bucks. For Christmas day, we cooked a turducken. In one word, it was delicious! I invited two friends who weren't going home for the holiday (both male), and we laughed that their presents included art, a sewing machine and cooking supplies, while I got a set of combination wrenches and a GPS. I guess mom and dad were tired of calls that went something like:

Me: Are you at home?

Them: Yes, we are.

Me: Can you go to the computer, please. I'm _____________, and I'm lost. I need to get to ______________. Can you please tell me how to get there from here?

My new back seat driver came equipped with the option for an Australian accent, which I happily accepted over Sponge Bob or Dora's voices (which I could have downloaded from the website). Though, thinking about it now, it might be good for me to set the language to Spanish for a while, as I'm venturing back to Central America in a couple of months. I've been accepted as a volunteer on a medical mission to Antigua. I'll spend two weeks translating for doctors, dentists and optometrists. While I'm looking forward to the experience, I believe my Spanish needs a little refreshing. It will be fun to explore the city again, serve the people, and spend some evenings with Random. I am looking forward anxiously to the Pan de Chocolate y Naranja from Dona Luisa. I remember eating lots of it many years ago. I'll have to dig through my memories to see if I still have the place mat with the map, so it will be easy to find.

It has been lovely to hear about what some of you are doing through Christmas letters, cards and emails. All the best in the New Year!