Wednesday, January 3, 2023
The time has come to say goodbye to Guaymas and Empalme. We spent the morning packing, and it was ... miraculously ... better. The kids are all learning to take better care of their stuff and to pack more efficiently. It’s a huge relief for us.
Before we left town, we had to say goodbye to David and Irene. They have been so good to us here. We are super grateful for their hospitality.
We also had to say goodbye to tía Cháncali. She was sweet, and the kids were good with her as well. We will miss her for sure.
Betty also wanted to say hello and goodbye to her old stake president, presidente Palestino. He’s a pediatrician in Guaymas. By this time, the kids were in a pretty grumpy mood, and Betty was also feeling a lot of intense emotions for a number of different reasons.
One of the challenges of this trip for the kids is that we never really know what our plan will be. It causes them quite a bit of anxiety. This morning, since we are moving houses, they were curious to know where we would be sleeping tonight. Betty, frustrated with their tone and dealing with her own emotions, snapped back at them: “Maybe we should just go back to the US and sleep there.”
To which the kids responded: “No! You PROMISED us we would be in Mexico until January 8th!”
It was actually an awesome moment because you may remember that when we entered Mexico they were begging us to make it only a two-day visit. But they have really come to love it here -- despite some of the challenges.
After so many visits with friends and friends of friends, Betty and I felt like we needed some time with our family. So we drove up the coast to San Carlos to the mirador (overlook).
We did a little hike down to the beach, and Ian and Alicia enjoyed climbing around on the rocks while Kimball and River threw rocks into the sea. Anahi wasn’t feeling great.
We were able to get some delicious strawberries and cream and fruit with chile. Oh, and on the way out we got coconuts with fruit and Tostitos and shrimp.
Because the kids were pretty grumpy on the way back, we didn’t let them watch movies on their phones on the drive back to Hermosillo. They weren’t happy about that, but they were happy to be back in Hermosillo with their friends, the Ayalas.
It’s not surprising that we are all a bit allergic to each other. In the past three weeks we have spent over 53 hours in the car.
Tonight there was a fireside (youth chat) in Hermosillo. Sister J. Anette Dennis , a counselor in the church’s general relief society presidency, was here in town (her husband is from Hermosillo). She gave a beautiful talk to the youth about their eternal identity as children of God. She also told some amazing stories about experiences she and her husband had when they served as mission leaders in Guatemala. God really does look out for his children.
After dinner we went to an amazing restaurant in Hermosillo called Pollo Shilo. It’s in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, and it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the vibe inside is awesome. It’s owned by members of our church, so the place was packed with white shirts and dresses -- it looked like how the restaurants in Utah look after a Saturday evening conference session.
And the food at Pollo Shilo is amazing. Their specialty is chicken fingers. You can get them on their own or in a salad or on a hamburger. I got a hamburger called Hambur-GRUESA (fat-burger). If they opened one of these restaurants in Provo, they would be millionaires.
Instead of staying with the Ayalas again, for this little stint we’ll be staying with Betty’s friend Alma. She is the daughter of doña Lupita, whom we met in Empalme last night. She lives in a beautiful and super-secure subdivision on the outskirts of town.
Hours in the car today: 2
Total travel hours in the car: 50.5
Miles Driven: 93
Total Miles Traveled: 2,850
Distanced hiked today: .67km/.42mi
Total distanced hiked on trip: 2.84km/1.77mi
