Soccer and more

 Jul 25,

This was a busy week, with lots of soccer-related activities. Bella had her soccer camp at Xavier from Monday through Thursday, and had soccer practice at Walnut on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night. On Wednesday, Lionel and Bella went to the FC game (no pictures were taken) and Sofia and I had dinner and went to Alms Park to try to see the sunset. We missed the sunset, but at least we had the view and Sofia practiced driving. 

On Friday, I took the afternoon off. Sofia worked, but Bella and I went back to Alms Park to eat our lunch. On the way back we decided to do a craft, and painted tote bags. Meantime, Lionel went downtown to play poker. On Saturday morning Lionel and I went running, and I worked on the yard for about 3 hours. It was super hot, and I was exhausted, so after finally taking a shower I took a 3 hour nap. I didn't mean to sleep that long, but I guess it just happened. 

This morning Bella wanted to get up early to go to Coffee Emporium, before the traveled to Vail with Philippe and Monique. She is spending the week with them. The rest of us will be here, going about our days.

Just a regular week

 Jul 18,

Random moments from our regular week. Well, mostly from the weekend.

First job ever!

 Jul 11,

Sofia officially has a new job, her first job ever! She is going to work at Taste of Belgium, and has been in training Thursday, Friday, and yesterday. She has one more day of training to go and will then start picking up shifts. So far she seems to be enjoying it, and it will be a good opportunity to learn how to work with others, and to deal with difficult people.  She already has a couple of stories of random requests and reactions of people who come in to eat there. But she also says that all the coworkers are really nice so far. 

Back to normal

 Jul 11,

Over the last few days we have been getting back to normal including unpacking and doing laundry, cleaning the house, and buying food for the week. This afternoon we also had a bit of "normal" with a quick trip to Coffee Emporium. Today has been super rainy and gloomy, but it has cleared up at times. And luckily there was no rain when we went and came back.

Mexico 2021 - Day 12 - Good Bye

 Jul 6,

Today we got up at 5:00 am to catch our flight from Queretaro to Houston. The city was very quiet at that time, but not completely dead. Some people were definitely already on their way. 

We had no issues whatsoever during the trip - except for when Bella forgot her cell phone on the plane and we had to ask for it - but it was definitely a long day. While I was not feeling tired earlier in the day, I was definitely feeling it by the time we landed in Cincinnati. It is also such a strange feeling to start the day in one country, and end the day in another one with such a different way of life. Bye for now Mexico. Until the next time. 

Mexico 2021 - Day 11 - Last Day

 Jul 5,

Today was our last day in Mexico and we took it easy. I did a morning workout by the pool, we walked around downtown, and the kids had plenty of pool time.  And, in the evening, Gabi's former co-workers dropped by to say good bye and to cut cake - for Gabi's belated birthday. 

Needless to say, tonight everyone was super sad. It was very hard to say good bye, especially for the kids, so the adults had to keep it together. I am extremely happy that we finally came back home, and that the girls got to see Mexico, but I am also super bummed to be leaving again. Hopefully next time it will not take me so long to come back. 

Mexico 2021 - Day 10 - Hot Springs, Park, and Goodbyes

 Jul 4,

This morning we got up early to go to La Gruta, the nearby hot springs. We wanted to be there by 8:00 am. It was a particularly foggy morning, and on the way there we saw a hot balloon flying really, really low. I am assuming that since it was so foggy, they couldn't see a thing otherwise. 

The entrance to La Gruta is not obvious by any means, so you could easily miss it even if you were looking for it. Luckily our friend Max had showed us exactly where it was. The place was also much bigger than I had anticipated. It is a pretty decent size. It was a chilly morning, so I personally couldn't wait to get in the water. It was so nice and warm, and with the chilly morning it felt even better. Even abuelita, who normally doesn't get in the pool and was not prepared for it, bought a swim suit at their store and got in as well. I was very happy that she did. It was such a unique place. We all enjoyed it a lot and were happy that we squeezed it in before leaving San Miguel.

After leaving La Gruta we went back to the house to finish packing, close everything, and drive back to Queretaro. We had to return the rental cars by 4:00 pm. After returning the cars, and checking in at the hotel, we went to the Alameda (the park) to walk around for a little bit. It was very hot outside, but it feel really good to walk around in the shade. At the park entrance they had some historical information and I learned that the Acueducto took 13 years to build, and stared functioning right on my birthday, on Oct 17, in 1738. I never knew that.

After the park we went back to the hotel, took showers, and went to Max's house for our last get together. After all the driving around they did for us, they still cooked us dinner. It was  great to spend time together this week after 20+ years of not seeing each other. And it was even better to see that we could still pick up right where we left off. Of course it was sad to say good bye, but we are leaving with great new memories.