CAL-E-FOR-NI-A

•April 15, 2010 • Leave a Comment

I should say, Sunny California! And boy how…sunny Sacramento, sunny Martinez and sunny San Francisco…next post will be about going back to back to sunny Martinez and then up to the sunny Sierra Foothill winery area and back to sunny Sacramento!

Wait…before I go on I must report our famous person sightings in California…it is true they are everywhere:

-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a new restaurant in Sacramento’s Old Town
-Kristi Yamaguchi at a fundraiser in SF
-Gordon Getty at his own home hosting the above fundraiser
-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, okay at the same above mentioned yuckity muck fundraiser
-Michael Franti at The Ramp in SF waiting for a table for brunch.

While Jim was off in Los Angeles interviewing his butt off (who has ever heard of a 9.5 hour interview…and NOT get the job – Poo on them), I was up in Sacramento spending quality Auntie time with Carl, Olivia and Isabella! Okay, Jim had some friend time down in LaLa land too as he got to see his old friends Willie and Robert too.

“Pictures speaks a thousands words” so here are our pictures:

We did a lot of hanging out with the kids in Sacramento!
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Hanging with the Kids Time in Sacramento!

Then there was Little League Opening Day!

Little League Opening Day with the Balzarano Clan!

Jim’s Photos on the train from Sacramento to Martinez:

Train from Sac to Martinez

Good Times with Jim’s Family in Martinez

Assyrian Night at the Henderson!
Lunch with 4 Generations!

Now on to San Francisco…

We spent an afternoon with Heather, Dusty and Sora visiting from Texas at the Golden Gate Bridge!

Day with the Mayer’s in SF!

TIME WITH THE WEISMANS
We got to stay with dear good friends, Rina and Jacob, while in SF. We got treated like royalty, minutes after arriving at their house Rina whisks me off to a Party at Gordon Getty’s house in Pacific Heights! In awe of not only Getty’s house, but the set up they had for this particular Teddy Bear Fundraiser. Parents bought expensive tickets for their kids to enjoy Willy Wonka’s play land! A candy bar, ice cream cone stand, a cotton candy booth, video games, free toys, face painting and mini burgers! As adult children Rina and I did not want to leave!

The next night Rina had made plans for us to meet with our friends Steve and Amy Jean…we started off the night at home with Rina’s Roaming Gnome cocktails made with absinthe. A nice dinner followed and it was great catching up with everyone.

And for those that do not know Rina or Jacob, they are beyond book lovers. They are, I am sorry Rina, book hoarders! Sell those things already! They have a library in their home. I would call it a book store, but they have more coming in then going out….so library it is!

The next day Jim and I did some wandering around the City we love.

San Fran Cis Co

Babies Who Brunch! Lunch with some sfGirl-friends and their families!

Babies Who Brunch!

Duncan’s Afternoon Sloppy Joe Birthday Bash!

Duncan’s Birthday Backyard Sloppy Joe Extgravaganza

In between all these activities, Jim had a couple of interviews in Walnut Creek and Sacramento, although no offers yet we are staying positive. So back in Northern California it may be for us!

More of our Out and About in California soon!
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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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OUR LAST OF THE EAST COAST…FOR NOW AT LEAST

•March 23, 2010 • 1 Comment

We are over the moon with the time we had in Florida with family, driving up and seeing more of the East Coast, hanging out in Virginia Beach on Couples Court, subwaying around Manhattan and Brooklyn with our ex-SF posse, and partying New York style with cousins on Long Island!

We have not given up on living on the East Coast completely, as a roaming gnome vagabond you learn that, you just never know! Where ever we end up…in the world…we still have to go back to the East (uh we are visiting friends and family in Northern California right now – next blog) to get our car! So we won’t say, “Farewell East Coast,” we will just say, “See you later for now!”

I think these photo albums will speak for themselves as far as what we did with the rest of our time in the NYC area, and our visit back to Virginia!

VALENTINE’S WEEKEND IN MANHATTAN WITH THE NORTH’S!

Day in Manhattan with The Norths!

TRIP TO THE MET AND RICH’S BIRTHDAY AT THE FAT PIG!

The Met & Rich's Birthday!

Out and About in Brooklyn and a Night out with Nicole
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Out and About in NYC

Another Snow Days and Snow Night Dinner with Patty and Suzi!

Another Snowy Day in NYC 2010

THE BALZARANOS ON LONG ISLAND

Trip to Long Island!

ART NIGHT OUT WITH PATTY!

Fountain Exhibit March 2010

BIRTHDAY POKER NIGHT WITH CHAD AND NICOLE!
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Chad's Birthday!

Coney Island with the Rogans!

Coney Island

JIM’S TRIP TO THE MTA MUSEUM!

Jim's Trip to the MTA Museum

SHOPPING ON CANAL STREET IN MANHATTAN!

Canal Stree & Broadway Shopping

Time in Virginia with the Glasiers!

Virginia is for Lovers and Corn Hole Players!

After Virginia we were off to CAL-E-FORN-I-A! Next post…cute and funny photos of the Balzarano Clan, Assyrian Night at the Hendersons, and Party-time in SF! And maybe an update on a permanent living situation for the HenderBalz!

An update for those who do not know, Jim did not have any luck with getting a job the 3 months we spent on the East Coast, so he headed to an interview in the Los Angeles area. That did not work out, but at this moment in time he does have some work stuff in the hopper. So we might end up in California after all!
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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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BROOKLYN SNOW DAY 2010

•February 12, 2010 • 1 Comment

“They” promised a lot of snow…

AND we got it! Eighteen inches of snow in Park Slope and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn! After almost 24 hours of snow coming down, what did you expect?

From NYC Snow Day 2010

Some people may not like the snow, but Jim and I were tickled by it all! Even walking down the street with snow going in our mouths because the snow blew sideways was fun for us. Okay, maybe we are just a tiny bit overly enthusiastic about the snow.

But not only did the snow make it a great Snow Day, but it was the indoor activities I got to do with some friends and their kids, that added to the snow delirium! Made my way over to Patty and Cooper’s around 12:30pm with 3-Step Truffle Ball supplies in hand! It took me awhile as I stopped to take lots of snow photos!

From NYC Snow Day 2010

Yana and Oliver were there ready for the indoor Snow Day Extravaganza. Yes, it snows then after some outside time we go in and make very fattening yummy treats! Life is good. Me with my Schnow Balls (not to be mistaken with Schweaty Balls) and Patty with her Valentine Sugar Cookies. Adults prepared and kids decorated, well mostly. The kids ate and ate lots of sugar. The adults ate lots and lots of cheese.

From NYC Snow Day 2010

The early afternoon led into late afternoon, the snow still coming down, Rich home from work early and Jim on his way over…the Snow Day continued. We had a nice sausage dinner and ate Schnow Balls for desert. Patty and I jested while Jim and Rich talked wind. Wind Wind Wind. It is supposed to be all about the Snow!

Well, we got a lot of snow on our way back home and we made the best of it. Snow fights, snow photos, snow walking and snow covered cars. A night time winter wonderland. It is like a blanket of cleanse all over the city. Ha…until the next day when it all turns to grey mush from the city coming back alive.

From NYC Snow Day 2010
From NYC Snow Day 2010

Seeing many snowmen on my travels on Snow Day motivated me to make a Snow-Woman the next day. There was tons of snow in our temporary backyard, so that is where I went. It had been a long time since I built a snowman and learned that doing it the next day is not a great idea. Dry snow just does not stick together, but I did not let that dissuade me to build a much need Snow-Woman. New York City needs a Snow-Woman!

2010_02_11

Not as cute as I hoped…but I did it. Snowella lives! And she is well accessorized!
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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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CONFESSIONS OF A 46TH BIRTHDAY

•February 11, 2010 • 1 Comment

I blame it on my Mom. Widowed single woman with 5 kids and she still seemed to make each one of us feel special on our birthdays.

To this day, that is all I want on my birthday. I need to feel special on my birthday and that is my confession. There I said it. Ahh, the relief!

I am so overwhelmed by the amount of birthday greetings I read the day after my birthday on Facebook! You, my Facebook friends, ROCK! I away appreciate the text messages, cards, phone calls, voice mails and gifts even more! I do have to say my favorite was my brother’s clan all (wife and 3 kids) singing Happy Birthday to me on a voice mail.

I spent my birthday sightseeing in Manhattan with Jim, since we had not done it yet. I had a great time, yet at times I did not conquer feeling like a Big Birthday Fish in the Huge Ocean of Manhattan. It is all about choices one makes…you can make it happen or not. And next time…I will make it happen all live long birth-day!

With this all said here is a sample of my Man-Birth-Hattan-Day!
(Click on photos for full album)

Okay, it did not start in Manhattan, the night before we hit this cool spot in our temporary hood of Park Slope South, Sidecar – Cures All Pain. Sidecar has cool cocktails and gourmet comfort food to boot.

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10
From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

My birthday started out with it being a winter wonderland outside and some pancakes!

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

Once we took some snow photos, we went straight to Time Square. Then we had some lunch off of Madison Ave at Cinema on our way to Rockefeller Center. Ha, on the way we hit Bryant Park, the mecca for fashion shows. The best park bathrooms ever!

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

On our journey we kept on stepping into this store and that store to find me a fun winter hat! Loft did not have any, J Crew did not have any, Benetton did not have any, and even H&M did not have any (but I did get a cute light pink scarf for $5.00 there). Oh well! But low and behold when we got back to Times Square to get on the long line for cheap Broadway show tickets, I found this tiny street shop selling tons of hats! And I got two for $20.00! Yippie, no more blending in with the most popular New York City dull winter black! A hot pink knit number, and pink and blue plaid cap are so much more Big Fish!

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

After the hats we got tickets to see Avenue Q and then took off to have an early dinner before the show. I found out about a secret spot, PDT (Please Don’t Tell) and I wanted to check it out. Come on, a hidden hotdog joint for adults, what is that? Well, what it is…is exactly that! A dark lounge with specialty hotdogs and cocktails. You do have to know how to get in, which is through the hidden back door of a phone booth! It was a fun time with birthday wishes from tables all around…and even shared tots and chili cheese fries! Yes, I had a hotdog and tator tots for my birthday…but I would not have it any different. I finally got my REAL Sabrette hot dog. Do not trust hot dog street stands anymore…even if they have the Sabrette umbrella it does not mean they are real Sabrettes!

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

Getting a drink before the start of Avenue Q I saw an ad for the show saying, “Warning: There will be puppet nudity.” Hee hee! And it was THAT funny! Loved it.

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

Although after the show we had to make the sometimes long and tiring subway trek back to Brooklyn, we woke up on our walk back to our sublease, so we decided to check out what will now be our “local.” South is nothing special at all, but that is what is so great about it. Just a neighborhood hangout, where I bet everyone would get to know your name given enough visits. After one beer we went home and laid our weary heads to rest.

Fun, but it does not end there. Although I did not want to do anything for my birthday the next day, Jim made plans for the Superbowl which ended with a cake. A big Brooklyn Blackout over-the-top-decadent-chocolate birthday cake, candles, a wish and a song, my birthday is complete.

From Dawn’s B-Day ’10

Thank you everyone for helping me feel special!
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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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NEW YORK CITY, BABY!

•February 4, 2010 • 6 Comments

We made it to NYC!

Now…are we going to be able to stay?

Some of the Funny/Cool Big Apple things we have seen/experienced:
– Cool drum/percussion show in the subway
– Heavy African American Statue of Liberty handing out ads
– Snow falling from the sky
– Countless awesome murals/graffiti
– An old above the ground rail system turned into a park.
– A $13,000.00 Chair that fits 4 people.
– Super cool dressed peeps (I not only need new clothes, but I need my funk back)
– Fun hats
– Juggle/accordion show in the subway
– $4.00 Absolute and tonic drinks (Happy Hour at The Magician in the East Village)
– Italian Delis
– A teeny tiny video in a hole in the floor at PS1 (an extension of MOMA)
– Being yelled at by a New Yorker
And
– Over $5.00 for a dozen eggs (mind you they were at a high end health food store and were organic, hormone-free, range feed, pedicured, cuddled and happy eggs).

From 2010_02_04

February 3rd and still no jobs and no apartment. The adventure continues in the concrete jungle! We have friends, we have clothes, and we have a car…what more do we need?

Well, thanks to Patty and Nicole we actually have beds to sleep on. We are getting to know the hoods of Bay Ridge, Park Slope, Prospect Park, Carroll Gardens and Redhook really well. We already know where Home Depot, Ikea and Costco are (those are the places one usually thinks about when in NYC, right?) , but best of all we know how to find Fairway Market on our own now too!

We have also been gaining weight. The culprits are Middle Eastern, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Italian and Chinese food, not to mention New York Pizza, an abundance of cheeses, as well as impostor Sabrette hot dogs. But we have also walked a lot, through the East Village, Chelsea and the Meat Packing District in Manhattan and of course, a lot around Brooklyn.

Some of our extra-curricula activities are as follows: Jim went Time Square to see the Jimmy Fallon Show, he helped put up a weather station, he got a hair cut, and I have been to the doctors. Wait, I also had a “Play Date” with some Mommies. While the kids get toys from the trunk, the Mommy’s sip some wine and get drunk! We are so looking forward to exploring all of New York City and I am sure there will be fun stories to share.

New York City!
From 2010_01_23 – Brooklyn

Which brings me to the people of New York. First, I do not think I can ever go back to being called Don again! It is Daaaauuuun, please say it as it should be! Our experience has been that New Yorkers are nice! Okay there was that one day the Health Food Store guy was very agro, but he redeemed himself the next time we went.

We have not painted the town red yet because we are 1) enjoying just hanging out with our friends and their kids, and 2) I have been sick the entire time we have been here…4 weeks now…with the last week being the worse and not good for Jim either.

It was great staying with Patty, Rich and Cooper! I have finally been de-Wii’d! Seven year old Cooper de-Wii’d me! No matter how many times I said, “No,” Cooper did not quit asking. I caved in and now I have played on Wii, and I like it damn it! Okay, I do not like it as much as Cooper, but it was fun! Patty is a great tour guide, and as I have always known, a great drinking buddy. Yes, another reason why I have been so sick for so long. Patty, it is all your fault!

Staying With Patty – NYC

Next we crashed at Nicole, Chad, Aidan, Cammie and Maverick’s pad (the last two are of the feline variety). Aidan is one super adorable 2 year old…even though he is sick! Pobrecito! Between playing with Aidan and petting the cats, we barely had time to look for jobs! Although we did not have tons of time together, I really enjoyed having some lone girl time with Nicole here and there. And Chad had a chance to win the whole pot on our poker night!

Staying with Nicole – NY

We just moved into a funky little sublease in South Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, New York for 6 weeks, and with lots of PMA (positive mental attitude) we will have employment and a permanent place to live by the end of that time! Then we can make plans to go visit California! We are sad that our plans to go in January have not worked out. But for now we like our “hood-for-now” and how can’t we when our corner store has 1500 different kinds of beer for sale! And we like the snowy backyard!

From 2010_02_04
From 2010_02_03

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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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UP WE GO!

•January 25, 2010 • 1 Comment

Up North that is!

Atlanta, GA – LIKE
Columbus, SC – BORING
SOUTH OF THE BORDER – LOVE
Fayetteville, NC – LIKE A LOT
Halifax, NC – LIKE (for Historical Factor)
Virginia Beach, VA – LOVE (The Glasiers)
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, NY – LOVE

Our first two nights on the journey were in Atlanta: Big burgers; Port and PBR; MLK’s birth and resting places; cool old houses; good southern cooking; and one funky arsty hood!

Atlanta, GA

Then we ended up in Columbus, SC for the night…and that is all I have to say about that!

With boring Columbus behind, the travel excitement was just getting started! I had been telling Jim about THE South of the Border ever since we started this l-o-n-g adventure August 25, 2008 and he finally got to see what my brothers, sister and I got to enjoy for years on every trip from Florida to New York and back to Florida again. Only this time it seemed even bigger! Is that possible? Yes, because there are 3 or 4 Pedros now! Is there anything better than giant gorillas, dinosaurs to ride and alligators biting your head? No. Really! We took photos to prove it! AND of course we had to stock up on some fire power; bottle rockets – giant ones, fire crackers – thousands of them, Bee Buzzers – tiny ones, Sparklers – large and neon, and let me not forget the Flying Lady Bugs – with report! Okay, maybe we got a little carried away for our Glasier New Year’s Eve Celebration supplies.

South Carolina

Back on the road again, we ended up staying in Fayetteville, NC for the night. A great medium size town with an adorable old downtown. We braved a walk up and down the street, in what we consider the bitter cold, the next morning checking things out as well as getting a coffee and a bite to eat at a funky cafe. We give Fayetteville two thumbs up!

Our last day of travels before hitting the Glasier’s pad in Virginia Beach, VA was short so we stopped off at the little Historical town of Halifax, NC. We even got a tour of a house that survived from the days of the American Revolution. Yeah right…sharing a room with my 3 brothers and sister would never have worked!

North Carolina

Virginia Beach!!!!!!!!!!

I finished high school in Virginia Beach and keep on going back, mostly because of Diana “Spinley Chops” Crowley Glasier! Besides a great New Year’s Eve celebration, we also hit a pirate exhibition, bought sweaters and winter coats, watched the Hangover on New Year’s Day, had hangover hamburgers, ate yummy Oysters Rockefeller and Clams Casino, played monopoly, cuddled doggies, and I got a hair cut.

Our New Year’s Eve consisted of a great Cuban dinner out, very loud fireworks and lots of them back at home, beer pong, yummy candy bar cake, the wearing of mustaches, funny jammies / Christmas sweaters, a champagne toast at midnight and live entertainment (Harrison can sing a mean song). Oh, I think the “boys” smoked some Central American cigars as well. Nothing like adult men sitting on the veranda just before midnight on New Year’s Eve teaching the youngin’s how to smoke a stogie.

New Year’s Celebration

And then there was New York City Baby!
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Our First U.S. Home…FLORIDA!

•January 10, 2010 • 1 Comment

There’s no place like home! There’s no place like home!

Seniors, cheap oysters and race cars…oh my!

Actually, going from Honduras to Florida is like going from Kansas to the Land of Oz. Some of the seniors in Florida could pass as munchkins! And let me see…Munchkin Land is probably Fort Lauderdale, Oz is probably Key West and the Wicked Witch of the West is Orlando (Sorry, it is way too Disney owns everything land). My Mom is Dorothy, of course, sweet as can be. My Step Dad is the Tin Man, in his no-nonsense kind of way. And their dog, Angel, is Toto too! Todd is the scarecrow…not because he is does not have a brain but because he is fun loving, and Wayne is the Lion…not because he is cowardly but because he had this huge afro in his early teens which reminds me of a Lion’s main! ;o)

The first city in the fantasy state of Florida we stayed in was South Daytona, the unknown next door neighbor to Daytona Beach, the home of the World’s Most Famous Beach and Nascar racing. It is not only home to Nascar and the World’s Most Famous Beach, but me too! I lived there between the ages of 6 and 16…three blocks from the beach!

We hung out at my parents house a lot, did some hanging with my nephew, Josh, and his crew. We saw a decorated boat Christmas parade on the river, went to Ponce Inlet to hang for a bit with Todd, we hit our first American dive bar with Wayne, went to the race track with the Glasiers, and had sangria with Sean and Candy in St. Augustine.

Daytona Dec-09

We also made our way down south heading towards OZ. We wanted to hang out with my niece Jenna who lives on Key West. Our first night away was in South Beach Miami in all its art deco splendor. The next day, before heading south again, we hit the Little Havana hood of Miami. Although, almost everyone speaks Spanish, Little Havana I am sure, looks nothing like the real Havana! It is an Americanized, big roaded, washed out version, not that I have been to Havana…yet! But even with that said, we had a nice cuban sandwich and tried mate soda for the first time!

Then we headed to the Keys, a set of many islands off the most southern part of Florida. Quite beautiful and nothing like the islands off the coast of Honduras. Well maybe, but super Americanized, which is both good and not so good. We spent a great afternoon with 17 year old and quite wonderfully beautiful Jenna and her friend, Simone. We (that being Jim and I only) ate oysters, conch fritters, and amazingly wonderful Gelato. Teen girls and their cute tiny little figures! No, they had lunch before we met up! We also fed Jim loves of pirates and lost treasures at Mel Fisher’s Museum. Where else in the world can you pick up and touch a gold bar that is over 300 years old? And how about buying a real piece of eight? Pretty cool. But I was a bit disappointed with how much Duval Street changed in just 6 years. Come on, Claire’s and Banana Republic? That is what a mall is made of…not the Land of The Conch Republic where The Conchs proclaim anything goes, you know lots of artsy types, individuals, piratesque peeps and so on. Banana Republic Clothing Store = individualism? But we did enjoy a pub or two on the Duval Crawl and we did have our fill of large oysters at Happy Hour prices ($6.00 a dozen), conch fritters and gator bites (made from actual alligator tails).

Key West

On our way back North we were hoping to go across the Everglades and maybe see some gators, but we missed the road (it wasn’t my fault) and decided to go up to Lake Okeechobee which ended up not to be kind of sad, but it is the second largest fresh water lake in the United states.

Florida Road Trips

Back to Daytona, my Mom somehow wrangled Jim into making Christmas dinner! That is what he gets for always talking about how he cooks this and that. Dinner was awesome and my Mom was cook-free for the day. Now that is a great Christmas present! And we did ended the meal with my Mom’s specialty, Baked Alaska, which she made the day before.

Besides the great food, our Christmas day was wonderful and somewhat funny! Josh and Todd trying to figure out how to use a Nicaraguan toy top, premiering our 12 Months of Hondomas video, and having a pirate face contest, was quite entertaining!

Florida Christmas

That was it…the day after Christmas we took off for destination North.
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Posted in Jan - March - 2010, Return to States
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THE 12 MONTHS OF HONDOMAS

•December 21, 2009 • 3 Comments

MERRY MERRY AND AN OH SO VERY HAPPY HAPPY!

Jim and I wrote a little Christmas song for you as our holiday greeting!
It is our twisted version of an old Christmas diddy!

Here are the words, in case you did not understand our singing!

THE 12 MONTHS OF HONDOMAS

In the first month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, a gecko with the name Gus.

In the second month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 2 bad boils.
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the third month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 3 gun shots,
2 bad boils,
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the fourth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 4 tipping boats.
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the fifth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 5 red sun burns.
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the sixth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 6 men a’couping.
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the seventh month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 7 floody rivers.
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the eighth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 8 macaws squawking.
7 floody rivers
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the ninth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 9 Spanish Classes.
8 Macaws Squawking
7 floody rivers
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the tenth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 10 roosters crowing
9 Spanish Classes
8 Macaws Squawking
7 floody rivers
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the eleventh month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 11 days a’raining.
10 roosters crowing
9 Spanish Classes
8 Macaws Squawking
7 floody rivers
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

In the twelth month of Hondomas, our year forth gave to us, 12 Ninos playing.
11 days a’raining
10 roosters crowing
9 Spanish Classes
8 Macaws Squawking
7 floody rivers
6 men a’couping
5 red sun burns
4 tipping boats
3 gun shots
2 bad boils
And a gecko with the name Gus.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Visit the HenderBalz Blog in the New Year to hear what may come of the two. Get answers to burning questions like…did Hender or Balz finally get a job, did they find a place to live, have they been overstaying their welcomes, are they living in their Suburu, or did they leave the country yet in search of warmer weather and cheaper living?
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Posted in Return to States
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THE LASTS

•December 11, 2009 • 1 Comment

Here is some of the Last things we did before leaving Honduras…


Our last day at the beach! Playa Peru with Audrey, Jerome and Nou Nou!

Playa Peru, Nou Nou and our Friends Audrey and Jerome Too!

Our last week with the Boys! Our week was filled with making utensil people, jump roping, playing on the computer and sharing lunch time with the boys. Check out the following album to see what we did with our time during our last week in Honduras!

Our Last Week at Casa Del Nino

We also did some dancing out last week too!

Our second to last day, we had a Garbage and Recycle Program and the boys got to build Robots from Recyclable Garbage. And this is how it went:

Recycle Robot Day

On our last day at Casa del Nino, we started off with regular activities. I brought all the beads I had left over for an all-out beading day, and Jim opened up the computer room. I started to cry right away, but I held myself together. The boys went crazy making me beaded jewelry and one teen, Mario, made himself a bracelet that said “Dawn, I love you” for himself to wear. My tears did not get the best of me then, but then little Israel came up to me to whisper in my ear in English, “I love you!” I broke down. It was that kind of day. I think Jim got a bracelet or two too…and some tears as well.

After our activities were done, we hung out and waited for Pizza! Jim and I got pizza for everyone for dinner and I have never heard such silence at the Casa before. Wait, we did hear a “Mmmm” or two which was music to our ears! It was great to see the boys enjoying something that they do not get to eat very often. The surprises were not over. Erika and Gustavo got up to say some nice words and they gave us Feed the Children Casa del Nino red polo shirts as a thank you gift for our volunteer work for the past year. They boys also made cards for us and each one came up and gave us cards…which sent me into a sobbing jag. If that was not bad enough, Jim stood up to say some words to everyone which then made him cry too. But soon laughter and cheers were every where because Jim and I pulled our Bolsas de Sorpresas (Surprise Bags). We gave gift bags to each boy. Included in the bag was a photo of us with each one in a homemade frame. We do not want them to forget us!

Here is that last day:

Last Day at Casa del Nino

Our lasts are not over yet, as we had one last night out in La Ceiba, Honduras. We got to see our best Honduran friends, Audrey and Jerome one last time. We also got to enjoy our favorite hangout, Expatriots, one last time, and we got to see our 18 year old friend, Edwin, one last time too. And let me not forget seeing Dr. G. one last time as well. He was the kind man that caused us much pain when we had those staph infections.

Last Night in Honduras

Okay, now that I have shown you a lot of our “Lasts,” I want to tell you none of them will really be our lasts because we have bonded with 30 boys who will always be on our minds, within our hearts and in our lives forever. We are committed to visiting the boys at least once a year, but hope to make it more.

We are very lucky people to have had the chance to do what we have done over the last 16 months, but more so because we were able to meet Kevin, Arnaldo, Anthonio, Selin, Carlitos, Rossel, Elvis, Alexander, Samir, Manuel, Israel, Walter, Josue, Jaime, Julio, Eldon, Jan Carlos, Luis Enrique, Big Samir, Noe, Luis, Jonas, Andres, Brayan, Junior, Miguel, Mario, Joel, Angel Gabriel, Angelito, Marcos, Michael, Jonathan, Angel Rojos, Jose, Edwin and Erik.

Thank you boys for enriching our lives!
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Posted in Dec - 2009, Return to States
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CULTURE SHOCK

•December 6, 2009 • 7 Comments

We have been back in the states for less than a week and we are staying with my parents in Daytona Beach, FL. Here are some of the things that are freaking us out a bit about being back in the good ole U. S. of A.:

-Driving on the roads. Going from Orlando to Daytona Beach at night and seeing the perfect highway roads, with brand new looking painted lines, reflectors and lots of street lights. I thought the car was going to sprout wings and take off because the highway looked like an airport runway!

-Drinking from the tap. I know a lot of Americans are freaked out about the quality of water that does come from the water taps, but we could not drink from them at all and feel like I am doing something wrong by doing so here.

-Commercials. We have not watched TV for most of the year, but they seem a bit more negative now.

-Grocery Shopping. Not the big stores so much, but the prices.

-Polite Driving. It is weird to see cars purposefully stopping for other cars and people!

-Bathrooms. Not only toilet paper is plentiful in public bathrooms here, but paper towels are as well. And it is nice to not have to throw your used toilet paper into the trash can next to the toilet.

-Realization that we won’t be seeing “Our Boys” in a day or week or two. I know I am attached to the boys, but Jim is realizing he is really attached too. I have already had one “miss the boys meltdown” since we have been back.

-Needing to wash my hair more. Okay it is not freaking us out, but since I wore my hair back in a pony tail every day, there was no need to wash it all the time. Now that sounds gross! I have very dry hair, so the natural oils were good for it. BUT now that I am wearing it down again, it does not look so good when it isn’t sparkly clean!

-Chain Restaurants. Here in Daytona we barely see anything else!

-$9.00 Glass of Wine. Okay, we are oh so happy to be able to get good wine, but one glass of wine in Florida more than what we would pay for both our meals out for a simple dinner is a bit crazy. For you Sacto people, Jim had a glass of Petit Sirah Bogle last night!

-Weather. We were hoping it would be a bit more mild in Florida, but the 55 degrees (I know you Northerners are laughing at that) last night froze our butts off at an outdoor block (We survived Hurricane Season/Christmas) party on my parents street and the decorated boat parade.

-Dangerous animals. After being faced with wild animals, insects and spiders in Central America, I end up getting bit on the lip by my parent’s little Jack Russel, ahem, named Angel!

-Stomach Issues. After not really having many issues with food in Central American for 14 months, I am having more problems than ever right now. Nothing big, but a bit of grumbly in the tumbly.

-Wide Roads, Huge Intersections and Traffic Lights. It is like America (or at least Daytona Beach, FL) has nothing else to do with their money, but making their roads perfect and wide…and putting up hundreds and hundreds of reasons to stop you all the time while on those perfect roads (traffic lights). There are more lights in a 3 block stretch of road here, than in all of La Ceiba, Honduras!

-Being able to find cool clothing for a decent price. I know it is supposed to be cheap in Honduras, but some things are not cheap…or if they are cheap they are made cheaply of polyester. Places like Old Navy and H&M are good culture shock experiences (can’t wait for H&M).

I am sure there will be more things that catch us as odd, but we are making do and surviving the crazy life in the States.
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Posted in Dec - 2009, Return to States
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