Felíz Cumpleaños a Brenda

Yay! We finally have wheels! No more 2 hour walks home from church activities at midnight. Collin went bowling with the Young Men last night and also went grocery shopping.I asked for a big bottle of olive oil since we have been going through ours so fast with all the tortilla I make and he delivered! He also bought some moscato which is non-alcoholic wine made from wine grapes and apple juice. It is so good. Everyone at church drinks it and calls it Mormon Wine. My language partner, Mercedes, told me that they usually have it at bars and restaurants. So I can finally stop drinking all that soda and order moscato instead. Collin bought himself a hat and I think it looks really good on him. We have all tried it on and it actually looks good on everyone. Hopefully, it will keep some of the sun off his face tomorrow at the beach.

We went to Carrefour to pick up a present for Brenda. I chose a Jonas Brothers book. She and her friend Valentina (with glasses) absolutely loved it. Our present was only second best though. She also got a puppy from her parents. I was supposed to meet Ana Maria for an English lesson at 6:30 pm. She forgot because it was her daughter's birthday and she was out buying food.

I met with the Primary Presidency: Ana Maria, Nubia, and Sara. Our meeting lasted 1 1/2 hours and we were constantly interrupted by our kids. We talked about upcoming Primary activities and how to get the kids to bring their scriptures to church and dress appropriately on Sunday. I agree on the scriptures, but as far as what they wear, I feel like we should just be glad that they are actually coming to church. I proposed that for our Christmas Activity we have the kids dress up as Mary, Joseph, lambs, etc., and have a little program with some music and afterwards there could be tables set up with decorations and traditional food from all the different countries represented in the ward. Counting us, that would be 15 different countries.

After our meeting we all trooped into the kitchen and started making hamburgers and fries. No joke, the church owns a deep fat fryer that everyone uses whenever they want. I had a burger with everything but the meat and mayo: fried onions, lettuce, tomato, avocado, ketchup, mustard, cheese, hot sauce, homemade salsa and bun. I also had some fries. Sara was frying the french fries, Ana Maria was frying the burgers, I cut up the tomatoes and avocados. Jasmiles and Nuria were assembling the burgers to everyone's specific tastes. I was running around taking orders and delivering burgers. I knew that awful job waitressing at JB's in Provo, UT would come in handy someday:) There was tons of lively conversation. I understood about 80% as usual.

When it was time to sing Happy Birthday to Brenda, they didn't bother lighting the candles. I wondered why until they sang 5 different Happy Birthday songs (from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, America and Spain). It is a tradition in their family to have the birthday person take a bite out the cake before slicing it and serving. Of course, that is just an invitation for your brother to push your face into the cake. Brenda also kissed Miguel Angel on the cheek with her frosting lips. It was really funny. It also shows how close everyone is here. Miguel Angel is a teenager and Brenda is 11. Their families are very good friends.

Collin really liked Pepi's lipstick in this picture. She is Sara and Maricarmen's mom. I really liked Oliverio's shirt which says "You Don't Know Me, sponsored by the FBI Witness Protection Program." One thing the kids and I didn't like was the handicapped guy who kept going around kissing kids on the head. Emma sat in my lap forever because she was so creeped out by him. He kissed Aidan on the head and Aidan came and wiped his head on the back of my shirt. I told the kids to stay away from him if they didn't like it. The guy is Nuria's stepson. She is married to an older man. I think his son is about her same age, but I'm not sure.

I have to do laundry every day here and hang it to dry. It is kind of a lot of work so I fold it and make the kids put it away every day. Also, I refuse to iron. I know, I'm mean, but it is a job I hate at the best of times in the states. Collin has to iron his own shirts here.

My teacher, Rebecca is pictured with me at the kitchen table where we have our lessons three days a week. I think my Spanish is finally improving and I am not too shy most of the time to participate in conversations. Collin is going to meet with her once a week as well so she can answer some questions he has about grammar, culture, etc., The kids are pictured with their teacher, Elena. She brought them lollipops today as prizes for a game she played with them. All three of the kids are really improving. When we leave the house, I try to only speak Spanish to them so that we can blend in a little better and also to help them learn.

I feel very grateful to the members of the church here for making our time in Granada so fun. Now that we have a car we can do even more. Miguel, Miguel Angel's dad, invited us over sometime. They live outside of Granada.