Fortune Cookie

Today's Pei Wei fortune: Words must be weighed and not counted.

Heaven is...

...having lunch with a dear friend that involves blueberry iced tea and Triple Chocolate Decadence cake.

#10 I really love to laugh.

This is Farron Hunt, my wonderfully witty roommate for 10 days while I was in Mexico. (She's with one of the girls we met.) She's a beautiful, caring, compassionate woman who...loves to laugh. This is a great thing for me because...(I'm going to let you in on a little secret)...I'm really goofy. I love to skip or jump or dance a jig when people don't expect it. I don't necessarily love my inability to be graceful, but I've learned to live with it and actually laugh at myself. It was so nice to spend 10 days with someone who laughed with me as I laughed at myself and just enjoyed life and being in God's creation.

So, a question to my readers out there...what's the goofiest thing you've done lately?

Today's Pei Wei fortune: Be generous, and the favor will be returned.

#18 Some pigs have rhythm.

Bathrooms in small towns in Mexico are hard to come by...so several times a day I would make a trek up to the outhouse at the elementary school. On my way I passed several houses. For the most part, the houses looked about the same...made of bamboo-type wood or adobe with a rusted metal roof. One of the houses always had several pigs standing in the front yard and Tejano music blaring. Every time I passed by, the pigs tails moved back and forth to the rhythm of the music. A couple of times, I stopped to watch. The pigs never missed a beat. I was amazed...the pigs had more rhythm than I do.

This experience only solidified my yearning to take dance lessons to help cure my rhythm problem. SSQQ...expect me every week starting June 4th.

# 7 Cheese Ice Cream

Last weekend while walking in Poza Rica, I saw a street ice cream vendor. Since it was hot, I decided to take a gander at the offerings. There were 5 flavors: vanilla, coffee, strawberry, guava-melon, and cheese. Seriously...cheese. I really couldn't figure that one out, so I questioned further.

Me: What kind of cheese?
The ice cream lady: Fresh cheese.
Me: Really?
The ice cream lady: yes

I had already experienced fresh cheese at a restaurant. In Mexico, fresh cheese refers to a white cheese that is made daily...hence the name fresh. This white cheese has the texture of feta but has a very, very mild flavor.

I figured that since I was in Mexico I should try something new. I asked for a bite. It was actually really good. It tasted a lot like soft frozen cheesecake. Then it came to me...I got a scoop of the cheese ice cream and a scoop of the strawberry. It was like eating strawberry cheesecake...pure heaven.

So the moral of the story is:
If you are ever in Mexico, give cheese ice cream a chance.

I'm back!

I'm back from Mexico. We ended up finish our research early, and so after spending 3 hours in a van, 5 hours in a bus, and another 2.5 hours on a plane, I landed at IAH this morning around 9:30.

I learned so much while I was in Mexico. I think the best way to begin relaying the stories is with a list...so here it is. Over the next several days, I'll expand on some of the items with pictures.

18 things I learned while in Mexico

1. Sometimes you've just gotta twirl.
2. Someone thinks I'm beautiful.
3. I like toilet seats.
4. I do not like fresh coconut.
5. Little girls like to be tickled.
6. When a white girl draws blood in rural Mexico, the whole town watches.
7. I like cheese ice cream.
8. Pizza doesn't taste quite the same in Mexico.
9. I need to learn flexiblility.
10. I really love to laugh.
11. The same question is on every girl's heart.
12. Lizzards and air conditioners do not go well together.
13. I don't get car sick in Mexico.
14. I really need to learn Spanish.
15. I am so blessed.
16. Just chilling is a great thing.
17. If you don't have a barn, the animals come in the house when it rains.
18. Some pigs have rhythm.