keep reading to figure out why i don't actually know this woman's real name...

today was such a blessing.
it started out pretty rough. yesterday wasn't that good of a day at school, and i was trying very hard to be joyful and digging deep into my reserves of patience. i was also bummed that i wasn't with family on thanksgiving - that no one here was even celebrating thanksgiving (not their fault - it's not a mexican holiday hahaha)
we were 15 minutes into the school day when angelica told me to call renie right away...i knew that either really good or really bad. i call her up and she goes, 'no classes, hilary, it's thanksgiving. come over and you're going to learn how to make corn tortillas and flor de calabaza quesadillas, and then we're going out for thanksgiving dinner.' i started CRYING. it was so wonderful!
i went over to her house and watched her neighbor make corn tortillas and then made a few myself, after dropping the first one on the floor as i was trying to slap it around as the mexicans do so effortlessly. oops. calabaza is a squash, and it was this lettuce looking vegetable, cheese, peppers, and onions in the homemade tortillas. deeeelicious.

i got back to the big house and was playing with the kids when a ywam group showed up, and no one was really around so i showed them around and talked to them. it was SO FUN. i love welcoming the groups...even just having conversations in english is awesome! they were such a blessing. i was low on energy and a teeny bit homesick, and they were just full of life and love.

then ted, irene, their two daughters ali and ani, kim, and her daughter chloe and i went to baja mama's for dinner. it's this funky restaurant that's really an extension of baja mama's house (yes, there actually is a baja mama). it's right on the beach on the way to la boufadora in the middle of nowhere, but a super fun, overwhelming, and colorful dining room. it was an interesting place to be - full of super rich americans having thanksgiving where their second (or third) homes are, and then the motley crue from gabriel house! it was great, though. baja mama has given us leftover turkeys the past couple years for the kids. she is quite the character...we walked in and she had this huge yellow curtainy dress on, no more than 4 teeth, and was smoking under a sign that said please no smoking. ha!
dinner was exactly what it should be...turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, yams, corn, and pumpkin pie. unbelievable. such a great surprise, and a great day!