We are home (since Tues. afternoon)!! The inspector came back around 12pm and spent all of 3 minutes in the house?! The gas company weren't going to send anyone out but, then were able to afterall. He showed up around 1:30. He connected the gas meter and then proceeded to turn on the water heater and furnace. Unfortunately he was unable to get the furnace to light so...I had to call the AC people out to turn it on. I was not home when he came but, he left a bill of $100 . When I saw that I just broke down and cried. They were just here in Dec to service the unit, I couldn't believe they would charge me that much considering they just gave the A-ok 2 months ago. That is when Christopher just broke down too. We both had emotional meltdowns and laid on his bed and cried with each other!! I think he is obviously feeling the effects of the upheaval but, more so he misses his Daddy!
Yesterday was a much better day for all of us...the sun was shining...yay!! I had the doors and some windows open and it was wonderful! I spent some good time reading Don't Waste your Life which was just perfect for the week. My perspective is much better right now and for that I am thankful. Oh, how I am tossed back and forth by my emotions!! I need my logical husband here to balance my emotions!
The Mexico team leaves tomorrow. The trip has gone very well. The dentist and helpers were kept extremely busy! They were able to finish all of the footings that are needed for the church building too. Today they are spending the day at "The Birthplace" a beautiful swimming area where the water flows from a rock cave. The water is a bit cold but very refreshing and clear. The church members love to take us there to rest up and have fun before the long drive home.
Calixto will be home for just under 2 weeks before he head out to Mexico again! I am excited that I'll be going this time.

Ugh!! I missed the inspector this morning. The earliest I could get her after taking Catherine to school and running an errand for Calixto was 9:10. He came at 8:40!! I guess since we live close to downtown where the office is he hit our house first. Now, I am assured they will be here between 12 and 5. I hope that leaves enough time for the gas man to put our meter back on, if not we'll spend another night at the apartment.
Calixto said the trip is going very well. The dentist with them was able to do 4 cleanings and will have a full schedule today now that they have figured it all out. Church on Sunday night or maybe it was Monday night was incredible. He felt that there was an incredible annointing on him as he preached, many responded to God by praying at the altar. There is also a couple on the trip that are unable to get pregnant. The wife shared this as part of her testimony and everyone prayed for them...Calixto said it was a sweet time as the Mexican people poured their hearts out to God on behalf of this couple. They were very humbled and overwhelmed by the love shown to them by virtual stangers (although, brothers/sisters in Christ). He sounded very encouraged on the phone last night! He is upset that he is not here to take care of us or this situation, but is trusting that God will take care of it all. And of course he is!
Ok, the computer is moving like a snail...I can't fight it anymore!!

Well it is day 4 of our displacement! On Friday I called the gas company due to extremely high gas bills. A big mistake on my part!! The gas man came and found a small, minute leak. He told me while this was not the reason for the high gas bills he had to take the meter even for a small leak, so...within 5 minutes he dismantled the meter and then told me the process of getting gas restored. First a certified plumber has to come out find the leak and fix it, then the plumber calls the city inspector, the inspector then checks the entire house to make sure it is up to code, regardless of where the leak is. If everything is satisfactory he then calls the gas company to install a new meter. Of course on Friday it was too late to get all of that done, today was the earliest a plumber could come out. Hopefully the inspector can come out tomorrow. The city has to be notified before 10 am to come out the same day. Maybe, we'll have gas back tomorrow but at this point that is unknown.
Calixto left the night before and was in South Texas when all of this transpired. I was able to reach him via cell phone and through sobs explained what had happened. Graciously our Pastor's family has let us stay in their garage apartment. What a blessing that has been, Beth has spoiled us greatly. I know my kids and dog don't ever want to come home!! Christopher has had a blast playing with Brady, Catherine loves peddling around in a toy tractor and Chessie loves roaming around their property and swimming in the pond!
Today the plumber came and told me at least 3 things needed to be changed, one of which will cost $300 on its own, the other 2 things are minor. But, they still don't know where the leak is until these are taken care of. It is now 2:00 and they have been here since 9:30. This bill is going to be large, but I am trusting God that it will all be fine and pray for his provision!
Almost without fail things like this happen when Calixto goes to Mexico, we should learn to expect them I suppose. The day he left was a horrendous day for him and he was exhausted and emotionally spent by the time he left. The team missed their connecting flight and arrived 10 hours later than expected. This threw a wrench into their plans but we always remind people that we need to be flexible on these trips. Everyone seemed in good spirits despite the long travel day. The next morning, Saturday, they were ready to cross the border around 9:00. So far everything is going well. They had to meet with the President of Tamazunchale this morning to get everything in order to do a dental clinic. "Coincidentally" the president is a dentist and a christian! How neat is that. They were able to get what they needed and were headed to Petlapixcla around noon. Please keep them in your prayers throughout this week as they spread God's fame to a people so desperately in need of a savior. Thank you to all who are praying for me and the situation here. God is good!!

On Saturday we got to spend some time with a friend from Maine. Danielle was in town for the Heritage competition at LeTourneau. She has been to Mexico with us 3 times. Calixto made contact with her Christian School several years ago while working in admissions at LU, they asked him to set up a trip for their Highschool students. Danielle loved the Huasteca area and the people and even came back with us without her school in November. She has a heart for missions and knows a bunch of spanish. It would be great if she receives the Heritage scholarship and ends up going to LU. It was a weekend of basketball, we went to the CHS game on Friday night, Christopher's game on Saturday and then over to the LU game that afternoon. The games were all nail-biters, except for Christopher's game. They ended up removing the score from the board because the score was so uneven. Christopher scored 20 points! So far his team is undefeated. How fun!
Here are our Valentine's flowers. Calixto brought Catherine a single pink rose which she totally loves. I didn't have time to arrange my roses, I just quickly stuck them in the vase, I'll work on that later. We had a nice dinner at church last night and the kids had a lot of fun playing with friends.
I stayed home yesterday and just can not do it today...Catherine keeps asking "Where are we going today? Are we going to church?" She definitely is not a home-body. So, I'm off to help Calixto prepare to leave tonight.
Remember to check out www.ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com and pray for this dear family going through an extremely difficult time!

Happy Valentine's Day or as Catherine says Happy "Balastimes" Day!
Boy, she really raked in the cards and candy from Ballet class and Mother's Day Out. She doesn't like most of the candy and so she shares freely with Christopher! We'll see if he reciprocates with his stash from school today!
It is a chilly, chilly day so I have stayed inside with a heater at my feet while I get stuff done at home. Calixto offered to buy me a new outfit for dinner tonight but, I knew it would be difficult to find something on such short notice so I declined the offer, hoping to take him up on it some other time...very soon!
Since I'm staying home all day (which is a rarity) I got caught up on all of my reading. I am reading "Don't Waste Your Life", Downpour", "Creating Community" and soon to add "Love and Respect". Wow, I don't think I have ever read so many books at one time...ok, maybe in college. I am definitely being challenged in many areas of my life. My prayer is that I will be changed and not just walk away with more head knowledge. The best book so far is Don't Waste Your Life...how convicting and challenging!!
Calixto leaves tomorrow evening for Mexico. He'll be taking a group from Trinity church in NJ. Unfortunately I will not make this trip but hope to next month when we take a group from our church and Grace Community in Glen Rose. There is always a lot of misc. things to do prior to leaving and seemingly never enough time to do them, if you think of it please pray for him to accomplish all that he needs to.
The reason I am not going is that my mom is having surgery on Friday and can not come to watch the kids. She apparently has appendicitis with no symptoms and has a non-functioning gall bladder, they'll hopefully remove both at the same time if the appendix is not leaking. I am sure she would appreciate prayer for a successful surgery and short recovery time.
Ok, I have to quit wasting my life on the computer and go create community with my children!

Here are a few pictures of the floors. In the first picture you can see that the floors were dark like the stained wood and trim.
oops, I forgot to turn the picture. This is in the midst of sanding
Here is the finished product. They look a bit darker in the picture, I think
Here is Catherine's room. There was a hole in her floor like in ours where there was once a heater. They were kind enough to put in replacement boards, they don't match exactly but look a lot nicer than the piece of plywood and tape that was there.
The floors look beautiful but, are scratching up like crazy and we are careful with them. I found a great area rug at Sam's for Catherine's room so she can actually play on the floor with toys...right now that is off limits!! If they continue to scratch so easily I think we will call them back to figure out what the problem is. Ok, I am staying home today to get some work done around the house!