Well...after almost a week of being in Belize I just today got everything out of our suitcases and hung up (good thing we are staying longer than a week) So, here is what we have done since we have been here thus far:

Wednesday
Rest, rest and more rest...It is crazy how old I feel. I used to go several nights with little sleep, but not anymore...it took me DAYS to get over that one night of packing before we left. I did however wrap some Christmas presents. We also went around town and stopped at a certain place for my favorite drink (Tamarind Juice, tamarind is a fruit). Then I took a pic of another popular dinning establishment that I thought you might enjoy (see pics below). We also went to the spanish market aka 'the mall' to get out of the house. While we were there a lady at one of the stalls asked if Preston was cold (he was dressed in a tank top and shorts)...Joel said no and ask her if she was cold and her reply was "im freezing" (it was 68 degrees out!) but I guess for them it is much cooler than they are used to. After this convo I begin to notice people in tobogin's and fur lined coats...that is some crazyness!!!! (ok...so...I guess I didnt rest that much)

King Burger Restaurant + tamarind juice = yummy

Red Lobster

"the mall"



Thursday
We walked over to some Mayan friends/neighbors house for a chat and to get our nephews a little treat (they have a little snack shop next to their house). While we were there they were taking dried corn kernels off the cob...I asked them what they would use it for and they said to feed the chickens...well it looked like there was some art form to it so I asked if they would show me how...(in case you're interested, you simply take a cob you have already de-kerneled and start at the end and scrap it off...no real art form)...I like to do things with my hands so I continued the corn scraping and chatting with the family for a few more minutes before we headed to the gas station to "top up" a phone we are borrowing during our stay (when I say "top up" I mean add money to be able to talk or text...think Go Phone but you have to go somewhere to add money instead of doing it from a phone or computer).

Cousins

Mr. Teul and Preston just chillin.
Working on that corn.
BTW I bought one on those tubs the little boy is sitting in to use as a bath tub while we are here...

...and its pretty awesome.

Headed to "top up."
BTW again: Joel said it was the Belizean way to have your pikni(kids) wear only a diaper.

Friday
I went in search of Christmas gift bags and tissue paper and there were only 3 bags to be found in the whole town of Dangriga and no tissue (looks like i may have to resort to that good old paper towel tissue...ok...im just kidding...that would be awful). I went search of hangers and oh.my.goodness $9US for 9 hangers and I'm talking the same hangers I can get at Wal-Mart 10 for a dollar! Went to a Christmas party for all the teachers of the school my mother-in-law is the principle of and I had quite a fun time with good food and games and new people.

Saturday
Before I came, I told my sister-in-law, Joanna, I wanted to have a girls day while I was here but I also told her that I was light light light light light brown so I didn't want to do any of that white girl touristy stuff =) So we met in Belmopan and started the day with tacos (yep they eat tacos for breakfast here) Then we drove with one of her good friends to Belize City. They then took me to some shops in search of swim suites but apparently it is not the season for swim suites (really Belize ...your on the Caribbean Sea and you don't sell swim suites year round...wow) then we went to a store called Mirab (the Americans home away from home) it has everything from home decor to children's toys and from shoes to stoves. They also had a huge beautifully decorated Christmas tree (sorry no pics).I am told when this tree goes up it marks the official beginning of the Christmas season it Belize. After shopping we had lunch at the Tavern (yummy). While there we ate, chatted and I learned a few facts about Belize that I found very interesting (but that will come in a later blog posting). All around great day.

Sunday
This was my wonderful hubby's birthday. We got up and went to the church where my father-in-law is the pastor, then came home and had Joel's favorite meal (chicken with rice and beans and potato salad followed by his favorite brownies made from his grandmothers recipe. He then opened his birthday present, a giftcard for the iphone 4. This was quite the shocker for him because last month he got a $200 speeding ticket and when the officer told him how much it would cost him he said his new iphone flashed before his eyes...and all for going a lousy 11 miles over the speed limit on 840. That night we went back to church for a children's Christmas program (although I didn't see much of it due to the fact I was strolling Preston to sleep).

The cake net to keep the bugs away.

Happy Birthday to my Boo!

Surprise!

Monday
Preston's first time at the sea. FYI if my fellow American's were here you would probably call this the ocean (as I always did) but it is NOT the ocean it is the Caribbean Sea.

Mama that is a big bathtub!

Enjoying the sea with daddy.

Family photo.

Tuesday
Nap Day...and I had an amazing pedicure for...dun.dun.dun...$15 US...awesomeness!!! We spotted a toucan stealing papaya from a tree in the backyard. We went to the University of Belize to hear an amazing American speaker named Dani Johnson (a female Dave Ramsey...kind of...) you should check her out at www.danijohnson.com

Napping with daddy.

Sorry for those who don't like feet but I had to show off my pretty sparkly toes and a few bug bites.

The papaya stealing toucan. Wednesday
Did a little laundry...Belizean style.

Well that gets you up to speed with our first week in Belize...I hope I didn't bore you =)

We have arrived...

Well...we have arrived...

I fully intended on having everything packed and ready to go by 8pm the night before our flight so we could go to bed early considering we were going to have to leave for the airport at 3:30am but did that happen...umm...that's a big fat NO. I got done packing at 2:30am and that was with the help of my sister-in-law, Nila. I got in the shower, dried my hair, did last minute checks and hopped in the car at 3:45 so no sleep for me but at least my hubby, Joel (pronounced Joelle) got 30 minutes worth. If it hadn't been for the Venti chi he brought me at 10pm the night before I wouldn't have been functioning.

Preston watching some aquatic critters on the lap top to get ready for Belize while I packed. He was so excited to go that he slept with his passport and snuggled with his crab.

Part of what took so long with the packing was I bought one of those scale that you hook the suitcase with pick it up and it tells the wight...well we realized after weighing suitcase #3 that they all weighed 35 pounds. Turns out the thing was broken and they all weighed over 50 pounds (the weight limit when flying to Belize is 50 Lbs)...ugh. I'll give you one guess whose luggage weighed the most...if you guess me you would be...WRONG...the correct answer would be Preston (my 6 month old son). The airlines only give a lap child a carry on sized suitcase but when you are packing diapers, wipes, formula and baby food for a month that just won't do. His bag alone weighed...57 pounds...and that is only because that is all we could fit in one of our regular sized bags...we still had a bumbo to pack. Why take a bumbo...well that will be our portable high chair while we are here. So, in total we had 5 checked bags, 4 carry on bags and a diaper bag!

Preston's stuff... and that is not even all of it.

We got to the airport and all but one bag was over 50 lbs but thankfully they didn't charge us for it. Security was challenging only because we have to take P-Diddy (Preston) out of his stroller, take out both lap tops and cameras and take off our shoes and Ill have you know it is not easy balancing on one foot holding 20 lbs on your hip trying to put a boot back on, but at least there were no pat downs or body scanners (not that I am opposed to them because some people are crazy these days). Our first flight from Nashville to Miami left at 6am and was great! There were only 50 people on the flight so they let us take Diddy's car-seat on the plane which was awesome because he got to continue sleeping and and he slept the whole flight. Joel slept the whole way and I got about 30 minutes. When we arrive in Miami it was 34° and apparently the airport didn't have heat(I mean why would it...it's Miami) the airport was freezing...we were all huddled next to the window where sun was shining in attempt to warm up. After 3 hours of that we boarded a plane to Belize City, Belize. That flight was ok...Preston was only a little fussy but quickly fell back asleep.

When we left Nashville.
In Belize...wonderful!!!
Breakfast in Miami

Mum mum snack on the plane with daddy

A little Baby Einstein on the way to Belize. The boys taking a snooze while I watch The Office.

My father-in-law was set to pick us up at the airport but we were also greeted by Joel's brother and sister. We made a stop for tamales in Belmopan (Belize capital city) the headed to Joel's aunts house for sandwiches and salad (potato salad). We made the last leg of the trip to Dangriga where we settled in at the in-laws house and went to bed early but not before I was re adjusted back to Belizean life...like watching a lizard crawl down the wall in our bedroom and me forgetting not to put toilet paper in the toilet and having to fish it out when it wouldn't flush...ahhhh...Welcome to Belize...it's good to be back...

First Post

Well, I have thought about staring a blog several times (and to be honest I already started 2) but the title, The Belizean's Wife, came to me and I thought it was perfect considering we are about to depart for Belize for an entire month. This is a great way to share our trip and beyond with family and friends. I will admit that grammar, spelling, writing, ect. is soooo not my strong point (I honestly dont know how I made it through college english or journalism with A's and B's) so needless to say you will see lots of grammatical errors. But, (ok...I know you are not supposed to start a sentence with but) I do have a Harbrace Handbook that I am trying to better myself with.

ANYWAY

Hello, Welcome and see you soon...It's time for me to go pack =)