Dave's surprise bday party with the roomies

Maria and Paola at the Christmas card making station

Feliz Navidad!!
I don´t think I´ll have another chance to say that before Friday so Merry Christmas!!!  Things have been busy here with holiday parties, shows, etc. but first I´ll start with the schedule for our time at home so everyone knows and we can plan get togethers accordingly.
Dec. 26 - arrive Detroit at night
12/27 - 12/28 - Grand Rapids & Kalamazoo with Daves fam
12/29-12/30 - Lansing
12/31 - 01/02 - Detroit area
01/02 - Big Fundraising Party at my dad´s house at 6:00 p.m. - 3184 Angeles Drive, Waterford - everyone is invited to come!!
01/03 - Kalamazoo for Sandys bday party
01/04 - Owosso all day to see kiddos
01/05 - Lansing with Melissa and fly out

Sooooooooooooo let me know when we can hang out!!! We will not have phones while we are home so that is why we need to make plans now. :)

Im skipping my weekly copy ritual since there are no classes right now so nothing to copy so I have to go meet Dave in a few, so this will be a quick update.  THis past week just very busy with lots of Christmas projects and homemade presents.  Our classroom Christmas party was Wednesday where we made cottonball Santas, Christmas cards, decorated cookies, Christmas paint by numbers, read the Grinch stole Christmas in Spanish, played Christmas Bingo with red and green popcorn, played pass the lollypop with music, and had a huge feast that Maria graciously cooked for us (with money I don´t think she actually had.... but I think she is the most giving person I have ever met).  Thursday they cancelled classes and we spent all day decorating the school for Dia del Nino, day of the child, for the big orphanage-wide party on Friday where we had a clown who called me up on stage in front of 300 people for some contest in Spanish - and surprisingly I won.  This weekend just Christmas shopping and now trying to keep the kids busy with activities while there are no classes.  Also, I am the coordinator for the Christmas program for Christmas eve so running around between 12 houses and 200 kids making sure they have their programs and costumes ready and trying to motivate them to do so.  Now finishing Christmas shopping for the night.  Saw some of my little friends in the park and bought them hotdogs for dinner and they told me they were doing nothing for Christmas.  It´s so sad but the kids in this country are convinced that Santa Claus is someone who died a long long time ago and that´s why they never got presents.  If you try to tell them otherwise, they´ll argue "It´s true, it´s true, someone shot him!"  Wish I still had that Santa Claus costume I borrowed every year in Owosso....


Okay well that´s it for now cause I have to go, I already wrote a really long email and then my time ran out and the internet shut down, that´s what happens when you pay by the minute I guess.  So I can´t wait to see everyone soon - please write and let me know when I can see you if you haven´t already!!! Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas from Erika

Micheal Jackson show in Boca Chica

Dave's bday in Boca Chica

Dave's bday surprise