Getting to know you…

07/25/2016 Our last planned group of company is here and gone and I am still trying to settle back into my routine, whatever that may be.

I have decided to step away from the airport greeting gig for awhile. I am so grateful to have been a part of it and for Milesse and the wonderful friends I have made through the group, great bunch of ladies and men. I’m sure I’ll be back doing it again, I just need a break.

On Saturday July 9th we went to the wedding of two good friends, Chelsie Thomas and Sam Arch,  here on the island. It was held at San Simon Beach Club in West Bay. They were married on the beach, it was a beautiful ceremony. The guys were dressed very casually, the bridesmaids in gorgeous seafoam and white dresses and Chelsea was an absolutely stunning bride.

We left after the ceremony. It was 6 PM, takes an hour to get home and the dogs hadn’t been fed. I know, I know, they’re dogs but still they need to eat on time.

Chance and his family arrived on Monday. Alexah was sick, they thought she had strep but she refuses to take medicine so she coughed and hacked the whole time she was here.  It was a little different than we thought it was going to be. Not having seen the girls for several years made us virtual strangers to them and forming a good relationship takes longer than a week. Nonetheless, we are still happy they came to visit, that they got to enjoy their first plane ride and that they each took home a favorite memory.  I hope it will be a vacation that they tell their friends about.

On Tuesday we went to West Bay beach, it’s an hour drive one way there and it was a cruise ship day too, so more crowded than I like. We went down to my normal spot to snorkel and got everyone situated in their gear. Alexah and I were going to swim out so I could show her some things and Chance and Alecia were  getting Chloee ready to snorkel. After a few minutes I turned to look for Alexah and she was gone. I couldn’t find her anywhere and momentarily freaked out, until I saw her back by the beach with her parents and sister. Somehow Chloee swam into coral and got a brush burn on her leg. One of the medics for the cruise ship group tended to her with some salve. That was the end of snorkeling for the day. We put the snorkel stuff away, grabbed the rafts and headed down to Beachers for some food. After eating there we hung out in the water for awhile.

The next day we went to Little French Key. UGH, I hate that place and everything about it but Chance wanted the girls to see it. They swam and ate and jumped off of the high platforms.

I was floating and taking photos when I felt something fall off. It was my 2 gold bracelets that I had fastened together.  They were  somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. I was semi freaking, hand made, very expensive and yes, I always wear them. Luckily Chance and his eagle eyes found it. The one with the bad clasp is in the mail on it’s way to my favorite goldsmith in Fairhaven, WA. I called my goldsmith, Bill and told him the bracelet was coming and he told me his daughter was in Utila recently learning to dive and that he and his wife may come down because he wants to learn to dive also. Of course, I asked him to come visit me.

Chance and the family got lunch there. When the waitress brought the bill all the taxes were on it already. He handed her his credit card and she said, “it’s an extra 15% on top of the bill if you use a credit card.” I said, “seriously??”  Chance paid cash. As we were leaving a guy came around and asked how our day was and if we would give them a 5 star review. I mentioned the 15% charge using the credit card and his comment was, ” If you use the card it’s the tax on it but if you pay cash there is no tax.” What??? Ridiculous.

We also saw the little cub in the water swimming with people, which is not natural and then Alecia and the girls saw the workers kicking the small cub and then they chained it in it’s enclosure on a chain barely long enough to reach the water bowl. Last time I’ll ever step foot on LFK again.

The next day we chilled out here at the house, went to Arch’s Iguana Farm and then to Mega Paca. After that we came home and swam and ended up at Cal’s for dinner.

On Saturday we drove back down to West Bay beach but when we got there nobody wanted to snorkel so we sat at Bananarama, swam, floated and hung out for awhile.

Sunday was their last full day on the island so we went to Parrot Tree lagoon. I sat there with them for awhile and then came home. I wanted to sweep the floors and get the veggies chopped up for the pizza we were making for dinner. Bill ran over and picked them up a few hours later. Chance said they had a good time there.

Bill made pizza while the gang was at Parrot Tree, I chopped veggies and cleaned a little bit. The dog hair was overwhelming!! I was just finishing sweeping when Bill returned with them. They went in the pool and swam for awhile, then showered and we had our last meal together, yummy home made pizza.

The next day we went to the airport and checked them in, then we left, rode through Coxen Hole and then went down to Las Palmas to check it out. I’ve only been there once when Bill was fixing something there for a friend. It looks pretty nice, we were the only people there.

I hope as they get older they may want to return, you never know. Even though they didn’t seem real thrilled with the island, I’m pretty sure it gave them lots to talk about with their friends.

The thing with Omar is on hold. I still have every cent you all sent me. If he and his sisters don’t move out by the end of the month, early August I will be returning your money. I appreciate your thoughtfulness for sending it but I refuse to give the kids anything if there is one speck of a chance that the mother will benefit from it. We will buy nothing while they are living downstairs in her house because her deal is, she takes it and sells it. My friend clothed and bought diapers for Omar’s younger brother because he ran around naked and went to the bathroom where ever he was. The clothes were sold by the mom {for beer money?} and the child continued to run naked for years. We will not allow her to make a cent off of anything, therefore we are being very cautious before stepping in. Despite the fact that she cares nothing for her children and her actions speak very loudly, the kids remain devoted to her and will continue to give her money. We can not support this and have a clear conscience.  We are told that the police will continue to shut down her bar. What I don’t get is why continue, close it down and fine her or jail her if she continues to operate it. I mean WTH, it’s illegal. But then again, there are a few others in the same ‘hood.

The day I picked Chance up at the airport I signed in and worked to get them through immigration. I gave Chance my keys and went to sign out at the airport. I told them I would meet them at my car. We left the airport and went to the grocery store and while there I realized that I lost my residency card. The card that cost us a fortune to obtain. I went back and looked for it the next day, went in and asked the guys I know, nothing.

The day I took them back to the airport to go home I looked again. No card. So on Tuesday I left here at 8:15, headed for the immigration office in Plaza Mar, on the other side of the island, 45 min from our house. I waited until the girl who does the cards arrived, close to 9:30 (open at 9). I told Marcos (immigration guy I know from airport) that I lost my card and they said I had to go to French Harbor (10 min. from my house) and file a Denuncia. So I drove all the way back there. The guy at the Transito desk didn’t speak English but I was persistent. He took me upstairs to a really sweet girl who asked me all the questions for the Denuncia, wrote them on a paper, gave them to the guy who typed up the Denuncia. He filled it all in, we signed it and he handed it to me. Then I went back to the immigration office in Plaza Mar and waited my turn. Jennifer filled out forms and said to take them to the bank in the Plaza Mar lot and pay to get the card re-issued. After waiting 40 minutes until it was my turn at the bank I was told only Lempiras. So, I left, not ready to wait another 40 minutes. I got in my car to leave and it sounded like a Mack truck. I called Bill right away and he told me to look under the hood. For what? What is it I was looking for? There was an engine and a battery and other than that, nothing I recognized as the culprit for my car noise. He asked if I could drive it and I said I would try. My car barely made it up the hill leaving town so I pulled off in a car rental lot and called Bill and told him where I was. While sitting there waiting a dog came up to the car looking for food so I went to the trunk to get some rawhide beef stick things. I happened to lean over and look at my exhaust and some ASSHAT had hit my car, hard, great big dent in the bumper and they did a number on my exhaust. I decided to drive to my friend Annie’s store and wander around there instead of waiting where I was. It took Bill 30 minutes to get there, he checked it out, the exhaust was hit so hard it broke things and shoved it to the side. I need an exhaust and bumper repair. If I had seen the person who did this I would have nailed them to the concrete wall.

On top of that my washer broke, it wouldn’t spin at all, the repairman came and fixed it but it was almost as much as my car!!! This is 3 things, residence card, car getting clobbered and washer. Isn’t 3 the magic number, don’t things get better after that? I’m waiting.

I am going to take the dogs for a morning swim and then go run some errands. I’ll try to be better with my posts, I know, I’ve really been a slacker this summer..