Playing catch-up

Hello to all of our faithful blog readers! I know that a post is long overdue, and so at the strong urging of a few of you I have finally sat down to update you all on the latest and greatest with the Pecks! First of all, there has been an addition to the family since I have last written, so please meet Gus, our beautiful beta fish which Geoff bought for me for Valentines Day. He is swimming there above the orange flower in case you can't pick him out too well... the best part of having Gus has been that our dog Jeter is insanely jealous if we pay any attention to the fish. Now of course otherwise, Jeter does not want much to do with us (unless food is involved) but walk over to Gus and start making a fuss, and Jeter is suddenly the most attention-seeking dog you have ever seen!

At the beginning of the month, Geoff's family came down to the visit during his spring break and we enjoyed spending time with them! They had not seen where we were living at yet, so they were able to become familiar with the area, and we also did some touristy things, of course. Geoff and his brother, Jordan, also got to spend some quality time together golfing and playing Playstation :)

Geoff is anxiously counting down the days until graduation and we are both looking forward to him earning a paycheck and not being reliant upon my measley income. At the beginning of this year I was not getting enough client hours with my child therapy job, so I have added a second job with HomeInstead Senior care, working with seniors during the day, serving as companion and doing light household chores such as cleaning and preparing meals, as well as providing transportation. God certaintly has been faithful in providing just what we need. Speaking of school, I just received my acceptance letter to the Counseling program at Old Dominion University for this coming fall! We're both very excited that both my school and Geoff's work will be on one side of the dreaded bridge-tunnel, so we are planning on moving to the other side (aka Virginia Beach area) once our current lease is up this summer.

Well... dinner is on the stove and I've about run out of news so I'll sign off for now... good night!

Politics

(This entry is dedicated to my husband, for without him I would not even know that which I am about to write)

I am sure that anyone who knows me at all can attest to the fact that I have never been interested in political things or current events. I really have to push myself to look at a newspaper (besides the sales flyers) or watch the evening news... I made our local newspaper my homepage so I'd at least have to glance at the daily headlines before redirecting myself to more important things... like email. So, obviously, in God's infinite wisdom He put in my path a man majoring in political science who is now finishing up a Masters degree in public policy. So now what choice do I have, right?

Now sure, I know plenty of married couples who have different interests, who fail to really involve themselves with hobbies or interests of their spouse, and this is of course an option available to me. However, at times like "Super Tuesday" while my husband is absorbing exit pole coverage by CNN and MSNBC, and literally watching the votes be counted in Missouri hoping Mike Huckabee can pull off another big win, I'd be pretty bored. So instead I have seized the opportunity to learn a little more about this great country of ours and its unique political system. I now not only know who is running for President in 2008, but some of the differences between each canditate (I'd hope so after watching 17 debates, right?), what the difference is between a caucus and a primary, the political importance of Iowa, and what "Big Mo" means for campaigns when it comes to finances. Heck, I've even started reading political articles on my own time so when Geoff gets home I can dazzle him with my knowledge! For example, I filled him in on the W.Va caucus "back door scandal" yesterday because he was driving home from D.C. and wasn't in front of a computer. Now typically I get some facts mixed up that he has to help me with, but he's always pleased by my attempts :)

I am glad to know that our children will not be as ignorant about politics or current events as I was growing up, for certaintly our dinner conversations will involve that day's headlines from The Washington Post. My hope is to at least to be able to guard the kids from any emotional or psychological scarring which may occur when they are not able to remember the name of the current Majority Leader (just kidding sweetie).

But anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are never done learning and growing and that we often have opportunities during our life to get involved in something new, and we should take it! So it may not be something that gives you goose bumps, or leaves you breathless with excitement, but I'm sure that you will become a better person just for allowing yourself to learn and to be taught. I know that I feel like a much better educated American since meeting Geoff, and have lots to thank him for teaching me, even if I do tease him about it more often than not. So at the dinner table tonight, ask your family or friends a question about something new... who knows where it will lead! For as the greatest conservative once said: "All great change in America begins at the dinner table" (Ronald Reagan).

Virginia: Winter Wonderland?

One thing I don't miss about Wisconsin is the cold. As I type this, my hometown is bearing the brunt of -3 degree weather that feels more like an excruciating 24 below zero because of the wind. Here in Virginia, it's 34 and feels like it. But what I do miss about Wisconsin, besides getting to watch every Packer game, is the snow. I'm talking up to a foot of snow at a time; snow you can build forts out of; snow you can play "King of the Hill" on; snow that on occasion lets you stay home from school; snow that makes you wish you had a bigger shovel or a more powerful snow blower.

Since moving out here to Virginia, I haven't seen any accumulation on the ground. Apparently we had a snow last winter, but I was up in PA for the weekend. So when the news reported a 100% chance of the white stuff this afternoon, Danielle and I were quite excited. A bonus is that Jeter evens loves playing around in the fluffy flakes. And even though we haven't even got an inch on the ground yet, it was still great to experience something this transplanted couple from the North doesn't get to see too much anymore...

Mexico: A Recap in Pictures

Danielle and I spent a week around Christmas with her family in Puebla, Mexico where her parents and brother are serving as full-time missionaries. What follows is a pictorial tour of our trip, with a brief caption under each picture to guide you on our journey. Enjoy!



First off, let me introduce you to the characters in our story. From left to right: Keith and Dawn (D's parents), Danielle, Tyler (D's bro), and Kara (D's sister). Here we're getting settled on the top of double-decker tour bus which took us throughout Puebla...



Here's a shot of Puebla from our tourbus. For you history buffs out there, the Battle of Puebla was fought on May 5, 1862, and was a defining moment for the Mexicans in their battle for independence. The victory is still celebrated today as Cinco de Mayo...



This is the beautiful basilica in Puebla. Every major city in Mexico has a Catholic basilica, as about 90% of the population is Catholic. Major city's also have zocalos, or town squares. In Puebla, on one side of the zocalo is the major government building, and on the other side is the basilica. Interesting church-state relationship they have. One last note - the Puebla basilica was originally supposed to be built in Mexico City, but plans got mixed up so Puebla actually has the "better" basilica than the much larger capital...



There are numerous statues of angels surrounding Puebla's basilica. According to legend, the workers building the basilica left the bells outside overnight and planned to hoist them into the towers the following day. When they arrived at work the following day, the bells had been installed. Sensing a miraculous occurrence, they credited angels for the construction help....



There are stray dogs everywhere...



Alright, another cool (albeit far-fetched) story for y'all. Puebla is surrounded by three volcanoes. Two of them are pictured above - Popo (left) and Ixta (right). Both Popo and Ixta are shortened versions of the real names, but I'm not even gonna attempt to pretend like I know how to spell the unabridged versions!

Popo was a warrior and Princess Ixta was his significant other. Off goes Popo to war, while Ixta pledges she will stay true to him until his return. Well, word gets back to Ixta that Popo has fallen in battle. Ixta than dies from grief. Unfortunately for her, Popo didn't die. But when he returns, he finds his lover dead and grieves himself. Legends vary from this point, but the one we were told is that Popo took Ixta in her arms and walked towards the horizon. The next day, the two volcanoes appeared - one taking the form of woman lying down, and the other a gallant warrior kneeling next to his beloved. I'll leave it to you to decide whether you believe that story or not...



Here's a picture of the third volcano surrounding Puebla. It's still active. Sorry, I don't have any cool stories about how it was formed...



We got to try lots of new food in Mexico, most of which I liked and Danielle didn't. To her credit, she did try most everything. She even tried what I'm holding above. It's called a cemita - basically a huge sandwich with ham, chicken, cheese (lots of cheese!), hot peppers, and onions. It was delicious, and incredibly filling. We got these from a food stand in downtown Puebla, and they must make hundreds of cemitas everyday.

We also got to have some Mexican food that Americans are little more familiar with - you know, tacos and tostadas. But this ain't Taco Bell food, let me tell you. We also got to have a traditional Mexican breakfast, which isn't exactly pancakes and eggs. Try refried beans and tortilla chips instead. Mmmm...



Oh, I almost forgot about the fried grasshoppers. What a delicacy...



We also visited Cholula, a city about 20 minutes from Puebla. Cholula is known for its pyramid with a Catholic basilica on top. Here's a view from the church from afar. As you'll see, this isn't a Egyptian-style pyramid, but it is one of the largest pyramids in the world according to the size of the base...



Here's a cross-section model of the Cholula pyramid. Civilization after civilization continued to build layer upon layer of the pyramid, until finally Cortes conquered the area and capped the pyramid with a Catholic church...



You can even walk through a portion of the pyramid. Just be warned - not for the claustrophobic...



Here we are on the side of the pyramid. Those steps are narrower than they look, and the top is higher than you might think. Not that I was scared or anything...



We showed up to Cholula on the day of the Winter Solstice, and we were treated to a couple of interesting demonstrations. This one is an actual Aztec ceremony with some sort of reverence to the sun followed by a baptism of some sort. The reason we don't think that it was a tourist attraction stems largely from the dirty looks we got after taking pictures...



We also some New Agers doing their thing. Interesting day, to say the least...



Here's a group shot of us at the church on top of the pyramid. It was a great view from the top...



Feliz Navidad! Our first Christmas in Mexico was a real treat. We spent the day with other missionaries and their families, exchanging White Elephant gifts, eating some good ol' American food, and smacking around a pinata. The traditional Mexican pinata has seven spikes, each representing one of the seven deadly sins. The kids have to knock off the spikes before going in for the kill, and the candy that follows...



The day culminated with an acoustic rock concert featuring Tyler and his buddy Daniel. Their rendition of "Carol of the Bells" blew the crowd away...



Our last day in Mexico was spent in Mexico City, touring the grounds of the city's basilica. It is the second-most visited basilica in the world, trailing only the Vatican...



Inside the basilica is what millions of Mexicans pilgrimage to see every year - the "Tilma of Guadalupe." A tilma is basically a robe or cloak, and this one has historical and religious significance. More on that below...



So a few hundred years ago, this guy Juan Diego had a vision of Mary who appeared to him as the Lady of Guadalupe. She told him to build a church in her honor, so Diego went and told the local priest. The priest didn't believe him. So the Lady appeared to Diego again, but this time she walked him to a spot in the mountains where some roses were growing. These weren't your ordinary roses - these were only found in a region in Spain (not Mexico), a region where the priest happened to be from. So Diego gathered the roses in his tilma and walked them back to the priest as proof that he had the supernatural vision. When Diego let his tilma down, the roses fell to the ground and on his tilma was an image of the Lady of Guadalupe (illustrated above)...



When the Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Diego, she was wearing clothing that had Aztec symbolism on it. Many believe the Lady of Guadalupe, with her Aztec wardrobe and basis in Roman Catholicism (i.e. Mary), was concocted by Cortes to gain control over the Aztecs by focusing their worship on one entity - the Lady of Guadalupe. The picture above has two waterfalls, one representing the Aztecs' religion and the other representing Roman Catholicism, with the Lady at the base uniting the two. Her image is located all over Mexico, and she is still considered the mother of Mexico...



Here we have Danielle, Kara, and Tyler showing the world their amazing talent - the ability to bumple their chins. Apparently they believed this was some sort of gift they had that no one else could do, but then I did it too. Oh well, they're good at other stuff...

Our journey ends, fittingly, with this picture. In Puebla, you can't flush your toilet paper because their plumbing system can't handle it. Let me tell you, getting used to pitching your paper in a trash can takes some time. Just one of the many things we grow used to here in the states, and one we should be extremely grateful for. This picture also represents the place where I spent the better part of 3 days following our trip, as I happened to meet Montezuma...and he had his vengeance.

"Bells will be ringing..."

As Christmas time approaches, I am especially excited about this being my first Christmas as a wife, with an apartment to decorate all my own, new traditions to start, and wonderful memories to make. I thought I'd just share a peek into the Peck holiday household for those of you who may care. Our Christmas tree actually came named for us; the guys at the tree place had named each and every tree in the lot- ours was named "Fruit Loop". As you can see, he and Jeter enjoy watching the yard together :)

Last weekend, Geoff and I went and picked out our "First Christmas Together" ornament and had it specialized all our own. Its pretty cute, if we do say so ourselves. Not to brag or anything... our ornaments may be few and far between, but they all mean something to us and we plan to keep it that way. Trees decorated just for the sake of decoration aren't as special to me (hope I did not just offend someone!). We've even included Jeter in the family ornament!

We hope you all are enjoying preparing for this holiday season, and taking time to remember why it is we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Christmas has always been special to me because of the time spent with family. I grew up celebrating Christmas around a large dinner table packed with relatives; learning how to make napkin flowers and where to put the salad fork from my Aunt Donna; learning teamwork and love by watching my grandma, her sisters and daughters all pitching in to clean up the dishes just in time to put the desserts out on the table; and coming to understand the importance and bond of family, that even though that day may be the only day I'd see some relatives all year, we shared a love and a genuine caring for one another that remained strong regardless of time spent together simply because we were family. This year will be different as we spend Christmas not with extended family but with my parents and siblings in Mexico. It is sure to be a special celebration.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, many changes and many blessings... but most of all the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom all other blessings come and to which nothing else compares. May He find His way into your hearts this season.