Idaho!

And so began the last leg of spring break. For future reference, the gas station with the llamas and donkeys is in Sublett.  The exit for City of Rocks. It's really the only thing between Salt Lake and Boise of note, at least directly on the interstate. But it's pretty fun.

Our destination was Zeljko and Jenn's houseful of boisterous boys. The Mijatovics had made us a really good dinner, and we hung out until it was time to go to the church for the Pinewood Derby. Tyler and Zach were both racing, and none of us wanted to miss it!

It was a beautiful drive to the church, past the rural landscape.

Late night half price shakes in Boise with the Mijatovic "cousins."

The next day, we left when the boys headed off for school, and arrived on the other side of Idaho at Lava Hot Springs for some swimming. Since Scott wasn't there, I had to be a fun parent and get in the water, go off the diving board, and play. Ok, ok, it was fun.

Next stop, the Dopp cabin.  Grandpa and Grandma and Nikki and Clint were there, and we just had fun relaxing.

The cousins had caught some fish that they cooked up for dinner.

City slickers. Ha ha

The boys took control of the walkie talkies, but that did not deter Jersey and Tziporah. They made their own.

I went home late Friday night with Araceli, who had to work at Pioneer Village the next day. Scott stayed up with the rest of the kids. Freestone had stayed home for ballet, and I wanted to take him to class Saturday morning. After doing that, I was the only person home. I meant to go to work at the music store, but it was rainy and the house was so quiet. I know it's hard to believe, but a parent NEVER gets the house all to themselves when there are so many people coming and going. Scott and I could get a dozen people put to bed, and one more would pop up. Miraculously, nobody rang the doorbell or needed me for hours upon end. I cleaned the kitchen, made banana bread, I even watched TV. It was exactly what I needed, and I relished every minute. The kids were mildly horrified. Mom is relaxing? So weird. So spring break is over. It was actually relaxing, which is not always the case when you don't plan something. I think we're ready to tackle the rest of the school year.

Puerto Nuevo and Sofia's Quinceañera

Spelled just like it would sound with a Mexican accent!

FYI. I just added a cool video to the end of the last post.  Go watch it.

I was so happy I'd gotten auto insurance for Mexico, so we could explore Baja.  I went through Baja Bound out of San Diego and it was less than 20 bucks a day.  The agent even emailed me tons of tips and info about Tijuana, as she lives there and works in San Diego.  Armed with the peace of mind our insurance gave me, we set out southbound on the "D-1." 

Our impromptu destination turned out to be charming little Puerto Nuevo, home of famous lobster restaurants and overpriced souvenir vendors.  Although, as Victor and Sofia found out, if you speak Spanish, the price instantly drops.  Mexican Spanish is so different from Castillano, some people would answer the Spaniards in English when they spoke Spanish, thinking they were gringos.  The Altieris had a fun time learning new Mexican vocabulary and practicing their Mexican accents.

Puerto Nuevo is loaded with mariachi bands and street musicians, all waiting to play you a song for a peso.  I recorded Ruby playing a little tune on this guy's guitar.  It was the sweetest moment.  All those years of practicing were worth this one song, impressing the musicians and having a laugh with them.  Here's the video.

Music doesn't have to be technically perfect or rehearsed to be a universal language.  The point is to learn to communicate with other people through your music.  Mission accomplished for beautiful Ruby.

Araceli got a ring made with her name on it.

Back to the chickens as we waited for Jimmy to prepare Sofia's birthday dinner.  The quinceanera isn't big in Spain, or our corner of the U. S., for that matter, so it was perfect that we were in Mexico for Sofia's 15th birthday.  We didn't go so far as getting the wedding-like white dress, but we did celebrate with a very memorable dinner.

I went to the store with Jimmy to get ingredients.  Groceries are incredibly cheap there.  Our total was like 400 pesos, which translated into 24 dollars.  I love Jimmy's shirt.

Our beautiful 15 year olds with their quinceanera garlands.

Jimmy whipped up a wonderfully authentic Mexican dinner and loved doing it.  He made "tacos de oros," a seemingly poor man's meal, fried tacos filled with refried beans and potatoes.  For peasant food, we felt like royalty as we gathered around the table and enjoyed our tacos with all the fresh toppings.  It was better than any meal we could have had in a restaurant because Jimmy took such pleasure in making it for us.

At the store, we had Sofia's cake personalized.  The woman didn't want to do it, and afterwards, we saw why.  She couldn't spell!  Or maybe it's just a local spelling.  We noticed Mexicans love using the letter Z, even when the word doesn't call for it.

And here's our little dinner group.

Jimmy, bless his heart, gave Sofia a bottle of tequila for her 15th birthday.  Where is my cry-laughing emoji?  He's a generous soul, and what could be more authentic when you're in Mexico than getting a bottle of tequila for your quinceanera?

Happy birthday, dear Sofia!  We love you!