Forward motion

We Gizzos very much enjoyed our Puerto Vallarta vacation. Thanks to our new friends, Helder and Sarahy, we were able to tour much of the area. A visit to the jungle where they taped the movie Predator, a visit to several breath taking beaches, and a hike up to a gorgeous waterfall were among our favorite activities. Since Helder and Sarahy have lived in PV for several years now and both work at resorts, they were expert tour guides and they gave up most of their free time this past week or so to make sure we had a good time.

Since our hotel was in downtown PV, Raul and I spent much of our time just walking around town. There were shops everywhere and we met some interesting characters who tried to sell us a variety of goods--from expired vanilla to handmade crafts to expensive leather goods. Selling timeshares in PV is also a booming business and everywhere we turned, someone was trying to talk us into listening to a 75 minute presentation in exchange for cash or vouchers for some kind of entertainment. We did end up going to one of these presentations at a beautiful resort called Garza Blance, but only because Raul ended up knowing one of the sales people. As we were walking in downtown PV, a guy motioned for Raul to come over there, and it turns out he and Raul went to high school together. Small world! The 75 minute presentation at the resort turned into two and a half hours, but we got a free dinner out of it, so we were happy. :)

As you can imagine, it was very hard for me to board the plane and leave my love behind, but I am thankful that the next time we will see each other is less than two months away. It is rough to be apart from my husband, but what a blessing it is to be able to travel to two beautiful destinations outside of the U.S. to spend time with him. I will do more traveling in the course of three months than I ever have in my lifetime!

I did have some good news awaiting for me when I arrived home. I finally got an email from immigration with the date for Raul's first Consular interview. Please be in prayer for Raul on December 2 at 11:15 a.m. as this is his interview time. He will be traveling to Juarez a couple of days in advance to complete his physical exam and to get finger printed in preparation for his interview. The purpose of this first interview is to establish that our marriage is legit and that he is indeed eligible for the waiver which we will be submitting.

Both of us are settling back into our "old routine". This weekend for me will be spent prepping for a test I must take next week and starting on a paper that is due a week before Thanksgiving. Raul picked corn yesterday morning and then went fishing in the afternoon. He also stopped by to visit his grandma and Lupita, both of whom were happy to see him. We are both trying to take it one day at a time and to find the joy in each moment. Some moments are easier than others, but rain or shine, God is still good and we are glad we are in his hands.