Leaving in just 3 days!!!

We will be leaving for the US on Tuesday around 12 o'clock if all goes well. Tomorrow, Miguel and I are going to sis in law's house to do the maintanence on the truck and trailer, hopefully, we won't spend too much money!! Monday, I am going to Transito (Transit office) to get the tag. Tuesday travel day!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!

I hope to be in Georgia by Wednesday night around midnight. We will drive Tuesday until midnight or later if the kids aren't to whiney, get a hotel and leave out again Wednesday morning at 5AM.

I am kind of worried about traveling to Laredo from here because of all of the Balaceras (Shoot outs) on the major highways. Miguel and his nephew will be riding with us to the border and then they will return to Monterrey by bus which, worries me most but, I am scared to go by myself!! I may be a chicken but, hey around here with all the cops trying to take money from everyone, I need all the back up I can get!!!

On to other things, here it is Saturday and I'm bored. It seems as if there is nothing to do in Monterrey but, there is plenty, you just can't go out too much after dark due to all of the Narco's assaulting people here. So, here I am wanting to go out dancing but, can't. All there is to do is to watch the guys play Dominos or listen to the women complain about there husbands. Neither one seems like fun so, I will sit here online until 9:30 and then I will go home and watch ¨The Exorcism of Emily Rose¨, I have been wanting to watch it for a while but, I lost the movie.

I have a break from the kids for tonight, atleast after everyone goes home, they are going to spend the night with their aunt!!!! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!

I will try to post again before I go but, if not I will post when I get to Georgia. Take care and enjoy your weekend!!!

I have a HUGE question that I can't seem to find the answer to......

My brother in law is going to loan me a trailer to take to the US to get my furniture but, I can't find out if I can take it to the US and if so, what requirements do I need?
Does anybody know? Help is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!!!!

Checking in with Pics...

Semana Santa was great after I got better, my neck and shoulders hurt until Thursday evening so, we started our fun on Friday. We went to the Macroplaza and Paseo Santa Lucia in downtown Monterrey, as soon as we arrived and walked about a block, Jeni got blisters on her feet from wearing new shoes after I told her to wear ones she knew wouldn't hurt but, you know how kids never listen anyway. We got on the Paseo Santa Lucia, which is a boat ride through 2 parks and lasts about 30 minutes with a line of about an hour. Got some bandaids from the paramedics and walked around to look at the Jesus paintings that were being done on the pavement and went to eat at Subway and went home tired o0f Jeni whining about her blisters. Fun right? 

Here are a few pics:

I can't figure out how to turn the pics. LOL

Yesterday, we decided to do Easter the way Miguel's family do, we did not have the egg hunt but, went to the Parque Guadalupeke and had a kids day!!!! They rode rides, we slid down these huge slides, played and ate ice cream and ended the day the Mexican way; played Loteria!!!

The kids and I are going to get my furniture from the US next week, I am kind of nervous about traveling on the highway here in Mexico to get to Texas but, as long as everything is calm this week and weekend we will leave Sunday afternoon. Miguel will go with us to Nuevo Laredo and then he will return to Monterrey on the bus. I wish he could just go on across the border with me but, oh well, that's life. We will be in Georgia for a few days and will get back here on Saturday afternoon. All goes well, I will have all of my furniture here with me!!

How is everyone surviving this heat? It is driving me crazy!!!!

Semana Santa and in pain....

Well, we had plans for the kids this week but, I woke up Sunday with my shoulder out again. I have probems with my shoulders from an accident we had 5 years ago. So, I went to the doctor and she prescribed me a muscle relaxer that has naproxen mixed in after, I told her that I am allergic to aspirin. I didn't realize it had naproxen because she told me to take Ibuprophen for pain but, I read the package today. So, today, I am going back to get a new medicine.
I should be better by Thursday, so we will be able to have fun then.

Rest in Peace Jose Daniel

Almost 2 weeks ago my husband and I were out walking the puppy and we met this guy who showed us his puppy he had for sell, we never got his name but, he seemed a really good guy. 

Five hours later we were awakened by loud noises outside we thought it was the gun fights of the Cartels so we looked out the window but, never went out. Outside our bedroom window lay a man bleeding to death, we thought the cartels had shot him so we didn't go outside first our kids second others. I felt helpless, watching him die and nobody did anything. The ambulance arrived an hour later and declared him dead. 

The next day we found out his name was Jose Daniel who was 26 years old and he was on his way home from walking his 4 month pregnant wife to the bus to go to work. He will never meet his child, he did not deserve that.

He was at the wrong place at the wrong time a gang of about 20-30 people were chasing the gang from this area and mistakened him for one of them and beat him to death with full 40 oz glass bottles of beer, he choked in his own blood.

He was the man we met that day.

Today they took up all of the saints and candles that were placed where he died and in its place the put a cross.

Please take a minute to remember and honor all of those who have died as an innocent bystander of gang activity and organized crime. Anyone who is involved in these crimes please think about this man, who lost his life and the chance of a future, his family who lost someone they loved dearly, and his unborn child who will never know him.

Rest in Peace Jose Daniel...

Life is Good.....

Life is good right now. Yesterday, there were no cartel fights and Miguel’s cousin is renting out his parent’s old house after they fix a few things. So, we will be renting it from them, Yayyyy!!!

The house is 4 blocks from here and is directly in front of the elementary school so, that solves 2 of my problems:

1. Being too close to the in laws 

2. Now, I can enroll the kids and not have to worry about all of the danger, I will be directly in front of the school. I will still home school them English and anything else they were already learning that they don’t at school here.

The house has 2 bedrooms, a livingroom, kitchen, bathroom, and has a room that his aunt used as a papeleria (a school supply store but, translates to paper store), and a large patio/ yard. This solves my other problem: no job.

I am going to open a papeleria/ taco stand/ English school. I will make different things for lunch to sell since, the schools here do not provide a lunch for the kids (the store a block away makes a killing on lunches) throughout the day I will sell paper, pencils, pens, and other school supplies and in the evening, I will offer English classes.

So life is good, I have the solution to my biggest 3 problems!!

Congratulations Self!!

We will temporarily stay at the tiny house until the other house’s repairs are finished so, I will finish moving today. I don’t have much stuff; you can only fit so much into the bed of a Dodge Dakota.

The only bad thing: 

Miguel is having the worst trouble getting his license here, the first time he went, the officer told him that he could make it easier on him if he gave him $1000 pesos. Miguel about flipped out and yelled at the guy, WHATTTT?! The guy said ok come back next Thursday to take the test and Miguel has went every Thursday since that Thursday 3 weeks ago and has failed every test, even though we have verified that he had the correct answers. Only in Mexico!! I am having trouble getting used to all of the “Legal manners” of this country. I keep telling Miguel to report them but, he says “to who the next person who does the same thing”. He says that is the American coming out in me because Americans are stubborn and won’t take the BS, maybe so but, hey, I would rather stand up for myself than let the people who are paid to defend us take from us.     

Change of plans....

We move into our own house this weekend!!!! Yayyyyyyyy!!! I started cleaning it yesterday, it was just built so it is nasty and needs alot more work to be a home but, we'll get it there. 

Well, we were going to Panuco, Veracruz and Tampico, Tamaulipas for Semana Santa but, the bloqueos and mass murders have changed that for now. Ahh, the life with very scared in-laws. I understand you need to be cautious but, don't obsess over it. My opinion, if it is your turn, it is your turn no matter where you are, on the road or at home but, oh well.  For those of you that don't know what a bloqueo is, it is where the cartels stop traffic and use tractor trailers or buses to block certain intersections. They make everyone get out of the bus or vehicle and  go into a closed in area sometimes, they will take everything from them, i.e. purses, cell phones, money, jewelry, and even your vehicle if they so want to. These things happen on an almost daily basis where we live, at first all of this scared the S*#t out of me but, now, not as bad. I refuse to get on a bus, though. 

Semana Santa

Our new plans are to spend the week on vacation here in Monterrey, we have only been here for a month and this is the first time here so, there is alot we haven't done. We are going to go to Plaza Sesamo (the Mexican version of Six Flags), Paseo Santa Lucia, MacroPlaza, Parque Fundidora, Planetario Alfa, Parque Tolteca, Presa de la Boca. I will take lots of pictures and post them on here so, everyone can see what a beautiful place Monterrey really is.

I am considering having Easter Baskets and an Egg Hunt for all of the kids on Easter, we have 13 nieces and nephews plus our 2 kids, it should be fun. The kids here have never decorated an egg muchless had an egg hunt.

I leave you with a picture of our new puppy, Chata, a Bull Terrier who is a real terror.

Ohhh, In-laws!!!!

Hubby calls Mom from the USA, you talk to her, you like her immediately...

You get along great with her and she seems to never interfere except to agree with you, all is great

You move to Mexico, and live with them for 2 weeks and….

The real Mother-in-law comes out, she starts to try to keep your husband living right beside her if not in the same house as her, and she gets involved in everything, even private conversations between you and him.

This is my mother-in-law and 2 of my sister-in-laws, one is married with 2 kids and the other is 17!!!!!

I love her but, she has to understand that her baby is now a grown married man and he has lived the past 5 years without her assistance.

I will not fix his plate of food before my kids have been served, I will not only fix foods that he likes and ignore what my kids and I like, I will not tolerate someone judging American food I cook just because they have never seen it or tasted it. I refuse to scrub his socks and underwear by hand as she wants me to; I have always washed them in a washing machine and will continue to do so! I will not allow his Mom to make decisions for our family, she and her husband made the decisions for their family now we will make them for ours. Last but, not least, I will not be his servant and spoil him like she did!!

By God, if I have to convince him to move to the other side of Mexico to avoid all of the interfering, I will!

Ridiculous!!!!

Ok, now I feel better, I needed to vent!!!!

Ok, on to better things,

We are renting a house, MIL did win on this, it is next door but, atleast we will be in our own space and it will be only temporary until I find a job. The house is small, one large bedroom (we will divide into 2), livingroom/diningroom combination, kitchen and Bathroom. The rent is only $1100 pesos a month!

I wonder why houses here do not have cabinets built in and you have to buy them if you want kitchen cabinets.

I have sent my resume to 3 English schools and I am looking for more schools or any other place that pays atleast around the US’s minimum wage.

Schools

I need advice on enrolling my kids in school here, I enrolled them in home school in the US before we came but, they want to go to school here with the other kids and they will learn to speak Spanish better.

I am scared to enroll them because we live in Guadalupe and all of the Cartels have been fighting a lot near us. 

Last week we had one of the Bloqueos at the entrance to the Colonia. What does everybody think? Should I enroll them or not?

Welcome to our journey...

What!!!???!!! You are going to Mexico with all of the fighting going on down there??? Have you lost your mind?! You are not taking my grandbabies there!!

This is what I heard in January when we decided after the first approval for Georgia's Bill HB87 which is their version of Arizona's Bill. 

After hearing about the bill, we talked it over and decided, it is better to leave and apply for legal status from Mexico than to stay and wait until the caught him.

It took us about 2 weeks to convince my family that we would be ok. So, on March 10, 2011, we began our journey. We loaded up our 1998 Dodge Dakota with our clothes and as much household stuff as we could get in there. And set out, after 3 days and 2 nights of hearing "Are we there, yet?" from our  bored 9 and 7 year olds, we arrived in Mexico. 

Everything was great up until we were waked in the middle of the night to gunshots. We got the kids to the bedroom with no windows, (the one I used to hate but, no longer do.) and since we no longer heard any gunshots looked out the window and right in front of our bedroom window laid a man dying. We stayed up until 4 AM too scared to sleep but finally all of the Investigators left and we all camped out in a 12x10 room, all 10 of us. That room has become my safe house, if I hear anything going on in our area; my kids go in that room. 

When we decided to come here, we thought prices were close to the same as before but, imagine our shock when we realized that food prices are the same as in the US. We arrived here with less than $1500 dollars and are now trying to live on M’s salary of $1200 pesos a week which is about $106 Dollars.

I am job hunting now so, hopefully I will have a job by the first week of May. We’ll see….

Goodbye for now..