"It Happened in Monterrey"

Hola from Monterrey, Mexico. Monterrey has been our home for almost four weeks, but in many ways, it feels that we've been here a lifetime. This group has proven that it really settles in quickly. We are living in a three bedroom condo that sits up on a hill. We have a spectacular view. We look down on the city and out at Silla Mountain ("Saddle Mountain"). The Sierra Madres surround Monterrey and offer an amazing setting. Our days are not too different from our days in Arizona. Matt is busy studying at EGADE, home of his Monterrey program. Caroline, Luke and I are trying to find as many playgrounds and activities as possible. We also enjoy using our very limited Spanish while going about simple daily activities. We've met some very nice American families with kids through the "Newcomers of Monterrey" group.

We were reunited with Matt in Puebla on January 23. We missed him so much during the more than three weeks that we were apart. I’m not sure I have ever seen our children so happy as when they saw their dad in the Mexico City airport. We still have much to learn about Monterrey, but so far we’ve discovered the Macro Plaza, a large pedestrian walkway in the city center with lots of monuments; Parque Fundidora, a huge park where a little of everything goes on and attaches to a brand new Riverwalk; and Chipinque, a state park in the mountains. We took Caroline and Luke to Parque Plaza Sesamo, a Sesame Street theme park, Mexican style. Elmo was there, but no Ernie, Burt or Big Bird. There were characters that looked just like Ernie and Burt, but in Mexico, their names are Enrique and Beto. Big Bird’s cousin, Abelardo Montoya, shows quite a likeness, though he is smaller… and green.

Matt’s parents spent a week and a half with us. We took a boat down the Paseo San Lucia, saw the Horsetail Falls, toured the “Grutas di Garcia” caves and had a very interesting experience at the Bioparque where we got up close and personal with a giraffe. We enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day and Gary’s birthday with them and Caroline loved having them as roommates.

"It Happened in Monterrey" refers to a Frank Sinatra song. Check out this YouTube video with the recording and some pictures of the sights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdSQMS6Owuw

Check back for more updates… we promise they’ll be more frequent!