It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

…or not. I can’t believe it is December. In my growing up years in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon, Christmas meant the coming of rain, wind and colder weather. I have to admit that I knew Thanksgiving was coming, with Christmas right around the corner, when leaves blew across the road, the rain came in steady sheets and I would go to work and come home from work in the dark.
Well in Southern Mexico, it is a bit different. Yes, the wind can blow and yes the temperatures have dropped, but the shining, warm sun each day does not help me believe that Christmas is on the way, and is in fact less than 20 days away. The Christmas tree in the dining room helps as well (yay to Christmas decorations!).

However, a week ago my roommate Lynnae and I had an experience that really had us, both Pacific Northwest natives, scratching our heads. Through the generosity of some friends we had the opportunity to stay at a beach house in Puerto Escondido, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, in the south of Oaxaca. We were ecstatic. A chance to relax, enjoy the beach, and get away for a little bit. I have to admit I was a little nervous. Never before have I gone to a tourist location, during an appropriate time to go there (i.e. cold at home, warm at the tourist site). It was exactly as we imagined only better…did I mention their house is pretty much on the beach? When we pulled in the first night we looked at the ocean crashing against the shore straight in front of us, and from the deck off of our bedroom we watched the sun set behind palm trees and ocean waters. It was beautiful and we are absolutely blown away by this gift that God presented to us through friends. We had a great time taking a boat trip, walking along the beach, swimming in the warm ocean water, watching fishermen (that is part of another story soon to appear) and enjoying some dinners out.

On our boat trip we got to see this sea turtle up close.


View from the balcony of our bedroom.

The funniest thing about the whole trip was that I thought back to my last trip to the beach that had been in June in Oregon. If I recall correctly (and I will be locating a picture to prove this), I was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and fighting against the cold wind as I walked up and down the beach with Rosanna. I believe we were both freezing when we got back to the car and we didn’t even think about going in the water, which we were sure would feel like ice.

And yet, in December I traveled to the beach, wore my swimsuit for three days straight, and went swimming in beautiful turquoise water. What are the chances.



Me at the beach in June in Oregon.

(you might not be able to tell, but we are in sweatshirts with the hoods up due to the cold and the wind)


Me at the beach in December in Oaxaca.

Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift!