Panama day 7

Wow, yet another full day in Panama’! It was a great one though.

This morning we left at 6 a.m. to try and get to a 7 a.m. session at the new temple. We wanted to be there early to make sure we would get in. Oh, there’s too much to say. Simply put, they have a lot of work that needs to be done at this temple! Patrons are so new at going to the temple and having one here will be so good for them. It’s hard to put into words the feeling I felt here. It was as if I were experiencing the temple for the first time, through the eyes of a Panamanian, not ever having lived near one at all. We went to a Spanish session, with English headsets. I was able to understand much of what was going on –those college Spanish classes sure came in handy! It was amazing to be there with my family and to be one of the first to attend this beautiful, dedicated House of the Lord.

After the session, we rushed off to get the pedicures and manicures that Mom had set up for us last May! It was fun to be pampered for a bit. The best part was that manicure was only $5 and the pedicure was $10! We were there for a good hour or so and it was money well-spent (by Mom of course—thanks Mom!). I tried, unsuccessfully, to explain in my broken Spanish to the lady working on my feet why my legs were so slashed up. Como se dice “sawgrass” en espanol?

After running back to the Albrook Inn, we grabbed our stuff and headed out for another beach day, stopping along the way for some yummy bread and cheese and empanadas, recommended by Aunt Debby and Mom. It was so yummy we had to stop again on the way back. We went to the best beach, called Palmar Beach. Thanks for recommending this Zoliks--and for being there with us! We paid $20 per car and had a bohio all to ourselves, complete with hammocks. Some rented surfboards, while Todd and I stuck with boogie-boards. We had SO MUCH FUN!!! The waves were huge and the water was amazingly warm. The sand was black, interestingly enough. We also learned that sweet little Malia likes to eat sand. I’d have to say between Panama and Hawaii, the surfing is better in Panama (at least this time around!). Again, I felt like time reversed and I was 8 years old again as I (and my siblings) buried my big brother in sand. It was a riot.

We made our way back and met up with the rest of the clan for dinner at Mom’s choice (since it was our last night), Mi Ranchito. We presented her with the necklace and earrings that we had bought for her and she loved them! The look on her face was priceless and it was nice to actually be the giver, rather than the receiver for a change.

The next day was spent scurrying around getting some last minute shopping in and packing up and getting to the airport. What an amazing time we had!

Thanks Mom for a wonderful trip and for giving so much to us, your children, on this trip. I loved spending it with you and it makes sense why you love this country so much. It’s paradise. I love you, I love you, I love you!

Panama day 6

Today was a good day. We all got up early. Kilee and I got up even earlier for a morning jog. Our first stop was to Lori Gibson’s house, a friend of my mom’s, who lives out in Gamboa, right on the canal. She was a neat lady with an amazing house and lots of little projects and businesses she is working on. Rick called her the Martha Stewart of Panama. I told her I want just a tenth of her creative mind. This is where we got the "weenies" that I will have to show you when I get home. They are these cool bracelets made by the Kuna Indians, but she sells them for them. The Today Show interviewed her when Matt Lauer was doing his special on Panama a few months ago.

From here we went to the Gamboa Resort to walk around for a bit. Wow, this is an amazing resort! It costs a whopping $250 a night to stay here! Gamboa is such a beautiful part of Panama—I can understand why they built a resort here. We snapped some shots then headed for a little jaunt in the jungle. My mom visits this "waterhole" as she calls it almost every time she comes. It’s a serene setting in the midst of the jungle with a little waterfall. It was GORGEOUS !!

Next stop was the Summit Botanical Gardens/Zoo. This too was such a fun place where we played with the monkeys and my brothers pestered the Cayman Crocs. There was a fun walk through this maze of giant bamboo chutes. The downpour hit us just as we approached the highlight of this stop, the turtles. My brothers were little boys again. It was as if the years rewound, the façade of adulthood was peeled away and all the personalities of all my siblings were born once again. Every single one of my brothers reached in a muddy, murky pond and caught a turtle. They were right proud of their accomplishment, though I’m sure the turtles felt differently. We even saw a wild Cayman croc staring at us from the pond. I don’t think I care to know how many more lurked in the murk below!

We were starving by this point so we got sushi and Subway—great combo, right? (They were next door to each other and we thought the sushi would take too long so we ordered Subway as well.)

We headed to the Albrook Mall once again, and once again I don’t feel like I got enough shopping time in! There is so much to see and we only had three hours so it is all a bit overwhelming. We got a few super cheap things, but the highlight was finding something perfect for my mom. We had wanted to give something special from the kids to Mom as a thank you for allowing all of us to come to her hometown and for paying for as much as she has for us. Nicole has loved this mosceda jewelry that my mom has and loves too. It is authentic to Panama, very hard to find and very expensive, but we found a jewelry store in the mall that had some! The man was so nice and he even let us custom design it in a way. We got some beautiful earrings that we had him add some pearls to and this necklace pendant made out of a real Panama Balboa coin. We picked a chain out and had him dip it in gold, so it was all gold-plated. He even gave us a discount, I think, because he liked Nicole! Salazar, was his name; he owned the store named after him. The jewelry is so beautiful and perfect for my mom! We were so excited that Nicole turned some heads as she did a happy jig around the mall. We are excited to present Mom with our gift and we will most likely give it to her tomorrow night. She has done so much for us to get us here and even since we’ve been here—paid for so many meals, today she bought us all weenies and paid for numerous admissions to events. I’m really blown away by her generosity. She planned it this way too; she has envelopes labeled for specific outings or dinners with money inside for the event. I look forward to giving just a small token of gratitude back to her with this jewelry tomorrow. The girls are all excited, but I don’t think the guys really fully grasp the excitement quite yet.

After shopping until the mall closed (8 p.m.) we came back to our hotel and sat in the hot tub and swam for a bit. Kilee and I caught a baby gecko and it almost flew down my shirt! Luckily we were able to find him and put him back. He was super tiny, but super fun to play with. Signing off. . .

Panama day 5

I wish I could explain the beauty I am witnessing right now. I’m sitting under a terrace at the outdoor restaurant of our hotel watching and listening to the rain come down. The temperature is just about perfect and I just saw a colorful toucan fly overhead and land in a tree just over my shoulder. These are one of those moments I wish I could capture in a bottle and reopen when I need it or bring it home to all of you.

Today is Sunday and it is probably our first leisurely day of our entire trip. We woke up early and got to the English translation room of the stake center next to the beautiful templo de Panama’. It was so neat because we sat next to this couple from Taylorsville who were there to pick up their son from his mission who gets released tomorrow. They hadn’t seen him yet and the other elders who found out they were his parents went to find him. It was an awesome sight to witness the reunion of this missionary to his parents, not unlike us to our Parents someday. I also decided he should be Ashley’s future husband, so we’ll have to make that happen somehow! His name was Elder Chism—do you know him?

We were able to watch the cornerstone ceremony of the temple which was neat. President Monson and President Uchdorf were so funny through the entire thing. It started to rain near the beginning and it caused all sorts of humorous comments. President Uchdorf said as the rain came down, “It’s sunshine from heaven!” to which Pres. Monson said “Yes, and it’s getting us wet!” The Prophet even called up a few kids to help with the mortar, then hurried them along. He was worried about everyone in the rain (he was under a tent). Somehow I don’t think anyone really minded the rain while they were so close to the prophet. All the general authorities went back in and spoke for a bit. I want to record a few stories for my record so bear with me. President Monson told of a story where he was visited by a couple. He said they lived modestly, were frugal with their money, but their investments had done well. They were there to donate $3 million to the building of the temples, one million to 3 separate temples. He asked them if they wanted to choose the temples and they gave an abounding yes. One of those they chose was the Panama temple. These were people who truly understood their temple covenants. What a blessing that was for this temple. He also spoke of a time in the Freiberg temple in Germany how a young boy was going to do baptisms. Something had happened to the heating element, so the water was frigid and as he stepped in he started to shiver, as did the officiator. After about 3 or 4 baptisms, the boy commented how he wasn’t as cold anymore. That day those two latter-day saints baptized, by proxy, 74 people! What dedication and faith. I need to be more like that. I also loved what Pres. Uchdorf said, “With each temple that opens, it lessens Satan’s power on the earth.” I love that! It makes me wonder, though, with all the temples that have opened, why Satan seems to have such a hold still on so many people. He truly is powerful, but he can be overcome with even greater power from on High. President Monson then gave the dedicatory prayer in English and then it was repeated in Spanish. There were some amazing things said and this temple will bless so many members’ lives here in Panama. I’m sure it will be an amazing missionary tool for all who live here. After it was over, we took pictures and headed to the hotel.

From here we decided to get some lunch. We all hate buying on Sunday but we needed to eat, so we went to Napoli, one of my mom’s favorite restaurants. It seemed like an upper-scale place and we got there just before the lunch rush hit because it got packed. I understood their enthusiasm after we tasted their yummy pizza! They were out of clams, but I hear they prepare them the best. We also had yummy ceviche again. I sure wish I could find this in the States. It is fish soaked in lime and vinegar with onions—the acid in these combined actually “cooks” it in a way. You eat them on crackers. It really is tasty! It poured rain the entire rest of the day from here on out and it is still raining! We are witnessing the rainy season of Panama.
From here, my mom took us around to her old neighborhood and told us of stories from her childhood. We saw her old house and got a picture of her in front. She is so happy here; she is like a kid again. I’m so glad we got to experience this as a family—I’m not sure anything like this will ever happen again. It is fun to have this experience together as a family and to see mom so happy. I’m starting to understand why she loves this place so much. This is her home and it is a beautiful place.

The amazing part about today is that we were able to take a nap for a few hours!!! I never get naps!!!! It felt great! I do miss my kids though. It’s so great to talk to them on the phone and know they are happy and well-taken care of.

My aunt and uncle had prepared a meal for everyone tonight so we just got back from their place. My mom’s brother and his family were also there so it was a mini family reunion with all my cousins. Uncle Pete prepared and ordered a bunch of authentic Panamanian food . I’m not tired of course so we might sit out on the terrace and play card games tonight. Though it is rainy season, we just hope the rain gets out of its system what it needs to tonight so we can do what we have planned tomorrow. You’ll have to read tomorrow’s post to find out what that is! (dun, dun, dun—suspense builds for you I am sure!).

Panama day 4

It was a full day indeed. Here goes:

Today we visited the Miraflores Locks, a.k.a. The Panama Canal. We watched a few ships go through the locks and watched a video in Spanish about it, then went through the museum. It is absolutely fascinating how they were able to construct this canal, ingenious really. It was fun to see and they are undergoing an expansion of the canal in the near future to allow even larger ships to pass through.

A note about the language: It was great to see Todd's confidence return with Spanish. Sure he was rusty at first; it has been nearly 13 years since he returned from El Salvador. As the week wore on, he made a great translator for us all, along with my little brother, DJ. My college Spanish came in handy too, though my understanding outweighed my articulation. It's a beautiful language and I'd like to pick it up again someday.

From the Locks, we went to a Kuna Indian marketplace, with all the authentic Panamanian goods on display. We spent a good amount of time (and money!) here as there was so much to see. Then we headed over to the Albrook Mall. This place is ENORMOUS!!!!! We made a mistake by going here on a Saturday. "Packed" isn’t quite the right word for how crazy it was there. People were everywhere, all of them giving us gringos strange looks. We decided that they walk the same way they drive: plow into you and keep on going, with not so much as a look in your direction. We didn’t have long and I hate shopping in chaos so we went home empty-handed. This wasn’t at all disappointing to Todd. We may end up going back at some point.

Then we headed over to the cultural event for the temple dedication. When we arrived I thought we either were at the wrong place or that we were way early because there were less than 100 cars in the parking lot. I thought how sad it is that the prophet came all this way to not have a big turnout from the church. Then I walked into the convention center. There was a sea of beautiful brown people—thousands sat listening to our prophet. I then realized that most of them either walked, took a bus or cab to get here. Very few have cars of their own. It was humbling indeed to know we had two at home in our garage. We got to listen to President Monson speak—President Uchdorf and Elder Scott are also here. (Side note: My aunt got to prepare the flower decorations and welcome tray for the prophet’s room. My mom’s friend from here gets to feed him for 3 days.) It was as if we were at a rock concert people were cheering and screaming so loud. In fact, I kid you not, we had 3 young girls right behind us screaming in our ears for every performance (just like the Miley Cyrus concert!). Luckily they decided to move. Then we watched the youth of the church do some authentic dancing in beautiful costumes—they were so talented. All the missionaries came out and sang "Called to Serve" in Spanish. I was amazed at how many missionaries there are here. They did an awesome presentation of the plan of salvation where they had some youth act out different stages of life. When they got to marriage, they had a gorgeous replica of the Panama temple lowered from the ceiling and a husband and wife kneeled together in front of it. The entire congregation erupted into screaming and cheering like crazy. Of course I was bawling like a baby. The reality is that many people here have yet to go to the temple, let alone be sealed as a family. We spoke with Pres. Lamb a stake president here and Mom’s friend, and he said they do 2 trips a year to Costa Rica, but even then people can’t afford it. It is $110 to take that trip. Unfortunately that is half a month’s salary for most of the people here. Can you imagine? What a blessing it is for these sweet people to have this temple here! I love to see people excited about the gospel like I did tonight. It was another testament to how true this gospel is and how blessed we are to have it in our lives and temples so close to us at home. I think I take the temple for granted knowing it is just down the street. How blessed we are!

Then we went to the Lamb’s house to get our tickets for the dedication tomorrow. We got the first session so we will be able to see the cornerstone ceremony hopefully. That means no sleeping in and I should already be in bed. I love you all and will update you again tomorrow!

Panama day 3

Today I’m glad to be back to our hotel for reasons I’ll explain later. We woke up early to hit the road. It was beach day and we were heading to Isla Grande. We had heard it would take a good 2 hours to get there so we wanted to head out early, after our unvaried continental breakfast of course.

The road started out gorgeous, covered with trees and all sorts of tropical vegetation to please the eye. It quickly turned nasty. Let’s just keep it short by saying the drive there and back was BEASTLY!!!! The roads are terrible and the driving even worse. We almost got hit several times, and got honked at more times than I can count. I appreciate my sister Nicole because she kept saying, "It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey." Near the halfway mark apparently there was a pretty bad head-on accident which not slowed, but STOPPED traffic completely. It took us 4 hours and LOTS of patience to get to where we needed to go. Imagine taking a jaunt down to St. George and staying for just a few hours—that was today, but much better.

We stopped in Portebelo, a village along the coast PACKED with history, and looked at some fortress ruins that have been there since early 1700s. Christopher Columbus named this port, which aptly means "Beautiful Port". This was Spencer’s toy store. I swear that kid needs to study history! There were pirate raids all the time at this port and it was so neat walking on such ancient grounds. From here we headed up the road to a boat that would take us to Isla Grande. A kid named Tucho jumped on back of our car and claimed us (4 cars in all) for "his". This meant that we were to pay him for watching/directing us to park our cars. He was a funny guy and later took a machete to Spencer’s coconut to open it for him. We paid him $2 per car. "Cheap, cheap" was all he kept saying, meaning it is a cheap price that he was asking of us.

After the short 3-min boat ride to Isla Grande, we realized our drive was worth the wait. The beach was not overcrowded and the water was AWESOME!!! This was my first Caribbean experience and most definitely not my last. The water was about 80-85 degrees and we got to swim with lots of fish, octopus, squid and jellyfish. It was amazing! Later we walked through the village and saw the most quaint, colorful homes I’ve ever seen. Some were very well maintained while others were run-down. The people here have African descent so they look very different from other Panamanians. I thought they were a beautiful people and I even befriended a little boy named Gordo. They all seemed content with life, downright happy, and friendly with strangers. This island is quite small—you could most likely walk around it in an hour’s time. All too soon our water taxi was back to pick us up. We all wanted a few more hours here—if it wasn’t for that dang accident!!!! Upon reaching the dock, we found Tucho swimming, fully-clothed. . . so much for our "watched" cars!

Going back took just as long, but we played games and laughed the whole way with the Morleys and Haggards, which made it seem more bearable. The mood kept changing with each near-death-driving experience that we had, but all in all it was a good day. Amazingly we even caught up to the rest of our group after losing sight of them in one of those near-death experiences and were able to go to a very late dinner at yet another recommendation from Mom, Niko’s. It was alright, but I’m glad to be back here, showered, writing to you and getting ready to hit the hay. Signing off. . .

Panama day 2

We had another full day here in Panama. While the rest of my family went on a tour, it was city day for the Morleys and us!

My uncle helped Todd and Curtis go find a wheelchair to rent for Curtis this morning. For those of you who didn’t hear, he and Nicole almost weren’t able to come because he fell down a window-well (ok, stifle that laughter) and he is on crutches. We were all glad he didn’t break it and didn’t need any sort of surgery. It took the men far too long to accomplish such a simple task (try 2 hours!!!!) so by the time they returned and we found out they weren’t mugged, arrested or bleeding anywhere, we were quite furious, but ready to hit the road.

By this time it was lunch so we decided to go to a little place that the Harvey’s recommended called Las Tinajas. We weren’t privileged with the authentic dancing as it is only in the evenings during the week, but the food was outstanding. Curtis ordered the winner--curry shrimp in ½ a pineapple with fried banana—YUM!

We then headed to Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City built in the 17th century. These buildings were amazingly beautiful with all the colors and architecture. They have a classic European-look to them. Just as we found a parking place and started to look around, prior to getting out of the car, we noticed this is not the best part of town. There were policemen everywhere and also many scary-looking drunkards. As Nicole nursed Malia, I read to them a brief history from my Frommer’s book about Casco Viejo and it ended with this “safety note” warning: “Most important in this area is to tone down the ‘gringo look’ if possible, meaning no shorts or ostentatious clothing like Hawaiian shirts. Also do not wear flashy jewelry or walk the streets brandishing your top-of-the-line camera.” Ok, so not only were ALL of us in shorts, but I was in a Hawaiian looking shirt and shorts AND Todd and Curtis brought their huge top-of-the-line cameras! Then there was the whole fact that we had a baby and were pushing Curtis in a wheelchair. How do you think we did on toning down the whole “gringo look”? We decided to get out of the car anyway.

We walked around on these beautiful streets and took lots of pictures. We saw the Presidential Palace as well as numerous Kuna Indian ladies selling their colorful Panamanian molas. A quick note about these beautiful people. I certainly would have had more pictures of them, but it is their belief that if you take their picture, you also take part of their soul, so we tried to respect that, however, if you are brave enough to ask, some might charge you a buck or two. Cheap price for a soul, eh?

Many of the buildings have been renovated and are being used for museums, governmental buildings or various shops. Pushing Curtis in a wheelchair over half-broken cobblestone was not easy. We decided to head to the car after we starting seeing more policemen, but this time they were in bullet-proof vests! I have to note that Nicole did the driving and she did a great job; if any of you have been to South or Central America, you might appreciate how hard it is to drive in one! Todd has been a great navigator and my family all wishes he could be in their car because he has such a sense of direction.

Tonight we went to a yummy restaurant right on the beach called Mi Ranchito. We ate things we’ve never tried before like clams, ceviche’, cariminones, we both had fish and Todd had fried plantains-YUM! Even with the migraine that I had, we ended up having a great time and laughing lots. There was even a raccoon that came walking through the restaurant and got us all excited.

Todd damaged his record by getting us lost on the way home, but he recovered by getting us home. Now I sit in our beautiful courtyard by the pool listening to the night noises of bugs in the trees and watching the geckos on the walls.
We have another fun day at the beach planned for tomorrow.

Home From Panama

We made it home from our exciting trip to Panama' with my family. For those who don't know, my mom was born and raised in the Canal Zone. A temple was recently completed there and Mom's dream was to have all her children there for its dedication. Everyone made it possible and we all had a great time together. During the trip, I kept a daily log that I've decided to post. I won't do it all at once as it is a LOT of reading, so I'll break it up by day.

Day 1 in Panama:

We are here safe and sound after some question whether or not we would make it on our flight due to the tropical rainstorm that hovered over Houston. Luckily we were able to fly to Houston and get out of Houston with only one delay in SLC. We got in at 7 and waited for Dainon to arrive. We all stayed the night at my Aunt Debbie's place. It was nice to see them and my cousins. My Mom's whole family will be out here this week!

Today was a day indeed. Todd, Dainon and I woke up early and headed out to El Valle, a mountainous region here in Panama. It took about an hour and half. It was beautiful!!!!! Once there we took a short hike in the rainforest to a gorgeous waterfall where we romped in the water for a while. We decided that it wasn't challenging enough, so we headed up to a hike I found in my Frommer's book called Cerro Gaital. It was supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours and it said it was easy to moderate terrain. There was no one up there with us--we had the mountain to ourselves! Well, we headed out and it was indeed an easier hike and beautiful every step of the way, but as we got further up the mountain we started to realize that this wasn't what we thought it would be. It got VERY difficult, and at times we found ourselves rock climbing, scaling huge boulders and using cords to make sure we didn't slip down the side of the mountain. This wasn't the part that bothered me the most. It was, what is called, cutgrass. It is exactly that-- blades of grass that act more like razors against your skin than anything else. We were extremely muddy and bloodied by the time we reached the top. We HAD to reach the top and it was a great feeling. As soon as we got to the top a quick tropical rainstorm decided to descend upon us. The mist, the rain, the sounds were all breathtaking. It took us a good 2 hours to reach that point and we were hungry and tired and anxious to get back. The rain had caused the rock and vegetation to be slippery so we all fell a few times but we finally made it down--and ALIVE! Total, we were in the mountains hiking for nearly 5 hours!

After that we walked around a few little vendor-huts things and looked at the merchandise, but quickly found a place to eat. We got fajitas, garlic shrimp and lemon chicken, with smoothies and fresh fruit juice and fresh papaya and pineapple--all for only $20!!! We headed back to our hotel, checked in and my family just arrived in the last hour. The shower was divine but my legs are full of little paper-cut things all over. It was a day to remember for sure!!! And it's only the first day!

An Empty Nest

It's hard for me to fathom my life without having kids to take care of 24/7. Sure, some days I long for some real alone time, but truth be told, I don't like to ponder very long the thought of not having my kids around. Why? Well, it just makes me sad. My children are the source of much frustration in my life, but they are also the source of my greatest joys.

Both our parents are swiftly approaching this "empty nest" stage of life. My mom is often heard saying, "I'm entering this phase of my life kicking and screaming." At first I was confused by why she would say such a comment; why should it be so bad to spend more one-on-one time with your husband? After thinking more about it, I've come to realize that I will most definitely be saying the same thing come 20 years from now. Life without my kids around? Well, like I said, I don't like to think about it.

Todd's parents, as of this week, will no longer have kids at home. I asked her tonight how she's feeling about everything. With a chuckle she said, 'It's amazing! We actually cleaned the house and it stayed clean!" They look forward to many evening dinners together and perhaps she'll even pick up the golf clubs again, and they will once again share the hobby that was theirs many moons ago. They still hold hands everywhere they go. This is an aspect of marriage that I hope we can keep up. It's a sweet thing to behold at any age. It symbolizes unity and togetherness in whatever you might be doing.

I do look forward, in some regards, to spending our time together. Maybe we can get through two sentences without someone interrupting or needing a drink or tattling on someone; maybe we can finish dinner without a spill or needing to wipe a bum; maybe we will be able to pick up and go to dinner or a movie without having to call half the neighborhood too see if they can babysit; maybe my worries of who is going to fall down the stairs? who is putting their hands in the toilet? who is too close to the street? who just swallowed which cleaners? who hasn't done their practicing? who hasn't felt enough love from me today? will all go away. Somehow I don't think so. If I am a Mom, and I will always be a Mom, those worries will never go away. In fact I hope they don't. I hope I'm involved enough in my children's lives that I can be there for them, love them, worry for them and cry with them as they experience life as I have.

So for right now I will take the dirty diapers and the messy house, knowing that someday soon it will all be gone. That will be a sad day for me indeed. My plan for us is to serve mission after mission for the Church as long as health will permit. Right now I gladly take my mission of motherhood and cuddle with them as long as they will allow me.