Anniversaries and Birthdays

As I type this, my hands keep getting pushed off the keyboard by Mimi the Cat, who is relentless in her quest for attention.  It's a good thing she is so adorable!

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary!  Because of our summer wedding date, we have been to some pretty awesome spots on this date.  Paris, Guatemala, Italy, Alaska, the western US, and Queensbury to name a few.  Panama is an awesome addition to our anniversary memories!

As I shared coffee with our hostess this morning, Myrian said that today is her birthday!  We were planning on making dinner for our host family one night, and it became apparent that today must be the day.  

After Spanish class, we headed into town to buy fresh baguette.  This went with our meal of spaghetti and meatballs.  We couldn't find a birthday cake nearby, so we bought a strawberry pie from a German bakery, and topped things off with some wine.

About the same time we finished preparing the meatballs and sauce, Myrian came home from work, and Amilcar and David emerged from their rooms.  Myrian had bought us an anniversary gift of two locally painted coffee cups! So thoughtful! 

We opened a bottle of Chianti, Amilcar got the music going, and before we knew it, Kathy was getting salsa and merengue lessons.  Amilcar competed in dance when he went to high school, which is a varsity sport in Panama.  His team won quite a few competitions, and he keeps his skills sharp in the local discotheques as often as any 22 year old.  Kathy, who has no fear of dancing and learns quickly, was born for this.

We had a lovely dinner together, and drank some more wine. 

Myrian and Astrid

David, Myrian, Astrid, Amilcar, and Jeff

As a surprise for our anniversary, I'm going to kill the rooster for Kathy so she can sleep.  I think she is going to love my gift!