Day 7 Wednesday

Today we phoned Freedom Fitness in the morning and were told we could have a one month membership for $30. Now that's more like it we thought, but what's the catch?

We decided to go down there and find out. The gym is in McAllen, a little bit more of  a drive for us but not a big deal. We arrived and found out there was no catch, not only that but better than we thought. A Platinum membership for a month which gives you full access including all the classes, indoor cycling, tanning bed, massage chair etc. The best part? a $30 membership for me and I can bring Katie as a guest everyday. So we said, no that's way too expensive! Ahh no, we signed up for the month! Then one of the trainers a girl named Sid, made an appointment with us for an orientation session. Hard to believe the other two gyms wanted $100 each, and $85 each for a month.

We had some lunch and left for Mexico, so we could meet Erika at the Pharmacy where our friend Lenny works. Neuvo Progreso was very busy. Long line of cars waiting on the bridge to get back to the US and a long line of pedestrian traffic lined up on the bridge waiting to go through US customs.

Lenny phoned Erika for us, and Livario picked us up with Karelly and her brother Eric who is 4. We didn't recognize the car as they have an old van. When we got back to the house we learned why..the van is in need a a rocker arm and can't be driven.

Erika had friends from the US side...Sherlyn and her mom. They both speak English and Spanish which is a bonus for us...we didn't need to use the translator app on my phone or on Katie's tablet as we do usually. Karelly was finished school for the day as she starts very early in the morning, but Livy was not going to be finished until 4PM. We had a great visit with Livario and Erika, Sherlyn and her mom. Sherlyn and her mom are very nice!

Livario is going to try once more to get a work visa for the US. He tried once before a couple of years ago but got turned down. We will help him financially with that process as we did before. He will try in Monterrey instead of Matamoras, there may be a better chance. If he can get a Visa, then it will be much easier for the rest of the family. That would be great!

We went to pick up Livy in Sherlyn's car, and Eric the little guy grabbed my hand and took us right to the correct classroom. Livy was so excited to see us. The other girl we sponsor, Vicky, is also in the same class. We will see her another day as we have gifts for her.

Back at the house, Karelly and Livy open the packages we brought for them, some clothes, school supplies, and all sorts of things the girls would like that Katie picked out for them.

Livy grabbed the Canada logo frisbee we brought them last year and wanted to play outside. All of us ended up playing games that Karelly thought up, and she even got us to stretch before playing. Eric the little guy was hilarious, as he is like a play by play announcer. Of course we have no idea what he is saying, except I can hear my name every once in a while.

Between talking and playing we did not get a chance to take pictures but we will attempt to do better next time.

When it was time for Sherlyn and her mom to go they gave us a ride to the border. They pulled us over for an inspection. Talk about thorough...they had a camera on a long line, and put that down into the gas tank. They check everything including a mirror on the undercarriage. They went through Shaylyn's purse in detail but for some reason left Katie's camera bag alone. Just another routine check. Last year they had Katie targeted for some reason.

Last year they didn't seem to like the fact that Katie and I entered the US one day, and within the same week we were in and out of Mexico.

Then it was home for supper, rest and relaxation.

and so ends another great day in the Valley!

more later...