Hot Dog!

You have not experienced a hot dog until you have eaten one at Black Dog!

Picture this:

A hot dog, cut up in pieces

A bun

Add some melted cheese.

Sounds perfectly wonderful so far, right?

But it's not a Black Dog hot dog until you add mashed potatoes.

And then some corn

And some mayonaise

And a couple other unidentifiable ingredients (I think there are other things on it, but Craig says that is all)

Add some salt for extra flavor

Complete the masterpiece by grilling it closed with a cheese mixture (Requeijao)

Voila. The traditional Black Dog hot dog.

If you chose to go with the supreme hot dog, they would add pepperoni, too. We went with the traditional.

It is safest to eat only a half at one time...even better to just split one with Craig so that we don't eat the second half the next day.

Surprisingly they are very delicious! But the kind of food you should probably only eat once every 2 months...or maybe even less often...

Just Livin' the Dream

Well we are just livin' it up while we have the chance! Craig is busy with work (which is going well) and I am really enjoying being able to volunteer in the Elementary. We spend time experimenting with things to cook in the microwave (the latest two: Corn on the Cob and scrambled eggs) and we find lots of fun things to do on the weekends.

While I am at the school, I split my time with the 2 fifth grade classes there. I spend a lot of time with the kids that are struggling with math, reading, and whatever else the teachers are doing through the day, and reteach the material that they are not understanding. I do have to admit, it is a little different for me to not be in charge in the classroom anymore and just be an aid, but I am grateful for the opportunity I have to see how this school runs, and to see all of the good ideas that these teachers have. Plus, the stress load is a lot less than being a real teacher! But this way I won't miss a beat when we get back and I can start teaching again!

We were able to go again to the Sao Paulo Temple. It is so beautiful, inside and out! It is especially nice to be able to go inside and escape the hustle and bustle of the big city here in Sao Paulo. We really enjoy being able to come to the Temple while we are here.

We really enjoyed General conference last weekend, and were able to listen to it all in English! After the last session on Saturday, we met up with some of Craig's friends from the mission and went to an all-you-can-eat Pizzeria. Yum! It was so delicious! They practically had to roll us all out of there, but we enjoyed ourselves very much! It has been really fun for me to be able to meet and get to know some of Craig's good friends and companions from his mission.

One of the things we like to do is go to the park by our apartment to take a walk, read, or just relax! I love it there! One of the times we went to the park, we saw a group of old women (see photo below) doing a dance of some sort. Apparently the purpose was to unify and harmonize the world. It was an experience watching them (and slyly taking a picture).

The park is so beautiful! It makes me feel like I am in a jungle.

The other day when we were walking around the city, we looked up and this is what we saw! It made us so happy to see a jet finishing up writing "oi" in the sky! (which means hi in Portuguese)

Last but not least, we were able to go and have a BBQ with Rodrigo's family. (He was one of Craig's friends on his mission). It was a lot of fun being able to be a part of a Brazilian family. They were very generous, fun, kind, and they fed us a lot! The Grandpa even treated us to a few songs on his harmonica while the Grandma danced a little behind him. We really enjoyed ourselves!