The Pousada Mon Chateau (sounds so French). And yes, Emma is flossing her teeth. I never had to teach her that habit. If she sees dental floss, she asks to floss her teeth.
Our last day in Florianopolis, we packed our car and drove around the island. We had no idea how huge the island really was! (Kind of reminds me of LOST!) There's a huge lake within the island. Parts of it are so shallow you can walk out for hundreds of feet without going under.
Just before crossing back onto the mainland, we saw these homes. Because of the terrain, it's very common to see homes built on the side of the hills or mountains. I think it's pretty.
Then we passed a random Statue of Liberty. I'd love to know the significance of the slighty disproportional lady standing in front of a shopping mall.
We left the island and drove north along the coast, heading towards Balneario Camboriu. Then we planned to head inland towards Blumenau where we would stay the night. Kevin and his boss had been talking and Adilson and his family were vacationing in B.C. They live near the Montenegro factory, which is about 6 hours from Horizontina, so we don't get to see them very often. We thought it would be fun to stop in and say hello, so we called them as we were entering the city. I'm not sure why we thought it would be a short visit, but we did. We were wrong. Eight hours of socializing, soccer, dinner and many laughs later, we left the city!
Just outside the apartment where Adilson's family was staying sat this massive statue of a woman. Nobody was sure of the significance or history, but there were no benches around to sit on, so we used her. After an hour of chatting outside, Kevin sat down and relaxed. This picture was too funny not to take!
Emma played soccer with Adilson's sons while the adults talked. When we went inside to cool off and have drinks, Emma fell asleep on my lap. I put her on a bed and she took a two hour nap while Kevin went to the beach to play soccer with the boys. I stayed with Adilson's wife, Ivonne, and really enjoyed the time I spent with her. Their boys are 15 and 12 and I loved hearing about how they chose to parent them when the kids were Emma's age. I was impressed with the standards they had set and the boys seemed so happy and respectful. It was nice to hear from another parent who is years ahead of me on the journey. Jonathan, the older son, has been learning English for several years and Kevin and I were both impressed with his language!
Adilson and Ivonne ended up taking us to dinner at an Italian restaurant close to their apartment. We needed to be driving away, but who can say no to pasta?? Certainly not me!
I've been thankful for most of the bosses Kevin has had, but I'm especially grateful for Adilson. We laugh and laugh with him and just really enjoy his family. I hope someday they can live in the U.S. (after we return, of course) so we can show them the hospitality they've shown us! As you can see, Emma is so incredibly comfortable with them and that just warms my heart!
