The Wedemeyer Family

Year 2007 was full of transitions. I finished law school in May, Jacobo finished first grade in June and Ale graduated with her teaching certificate in December. In May, we had a party in North Liberty with lots of family and friends: Micah, Sarah, Zac, Blue, Jerry, Jacque, Tom, Sue, Lana, Greg and Susan (Uncle Mark was conspicuously absent and I took it personal–just kidding), Ryan, Liz, Peter, all the kids and our pet snake, Lucy (loose body–Jacobo’s idea), who got away that night (outside).

Last October (2006), we attended Jan and Short’s 50th wedding anniversary in Kalona. In the spring, we were deeply sorry to hear about Short’s battle with cancer and we wish him the best. The “Short Reports” kept us updated, and it was nice to see the ole spunk shine through the adversity.

In mid June, we went canoing on the Wisconsin River again with Ryan, Liz and lots of other friends. We camped one night on a sand bar. It was a big adventure for Jacobo–frolicking in the wide, shallow river in the sunshine, seeing a painted turtle, paddling the canoe, huddling in his canoe chair while it rained and thundered, crying, then falling asleep after Nick bundled him up in adult rain gear.

Near the end of June, we moved from North Liberty, Iowa to Eagle Pass, Texas, “where Yee-hah meets Olé.” We said good-bye to lots of friends and family from Iowa after seven fruitful years of learning and growing. Moving was pleasant because Kevin helped us load the truck, and we stayed with Preston, Margie and Ely in Omaha, then Don and Naomi in Missouri, and finally Loraine in San Antonio (See earlier post).

I studied for the Texas bar exam for two months and then took it over three days at the end of July in San Antonio. I learned in November that I passed. Over the summer we lived in Piedras Negras, Mexico in Silvestre’s house. While Jacobo attended art and music classes in the Casa de Cultura in Piedras Negras, I studied my audio bar review lectures in the library of the same building.

In August, I started work at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Jacobo began second grade and Ale started student teaching 8th grade in Eagle Pass. We moved into a modest apartment near downtown Eagle Pass and two blocks from the Rio Grande.

Jacobo and I like to ride our bikes down to the river to fish.

We have great new neighbors, la Doña Maria, her son Rudy and her brother Rito.

I helped coach Jacobo’s soccer team, the “Border Bucks” (sponsored by a bank). Jacobo played forward and did very well, trying out his fakes and moves during the games. I played soccer in a men’s league in Piedras Negras–well, sat the bench mostly, waiting for the captain to put me in near the end of each game. The level of play was high, and it was fun to play with such dedicated amateurs on various fields throughout the neighborhoods of Piedras, including inside “El CERESO,” the municipal jail. The jail’s team was named “Los Angelos.” The inmates beat us by 5 goals, including a goal on a brilliant bicycle kick by a petty thief who had once played in the Mexican second division. The jail’s field was all dust and rocks with no grass, and the inmates knew it so well that they got “lucky” bounces will every rock and pass. I also learned the difference between “tacones” (high-heels) and “tachones” (soccer cleats)–the hard way…with plenty of laughs.

Over Labor Day weekend, we visited Bridgeport, West Virginia to attend a series of events to mark my 10-year high school reunion. It was great to see my old friends. They reminded me how “crazy” I used to be, no really, multiple people the whole weekend.

In November, Silvestre flew in for two weeks from his job in Israel. Alejandra cooked a fine Thanksgiving dinner all day at our apartment in Texas, then we packed the hot food in coolers and drove across the border to eat at Silvestre’s house in Piedras, joined by Cesar, his friend and long time neighbors Hector, Leti and their family.

Alejandra is happy to be near her family now, and has taken several short trips to visit her aunts, uncles and cousins in “La Region Carbonifera” and Monclova.

In December, we visited Bridgeport again for Christmas and New Year’s. We spent a great Christmas Eve at Larry’s house with Larry, Bonnie, Dan, Hillary and Nate and Noah. We had Christmas dinner and opened presents at Jerry and Jacque’s, then spent the evening at Larry’s again where we played the card game “Apples to Apples.”

I went hunting the next day and shot a deer in the wooded hills south of Salem, WV, with the Remington .30-06 that Uncle Stuart (and Grandpa Willard) gave me a long time ago. As my high school graduation present, Jerry bought me a lifetime West Virginia hunting license–to ensure I’d return every once in a while.

Matt, Stephanie, Sadie, Josh and we went snow tubing at Canaan Valley Ski Resort.

A couple days later it snowed in Bridgeport, and I took Jacobo down Hall’s Hill for a couple runs on a Flexible Flyer.

On New Year’s Eve we all went out for dinner at El Rincon. A couple days later we went to visit Ale’s host family in Salem when she was a foreign-exchange student in high school in West Virginia (when we met). Great people.

We flew into Laredo, late, and stayed with my coworker, Roman. The next day we went to visit Roman at our new Laredo office, down the street from the restaurant, the “Burger Patrol–Dept. of Homeland Hunger Suppression.” Jacobo began playing with a puppy at the neighbors behind the office. I told Roman how we had promised Jacobo a dog before we moved to Texas to sweeten the deal for him . . . then we promised a dog for Christmas . . . then we promised a dog for his birthday. Just then, a boy came out of the house and said, “¿Lo quieres?” (Do you want it?). “Oh boy,” said Roman. I looked at Ale, we shrugged, and said okay. I told Jacobo, “See? I promised you a dog, and there it is.” We named the dog “Lucky” . . . mostly because it was lucky for me and my promises.

We’ve had many positive and negative experiences since moving to the borderlands. We invite all of you to visit us some day to see the good, bad and ugly of the new place we call home. We love to host visitors, especially because we don’t have many in isolated Eagle Pass. We wish everyone the best in 2008!