Living The Good Life

We're Moving...

2010-03-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the big transition to Vietnam, we at the Richert Ranch have decided to relocate webwise as well. It seems time for fresh starts all around. We hope you join us.

The Wonderful World of Prezi (Don't Get Dizzy)

2010-03-09T13:06:00.001-08:00

title on Prezi

Hello? Is Anyone Out There?

2010-02-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...the blog has been deathly silent for the past five (has it really been five?) months. That is partly due to that fact that life in Ecuador is just that, life. No longer caught by surprise by that man peeing on the street corner, or the countless iguanas crossing the road. I hate to say it, but it's all become part of the expected. Even our vacations are becoming a bit repetitive. I could tell you about how I went paragliding over Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure I have a post about that. I could wax elegantly about school life, but let me check....yep, got those too. Not wanting to repeat myself over and over, I've let the blog lapse a bit. There has been no new news to report.

That is, until now.

This overseas living and teaching tends to have its own rhythms. In November, the wave of decision comes crashing in. Will you stay and renew your contract? Or, will you throw caution to the wind and try your luck with somewhere else. For those who choose to stay put, their overseas living resumes a sense of normalcy. But for those who are taking their chances with the great unknown, life becomes a turmoil of indecision, questioning, waiting, hoping, and general panic of "Oh my word, I have quit my job and have no where to go. Please don't make me live in my parent's basement" until the months of February and March. That is an incredibly long time to live in panic and worry. Trust me...much longer than you would think.

Dave and I decided in early November that we were ready to move on from the wonderful adventures of Ecuador. It was a really tough decision, but one that we felt we were ready for. We knew that this decision would send us on an emotional roller coaster until we could figure out what was going to happen next. And an emotional roller coaster it was; I bounced from having to bite my tongue so I wouldn't beg my director for my job back, to questioning whether I even wanted to continue teaching for the next two or so years. Working at a book shop was starting to sound mighty appealing (all those books! everywhere you look! heaven!)

We eventually decided to try to find another overseas position; with the understanding that if that did not pan out, I could start searching for that book store employment. We signed up for the annual overseas fair in Boston, crossed our fingers, and went on living life in Ecuador for three l-o-n-g months.

The time of the job fair has finally arrived, and let me tell you--it has been a whirlwind. Dave and I arrived in Boston on Wednesday, registered for the fair on Thursday, begged for interviews from 7:00-12:00 on Friday, began interviews at noon until 10:30 that same day, and went back for second and third interviews today. We met so many incredible people, looked at some many interesting and progressive schools, and interviewed with just about a country from each corner of the world. We interviewed with Turkey, Lebanon, Senegal, Vietnam, Eritrea (yeah, I didn't know where that one was either), Connecticut (I know! What?), Hong Kong, and Brazil. We met in formal interviews, we skyped, we mingled at the cocktail party, we met in 2nd interviews, and then 3rd interviews. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and eye-opening.

And it all led to the pivotal moment of our overseas living wave. The job offer. The next assignment. The next life changing adventure.

Here's your hint:

Hope to see you there and stay tuned for a whole new wave of adventures at the Richert Ranch.

Summer...2009

2009-09-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

What in the....?

2009-08-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I know...it has been months (months!! How did that happen?!). I can tell you how it happened...

* swine flu paranoia in Ecuador

* whirlwind tours of the USA from D.C. to California

* a swimming sensation that is six years old, and the Transformer's expert

* a beautiful 11 month old that fell in love with her uncle

* bbq's galore

* weekends away with the greatest of friends

* new bikes (Oh, Isis...I miss you already)

* let's be honest....Target, Costco, and the Patagonia outlet contributed to the silence

* 14 hour road trips

* napkin making

* concerts that had to be attended (I really do love you Josh Ritter. Really)

* books to purchase and read

* and, of course, all that repacking

* which only leads to all that unpacking

It's been a busy two and half months kids.

I'm Feeling a Teacher Geek Out Comin' On!

2009-05-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

There are four weeks left of school (28 days counting weekends), and usually this benchmark is characterized by complete and utter exhaustion. A little of the "I just need to make it through this day" attitude. Past April/Mays of my teaching life have been filled with days where I am just trying to keep my head above water. I'm tired, the kids are tired, we are all a little bit irritable, and patience doesn't seem to be a virtue that makes it on my list. By the end of the year, I am so thankful for the break to just physically and emotionally recoup.

But, this year....this year is proving to be different.

Thanks to some of my rockstar co-workers, I have been energized in an unaccountable way. I'm talking a full-fledge teacher geek out, usually only experienced in the first few months of the school year. Technology people, best motivator ever.

Here's the top five technology wonders currently making appearances in the Richert classroom:

1. Voicethreads: These are awesome! I can't even describe all the varied uses for them, you just have to check it out yourself. This is a voicethread that was completed by my 6th and 7th grade classes. I've only shown a couple of the kid's responses. Needless to say, I think this is the most fun they have had talking about commas. Please take pity on how my voice sounds when it is recorded. Skip the first two or three slides so you can see the awesomeness of my students.

I've used voicethreads with my Senior Lit. class as well. It seemed to be a much less intimidating way to discuss Shakespeare.

2. Wikis: For the past two years, I've tried to maintain blogs for all my classes with mixed results. The blogs were a little difficult to present all the information I wanted, especially in a way that was the most beneficial for the kids. I was getting frustrated, the kids weren't using the sites, and it was pretty much a disaster. Then, my friends Jean and Jody introduced me to the wonderful world of Wikis. These suckers have completely changed my classroom these last few weeks. So easy to set up, so easy to maintain, and I've gotten a huge response from parents and students. The kids have been so excited about it that they have no problem doing the hidden assignments found in the site. Awesome. Check out everything you can do:

First you can create an endless amount of pages for your wiki:

I have a blog page:

I have an assignment calendar page:

One of the coolest features of the wiki is being able to download any type of documents, word, powerpoints, pdf's, for the kids to access at home. This has been a life-saver for my more organizational challenged students. Also, it is helping to move our class to being paper-free.

I also have pages with videos, checklists, and webquests. All of this took me about two hours to put together because it can all be done with a click of a button. So cool.

3. Wordle.net: My kids are loving this site. We use it in class as an easy way to check out the word choice in our writing, but the kids are using it on their own to create word art. First, you copy what every text you want to check and paste it in the wordle window:

And, Wah-Lah....Word Art:

The words that appear the largest are the words that have been used the most. You can also play around with the wordle, creating different looks and colors:

There is a drop-down menu that lets you change the layout, color, and font. The kids are coming with new wordle's each day. They've used their own writing, articles, poems, song lyrics, anything they can think of. Evaluating our word choice has never been so pretty.

4. Book trailers: Wow! Who came up with the idea to present books in the same vein as movies? Absolutely brilliant. I have kids watching them and coming up with must-read lists all on their own. You can't help but get hooked into the book after seeing one of these suckers. Youtube is a treasure trove for them.

5. And finally, skitch.com. This site provides the software that is allowing me to capture all these images and add arrows, text, and embed those new images into anything I want. Unfortunately, skitch.com only works with macs right now.

All of these technological gems have made the last two months of school just as energy filled as the first two months. I think the kids and I just might survive these next four weeks, and have a lot of fun doing it.

Beach Shmeach

2009-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

After an almost two year experiement in living, Dave and I have come to the conclusion that we are not beach people.

Sand? Not a fan.

Being in a sea of people who, let's be honest, are a lot more confident in what they are wearing then they should be? I can live without it, my eyes will forever thank me. (Seriously? Speedos? Why are people letting their friends leave the house in those?)

Yes, the ocean is beautiful. And big. And just a little frightening with all those crashing waves that pull you under water and provide that "I've just been tossed into a washing machine during the speed cycle" feeling.

Besides that, I tend to burn. And then freckle. Not good.

I can't help it...I wasn't born to be enchanted by the swaying palm trees and shimmering sunsets. I mean, I'm from Idaho. Give me the mountains anyday.

And this is why Dave and I headed to Vilcabamba, Ecuador for Semana Santa, instead of following the rest of Ecuador to the coast. There were no blasted sand flies, no sand collections in unexpected, and uncomfortable, places, and no salt water up the nose. There was only mountain ranges, hiking excursions, a horseback ride, and a lot of reading.

Vilcabamba in a word? Paradise.

The mountains were beautiful, the weather perfect, the trails extensive (though a little muddy in some areas), and adventures plentiful. Our days went something like this....breakfast, exploring of some kind, back to town for a delicious and cheap lunch, reading, napping, card playing, dinner, reading, card playing, you get the idea. Of course, laughing was also a major part of the day.

We stayed at this beautiful hostel called Le Rendez-Vous. There were only eight rooms, with the most comfortable beds I have EVER slept on, each with a hammock outside. The rooms also surrounded a beautiful courtyard; our room had an avocado tree in front of it that had the biggest avocados I have ever seen. They also delivered a delicious breakfast to our room each morning, and encouraged lazing about. Notice, on the sign above, that they had "hot water at will." Sometimes, our will was not especially strong.

All in all, despite the occasional cold shower, it was pretty wonderful. Not a sand strip in sight.

Because We Can Look at the Scary Eye Picture For Only So Long...

2009-03-30T19:19:00.001-07:00

Meet our new little friend...

He likes bikes too.

Whew...What a Week

2009-03-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have been housebound the last week. Let me tell you, an unexpected week off of work is not always as enjoyable as you would think.

Living in a developing nation, you have to be willing to accept some unpleasant things that are going to come your way. You will be robbed at some point, just go with the flow. Your plans will never go as expected (What? You don't have my hotel reservation? Or the $50 deposit I have already made?). And, you will contract some awful virus or bacteria. Guaranteed. The latter is what struck the Richert's this past week.

Yep, right there is just your basic case of conjunctivitis (a.k.a. pink eye). I know, gross. We are pretty sure that it found its way to us via Ecuador's stellar bus system. I began noticing the problem on the way home from our relaxing eco-resort getaway. Thinking that something had flown into my eye due to the open windows of the bus, I worried it like nothing else trying to get it out. This is what caused the extensive hemorrhaging in my left eye, causing me to look like a demon possessed extra in some horror film. Not my best look.

By Monday morning, my eye had completely swollen shut and the school doctor quickly sent me to an optometrist. This is where I learned that conjunctivitis is extremely contagious, that it can be contracted through the air, and that it takes six to ten days to recover from. Uhmm...excuse me, what? That is beyond my worst nightmare. You see, I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe, (Molly, I can hear you laughing at me right now) which doesn't always work for me living in Ecuador. I've been washing my hands obsessively, especially because some fever disease has been making its way through our school community, and this woman tells me this virus is airborne? Are you kidding me?

I went right home, armed with three different types of eye drops, and have been here ever since. Dave came down with it on Monday night and has been suffering with me. We missed classes, parent/teacher conferences, and had to back out of chaperoning activities. We've been playing a lot of cards, watching (mainly listening to those first couple of days) a lot of movies, and once our eyes stopped watering and gooing, doing a lot of reading. I'm exhausted.

The highlight definitely was receiving the get-well card from the 6th and 7th graders at school. Our friend Sarah helped them make it. There are pictures of each kid next to a little written message. Man, they are hilarious. I laughed so hard that I cried my eye-drops out. ("I hope you come back soon. The substitute is getting mad at us; I think she is getting stressed").

Okay, here is the lesson kids: It doesn't always matter what we do to try to avoid what we are afraid of; sometimes it is going to fly right straight into our eye anyways. Maybe it isn't what we do to avoid our little fears, but how we survive them that matters.

Carnival Adventures (Or: What I Meant My Last Post To Be About)

2009-03-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

I know that my adventures are not in the same vein as this. But, come on, can the Amazon really compete with:

Hanging out with a superhero who just happens to be an Ecuador futbol fan as well.

Making the ever delicious treat of the "Gaby Sandwich"

Being in awe of "Super-Mom" (A.K.A. Cousin Kira...and yes, those are all her adorable children)

Finally getting rid of my own personal heating system.

Spotting something uniquely Idaho. (A live bait vending machine? Are you serious?)

There was the re-stocking of reading material. (Man, I love Barnes and Noble)

And let's not forget about the shopping.

There was also having coffee and dinner with friends, the frazzled transition from speaking Spanish to English whenever ordering food, and the beauty of finally getting to flush my toilet paper (though I did have to tell myself to flush it and not throw it away Every. Single. Time. Too much information?)

It was a wonderful, restful, break full of family, fun, laughter, and pure joy at seeing baseball fields and snow again. It's the little things.

Not What I Intended to Blog About Today...

2009-03-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have been a lapsed blogger as of late. Not because there has not been fun and exciting things happening, but because I am trying to spend only a 1/2 hour on the computer a day. Man, I didn't realize how much of my life this whole technology thing takes up! I have been spending only 1/2 hour on the computer a day (well, not really on the weekends because you have to break the rules sometimes) since the beginning of March. I'm on my fifth book of the month people, and it is only the 15th. Awesome.

This recent decision of mine was spurned on by a conversation I had with my mom. We were talking about faithfulness in marriage, friendships, and life in general. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that acts of unfaithfulness are anything that takes you away from the relationships you have committed to. Spending too much time on anything that takes you away from nurturing and working on the relationships you are in is potentially harmful. Wise woman, that mom of mine.

I think, in this crazy futuristic world of ours (can you believe we have computers the size of a deck of cards? Incredible! Not to mention, straight out of The Jetsons), we rely on the technology around us to escape from the vulnerability and responsibility of human interaction. I watch my students sitting right next to each other, not speaking, but texting back and forth. We IM instead of picking up the phone, or relieve the stress of the day by surfing the Internet instead of talking to our loved ones.

Now, don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that technology isn't absolutely amazing, and I really do think it has the capability to draw us closer to people (thank you skype!). I admit that I have loved reconnecting with people from my past through blogging and (gasp) facebook. Personal aside here, am I too old for facebook? Why do I feel like I am joining this fad about fifteen years too late? More importantly, why am I so embarrassed to admit I am on facebook? I broke out into a cold sweat just typing that last part! But, I think it can also draw us more into our selves if we aren't careful. I think it can overwhelm and override our natural urgency to connect with other people, I think it can squelch our impulses to experience life outside of our office, and I think its addictive powers can push out the interests and art that make us truly unique individuals.

Here is the bottom line. I'm not going cold turkey on technology, we don't want to get crazy here. Let's face it, I can't possibly go a day without getting everyone's status update (there it is again, that cold wash of shame!). Not to mention, I love having my own blog that has been a running record of the adventures Dave and I have been having. I just want to be more aware of what I am faithful to, what I give my attention and focus to, and what I am really connecting with on a daily basis.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have book number six to start.

February Boycott

2009-02-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure about all teachers, but February is my least favorite month of the school year. I don't care that it has the least amount of days of any other month, it is the longest month of the year. Here is why...

The excitement of the first of the year is gone. The kids are no longer on their best behavior and willing to try the new can crazy ideas that come out of their teacher's heads. During the second quarter of school, we all have our eye on Christmas vacation. We might get a little impatient and the crazy level might rise a bit, but we all are still working and willing. But third quarter (aka February) we've got nothing. The kids are grouchy, there is nothing to look forward to, and, most shocking of all, they are no longer impressed with my special brand of humor. The nerve.

Not to mention the weather...

Idaho weather during this time is gray, dreary, and cold. There usually is slushy snow, black ice, or biting wind. Ecuador weather is hot, gray, and wet. I just can't win. This is the month that I usually want to be anywhere else but where I am. It is the month when I'm sure my real dream job is working in a coffee shot instead of helping to shape the minds of the future.

I'm not the only one who struggles with the month of February. I'm pretty sure more teachers detest this month than are willing to admit. There are many different ways we all deal with the February doldrums. My friend Sarri took a positive route by posting something she loved each day of the month. Brilliant!

I went the other extreme by denying the existence of February, hence the silence on the blog. But, February is almost over (only one more day!) and Living the Good Life will be back in business. How do you survive February?

Looking for a Good Read?

2009-01-25T17:42:00.001-08:00

There are many perks to being a middle school Language Arts teacher. Namely, the opportunity to continue to read young adult literature without shame or guilt.

Yes, I read the Twilight series.

Yes, I claimed it was because I had to "keep up" with the current YA lit craze.

Yes, I'm a little in love with Edward.

Let's face it, YA literature is a lot of fun to read. They are quick reads designed to first get kids interested in reading and then to introduce them to different ideas in the world. Interest first, ideas next. They aren't typically the books you pick up to show how sophisticated your reading life is (not a lot of YA books comparable to War and Peace out there), or ones that you only read to give yourself a brain-break (oh, how I love you Janet Evanovich during the dreaded third quarter of the school year). A lot of Young Adult literature is somewhere in the middle of those two reading extremes. You have to love a book that gives you a heavy dose of entertainment with a nice little moral/lesson/societal idea to consider, neatly hidden inside the covers.

And that brings us to my most recent YA read.

The Gospel According to

Now, we aren't talking biblical gospel here. There is no religious slander or heresy in the pages of Janet Tashjian's wonderful book. Rather, the story focuses on a teenage boy, known as Josh but who has a secret alter-ego named Larry. Josh/Larry has only two goals, to win the heart of Beth and to change the world. He plans to do both by bringing to light the tragedy of American consumerism. The book has secret identities, unrequited love, and a call for social activism and awareness. Entertainment and message...brilliant.

One of my favorite parts of the book was detailing Josh's individual action against consumerism:

"I only own seventy-five possessions. Counting all clothes, underwear, school supplies, recreational equipment, software, key to the family house--seventy-five.

My list of guidelines: If I got a new CD, I either traded for it or had to sell an old one. Same with books and videos (thank God for libraries). I rented skis when I went to the mountains, borrowed basketballs, downloaded free software and music online. A notebook counts as one, even though it has seventy sheets of paper. A pair of socks counts as one, as do shoes...I've been like this since the eighth grade, when I read about some Native Americans not wanting to leave too many 'footprints' on the earth when they left. I took it literally. Every single thing I bought was a major, MAJOR decision. I asked myself if I could live up to the responsibility of owning it, maintaining it, housing it. In other words, DO I HAVE TO OWN THIS NEW ITEM SO BADLY THAT IT'S WORTH REMOVING SOMETHING ELSE WITH MEANING FROM MY LIST OF SEVENTY-FIVE SACRED POSSESSIONS?" (page 45-46).

I read that passage to Dave and it got us thinking. If we could whittle down all of our possessions to only 75 items, what would they be? More importantly, would we really need any more than those items?

Something interesting to think about it (which, really, isn't that what reading should make us do?)

What would be the 75 most important things for you to own? What would you be willing to live without?

Tag O' Rama

2009-01-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

Confession: I love those getting to know you questionnaire, tag games, roving emails. I just can't help myself. I love reading what other people say, and I love filling them out myself. First off, I love discovering that new piece of quirky information that just wouldn't come up in typical conversation.

"Oh, you once ate a live goldfish while dancing the mamba?" Interesting.

Second, I love having to figure out my own answers. There are moments in our lives that are natural to share, and therefore always at the front of our minds. And there are those moments that don't fit in any socially natural box, they just are too obscure or bizarre to have an open forum. These tend to turn into the moments we cherish in someway, that we only share in those magical moments of unexpected confessions. They often define us, or show an aspect of our character that hasn't really gotten a chance to shine. After confessing these, and hearing them confessed, you usually walk away with a smile on your face and a belly exhausted from laughter.

What's not to love about that?

My friend Jen has recently opened up the door to those type of moments for me. I have been tagged. Here are seven interesting (that is debatable) things you may never have known about me:

1. When I was younger, I honestly believed that I was related to Bert from Bert and Ernie. It made perfect sense to me because I believed everyone was named after someone in their family, this obvious logic stemming from the fact that I was named after my Uncle Dan and Aunt Sherry. My dad's middle name is Bert. I had never met any other Bert's besides the famous one on PBS. Therefore, I must be related to a Muppet.

2. Also, when I was younger, I had a terrible fear of dying in my sleep. Each night I would tell my parents that I loved them and would see them in the morning. Then, during my nightly prayers, I would explain to God that I could not die tonight because I had told my parents I would see them tomorrow. I didn't think God wanted to disappoint two such nice people as Ron and Jan.

3. One of my biggest heart regrets is not driving from Moscow to Nampa, Idaho with my family after my sister's senior show at U of I. I flew to Boise instead, anxious to resume life at my college. My grandfather died in a car wreck a few weeks later; that was the last chance I had to talk, laugh, and be with him. It's something I don't like to think about much, but it seems to consume me at times when I least expect it.

4. I tried to conquer my fear of heights by paragliding off of the coast of Ecuador. It was one of the most peaceful and exhilarating experiences I've had.

5. Something I'm pretty proud of myself for doing is backpacking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. For a girl who had never been camping until she was married, let only never been backpacking, that was quite an achievement.

6. The best road-trip that Dave and I have been on was when we flipped a coin to see which exit, north or south, we would take. Not just once, but every time we came to a major exit. This was a major thing for my type A husband. We went on a trip...without a plan. I'm surprised he survived to tell the tale.

7. I was the pitcher for my tee-ball team. Yeah, you read that right. My job was to throw an imaginary ball. I played a fake position and I still repeatedly got beamed in the head.

And now I tag seven new people; lucky winners listed below. What juicy bits of forgotten life experience can you share?

Sarri

Megan

Amy

Christmas in Colombia (The post is better late than never...)

2009-01-10T08:22:00.001-08:00

As promised, here is the Amazing Richert Christmas Adventure 2008, with special guest star, Sherry Silvers.

Bogota, Columbia.

As you can see...this city and I were obviously made for each other. Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops were on every block. Yes, the majority of the books were in Spanish which causes some slight difficulties, but I don't like to focus on those kind of details. I'm more of a cup half full kind of gal.

Also, the city is bike crazy. There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes; we saw bike lanes throughout the city and even along the highway. They just created a bike/walking lane in the middle of the highway, incredible! They even close off some of the major streets every Sunday and holiday so people can ride their bikes through the main arteries of town without dealing with the potentially dangerous obstacle of cars. The city had me at hello.

Dave found a wonderful place for us to stay that was right in the heart of the historic district of the city. It is what we would call a boutique hotel in the states, but is pretty common fare in South America. The rooms were beautiful, though a little chilly, and the hostel had a wonderful restaurant which provided free breakfast and the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Got to love that.

Bogota was completely decked out for the Christmas season, especially the main historic squares. The square besides the Presidential Palace was decorated with hundreds of lighted trees and the ever festive pigeon. (Seriously, it was like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds." A little freaky).

One of the highlights was riding the funicular up Mt. Monserrate. The mountain backs up against the city, providing incredible views of Bogota from its top. There is also a old church at the top where we were able to hear a Christmas mass. The views were amazing!

Our favorite Colombian adventure by far was the Salt Cathedral. This is an underground cathedral made entirely out of salt, found in the salt mine of Zipaquira. Our guide told us that to fully explore the mine would take three days! We stuck with the Cathedral tour and were in complete awe. We walked down the penitent steps, viewed the baptismal font, the choir's perch, and the main sanctuary. The tunnel leading through the heart of the cathedral was lined with fourteen separate chapels that represented the life of Christ. It was beautiful.

Other adventures included the famous gold museum, rumored to hold the El Dorado gold, watching the Presidential Guard shoo everyone off the sidewalk in front of the palace, and visiting the oldest restaurant in South America. It was a wonderful Christmas, and we were so glad to share it with our Aunt Sherry.

What adventures will South America hold for you?

Christmas Adventure Teaser...Alternately Titled: Come On People, What Are You Waiting For?!

2009-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is craziness. Dave and I have been living and traveling around South America for a year and a half. We come across many fellow travelers and adventurers. How many of the people we have met do you think have been from the United States?

Do you have your guess?

Counting the people I work with, the number is in the low double digits. I'm thinking maybe 10 to 15%. And that, again, is including the people I work with. The majority of travelers we come across actually have been from Europe. See, they know something you North Americans haven't seemed to grasp yet...

South America is the place to be! It's beautiful, unique, has beaches, mountains, jungles, and the best part, is incredibly affordable. I ask you again, what exactly are you waiting for?

Exhibit A: Colombia. I know, I know, the first things you think of when you hear Colombia are drug cartels and guerrilla warfare. But seriously, that is so 1995. Visit Colombia today and you will be amazed at how clean, safe, and beautiful the cities and countryside are. Trust me, I would not lead you astray. I even have done my own research. Dave and I, along with my Aunt Sherry, spent Christmas in Colombia and you will never believe the adventures we had. Prepare yourself for some attacks of envy...pictures and adventures coming soon.

Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My

2008-12-31T21:51:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, it has been quite awhile since I have actually been awake to ring in the new year and say goodbye to the old. Dave and I have always been a bit more concerned about the eight hours of sleep necessary to enjoy life rather than seeing the ball drop. But this year...is different.

It is 12:58 and the neighbor's hired band just started, there are rapid fire explosives (aka fireworks) going off in three minute intervals, and the car alarms throughout our block seem to be answering the loving call of said fireworks. There will be no eight hours to start off the year for the Richert's this time.

Nothing about our experiences in Ecuador could be classified as typical, and New Year's Eve is proving to be no exception. The evening started out quite and low key, dinner at home with a movie. There were the occasional firework, but that isn't anything atypical. I was even contemplating continuing the tradition of snuggling into bed by 10:30.

Before I called it a night, Dave and I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. We had heard of the Ecuadorian tradition of Anos Viejos and was hoping to see it in action, expecting the festivities to be on a small scale of course.

We walked through the streets, trying to dodge the amateur firework technicians.

We ended up at the small marina park about a half a block from our house. Here was Anos Viejos Central. The people of Puerto Azul had set up their personifications of the old year, stuffed dummies made of sawdust, paper mache, and firecrackers, into huge piles throughout the park.

As the clock ticked towards midnight, the revelers got to work.

Pretty soon, Dave and I found ourselves surrounded by huge bonfires, fighting the urge to run for cover as people continued to through fireworks into the already huge flames.

It was a crazy, code-breaking, beautiful way to ring in the New Year. I have to say, I'm glad I stayed up for it. Not that I had much choice, but still...

Here is a little taste for those of you missing out on all of these festivities.

Happy New Year's everyone! Here is to another year of living the good life.

Don't Be Fooled...Life is Still Good

2008-12-07T17:32:00.001-08:00

Now, my husband would have you believe that his current life is like this:

I think this is his, "I'm on the brink of death" look

But in all actuality, his life is currently this:

And this...

And a whole lot of this...

Yeah, life might be a little less mobile, but it is still pretty good.

Now, How Did We Get Here Again?

2008-12-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

I don't think anyone will be surprised to know that I am having D-O-U-B-T-S about signing up for another year of teaching and living in Ecuador.

Part of the problem is me, I'm a chronic second guesser who always questions decisions I make. The other part of the problem is it's just that time of year, the crazy "school has got to let up soon or I will go bald pulling out all of my hair" time of year. Kids are starting to go wild because they can smell the three week vacation that is just around the corner, high school finals start tomorrow (exactly what is a middle school teacher doing writing a senior literature final? I have no idea what I'm doing here!), report cards are due soon, and I stupidly have assigned major projects/papers/presentations (the curse of the triple p) to be due this week.

Not to mention the weather...

Oh yes, the rainy season is almost upon us and we all know how well that went for me last year. By the end of February, the faint sound of a thunderclap would reduce me to tears.

For the past two weeks, I have repeatedly turned to Dave, a bewildered expression weighing on my normally cheerful face, and asked, "Now, how did we get here again? Why did we agree to stay?"

Today, I got my answer.

Dave had to have surgery on his knee this morning (an ecua-adventure worthy of its own post) due to a torn meniscus from all that crazy futbol playing. Throughout the day, we had friends--notice the plural form--call us at the clinic offering to translate for us, offering to sort out the billing for us, coming to pick us up after Dave's epidural finally wore off after five hours. People rearranged their day, stopped by after work, called to check in. We've had friends offer to make us dinner, to cover classes, to entertain my poor husband when his patience finally snaps at being cooped up for so long.

That's why we are staying here another year. Thanks for the reminder guys, I needed that.

Yes We Can...

2008-11-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

I have typed out the start of this post, and erased it, so many times, my backspace button is starting to lose its letters. Yes, part of the reluctance may have to do with the fact that I am a third generation Idahoan, born and raised in a state that has been painted red with Teflon. And yet, I still tend to fall a smidge left of that center line. But mainly, this post has been a long time coming because I can't seem to fully put into words the emotion, excitement, and wonder I am still feeling after last week's historic election. I think I will just leave it to my friend Sarri's eloquence. Read this, be moved, be thankful, and be hopeful.

Congratulations America...

Yes or No?

2008-10-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, slipped in the far reaches of my mailbox, I found a note that took me back to the good ol' days of elementary school.

You know what I'm talking about. Remember how you would just be sitting at your desk, one leg pumping back and forth, pencil eraser nudging your bottom lip, as you tried to puzzle out those mind-boggling multiplication tables? And then, out of the corner of your eye, you would see Andy passing a note to Melissa, who would then pass it on to Mark, who would then palm it off to you right before Mrs. Nelson turned around from the blackboard. Your name would be written all in cursive and curly-q's on the clumsily folded paper. Carefully, stealthily, you unfold the paper to find:

Well, InterAmerican sent me a 'check yes or no' note, and it raised the same sensation of anxiety that those old love notes of yesterday used to inspire. Instead of the traditional, "do you like me?" question, it was the "will you continue to live in the hottest place on earth and work to the point of exhaustion?" variety.

Hmmm.....what to do?

My type A husband suggested a pro/con list (anyone surprised? Yeah, I didn't think so).

Pro's:

*Education. The school is currently helping both of us to take on-line classes. One of us to pursue our teaching certification, the other to keep our teaching certification.

*Job. I have 28 students this year. Total. And my biggest classroom management problem is telling R to stop singing back everything I say. Seriously.

*13 weeks of vacation with the husband. At first, I thought this was an awful lot of together time, I'm not going to lie to you. But, when you are married to pretty much the most fun person in the entire world, it turns out to be pretty awesome.

*Housing, insurance, and a pool are included. I know that there is housing and insurance in Boise as well, but there is no pool.

*Traveling opportunities. This is something Dave and I have noticed lately...we really have been taking vacations of a lifetime, seeing and doing things that a lot of people only read about in National Geographic. Adventures like Machu Picchu, mountain biking in the Andes, deep sea fishing off the coast of Ecuador. This coming year we have plans for Colombia, Argentina, Panama, and the Amazon. I'm always amazed to realize that this is our life.

*Tickets home. Have you checked airfare from the states to South American lately? Insane. The school would provide our tickets to and from the states this summer.

*Spanish. Dave and I are becoming bilingual! How cool is that? Okay, so it is going pretty slow, but still! We're getting there.

*Carmen. I'm a little in love with this woman. Mainly because she makes it possible for me to never have to clean my house. Don't judge me. I'm a teacher who will never be able to have this experience in the states; I'm going to enjoy it as long as possible.

Con's:

*Family. Man, do I miss my family. It is hard to know that we aren't going to see our beautiful nephews and nieces for another seven months. I want to hold those babies!

*Friends. I miss my small group, my lunch buddies, and my teaching team. Those people, irreplaceable.

*Java. I can't help it, I miss my coffee shop.

What to do? Family and friends are big one's, but they have this tendency to stick with us no matter where we are at (have I mentioned how much I love you guys for that?). And Java? Well, sacrifices must be made.

And so the adventure continues...

Adventure A'Plenty

2008-10-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of my friend Jill's blog. She and her family are currently living in Japan and she is documenting all the family adventures they are experiencing during their time in Asia. She recently wrote that she hasn't been blogging for awhile because things are starting to feel normal for her in Japan, there is the "been there, done that" feeling about the things she comes across on a day to day basis. I know exactly what she is talking about...I'm starting to feel that way about Ecuador. It isn't that I don't know I am having the experience of the lifetime, it is just that the experience is starting to feel like normal life. That is, until this past weekend.

This last weekend, which marked the first break in 9 weeks of school (crazy, right? No one is supposed to spend that much time with 6th and 7th graders in one pop), Dave and I had one of those Ecuador adventures that makes us hardly believe we are lucky enough to live this life.

Thursday, almost as soon as the last bell of the day rang, Dave and I threw some things in a bag and headed to the airport. After waiting for over an hour for our delayed flight, we finally arrived in Quito to begin our mountain biking extravaganza.

We booked a two-day mountain biking trip along a couple of Ecuador's more famous volcanoes, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. Even though the trip was completely downhill riding and really no hard work was put into the rides, you want to know what my favorite thing to say right now is?

"Yeah, I've been mountain biking in the Andes."

The Andes people!! That is awesome. And never going to get old.

Dave and I, along with our awesome guide Mo and fellow bikers Francesca and Martin, began our biking adventure early Friday morning. We drove to the first base of Cotopaxi with Mo giving us some history of the area as we made our way up the dirt road. The landscape was beautiful, and reminded me a bit of Southern Idaho, with it's desert feel, lava rocks, and sparse grasses. We even came across a field of wild horses as we made our way through the valley at the base of Cotopaxi. It was also the first single track we have seen in months, as in 15 months. Dave and I were in heaven.

After our four hours of biking, we loaded up the bikes and headed to the small town bordering Chimborazo for the night. On the way, our guide made a stop in one of Ecuador's small towns. Now, one of the greatest characteristics of this country is the fact that there are many villages that specialize in just one thing. All the shops and businesses seem to be centered around one commercial item. There is a village that sells all leather products, one that sells wood carvings, one that specializes in the wonderful bizcoche treats. And then there is the village our guide took us to this weekend, one that specializes in ice cream. Possibly the best ice cream I have ever had.

It is a four-flavor party in the mouth. Sweet leche, ontop of mora, followed by naranjilla, and rounded out by taxo. De-to-the-licious.

After a semi-good night's sleep, our group headed to Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest summit. Our biking adventure started at the first refuge, right after the four of us climbed to the second refuge of the volcano. It was beautiful, cold, snowy, and a wonderful way to spend the morning.

Our hike ended right as the rest of the Ecuadorian tourists showed up. We quickly suited up and began the bike ride down to the entrance of the Chimborazo National Park. Unfortunately, clouds had settled around the base of the mountain and we had to ride in a thick fog. It was also freezing (a sensation I don't often feel here in Ecuador) and my gloves and bike began to frost up as I rode down the mountain. I thought for sure that my fingers were going to fall off and all I was thinking was, "how am I going to teach Language Arts if I don't have my fingers?"

Can you see the frost built up on my gloves? Trust me, it was there.

After we warmed up, and the feeling once again returned to our limbs, we began the last stage of our biking extravaganza. We rode for over twenty kilometers through the most beautiful landscape I have yet seen in Ecuador. It was a lush, green, canyon road boardered by a twisting river. We passed through tiny villages, had lunch alongside the river with an Ecuadorian shepherd watching over his huge flock of sheep, saw a rodeo, and heard a small village band practicing for an up-coming festival. We also met a fellow biker, a little more hard-core because he biked up and then down the twisting road.

By the time we reached our stopping point, we were all exhilerated, worn-out, and definitely ready for more ice cream!

And yes, this is a statue the town has erected as a monument to their ice cream. Awesome.

Shout Out!

2008-10-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Our very talented friend over at The Bat Ranch, has once again started his 31 Doodles to celebrate the spooky month of October. We here at the Richert Ranch are big fans and wanted to let you in on this web-based art show. Check them out, I can guarantee you won't want to miss a doodle!

And our artist of the week (or two) is Ingrid Michaelson. She's great, yes? I found her while stress-shopping on iTunes. Is there anything better than stress-shopping at iTunes? Instant gratification for only $1. Beautiful

I Survived...But Just Barely

2008-09-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

I had heard rumors, old legends and folktales, but I had always believed they were mere stories of warning, meant to keep me on my toes and always be aware. But no, this past week I discovered that the myths, passed down from generation to generation, were absolutely true...

You can be pushed to the brink of total insanity by the eye-rolls, whines, and hrumphs of teenagers.

Before I say anymore, let me say this: Mom and Dad, I am so very, very sorry for those tumoultous years roughly between 1991 and 1996. Seriously...so very sorry.

This past week I, along with two other IA teachers, took twenty-one sixth and seventh graders on a four day field trip. That's right, four days. For over 80 hours, we endured the arms-crossed, heavy sigh, glare stance that only a teenage girl has down to perfection, the bodily function noises that only teenage boys can manufacture, and the high-pitched, naselly, and constant whine that all dogs across South America can hear. We held our ground as we constantly reminded kids that, contrary to popular belief, we were not maids and would not be cleaning up after them after every meal. We stayed up until the wee hours of the night, reminding cackling girls that yelling was very different from whispering, and energetic boys that we did have all exits to the building blocked, so don't even think about it. We stopped games of truth or dare before the lips started to pucker, and fought to keep our sanity during bouts of the ever popular teenage game of argue-about-everything, including if the sky is actually blue.

In between battling bouts of adolescence gone a-muck, we actually had a pretty good time. We took the students to San Pablo, a small village off of the coast of Ecuador. We stayed in the small community run by our amazing friends, Aleida and Gonzalo. The kids spent the majority of three days working in the San Pablo school, playing with the children of the village, and getting to know each other.

They created a miniture golf course inside the community center, learned a few new moves in soccer, made a quick trip to the beach, and flirted like you would not believe. We played camp games, ate delicious food, worked hard, and laughed quite a bit.

I stayed with the girls at Aleida and Gonzalo's beautiful beach house, and my fearless co-workers stayed with the boys in the community center. Sounds like I got the better deal, yes? Wrong. The girls were up until the wee hours of the morning the first night. I got quite the workout walking up and down the stairs, telling them to be quiet and get to sleep. I finally started out sleeping on the ground between their two bedrooms the second night, just to save time between door bangings. I believe my goodnight speech that night went something like this:

Me: Think back to today, remember how grouchy I was?

Girls: eyes wide, nodding.

Me: If we have another night like last night, I will be exponentially more grouchy tomorrow. Decide now how you want tomorrow to go.

They were in bed, lights out, and quiet by 10:00. Wonderful. Now, if I could just get them to be quiet during class...

Teacher Talk

2008-09-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

I hate to make this post all about teaching, you know Dave hears enough about it at home, but the fact of the matter is that school has started and, therefore, completely taken over my life. In the states I had an outlet for this kind of obsession, it was called a team. We all had the same kids, met everyday, worked together, and daily had the chance to share (some may say vent) the going ons of the day.

That is not so here. I am my team. It really can't be helped; our school is pretty small with only 200 or so kids for grades nursery to 12. Every secondary teacher has five different subjects they are prepping for each day. There really isn't time to talk over ideas, share discoveries, or spill the more shocking things kids do. (You remember Alex, the kid who actually shocked himself? Good times)

So, lucky you--you get to hear all about what is on the mind of an overseas middle school teacher. I'll try to keep it short.

What I am loving right this moment:

** Mechanically Inclined, by Jeff Anderson. Best. Book. Ever. I know that I am a certified English teacher and, therefore, should be a grammar goddess, right? Wrong. I hate teaching grammar and mechanics, it is my least favorite thing. But, and I don't want to get ahead of myself here because I am only on chapter four, I think this book has changed all of that. It is absolutely wonderful, one of those books you read that makes you say, "Why have I never thought about this before? It seems so obvious!"

First off, Anderson is not a fan of the whole DOL (Daily Oral Language) program, otherwise known as the most annoying grammar program that can't be wiped clean from classrooms for some unknown reason. You'll remember this, the teacher writes a sentence on the board that is so riddled with errors you don't know where to start first. Then you have to share your corrections with the rest of the class and have all the errors you painfully missed pointed out in front of everyone. Great lesson in humiliation, not so great for grammar.

As an alternative, Anderson suggests having students work with sentences that are absolutely grammatically correct. The kids play around with the sentences, deciding why the word choice, punctuation, and word order make the sentence work. Then they try to imitate the things they noticed in their own writing. Brilliant, I know. The book is full of lesson plans, ideas, quotes that you can implement in your class immediately. Really, I feel like a Mechanically Inclined pusher. If you teach upper elementary or secondary school, Read This Now.

What I am dreading right this moment:

**Outdoor School. Oh boy. Me, two other overworked teachers, twenty-one middle school students who have definitely stepped into the realm of puberty, and 96 hours of togetherness away from home? If you don't hear from me again by Sunday, know that I loved you all.

See? That wasn't so bad, was it? I don't understand why Dave gets that glazed over look whenever I mention school...

Oh My...

2008-09-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Currently making my heart melt...

My niece, Gabriella Faith Miller.

She's beautiful, yes?

Congratulations Jodi, Casey, and Blake!  We love you all.

Hello? Is Anyone Still Out There?

2008-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...it's been like crickets chirping at the Richert Ranch lately. I kept meaning to post, but life just kept getting in the way. School has kept both Dave and I so busy. We just wrapped up week three (even though it feels like week twenty) and we are both exhausted. Dave is not only teaching p.e. to nursery through 7th grade, but coaching boys volleyball. He has the team's first tournament tomorrow and is frantically trying to learn all of the volleyball rules of play as we speak. They are a bit different in Ecuador, for instance you are allowed to kick the ball here. It seems to be just one more way the South American culture has seeped into organized life. Don't feel like diving for the ball? No problem, just kick it over the net instead! Brilliant.

I, on the other hand, have been kept busy by the demands and antics of middle school children. They keep me running, as well as highly entertained. Here's just a couple of my laugh-out-loud moments so far:

*Said by those dear students in my sixth grade class: "Mrs. Richert, you look grouchy today. You're not acting grouchy, you just look like you might start acting grouchy." (Hmmmm....is this a sign that I need to do a little more maintenance work in the morning?)

*Again spoken by a sixth grader as we were discussing the difficulties of respect:

Student: "I don't like to be respectful."

Me: "Really? Why not?"

Student: "Well, it isn't that I don't like to be respectful. I just don't like to be respectful to everyone." Pause. "Actually, I just don't like to be respectful to him," as she points to a fellow classmate. (She's honest, you got to give her that)

*The wisdom of middle schoolers: "Listen, middle school is hard. There are a lot of things to worry about, like spelling." (What? Spelling was the last thing I was worried about in middle school)

Oh, they are fun.

Between classes, volleyball, and sanity-saving bike rides, D and I have only been able to get out of Guayaquil one time. We headed up to our favorite beach spot, Montanita, last weekend. But it is definitely not beach season right now. It rained for the majority of the weekend so we spent most of the time in little cafes, reading and playing cards. Still relaxing, just not what we had in mind.

That's pretty much all to report. I just wanted to let you all know we are alive and well, just really, really tired.

Oh yes...the new featured artist of the week is Feist.

Why, you may ask? Because she makes me happy. Enjoy!

Fare Thee Well Summer Vacation...We Hardly Knew Thee

2008-08-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's official, summer is over. Tomorrow morning I will be standing at the front gates of the school, once again greeting bewildered and terrified middle school students. I've been working on my classroom all week long, preparing for the onslaught of pandemonium and laughter that 12 and 13 year olds tend to bring with them wherever they go.

Right now, my room is beautiful. Organized, clean, orderly. Bulletin Boards have been decorated, desks have been arranged, copies for the week have been made, papers have been filed. I always start out the year this way, so many plans and so much hope. But it is never too long before my room, along with my mind, surrenders to the chaos. Because I am teaching the same group of students I had last year, I know that a pool will begin on the first day to how long they will be able to see the top of my desk. Last year, the longest period was three hours.

*Sigh* It's hard to say goodbye to summer days, but say goodbye I must.

Goodbye hours of uninterupted reading time...

I especially enjoyed reading the Twilight series. I'm not ashamed...I'm a member of Team Edward.

Farewell lazy pool days...

And impromptu getaways...

Goodbye to family visiting adventures...

Farewell to Arts and Crafts Time...

And mid-morning bike rides...

Until next time.

**The first day of school just wrapped up. The kids think that my desk will be covered, and my new-found organizational tactics thrown to the wind, by Wednesday. They have such little faith in me!**

In Other News...

2008-08-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

The featured artist of the week is one Ryan Adams, not to be confused with Bryan Adams. He's a recent discovery here at the Richert Ranch (I know, it's like we live in a third world country or something....oh, wait.)

He's got that whole rebel rock star with a country twist thing going for him. My favorite tunes right now are Two, New York New York, and his rendition of Wonderwall. Enjoy!

Blog Bling--Featured Artist of the Week

2008-08-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I might be a bit addicted to the "widgets" of the blogsphere, but my new favorite has to be the playlist. First off, let me apologize to all who get annoyed when websites spontaneously start singing to you. Don't judge me--I can't help but be swept away with this sparkly little blog gem. I've decided to compromise with you, I won't put my playlist on automatic play if you agree to hit play just once during the week. Deal? Good.

Now, on to the new "Living the Good Life" feature, the Artist of the Week. What else are blogs for if not to share absolutely every detail about your life and interests? That fact, along with the surprise of getting a few emails and comments about the artists featured the last couple of weeks, has inspired me to attempt a weekly post explaining the music featured on LTGL (thanks for the inspiration BSucio, and by inspiration I mean blatantly stealing your idea of actually writing a post).

I feel a special affection for the talented Josh Ritter, mainly because he is a fellow Idahoan and I have found that I am especially proud of anything Idaho now that I no longer live there. He is often lumped into the "folk" category, and the Richert Ranch rarely puts on his tunes when they want to have a dance party, but the boy really can rock when given the chance.

Ritter's cover of River is one of my favorites, as are the originals Idaho and Right Moves. Give him a listen and tell me what you think.

Photo of the Week

2008-07-31T07:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this picture isn't really from this week. Instead it is photo from my parent's visit to Ecuador in June. But it is still the one that I have looked at time and time again this week. It makes me laugh and be homesick all at the same time.

I love you Dad.

Real Girls Recycle

2008-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you turn a bunch of these:

Into this?

Well, with just some handy-dandy knitting needles, and some patience, you get a pretty stylin' and earth-friendly messenger bag.

Man, I love summer vacation.

Come on Baby, Light My Fire

2008-07-27T13:03:00.001-07:00

Introducing my new, and possibly very favorite, EcuaPrize...

**Warning--Tiny Nudity!! This might not be suitable for young children :) **

Yeah, she's pretty awesome.

Dave and I found her at an antique store in Cuenca this past week. We were looking for a lighter for our gas stove since the matches they sell in Ecuador are plastic sticks that bend whenever you run them across the lighter strip. Dave picked out a standard black Zippo lighter, boring.

When I saw this beauty, which I have named Bombera, I had to have her. I can't help but think that this is an item my grandfather would have loved, makes me love her even more.

We Are Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore...

2008-07-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is what I have noticed after a year of living overseas...

Living is living, no matter where you rest your head, 90% of the time. There are still bills to be paid (please water company, I've paid you--stop sending me your love letters), a house to still be cleaned (preferably before the in-laws get here), and normal, universal, activities that find themselves into the weekly routine (coffee stop? check, reading time? check, grocery shopping? check).

But then there comes that other 10% of life in a foreign country, the times when something happens that makes you think, "Yep, definitely not in my previous parameter of experience."

Dave and I went for a pretty typical mountain bike ride this morning. We like to bike up a trail (read service road) next to the Cerro Blanco Wilderness Reserve. The trail, named the 5.07 Cerro, is very popular with local riders and happens to be just down the street from our neighborhood. Needless to say, it has become a ride we do once or twice a week.

The ride is usually not too much out of the ordinary...you climb, you descend. Pretty basic. But today, about 3/4 of the way through the climb, Dave and I both stopped our bikes and said to each other, "Well, we wouldn't experience this biking in Idaho." We had found ourselves surrounded by, what I can only guess to be, dozens of howler monkeys. And boy, were they howling. We could hear the echoes of their cries for about a mile of our climb, and if I go by the volume of the chatter, they were only about 30 to 50 feet away. It was incredible, and just one more of those things that makes me stop and remember that I really am on the adventure of lifetime.

In Which Our Blogger Gets a Bit Sappy...

2008-07-08T05:42:00.001-07:00

David,

Eight years ago, we started out on this crazy, amazing journey, can you believe it?

Back then, when we were standing in front of all our family and friends, nervous, terrified, and hopeful, I had no idea what was in store for us. I had expectations, of course, I just didn't know that life with you would blow those expectations clear out of the water. I didn't know that life with you would help to teach me to take risks, to trust, to laugh, to face fears. I didn't know that life with you would give me courage to do what seems impossible--and to enjoy it so much.

Eight years ago, I didn't know that I could laugh so hard, feel so loved, or be so unconditionally accepted and supported.

I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Happy Anniversary

Forced Hiatus

2008-07-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has already been a busy, jam-packed summer and I have many pictures to share and many adventures to tell about.

But...

We are taking a little forced hiatus at the Richert Ranch right now. Dave and I recently moved into a new pad and until our internet is connected, which could be awhile if things go typical Ecua, I won´t be able to share the fun times we´ve been having.

Until then, hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Yeah, I'm Pretty Much a Rock Star

2008-06-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

It's Not So Much the Destination, As It Is the Butt-Kicking Journey

2008-06-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

Dave and I had one amazing kick-off to summer vacation these past two weeks. Once that last school bell had rang, we packed our bags and headed to Peru where we played around Lima, explored Cusco, and backpacked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. That's right, I said backpacked.

Who would have believed that I, miss "I'd like to spend the whole day reading in a coffee shop", would strap on a 25 pound pack and climb some mountains over four days? And when I say climb some mountains, I'm not kidding around. We began the journey at 8,528 feet and reached our highest point at 13,776 feet at Abra de warmi wanusca, otherwise known as Dead Woman's Pass. We hiked ten hour days, two of which were during a rain storm and over one section known as The Gringo Killer, and visited beautiful Inca Ruins along the 26 mile trail that was built by the Inca civilization.

This is what is even more surprising...I loved every second of it. The journey was amazing, difficult and challenging, but truly amazing. The trek, not to mention seeing and walking through Machu Picchu, was the most incredible thing I have ever done. Words can't describe it and pictures definitely don't do it justice. I could try to recreate the journey from day one, but we all know that I can get pretty wordy, and I just don't think I can capture the true essence of the experience. The only way you can truly grasp how completely challenging, exhilarating, and incredible the Inca Trail is, would be to do it yourself. So what are you waiting for? Save up those pennies, book a guided trek, and find out for yourself. I promise, you won't regret it.

Final Destination-Machu Picchu, assembled gear, kilometer 82, and campsite.

Ancient Ruins, Dead Woman's Pass, Inca Terraces, D & D excited to have survived the rainy day!

The trek is only as much fun as the people you hike with. We were really lucky to spend the four days with funny, supportive, and wonderful people.

First Sight of Machu Picchu

The ruins of Machu Picchu City

Machu Picchu

I never thought I would be able to do anything like this before. Honestly, the first time I went camping was when Dave and I first got married. Looking at these pictures, and the five hundred I didn't post, I'm a little in amazement at this person I'm becoming and at the things I'm experiencing. Watch out world--you never know what I will do next.

No More Classes, No More Books...

2008-06-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Whew...

I survived my first year of teaching overseas, which reminded me a lot of my very first year teaching. Both of the years were filled with stress, confusion, many sleepless nights, and many new discoveries.

Actually, I think that this year of overseas teaching was more difficult than the first time I stepped into a classroom, fresh out of college and completely clueless. That very first year there was a good reason for my confusion and countless mistakes, I didn't know teaching would be any different. I didn't know that the many things that seemed impossible at the time, I would develop strategies to work through, that they would become easier. Ignorance was in fact bliss.

I went into overseas teaching thinking I had some experience under my belt that would transfer over. But nothing could really prepare me for the drastic changes teaching at a school that only has 200 students for grades nursery to 12th grade. Instead of preparing for one class, and having the opportunity to perfect that lesson because I was going to be teaching it seven times, I prepared for five different classes from 6th grade to 12th grade. And I only had one shot at getting each lesson right. Also, even though I was feeling the same stress as a first year teacher, I had the memory of a teacher who has taught a few years and has figured out some necessary stress-reducing strategies. Except, none of the strategies I had gathered seemed to work in my classrooms this time of year. I constantly felt like a first year teacher who knew she should, and was capable of, being better. The memory of being more "together" as a teacher was frustrating.

But, just like that first adventure in teaching, the year ended on a high note, leaving me excited and full of plans for my second year. I attended my first graduation ceremonies for my students. One was for my eighth grade students, who were "graduating" into high school. I had the pleasure of saying a few words at the promotion ceremony for the ten students who kept me laughing, thinking, and learning throughout the past year. I'm sure I wowed the crowd with my poetic reading of Dr. Seuss. I'm telling you, the only wisdom you will ever need comes from this man.

The second ceremony was the graduation of the seniors. This shindig was definitely the fanciest I have ever been to, especially thinking back to my own graduation. My invitation stated that I was also invited to the graduation dinner and that formal attire was expected. Well, I wore the only dress I brought to Ecuador and definitely looked a bit out of place amidst all of the ballgowns. The hour before the ceremony was like watching the red carpet of all graduations. I had a great time oohing and ahhing along with one of my sixth grade students.

The evening started at 7:00, with the dinner following the brief graduation ceremony of the 14 seniors from InterAmerican. I left at 11:00, soon after dessert was served, but one of my middle school students told me that his family left at 4:00 in the morning. The dinner included an introduction dance with the seniors and their parents, toasts, speeches, and picture presentations. I heard that the evening ended with acrobat performers, bands, and revelers. They really do know how to celebrate in this country!

Another highlight from this year was "field trip extravaganza." The last week of school, while the high school students were sweating over their finals, I chaperoned four field trips in five days for the middle school. It is amazing that I survived the week, and am able to still form words and express thought. Even though the week was exhausting and at times seemed never-ending, it was also a lot of fun to spend time with the kids outside of the classroom. They always seem so shocked to realize that their teachers can have fun too.

Our week o' field trips included:

*Bowling--I used some skills that were last seen during the Kevin, Gordo, and Gimpy days.

*Movie--Iron Man, with the movie commentary of 40 middle school students, is pretty entertaining.

*Field day--The highlight had to be watching the pre-k students trying to win a tug-of-war game with the kinder class. Hilarious.

*San Pablo--Best. Day. Ever. The kids spent an entire day at the village helping to set up the community center, planting trees, and making the playground a little brighter. It was wonderful to share one of my new-found passions with the kids and to see them get excited about service.

*Water Park--I couldn't let on to my sixth grade students that I was scared spitless of some of the water slides. There were many times I wanted to turn back down the stairs and return to solid ground, but when you have the majority of your class lining the edge of the pool waiting to see you sail down and fly into the water, you aren't left with much choice but to buck up and ride.

The last day of school was a half-day with the students, complete with an awards ceremony and a middle school/high school round of jeopardy, and a catered lunch for the staff. Even though I had to say goodbye to a lot of new friends on Friday, such is the life of an overseas teacher, I also got to celebrate the fact that I survived, I succeeded, and summer is finally here!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

2008-05-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit homesick right now (what else is new?) and have been a bit mopey lately. I'm not admitting anything, but I might have spent a considerable amount of time this weekend (read hours and hours) watching Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer while laying listlessly on the couch. Eating cupcakes. I know, pathetic.

This morning, I woke up a little irritated that I had wasted so much time moping around instead of taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors. I don't regret the cupcakes though, those suckers were delicious.

I need to get out of this funk, and I have the perfect solution. To combat these homesick blues, I have decided to focus on the positive and give a little shout-out to those things that make my day a little brighter.

1. Spork--Dave's blog about our adventures in Ecuador. Now, I know that I live with the man and get to experience his humor on a daily basis, but his blog supplies the necessary Richert silliness in the middle of my work day when I can't get the live version. His last post was a tribute to our adorable nephew, Blake. It's Dave's take on what took place during the graduation ceremony of Blake's pre-school class. I laughed so hard that I was pretty close to having an embarrassing accident.

2. iTunes--I'm hopelessly addicted to iTunes. It is retail therapy, not to mention instant

gratification, for only 99 cents. Absolutely brilliant. Dave and I have this iTunes game going on, which I think everyone should try out, where we take turns buying each other a song. We call it music tag. The rules are pretty simple--once we are tagged "it," we have fifteen minutes to find a song from an artist/band that we have never heard of before and that is in a style that we believe the other will enjoy. We are making an ultimate tag playlist that includes artists like Amos Lee, Flight of the Conchords, HorrorPops, She & Him, and Crooked Still. So much fun.

3. Pictures!!--

Pictures are my closest ties to home, as well as a great reminder why my current location is so cool. Besides that, I've found a great website that makes arranging pictures and posting them so much fun. I've gotten a lot of questions about the picture collages that pop up on "Living the Good Life" from time to time. I'm spilling the secret here folks, I will be expecting wondrous collages and other picture fun on all of your blogs. All you need is a flickr account and access to bighugelabs.com/flickr. This site lets you create all the collages you could ever want, plus jigsaw puzzles, cubes, calendars, name tags, magazine covers, and anything else you dream up for your pictures.

4. The Weepies--I found this band during the music tag mentioned above. The duo is presented as folk rock, which I am finding that I am more and more into as I get closer to thirty. They are the perfect lazy weekend soundtrack. Mellow, comforting, with harmonies that inspire sing-a-longs. My favorite song of theirs right now is Can't Go Back Now. They are definitely worth going to iTunes and checking out.

5. Skype--I heart skype. It is an amazing service that allows you to call loved ones through the magic of the Internet. It is my lifeline to Idaho, allowing me to spend hours talking to family and friends. The best part of it is that it is free to call another skype user, and usually only two cents a minute to call a land line. We have a built in camera in our computer, which allows us to video chat with our loved ones. Nothing beats seeing my nephew in real color as he shows off his collection of plastic snakes. Love it.

There you have it, my current five favorite things that I am using to stave off homesickness. Not exactly raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but you get the idea.

Still Here...

2008-05-18T17:51:00.001-07:00

I know, it's been awhile since I have posted any of the happenings on the Richert Ranch.

Things are happening so quickly around here, I can hardly catch my breath. School is wrapping up (only two weeks left!), summer is just around the corner, and travel adventures with much anticipated visitors are about to commence.

I also have much to share about what we have been up to the last few weeks (San Pablo updates, graduation ceremonies, our first Spanish church service) and will get those adventures posted a.s.a.p.

Right now, I am just trying to survive the end of the year (those of you who teach middle school know how the brain tends to go into meltdown at about this point--for students and teachers) and just wanted to let you know that we are still living the good life.

More to come soon...

Fear Shmear

2008-04-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

True confessions: I'm afraid. All the time. My entire life, I have been afraid of countless things. Some of those things are reasonable and healthy. A dose of fear every now and then sharpens the senses and makes us more aware of our surroundings.

However, some of those fears are pretty irrational. And I've noticed that irrational fears, though sometimes entertaining, makes you so aware of your surroundings that you can delve into a pit of paranoia. Germs freak me out. My husband has had to hide the medical dictionary from me because I convince myself that I am suffering from whatever malady I have glimpsed in its pages. Not so healthy. There is also my huge fear of dogs, even small ones. I've been bit a couple of times, so that could explain that. Not to mention my irrational fear of cats, I'm pretty sure those are evil animals that will suck the soul out of you while you are sleeping. Thanks for that Stephen King. I used to make myself fall asleep during scary movies at slumber parties because I was sure that whatever I witnessed on screen would happen to me the next day. Yeah, I was always the first one to have their unmentionables frozen in the freezer. Good times.

But living in Ecuador has forced me to face a lot of my fears head on. First off, there are stray dogs and cats everywhere. Germs abound, you are advised not to drink the water because who knows what bacteria will build a home inside of you, and I don't speak enough of the language to feel comfortable visiting a doctor every time I think I have some incurable disease. I've just had to learn to deal with my irrational moments. Acknowledge, laugh, move on.

Having dealt with my other main fears here in Ecuador, I have recently decided to try to conquer the big one. Heights.

I have always been afraid of heights. Anytime I have ever been even a few feet off the ground my palms start sweating and I have to tell whoever is with me (mainly Dave) to stop talking. When I was younger and my father would take me skiing, I would make survival plans on the lift up the mountain.

If the cable snaps and the lift breaks, I will just grab onto that huge pole, or tree, or wire, and climb down. Uh huh. That would work.

Truth be told, I still make contingency plans whenever I find myself off the ground. I've been a firm believer that the seat cushion on a plane will float me down to safety, and if the ferris wheel breaks down while I am at the top I will just shimmy down the metal structure. Foolish, I know, but it is how my brain tends to cope with my irrationality, by making equally irrational escape plans.

Lately, I haven't been that satisfied with this fear taking up residence with me. I've been wanting to evict it for some time but didn't really know what to do so that it would take me seriously. This weekend, while I was at the beach with friends Cate and Sarah, a eviction opportunity popped up.

Yeah, that's right. I went paragliding. In Ecuador. (For only $25 by the way). I'm not really sure what convinced me to take the plunge, so to speak, but I can tell you that I am so glad I did. Cate, Sarah, and I had stumbled across the opportunity while eating dinner in Montanita one night. We were told that we could fly with the birds for twenty minutes or so for only twenty-five dollars. I immediately said, "no thanks." Sarah and Cate definitely seemed interested, but being the kind friends that they are, were willing to wait until their husbands could accompany them.

As our night went on, I just kept thinking about the fears I have hung on to for the majority of my life. I replayed the opportunities I had passed up, the adventures I had not experienced. Then I thought about the past nine months and all of the things I have done which I never in a million years thought I would. Moving out of the country, learning a new language, jumping out of a bus window. I thought to myself, "Well, those things took a bit of courage. What is so different about this?"

Next thing I knew, I was running off a cliff and floating over a piece of beautiful coastline in Ecuador.

I have to say, it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. As soon as the wind caught the paragliding extraordinaire, Alex, and I and we were soaring through the air, an incredible sense of peace and tranquility came over me. It has been the only time I have ever been completely off the ground and not been afraid. To say that I was surprised by how peaceful and awed I felt is an understatement. I couldn't believe that I felt so safe, happy, and content while I was so many feet above the safe ground. There wasn't even one moment when I closed my eyes, or felt the stirrings of panic. Only peace. I really felt like I could spend all day flying along the coast, watching the waves hit the shore, and sharing a bird's eye view of the world.

When we landed back on earth after a twenty minute ride, I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't believe what I had just done, or how safe and relaxed I had felt while doing it. Now, I can't wait to be up in the sky again. I can't wait for the next adventure.

Tag!! You're It!

2008-04-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

I was never very good at the childhood game of tag. First off, I was not the fastest kid on the block. I really was only ever willing to run if a dog was chasing me, which tended to happen every once in awhile.

My second deterrent to becoming a tag master was my complete lack of an attention span. I've been known to get distracted pretty easily. Oh look, something shiny. Not the greatest skill in a cutthroat game of tag. I learned to avoid the schoolyard game by hanging out in the library during recess.

Once I had found my sanctuary in Mrs. Hayes library, I thought I had left my tag days behind me. Not so. My dear friend, Lisa, has brought the shouts of "tag!! you're it!" back ringing in my ears. Though this particular tag game has changed rules (no running!!), I find that my skills are still lacking. Lisa has tagged me three times, once here, here, and here. Okay, so the first time I had just moved to a new country. I was a little overwhelmed by my surroundings. The second time I never stood a chance, the tag game was centered around books! I opened my nearest book to play along but I ended up opening to one of the best parts of the story. Before I knew it, I was curled up on the couch re-experiencing the lives of the Hamilton's and the Trask's. I guess I still get distracted pretty easily.

This time, I'm in the game. I'm ready. Bring it on.

Seven Favorite Things From the Past Week:

1. Good Friends + Great Beach = Fabulous Times

Last Friday, Dave and I headed to Montanita with our good friends, Cate and Brian. We spent a wonderful weekend hanging out on the beach, body-boarding, eating wonderful food (including ceviche made right on the beach!), and spending a good amount of time talking and laughing. It was such a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Perfect experience before the onslaught of parent and teacher conferences that took place this Tuesday and Wednesday.

2. Chilling out, Maxing, Relaxing All Cool

Parent-Teacher conferences were this week. Though I love the opportunity to talk with my students' parents, there is no denying that this can be a stressful time of the school year. I always want to make sure that I address any of the parent's concerns and not overwhelm them with my own. That's why I was so happy to join our friends Mark, Sarah, Cate, Brian, and Vanessa for an after-conference pool party after the last conference wrapped up. The sun was out, the pool was cold, and the company was wonderful. The afternoon festivities were even topped off with a home-cooked meal from Sarah.

3. Sorry kids, no papers are being graded tonight. I'm rockin' out with Guitar Hero

I know it is going to sound like Dave and I do nothing but get together with our friends, but...

Our friends, Ray and Sylvia, invited us over to their house Friday night for some dinner and guitar hero. Now, I've heard all the rage about Guitar Hero, but I left my video game days way back when Mario and his brother ruled the land. After rockin' it out on "We've Got the Beat," I might now be addicted. The good company and good food also made the night a lot of fun.

4. Those seasons, they are a changing

Summer seems to be on its way out in Guayaquil and winter is making its entrance. What this really means is that the temperature is going from 90 degrees to 80 degrees, but I'll take it. It also means that the rain has stopped. I'll miss the beautiful lightning storms, but I won't miss wearing rain pants every day. The lack of rain also means that the mosquitoes are going to go back to whatever evil place they come from. I haven't been bit for the last three days. The lack of rain leads me to favorite thing number five.

5. Finally Hitting the Hills

Dave and I haven't been able to go mountain biking since January. The rains turned our nearby trails into slicks of mud, actually it was more like sticky clay. We have had to get our biking fix in by doing intervals, riding at max speed and resistance for two minutes then two minutes of recovery cycling, through our gated community. Now, don't get me wrong-I've become quite the fan of intervals. But nothing really beats mountain biking for me. I love the focus that I get while I'm climbing, and the downhill makes the climbing all worth it.

Because it has not rained for the last week, Dave and I decided to see what shape the hills were in today. We were very happy to find that the mud slicks were gone, the path (service road) had been cleared and was not rutted out, and the rain had left behind the most lush, green, and beautiful scenery. The ride is a little over three miles of climbing (oh my poor calves) but that also means over three miles of downhill. We weren't necessarily expecting to make it to the top, but it felt so great to be mountain biking again that we couldn't stop ourselves.

6. It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a blue morpho butterfly!

I love the lush, ever-blooming, colorful environment of Ecuador. I have seen more flowers, plants, and animals in the past seven months than I have in my entire life. My favorite are the butterflies. There are so many different and beautiful butterflies that dodge in, out, and all over the plants and flowers. While we were mountain biking today, Dave and I rode through a rock bed with a small stream running across. As we rode over the stream, thirty or so butterflies rose from the stream and fluttered around us. It was amazing. As we climbed the trail, we spotted countless blue morpho butterflies. These guys are the size of a saucer and the most vibrant blue. It was so peaceful to watch them fly over our heads as we overlooked the valley below.

7. Love like Laughter

It goes without saying that laughing with Dave is always my favorite thing. I'm not sure how he does it, but he makes me laugh every single day. He doesn't just make me crack a smile or illicit from me a restrained chuckle. Oh no, it is more like gut-wrenching belly laughs that can be heard across oceans. And each time I feel that laughter rising up in me, I fall in love with him more and more. My greatest thrill is when I can make him laugh just as hard.

Whew...I did it. Now it is your turn to envision running around the schoolyard, scattering to all corners. Tag Kate, Coly, April, Jodi, and Sarri, you're it. Have fun

Watch Out Ecuador...

2008-04-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

The Richerts are taking over! That's right, the mini-Richerts (a.k.a Dave's brother Jon and his beautiful wife Heather) are moving to Guayaquil. There was a job opening at InterAmerican Academy and Dave and I encouraged Heather to apply for it. Of course the IA crowd was wowed by Heather's mad teaching skills, and they offered her the post of teaching second grade for the 2008-2009 school year.

Needless to say, Dave and I are incredibly excited. We can't wait for Team Richert to take Ecuador by storm.

Congratulations mini-Richerts!! You are going to love it here.

Here's a question...how did both of these Richert boys manage this whole type of situation? Both of their wives will be slaving away at work while they get to go out and play? Interesting...

Hey! What's That Playing in Your Boombox?

2008-03-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...mixed tapes. I still haven't gotten over my joy of the mixed tape since I last talked about it way back in July.

In today's high-tech world, the mixed tape has been replaced by iPods, iMixes, or condensed down to loading a few songs onto a memory stick. It takes just moments, and hardly any thought. Just click, click, save and bam!...you've got your song list. But I ask you, where is the fun in that?

Gone are the blissful hours, and I mean hours, of making a mixed tape for that special someone or occasion. No longer do we know the joy of being surrounded by stacks of CD albums, our legs going numb from sitting crossed-legged, as we sift through countless music covers, reading every title as we look for the perfect song. The clash of plastic against plastic as we tossed the CD's into specified piles was music in and of itself!

My favorite part of the mixed tape process was all in the actual transfer from CD to tape. I loved that you had to actually listen to evey song as you recorded it onto the 60 minute cassette tape, making sure you pressed the pause button as soon as the song's last note faded. Timing was everything. If you paused too soon, the last note would have a faint screech to it. If you paused too late, you might catch the first strain of the next song. I liked to have the perfect three seconds between each song. That was long enough to catch your breath in order to belt out the next tune, but not so long that your mind started to wander away from the musical goodness.

Those were good times. Now and days, I don't make mixed tapes. I don't even own a stereo system with a tape deck in it anymore. I've completely converted to the iTunes system, load the tunes on and just push play. I no longer carefully plan my play lists, or write out the song titles in my best handwriting, decorating the plastic cassette player for a little extra flair. I've done away with all of that for ease and speed. A shame? Yes, but what's a busy girl to do?

Well, according to our friends over at The BatRanch, it is still possible to recapture some of my mixed tape youth while still using the technology I have grown accustomed to. How much fun is that? I thought it only fitting that the music travel back to the 1990's as well. Enjoy, and send me your own mixed tape.

Vivo en Guayaquil, Pero Mi Corazón Está en Quito

2008-03-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Oh Quito, how I love thee...

Dave and I needed a break from the heat and honking of Guayaquil, so we hopped on a quick flight north. We spent a wonderful four days in beautiful Quito, Ecuador. Enjoying the many artisan markets, coffee shops, restaurants, mountains, and cool weather. I wore jeans and long-sleeved shirts, slept with three blankets on the bed, and never left without my jacket, hat, and gloves for the first time in months. It was pure heaven.

Quito is a very tourist friendly destination, with people from all over the world walking through the streets. It is not uncommon to hear whispers of French, Dutch, German, English, and, of course, Spanish as you travel down its cobblestone avenues. The people are also so very friendly, pointing out points of interest that they have discovered to any other tourist they see. People often can be seen giving tips on which restaurants to try or where the nearest bookstore can be found to complete strangers they bump into. Many areas of Quito have a very low-key and relaxed vibe, exactly what Dave and I needed!

The first day of our Quito vacation included a delicious breakfast at The Magic Bean, complete with real coffee and amazing fresh-squeezed juices, and a visit to the local artisan market that can be found right outside of the Mariscal, the popular tourist district of New Town Quito. We were able to take our time looking at the many art exhibts on display as well as take a peek in many of the artisan booths as well. I found some great deals on some jewelry and bags (my weaknesses here in Ecuador, how can you pass up two to four dollar deals?) and Dave enjoyed all the people watching to be had.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the Mariscal area, soaking in the colonial architecture, fresh mountain air, and the occasional snippits of English. After making the initial walk-through, we settled at an outdoor cafe where a live band was playing. We were able to sit, huddled next to an outdoor heating lamp, and enjoy the sunset while we tried to pick out the words we knew in the spanish songs ringing through the square.

We ended our first day with coffee and reading at J Road Coffee, as well as dinner at a cute Italian Cafe. Then we headed back to our hostel, the Posada del Maple. If you are ever traveling through Quito, give this little hostel a shot. Though many may think the hostel a bit rustic, our room was clean and comfortable and able to sleep four. They provide free internet service, as well as a free breakfast. Posada del Maple is in the center of the Mariscal district, close enough for a quick walk to any restaurant or club, but far away enough to avoid any noise from the many late night partiers.

After walking around the square one last time, we headed back to the Posada to rest up for our next day's adventure...the Teleferiqo.

Here are a few more sights from our day's adventures.

More beautiful architecture.

Live music in the main square.

One half of our room.

The second half of the room, not including the private bath.

The breakfast room at the Posada.

Outside Courtyard

Shout Out!

2008-03-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Much to my mother's chagrin, Dave and I have not yet entered into the realm of parenthood. Not to worry mom, there are good and temporary reasons for this (fear, panic, oh--and that whole living in a developing nation thing). However, I don't believe that my lack of mommyhood means I can't admire the brave and amazing parenting I see going on out there.

Take for instance my wonderful friend Sarri and her equally fabulous husband Joel. These two brave souls--young, hip, and happening--are not only parents to three intelligent, loving, and beautiful children between the ages of two and seven, but they have taken said children to Europe. For Five Weeks.

I can't even imagine the adventures that will ensue. Luckily, Sarri is sharing the family together time via her blog, We're Not The Griswold's. Check it out, it makes you think anything is possible. (Don't get too excited about that last statement Mom, the fear and panic are still going pretty strong).

PS. Dave and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. Many pictures and posts about the trip to arrive soon. Those of you who are planning a visit this summer will get a sneak peak at what awaits you!

Need A Laugh?

2008-03-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Check out Dave's post for today. That man keeps me in stiches.

The Silence Has Been Broken

2008-03-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

I know that Living the Good Life has been silent for the last couple of weeks but there is good cause for that. Somehow, and I'm not really sure how it happened but I suspect I was hit over the head with some large object, I agreed to run an English Camp at InterAmerican the last two weeks.

Oh. My. Goodness.

To say the enterprise was monumentally stressful, would be to put it lightly. Try to imagine 15 continually rotating volunteers from InterAmerican Academy plus 70 children from a nearby community between the ages of five and fifteen, add to that the fact that the participants only speak Spanish and the leader (that would be me) only speaks English. What does this equal? Complete and utter chaos.

The original plan was for the Junior Honor Society to plan and organize the entire two week, yes I said two weeks, event. Living in a land of hopes and dreams, I believed that this would happen rather smoothly. I made sure the kids had resources to plan the ten day lessons, I held countless meetings to go over details of the camp, and I made sure we had a enough volunteers to help out with the classroom and outdoor activities. I even color-coded the volunteers and students! The kids seemed to be under no stress what-so-ever. Every time I had a prep meeting, they told me not to worry about a thing--they had it all under control. Uh huh.

The first day, at about 2:15, with parents and children streaming through the front gates, reality hit us all with its big ol' hammer. As more and more kids kept coming into the grounds, my JHS volunteers seemed to lose some of their assurance and just began shouting questions with voices of panic over and over. As I was trying to reassure volunteers, organize incoming camp participants, and as the sun kept beating down on the whole mess, I realized that things might have gone a bit over our heads.

The camp lasted two hours a day, with one hour in the classroom and one hour outside playing games. My friend Sarah, noting that English Camp was a monster that could not be felled by only one person, soon stepped in to help. The first three days were exhausting and emotionally draining. Each day, more and more kids would show up for the camp and we finally had to cap the numbers at 60. Once the numbers were at a managable level, the kids became more comfortable teaching the classes, and Sarah and I could stop running around like two chickens with their heads cut off. The event turned out to be a success with the kids from InterAmerican and the neighboring community really enjoying themselves. I can't say much English was taught, but much fun was had.

The Tipping Point

2008-02-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

I read this book a couple of years ago, The Tipping Point, you might have heard of it once or twice. It is all about the momentum of change, how one small moment can spin you into something life-changing, something great.

Meet my tipping point: Homes of Hope

I know it would make sense to start from the beginning, to tell the whole story about Homes of Hope and how I crossed its path. But it seems like there is no way I could do the story justice. I'm still trying to figure out how this place, and the people I met there, are changing me and my understanding of the world. All I know is that I recognized the moment when the potential for change hit me full on.

Over lunch in her beautiful home on the beach, Aleida Mejia, one of the organizers, contributers, and all around amazing developers of Homes of Hope, was telling us about her exile from Cuba when she was only twelve years old. I listened as she recounted her early childhood in Cuba, the revolution, her family's escape to New York, and how she eventually ended up in Ecuador to do the amazing work she is doing for the natives of this country. And this thought hit me, "The example of this woman, all that she has experienced, all that she has endured, and all that she is doing now in spite of everything else, can change your life if you let it happen."

And that was it, my tipping point.

Now, I'm fired up for all that is possible. I can't wait for all that I can experience by working with this organization. And all that you who are planning a visit to Ecuador, get to experience as well. Dave and I have thought a lot about it, and we want to let you in on our plan. Everyone who makes the trip to visit us deserves to see the true life and potential that is Ecuador. Therefore, we want to give all visitors the opportunity to give one or two days of service with Homes of Hope. You never know, it could be your tipping point as well.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Mahatama Ghandi

A Little Pick-Me-Up

2008-02-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

So it is raining here in beautiful Guayaquil. Again.

When I say rain, I don't mean just a little sprinkle, a soft and constant pitter patter, or a gentle mist. Oh no, I mean a savage downpour that pounds on the windows, roofs, and streets. Yesterday we had a rainstorm that flooded the streets...and our apartment (yeah--we live on the second floor of our building).

The clouds started to roll in on our way home from spanish lessons, it had been a beautiful sunny afternoon with not a cloud in the sky. Dave and I made it into our apartment right when the first big drops started to land. Right in the nick of time, right? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Five minutes after arriving home, it sounded like rocks were being thrown on every surface of our building. Curious about this sudden weather change, I started to walk to our front balcony door to watch the storm. I didn't make it too far before I stepped into what has been come to be known as Lake Richert. The water was streaming through the bottom of the doors, through every window in the place (there is a window in every room by the way), and to top it all off---streaming from the ceiling.

I wish I had thought to take a picture.

In our panic, Dave and I rolled up our pants, grabbed the mop, and started operation clean-up. For one of the first times ever, I was actually glad we only have tile floors.

Tonight's rain storm is only missing the wind. The streets are flooded, but our apartment is not. You got to take what you can get.

Dave is loving the rainy weather, being the crazy Washingtonian that he is, but this Idaho girl just cannot get used to the constant drizzle. I'm too used to the sun shining even when it is freezing outside, to cloudless skies, and power rainstorms that only last ten minutes--not forty-five. Hence, I need to find sunlight in ways outside of the box.

Ta-daaa!!! Welcome to my new, light, sunny blog. A little piece of sunshine among Guayaquil's constantly overcast skies.

Pimp My Blog

2008-02-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have a confession....I'm addicted to all things blog. I can't help myself, I love every aspect of blogs and blogging. I love the fact that I can catch up on the lives of old friends, that I can share my experiences with loved ones even though I am so far away, that I can escape from the drama of middle school for a few moments and immerse myself in the drama of others, all with just a click of a button. Most of all, I love that a record of life is being kept, a collection of big and small moments that are important to Dave and I.

A little embarrassed by my obsession, and the time I seem to spend on it, I've tried to curb my attention to all things blog...but a new discovery has wiped that resolution clear away: The blog widget.

Holy moly, are those suckers addicting and oh so entertaining. You can add just about anything to your blog to make it the ultimate time waster...

*I've got Site counters (Yes, there was a celebration once the site counter ticked over 5,000)

*Dave can't get enough of the poll widget

*I've got movie clips

*Then there is my virtual bookshelf so you can see what I'm currently reading--I recommend The Pale Blue Eye for all those Poe fans out there.

*My most recent add is the Feedjit widget. This one keeps track of the countries and states where people have checked out your blog...How cool is that? (Thanks for all your east coast and west coast visits by the way! And those few international visits are pretty awesome as well.)
*I love the challenges--My favorite being the ever necessary, "what is your typing speed?"
84 words

free Touch typing

*I've added hyperlink lists so you can all visit the blogs I check almost daily.

*Slideshows of our Ecuadorian Adventures

*And widgets that show random information about me...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
2
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

I think I must be stopped. I don't want to become one of those blogs that goes everywhere with gold chains and ankle length fur coats, but I'm enjoying myself way too much.

How do you pimp your blog?

PS. I can't stop trying to better my typing score...

87 words

Touch Typing

Here Comes the Sun...

2008-02-11T16:54:00.001-08:00

Well, not really. It is actually pretty overcast around here and lightening has been flashing across the sky for the last couple of hours. But...I'm in a much better mood than yesterday. I have been feeling a bit guilty because of my pity-party extravaganza...okay, okay, tantrum. Mostly because I know that Dave is the main recipient of those party favors, we know that can't be so much fun.

Today I felt the urge to throw an anti-pity party. You are all invited to join in these festivities, and I promise that there will be no screaming, throwing of dishes, or crazy ravings from the host, just good ol' fashioned thankfulness.

* My boss brought me pretzels today from her trip to the states. Love that.

* The kids loved my arm-sized bruise and the EcuaBus story that goes along with it.

* My husband made me laugh today. A lot.

* I am feeling so much better on the cold front, it is unbelievable. (Isn't that always how it works out? You're sick during vacations and then the picture of health once work starts again.)

* I was able to talk to my parents last night (I heart you skype) and it was once again confirmed that mom's just know how to make everything better. That magic is better than the Keebler Elves.

* I'm reading a great book right now that is entertaining and is getting me interested in poetry again. Got to love that.

* My sister told me to get ready for round two of auntdom. Wahoo! Her beautiful four year old son then informed me that if mommy has a boy baby then they will have to have a girl baby right after. He wants a brother and a sister. That sounds like a house full.

* Dave got a job for the remainder of the school year at InterAmerican. Another Wahoo! is called for here.

* There are the best cookies known to mankind, chop full of coconut, oatmeal, and chocolate, waiting for me in the fridge right now (I have grown quite fond of cold cookies; they are refreshing and no ant is ever in sight of them).

* It started raining during my intervals today, making things much more pleasant outside and the exercise not so unbearable.

* Dave told me that he wanted to spend some time reading tonight. This is bigger than can really be explained. When I first met the boy, I don't think he had ever even cracked open a book. Now he reads of his own free-will! Beautiful!

* One of my students gave me a gorgeous bracelet today that she got during this past week's vacation. It just so happens to be my very favorite color. I love teaching the sixth grade.

* I actually know what I am doing in all of my classes tomorrow. I just might sleep through the night tonight.

* Tomorrow is Pizza Tuesday where we get to hang out, laugh, chat, and eat dinner with our friends.

* A nice breeze has just picked up, the mosquitos seem to be giving us a night off, and I think I will make it to bed at a decent time.

Life, actually, is pretty good.

Reasons I Might Be a Little Bit Grumpy...

2008-02-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

I have to go to work tomorrow.
I haven't stopped sweating since 8:00 this morning.
I have a cold. In 90 degree heat. Stuffed up and hot = not fun.
No matter what I do, I can't defeat the ant population in my house.
I miss my family.
I miss my friends.
I miss Middleton Middle School and all who work there.
I'm wearing pants and debating whether to put on a long sleeved t-shirt because I have twenty mosquito bites on my body. Make that twenty-one.
I desperately need a real cup of coffee.
I can't stop sneezing.
It is too hot here!

Thank you for letting me have my little pity-party. I feel better all ready.

Posts a' Plenty

2008-02-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

Dave and I just had an amazing week with our very first visitors. I've tried to break down our adventures in the following four posts. It is pretty long, but I just didn't want to leave anything out. We had such a wonderful time with our friends and it has made us so anxious for our next set of guests!

Visitors, Carnival, and EcuaAdventures

2008-02-06T15:22:00.001-08:00

Dave and I had our first official visitors in Ecuador this past week. Our good friends, Brandon and Tosha, made the long trek from Boise, Idaho to experience a week in the good life. Luckily, Dave and I had the week off of work because of Ecuador's celebration of Carnival. We were able to show them around Puerto Azul, Guayaquil, and Puerto Lopez before they had to board the plane back to the states on Wednesday morning. We had adventures a' plenty in the fast-paced week, and thankfully Tosha and Brandon were open to being our visitor guinea pigs.

The Bentz' flew into Guayaquil on Wednesday night, technically Thursday morning. We were able to pick them up from the airport with the help of Paulino, the school's trusty driver. We headed to bed pretty quickly after they arrived, it being close to three o'clock in the morning, and let them sleep in as Dave and I went to our last day of work for the week.

On Thursday they were able to stop by the school to get the tour and walk us home. Their first tourist attraction was then a ride on the local bus to the grocery store. Don't underestimate the adventure of a Ecuadorian bus ride, sometimes it is akin to a roller coaster and this ride was no different. We made it safely to the grocery store where we refueled with some Sweet and Coffee and purchased all sorts of Ecuadorian goodies for Tosha and Brandon to try. When we arrived home again, via an even more packed bus, we gave our guests an Ecuadorian fruit taste test and waited for our delicious dinner from Jumbo to be delivered. Sarah, Mark, and Karly came over for the feast and to meet the first visitors to Ecuador out of our little newbie group. We had a really wonderful evening, sharing travel stories and filling the Bentz' in on life in Ecuador.

Friday we took the Bentz' on a whirlwind tour of Guayaquil and tried to hit all the main attractions. We first took the tour of the Malecon, where we walked along the river, stopped into the shops, and toured the botanical gardens. The Malecon led directly to Santa Ana and Las Penas. We walked up the 444 steps, with a couple of ice cream stops along the way, and overlooked the sprawling city from the top.

We also took them through the Bahia and let them experience the pure craziness and hustle of the black market that stretches for blocks. The artisan market was the next stop, where Tosha and Brandon were able to experience the joy of bargaining. We finally ended up in Urdesa where we had dinner at one of our favorite spots, The News Cafe. By the time we got back to Puerto Azul, after a taxi ride where I had to use quite a few distraction techniques on Tosha, we were all beat. We had just enough energy to pack and make cookies for the following day's bus trip to Puerto Lopez.

Check out spork soon for all the gory details on our initial bus ride to Puerto Lopez. What we discovered was that traveling during Ecuadorian holidays may not be the smartest way to go, as you will see in my last post in this series as well. Thank goodness Tosha and Brandon were such great sports about traveling in Ecuador!

Puerto Lopez, Carnival Style

2008-02-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

After spending a couple of days in Guayaquil, we headed to Puerto Lopez, a low-key beach and fishing village. This was Dave's and my second time visiting PL, so we thought we knew what we were getting into. Little did we know that everything changes when it is Carnival. The village was packed with Carnival revelers, there was no free space on the beach, and thumping techno could be heard from every corner twenty-four hours a day. It was a great people watching opportunity, even though we had to dodge flying water balloons a couple of times.

The first day we arrived in Puerto Lopez, we were able to tour the beach and hit some of the artisan stands that line the main strip. We ate dinner at a cute restaurant that served the typical Ecuadorian cuisine and then walked back through the strip to our very clean and cute hostel. Thank goodness we had booked a place that was off of the main road, you could still hear traces of the techno beat but not as if it was right next door.

The second day of our PL vacation was spent at Isla de la Plata (see following post), which lasted all day. We arrived back at the beach to see that even more people had arrived and had set up camp during the day. Carnival rides, that looked a bit sketchy, had been set up at the end of the beach and people had constructed make-shift tents that were crammed next to each other down the entire strip. A couple of band shells had been erected while we were gone, and dance floors had been marked off. Kids were running around with silly string cans, water guns, and water balloons. It was an adventure just to get back to our hostel in one piece.

After we had cleaned up, we took the Bentz' to an off-the-beaten-path restaurant. The small, intimate, authentic Italian restaurant is on the outskirts of the village. We had to cross many muddy and deserted roads. I'm sure Tosha and Brandon were wondering where we could possibly be going so far from the main part of town. They were not disappointed when we arrived at Bellitalia. This place is an oasis in the middle of the dirty and muddy streets. You really do feel transported when you walk through the gate. The restaurant is all outdoors, but it is set back from the street and is in the midst of a beautiful garden. The tables are placed in gazebos and the lighting is mostly provided by lanterns and candlelight. The owners are originally from Italy and prepare the dishes themselves as they are ordered. It is a bit of a wait for the food, but definitely worth it. We had a wonderful and relaxing dinner, complete with great food and great conversation.

Though Puerto Lopez is not your typical resort beach town, it has a charm and peace that Dave and I really enjoy. We were happy that the Bentz' also recognized the village's charms and they seemed to have a great time as well!

Isla de la Plata...Our Search for Pirate Treasure

2008-02-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

One of our Puerto Lopez adventures was to Isla de la Plata, an island twenty or so miles away from the coastline. After an hour boat ride, we arrived on the peaceful and beautiful island. It is called the island of silver because of the lost treasure Sir Francis Drake, that rascal of a pirate, hid somewhere in the sea surrounding the island. We didn't have any luck finding silver, but we did see a lot of boobies. Birds, that is.

We saw the blue-footed booby, which is apparently always a crowd pleaser, and a lot of the masked booby. I was amazed at how comfortable the birds were in our presence. Many of the masked boobies were taking care of their young, either roosting on their eggs or caring for their just hatched little ones. The birds allowed us to get inches, and I mean inches, away from them and snap away like we were the booby paparazzi. The blue-footed booby broke out a couple of dance moves and entertained our group of hikers for about twenty minutes. The birds comfort level seemed different than the typical tamed animal you typically find at parks and zoos. It wasn't so much that they weren't afraid of humans, I don't think they were afraid of anything. From what I have read, the animals that are found on the Isla de la Plata and the Galapagos Islands don't have predators that make them skittish. It is pretty common for all the animals, sea lions, birds, turtles, to approach anyone or anything that they are curious about. Pretty incredible.

The four of us also braved a pretty steep hike around the island. Because we are in the midst of the rainy season, much of the trail had been rained out and was just one long slick of mud. Also, hikes in Ecuador have proved to be very interesting affairs. Mostly because the guides go at a fast pace and don't stop that often. This guide was no different, keeping us clipping along and stopping occasionally to point out birds or plants. There was a point when the four of us were completely left behind for about an hour of the hike, not entirely sure which direction the group had taken, but confident that if we just followed the coastline we would eventually end up back at the boat. After the hike, our guide took us to a more secluded part of the island where the boys went snorkeling while Tosha and I stayed in the boat to stay out of the sun. It was a beautiful island that gave us a little glimpse of what can be found in the Galapagos, as well as a respite from the Carnival parties that were going on non-stop in Puerto Lopez.

What, From Here On Out, Shall Be Called...The EcuaBus Incident

2008-02-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

Having visitors in Ecuador has been an exciting venture for Dave and I. Tosha and Brandon reminded us of what life was like before we adjusted to the daily occurrence of what we call EcuaExperiences. From being a part of a taxi chase scene straight out of a Bruce Willis film to surviving the bus depot during carnival, the Bentz' witnessed many EcuaE's during their week-long visit.

But none of the experiences throughout the week really compared to the EcuaBus incident. An unexpected, panic-ensuing, adrenaline pumping, belly-laugh generating adventure that took place as we were all trying to leave Puerto Lopez on Monday night.

We had been having a very enjoyable morning and afternoon in Puerto Lopez. The rain had stopped, the sun was shining, and the people were still partying hard for Carnival. We had a wonderful breakfast at the Whale Cafe that included banana pancakes and real coffee. Brandon and Dave had gone swimming in the ocean while Tosha and I shopped at the many jewelry booths along the streets, and we had even managed to squeeze in a delicious lunch of pantacones and shrimp before we had to catch the bus back to Guayaquil. We were full, relaxed, and ready to hit the road back to Guayaquil before the crowds finished their celebrations.

We had purchased our tickets earlier in the day, when the bus station was quiet and no lines were to be seen. Sure, the girl at the desk didn't seem to be that aware of her surroundings that morning, but no worries, that is just part of the whole Ecuador Experience. We made sure we had assigned seats since some bus companies will pack the bus to standing room only, and we wiled away the hours talking, laughing, eating, and resting before the bus was to depart at five o'clock that afternoon.

We had decided that it might be smart to get to the bus at least 30 minutes early because it is near to impossible to get to your seat once people start boarding the bus. Trying to maneuver around all the people, their kids, their luggage, sometimes their dogs, not to mention trying to get around those people who have paid to just stand in the aisle of the bus, is an olympic feat in and of itself. We didn't think Tosha, who is five months pregnant, should have to run that gauntlet. So we arrived early, loaded our luggage on the bus, and tried to make ourselves as comfortable as we could in the sardine can type seats.

The bus soon started to fill up with people carrying everything but the kitchen sink on with them. It was a warm day and the dark interior of the bus seemed about 20 degrees warmer than outside. I couldn't believe how many people seemed to be getting on the bus, each with a ticket in their hand and moving towards our seats. A family of four stopped by our seats, looking a bit confused as to our presence. This is nothing new; you don't see a lot of gringos in this part of Ecuador and we are used to looks of confusion and curiosity directed towards us.

This time, however, the looks were punctuated by the phrase, "Yo tengo asiento viente y nueve." Uhmmm....not good. They were telling me that they had seat twenty nine which was clearly my seat--it said so on the ticket I was holding. This is when the small stirrings of panic began. Now, I know that this wouldn't normally cause feelings of panic, but you would be amazed at what gets my anxiety pumping when I am living in a country where I don't really speak the language and get confused often and easily. All I registered was that these people were claiming my seat, as well as the seats of Brandon, Tosha, and Dave, and that more people were getting on the bus. I heard another traveller state that their seat numbers were twenty eight and thirty, also our seats. A bit of a problem, yes?

The bus seemed to get more and more crowded, not to mention hotter and hotter, by the second. Before I knew it, Dave was following the bus driver and the other people claiming our seats, off of the bus. He yelled back to me to stay on the bus with our things. No problem, there was no way Tosha, Brandon, and I could make it off the bus with all our luggage against the onslaught of people who were packing the aisles. We sat, trying to explain to people that we were in the correct seats even though their tickets showed the same numbers as ours. The minutes ticked by, Dave was still absent, more people crowded around us. Those little seeds of panic? Full blown flowers now.

Then we felt the bus roar to life. Before I could stop myself, I just started yelling, "Pare, pare!" trying to be heard over all of the people who were yelling at me to get out of their seats. Tosha and Brandon took up the call, all of us worried that the bus would take off without Dave and not entirely sure how we were going to fight through all of the people. A girl had jumped into the seat next to mine as soon as the bus started, not willing to even budge to let me get out. Not that it would have mattered, there was not one inch of space between the people jammed into the aisle. I saw Tosha grab a bag and start pushing (gentle Tosha, pushing!) people out of her way, yelling the whole time, "Pare, pare! Lo siento, Pare!" I still don't know how she made it to the front of the bus. I could hear her voice, but I couldn't see her in the aisle. Brandon, in the seat in front of me, opened the window and began going through it head first. I'm still yelling for the bus to stop, it wasn't even moving just running, and trying to explain the situation to the people surrounding me.

As soon as Brandon was out the window, people started to scramble for his vacated seat. I quickly started throwing our luggage and bags out the open window before the new seat owners could get too comfortable. I heard Tosha yell for me to just push my way through, but there was no way that was happening. People had already started fighting over the seats the Bentz' had left and I was still trying to shove as much of our stuff out of the window to Brandon that I could. My only choice to exit the bus was through the window, Brandon style.

After I believed I grabbed all of our belongings, I headed out of the window. Of a bus. Brandon and Tosha were below me, trying to see if we had gotten everything. Right before I was going to drop down, they told me more bags were left in the bus. Now, can you picture this? I'm hanging out the window, holding on to the top of the bus as well as around the window divider, and trying to explain in my very broken spanish that I needed more bags. "Mochila verde! Mochila verde!" Tosha is yelling that the green bag is missing and that the people on the bus must have it. I'm holding on with dear life, a bit surprised that I remembered the word for backpack, and listening as the bus travelers were telling me, "esta nada." Oh boy. I looked down at Tosha, who is holding said green bag, and decided that whatever was left on the bus obviously was going to a new home because I couldn't really hold on anymore, I still couldn't see Dave, and because oh. my. goodness. I was hanging off the side of a bus!

I dropped to the ground, earning a couple of nice sized bruises along my arms and legs, and was met by two men who were grabbing for my bags. In my panic, I didn't realize at first that they were trying to be helpful and not take advantage of my vulnerable state, I lunged for the bags and just started yelling, "mi esposo, mi esposo!" And who should appear? Dave, looking refreshed and calm. Of course he was calm, he didn't just jump out of a bus window. Not only that, but he was completely oblivious to the experience Tosha, Brandon, and I had just had. When he saw I was shaking and was sporting a couple new bruises and scrapes, he stopped asking questions and just directed us to our new bus.

The bus we ended up on was larger, more comfortable, and we didn't have to exit through the windows once we reached Guayaquil. Blissful.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

2008-01-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that I have mentioned this before...but I am obsessed with the Academy Awards. Ever since that day in the fourth grade when my mother told me to go get dressed up in my Sunday best, we were watching the Academy Awards, I haven't missed a show. In fact, I've been kind of tempted to find a way to fly into the states on February 24th so I can find a television that will broadcast the show in English for this year's show. Once Jon Stewart was announced as the host, that seed of an idea turned into a full blown obsession. (I have a huge crush on this man, mostly because I find it incredibly attractive how much he loves his family. And I have always loved a guy who could make me laugh, have you met my husband?)

Alas, the reality of my current living and financial situation--teacher in a developing nation--I had to give up the dream of seeing the awards live. It won't even stream in on my computer, the detested "This Program is Not Available At Your Location" will be sure to pop up. So what is a girl to do?

She travels to Hollywood during Christmas time, that's what she does.

Dave's mother, brother, and sister-in-law, agreed to pick us up in LA when we came to visit for the Christmas holidays. After our plane touched down and our luggage was all accounted for, they took us on a whirlwind tour of the Hollywood hotspots. We first went to the Chinese Theatre where all the greats cemented their hands and feet in cement. It's true--I couldn't stop myself from being a complete tourist and had to take pictures of Jimmy Stewart's, Dean Martin's, and Clint Eastwood's squares. We then walked down the sidewalks with the Hollywood star's of fame. Alfred Hitchcock's star was the highlight for me. We watched street performers (I might have had to dance with a couple and there might be video but that is in someone else's hands), and cruised through Bel Air. And of course, we made a stop at the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. Touristy? Yes. Fun? Absolutely.

As much fun as Hollywood was, we had an even better time with Dave's mom, brother, sister-in-law, and grandmother. The California Richert Clan took us to Santa Barbara to show us around Heather's ol' college town. We went on amazing hikes, visited Cambria for the Main Street Grill, and played a lot of Nerts (best. card. game. ever). It was wonderful time and made us even more excited for them to visit us in Ecuador.

Our states-side visit really was amazing, and we loved every minute of it. It was a difficult thing for me to get back on the plane if I'm going to be completely honest. And yes, right now I'm missing the luxuries of home; I'll just have to catch snip-its of Jon on YouTube and once again curb my coffee addiction. But Ecuador has luxuries all of its own, why don't you all come and experience them? :)

Our Visit State-Side

2008-01-23T16:21:00.001-08:00

As promised, here are some wonderful pictures of our trip back home for the Christmas holidays. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends in Boise and Twin Falls. As you can see, we got to spend a lot of time with funny, bright, beautiful children. I have to be honest, I have missed the chaos that comes with so many children in one place.

Please bear with my photo experimentation. I will figure this out if it kills me. Thanks for the tip Sarri!

Ecuador, In Sensory

2008-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

Tangy, bitter, earthy, sharp, sweetness of ripening fruit.

Lilting, rumbling, rustling, whistling, blaring, thumping, staccato rhythms of rain.

Honeyed, savory, fresh, juicy, tropical, succulent.

Dusty, heavy, damp, scorching, cracked, steaming.

Broken, abandoned, crowded, bustling, lush, vibrant, nature overflowing.

We are beginning an imagery unit in class and I wanted to try it out first. I discovered it is a lot harder to describe your surroundings only using sensory words than I thought it would be. I would love to read about how you would describe your surroundings. That would, of course, involve some reader participation--are you up for it?

Right Back At It...

2008-01-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

We have been back in beautiful Ecuador for exactly one week. Here are our current stats:

* Mosquito Bites since return: 11

* Days of rain since return: 6

* New types of insects that mistakenly believe they live with us: 4

* Number of life-defying bus rides: 10

* Good news that landed in the Richert household: 1 (but Dave gets to share that one with the rest of the world)

* Number of months until we are back in the states and get to eat real cheese again: 18

* Times I forgot you don't flush toilet paper down the actual toilet in Ecuador: 15

* Times I slipped while mountain biking in the mud trenches Dave calls a trail: 3

* Pirate boats we have ridden in: 1

* Number of rats I have seen squeeze under our outside gate: 1 (but isn't that enough?)

Ahh....it's good to be back.

(Pictures of our trip in the States to be posted soon. We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to tell you all about our adventures!)

You've Got to be Kidding!!

2008-01-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

I have a confession...

I have always wanted to serve on a jury. I was in a leadership class in high school that took us on a field trip to the local courthouse. There, we learned about the judicial system and even participated in a mock trial. I was captivated by the entire process. I definitely knew I wanted to be a part of a trial some day, not as a defendant mind you. Alas, I soon realized that I was not ambitious enough to become a lawyer and no law school meant not trying out the judge role. I decided that I would happily settle for being a member of the jury.

When I turned 18, I thought it would just be a short amount of time before I was called to serve jury duty. But that summons never came. Any time a friend would be summoned I would share my envy at their good fortune, which was often met by confused and awkward silences.

So now, almost twelve years later, Dave and I are happily living in Ecuador. What should arrive in the mail today at my parent's house?

My first jury summons.

Sheesh....typical.

It's Good to Be Home...

2007-12-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home

2007-12-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

We fly out of Guayaquil in a few hours. I have revisited the time-honored tradition of my youth this past week. You know the one--it is always practiced on birthdays and at Christmas, the being too excited to sleep tradition. Oh mercy...I hope I at least sleep on the plane. Thank goodness for Tylenol Simply Sleep.

We have had a great last week of school, finals went well for all and I was able to even squeeze in a field trip to Cerro Blanco with the middle school. The kids were able to participate in the entire process of planting seeds, from sifting for the seeds to actually planting them. It was great, and the first time many of the kids have done actual physical labor.

Today was the last day and it was filled with Christmas Craziness. I have to say--you have got to love the 6th grade for their huge generosity in giving their teachers chocolate. Fantastic. I did have to put the majority of the chocolate in the freezer (curse you ants!!) but maybe that will ensure that I won't eat it oh so quickly.

We are now headed to a friends house for dinner and a movie, trying to waste the hours before our 2:00 am flight. Wish us safe travels!!

Boise--here we come.

Let Me Just Catch My Breath...

2007-12-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Man oh man, it has been a crazy week on the Richert Ranch. School has entered the "Crazy Christmas Craze," Dave and I are trying to prepare for our big trip to the states (only 7 more days!!), and we have been running non-stop since Thanksgiving.

Whew...I just need a minute.

Here is what has filled up our past week:

*School!! High school exams are next week and I am giving my first final exam ever. I have no idea what I am doing, but I'm slogging through. The good news is I know that I can't break the seniors and no matter what, we will all survive (please, oh please, let me survive this next week).

*Our school hosted a Christmas party for the three local orphanages this last week. There were 75-80 kids from the ages two to sixteen who came for the festivities. The NHS, helmed by their advisor extraordinaire, provided games, cotton candy, popcorn, dinner, and gifts for each kid. It was an amazing thing to be a part of and help out with. JHS and I, as their trusty advisor, were in charge of decorations. Man, those kids can think up a million and one ways to decorate with a balloon.

Overall, the students of our school worked so hard; organizing, decorating, playing, serving, and giving. It was great to see how excited they were to help and interact with kids who have such different backgrounds than the students of IA.

*The school is also planning a food drive for the janitorial staff at IA. The service workers of Ecuador do not make a lot of money, some only $1.00 to $2.00 an hour. The students of the school create gift baskets for the janitors each year for Christmas, and this year it looks like they collected close to 1,000 items.

*Spanish Lessons! Dave and I have started taking private Spanish lessons twice a week and we are loving it. I know that we have been here for quite a few months now, and I definitely know more Spanish than I did when we first got here, but we really are not in many situations where we have to use the regional language. Teaching at an English-only school, and living in a community that is highly English-friendly, we aren't often forced to use the Spanish language. So, Dave and I are being a bit more pro-active. We take lessons with a wonderful woman, named Natasha, who gives us a lot of homework, is very patient with all of our questions, and laughs at our jokes. It has been wonderful.

*Packing, or at least thinking about packing, for our upcoming trip to Idaho and California has also taken up quite a bit of time. We have lists of things we want to bring back to the states and leave there (why in the world did I think I needed three fleece jackets in 87 degree heat?), lists of things we want to pick up from the states and bring back with us, and a bag full of Ecuadorian treats we want to bring back for our loved ones. Not to mention the hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of pictures we have of Ecuador. Thank goodness for technology and digital images. At least those items are easy to pack in a CD case.

*School again--teaching five different subjects keeps me busy as can be. I keep waiting for my acclimation to the stress level. It hasn't happened yet. I did meet with my director this week about my professional goals, and I am happy to report that the meeting went well. That is at least one stress out of the way in time for the holidays. One of my goals this year was to incorporate technology beyond the usual use of publishing and presenting. Inspired by the blogging craze, I have set up blogs for my 6th, 8th, and AP Lit. classes. I have to say, it has been quite fun to see how some kids open up on our class blog when they barely speak two words in our actual class. I'm seeing a whole new side to my students!

*Socializing--the Christmas Season always brings about opportunities to socialize and party. The staff Christmas party was last night and it was so much fun! It was held at our director's beautiful home and they provided a wonderful, catered meal. The theme was Cuban, so we also had a live band that played all sorts of Cuban music. One thing I learned last night was that Ecuadorians love to dance. I couldn't get my nerve up to try a few cha-chas, but I loved watching the rest of the staff. It was a great night, the food was wonderful, the music was fabulous, and we even got great gifts in the gift exchange.

Dave and I were also invited to brunch at Guayaquil's Union Club by one of my student's parents. The Union Club is a members only joint that is in the heart of downtown. You know the type of place, men are expected to wear jackets and women aren't allowed to become members. Fancy-shmancy. It was amazing--the type of place teachers don't often dine. I had way too much silverware surrounding my plate and I had to get used to the three waiters that just stood behind our table ready to answer our every need. The dining room was on the third story of the building and looked over the Malecon; we watched all of the Saturday activity through the floor to ceiling windows. The food was wonderful, I had my new favorite meal of spaghetti and camerones, and the company was even better. We had a wonderful time and it was nice to be pampered a bit after a stressful week.

This next week is going to be a busy one as well, filled with final exams, field trips, and last minute shopping. But by the end of the week, Dave and I will be in Idaho!! I can't wait.

I Heart Banos

2007-11-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Banos. I go virtually speechless when I think about the weekend Dave and I recently spent at this small town that is located on the base of the mountains as well as a hop, skip, and jump away from the jungles of Ecuador. It was incredible, the kind of weekend that makes you stop and gaze around in absolute wonder, saying "I can't believe I am in Ecuador!"

Teaching at an American Academy in a different country has all sorts of perks, one of them being that you are given days off for American holidays as well as for Ecuadorian holidays. This past weekend our small little school celebrated Thanksgiving while the rest of the country of Ecuador did not. It is a perfect time to travel because the rest of the country is working and you have your destination of choice almost entirely to yourself. So was the case with Banos.

The trip did not start out as one would hope. Twelve teachers and loved ones loaded up into the school van for the eight hour drive to Banos. About hour three, I got sick. Violently sick. Now, getting sick on the road in a developing nation is not exactly what you want to have happen. There is no city you pass through that might have an emergency room or a quick care. You just kind of have to buck up and deal with it or turn around and go home. There was no way I was turning around, so my fellow travel buddies helped me out the best they could, offering a host of remedies from their personal pharmacies, and away we continued. After moving to the front seat and sticking my head out the open window for about two hours, I felt immensely better and we were almost in Banos.

Day 1: The next day of our trip definitely started off on the right foot. After our complimentary breakfast of assorted fruits, juices, and eggs, a group of us decided to rent bicycles for the day and check out some of the waterfalls that Banos is famous for. The day was amazing! We biked along the rolling hills and mountains of the strip known as Rio Verde. We biked through tunnels, past farmland and through small villages. It was absolutely breath-taking.

Our group was having a pleasant time biking the trail, mostly because it was entirely downhill, but we were taking our time and stopping at every roadside attraction we passed. One of these attractions was on a small bridge that passed over a part of the rolling river we were traveling by. Not really sure what was happening on this innocent little bridge, we stopped to check things out.

It turned out that a company was there offering bungee jumps for the low price of $15.00. Not one to pass up an opportunity where you can risk your life, Dave volunteered to go first. Now, did Dave have to sign a waiver or watch an instructional video before taking this plunge of death? Nope. Not in Ecuador. I was praying the entire time. Though I wasn't able to get pictures of Dave actually diving off of the bridge ( I lowered my camera just as he was jumping), I did manage to keep it together to get pictures of another adventurous member of team newbie take the plunge.

The guys loved the adventure and the girls loved taking the pictures. After their heart-rates went back down to normal, we got back on the bikes and headed out in search of more waterfalls and adventures.

Waterfalls and adventures we did find--we crossed swinging bridges, hiked through rainforestesque hills, and I even rode a small metal basket across the gorge! If wonders never cease. The flowers, animals, trees, and water we saw were incredible and beautiful. Dave and I couldn't get over that we were actually experiencing this part of Ecuador and we felt truly thankful to be seeing it together on this Thanksgiving weekend.

After visiting the waterfall known as Pallon del Diablo, or the Devil's Cauldron, we hiked back to the main road and loaded our bikes into the back of a very nice gentleman's truck. He agreed to take all six of us back the 22 kilometers back to Banos. After biking, hiking, laughing, and facing my intense fear of heights, I was exhausted and ready for a hot shower, a good dinner, and a warm bed.

Day 2: Dave and I spent the second day of our trip in Banos in vastly different ways. While he went on another waterfall adventure, known as canyoning where he actually repelled down the waterfalls, I spent the day exploring the town. I poked into the little shops, walked through the outdoor market, and tried not to gawk at the cuy being cooked and served on the street corner.

I also found time to read my new favorite book, The Majic Bus, have a snack, and get a manicure and pedicure for under $12.00!

After Dave returned in one piece, we all were able to enjoy a dinner together at Casa Hood and turned in for an early night. We had to leave Banos behind early the next day in order to make it back to Guayaquil at a decent time. The only hiccup on the way back was having to stop to get the brakes checked when we made it back to the valley. We had a wonderful time and it was hard to go back to work the next day. Yet another place we can't wait to share with our friends and loved ones!

I'm going to try to post all of my pictures of Banos using the new slide show feature. There are quite a few of them, so look at them at your leisure. Maybe they will inspire you to come and see it all for yourself!

High Lights of Life on the Richert Ranch

2007-11-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

I know, I know--it has been quite awhile since I have posted. This is partly due to life being crazy on the Richert Ranch, but also because life in Ecuador seems more and more normal each day and that is definitely limiting my blog material. I am not entirely sure how I feel about being totally comfortable with seeing a family of five zipping around Guayaquil on the back of a motorcycle, or of seeing the boy painted in gold doing back flips in front of cars stopped at one of the busiest intersections in the city. But there you have it--part of everyday life here in beautiful Ecuador.

Christmas vacation is coming up soon (just three more weeks) and Dave and I will be headed back to the states to visit family and friends. Talking about our encroaching visit, we realized that we will probably experience a bit of a culture shock when we step off the plane in the states. Taxis will seem overpriced, as well as food (what? meals are going to cost more than $3.00?), the air will smell different, the language loud and harsh, not to mention it will be freezing. We are wondering if we will be able to sleep without hearing the constant honking of horns and ringing of car alarms. And what will wake us up if there are no roosters that begin their song at 5:00 in the morning? And we will once again have to get used to wearing seat belts.

Anyways, this post was intended to be full of highlights from the last couple of weeks, so I will get to it. Here is the rundown:

* Overheard in the 6th grade classroom: The preface is that one of my students said to another that he was being ignorant of other people and their feelings. This is the rundown provided by a third student in the class that made me bite my tongue to try to keep from laughing out loud: "And then she called him stupid in french or something!"
* Dave and I celebrated his 30th birthday by living it up and going to dinner at the Red Crab. A restaurant where you can purchase lobster, crab, and other delicious seafood for under eight bucks.
* Parents of one of my students invited Dave and I , along with a couple of other teachers at IA, to their home for an "American" Thanksgiving dinner. There was turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. De-to-the-licious.
* We found a coffee shop (a rarity in Guayaquil) where we have loved spending the last couple of Saturday afternoons. It is always afternoon because they open at 12:00. Regardless, their coffee is real and not instant and their desserts are wonderful.
* Dave and I began private Spanish lessons, twice a week, with a wonderful woman named Natasha. She is patient, flexible, speaks English, and laughs at our jokes. We are loving it.
* Dave, in his new role as art teacher extraordinaire, had to have his classes make 200 Thanksgiving placemats for the annual IA Thanksgiving dinner and program. The highlight of my day was walking in and hearing him tell the kindergarten class that they were not to cut their hair. Priceless.
* We were able to talk with our nephew this last week and had him confirm that when we are at the little yellow house we will play with him and his toys.
* And as a little ego-boost, the guy at the supermarket told us our Spanish was improving.

Nothing crazy, nothing out of the ordinary. Just little snapshots of our days that reconfirm how Ecuador is becoming home.

A Well Deserved Break...

2007-11-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Dave and I travelled to Ecuador's premiere surf beach with a group of friends. It was the first three-day weekend we have had for awhile, and we were all looking forward to lounging on the beach and playing in the warm water.

Alas, it was not to be...it never stopped raining the entire time we were there. But no worries, we still had a wonderful time in the muddy (and I mean muddy) streets of Montanita.

We stayed in this wonderful hostel, Charro's, that was right on the beach. The rooms were clean and actually had hot water, something Dave and I are lacking in our apartment right now. Our room faced the beach and had a hammock on the patio that looked over the ocean. We were able to go to sleep to the sound of crashing waves outside our window. Well, the first night we got crashing waves; the second night there was a party going on next door until the wee hours of the morning so we went to sleep with the sound of the thumping bass from all the greatest 80's hits. You win some, you lose some.

Due to the rain, we spent a lot of our time in the tiny restaurants that pack the streets, enjoying the Ecuadorian tradition of taking your time with a meal. We could also find just about anything we were craving to eat: Italian, Chinese, middle-eastern, pancakes with nuttella (so yummy). But our greatest culinary adventure had to be the street-meat cart.

Now, we have been warned against the street vendors of Ecuador but I couldn't resist grilled corn on the cob. A more adventurous man than Dave or I, sampled the cart's offerings the day before. When he did not crumple with food-poisoning, we decided to give it a go as well. We gathered the troops, so if one of us went down we would all go down, and purchased some of the best corn I have had for awhile. The girls first grilled the corn, then lathered it with a sauce that was reminiscent of ranch dressing, and finally rolled the corn in a type of crumbled cheese. It was tasty.

The rain did continue to pour down the entire weekend, but it was not enough to discourage the boys from enjoying the water. As the women stayed as dry as possible, playing cards, talking, and laughing, the men decided to take advantage of Montanita's waves and learn body surfing.

It was a great weekend with only a few things I wouldn't care to see again:

* Dave watched a citizen arrest of a drunk driver in the early morning hours. It seemed like the entire town gathered to pull this guy out of his car. I like the idea of a town working together to protect everyone.

* Saturday morning we woke up to gun shots being fired outside of our hostel. A guard had noticed a tussle between a man and two women who had obviously been partying all night. The guard decided to scare them off by shooting four shots into the air. I slept right through it, but the others in our traveling party were treated to quite the soap opera entertainment.

* Due to the rain, the bugs were plentiful and they loved me. I got over thirty mosquito bites, which I'm allergic to. Of course, I was the only one who the creatures decided to feast on. Lesson learned-always bring bug spray.

Our next adventure will be to Banos during the Thanksgiving holidays. This trip promises a mountain bike adventure, spa treatments in the $20 range, and river rafting. We can't wait!

Who's the Cute New Art Teacher?

2007-10-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

My husband.

Yeah, that's right. Dave is a working man now. The art teacher at IA has left on maternity leave and Dave has become the art teacher extraordinaire. He will be filling this position until mid-February (Ecuadorian law provides three months paid maternity leave). Our conversations now deal with lesson planning, rubrics, and when grades are due.

What does Dave say about this change in his Ecuadorian lifestyle? "Finally! I can join in on the conversations with you, your mom, Aunt Juli, and Aunt Sherry this Christmas!" Oh, let the fun begin. :)

Wait a minute...Is this really my life?

2007-10-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

One could say that the past few weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me here in Ecuador. The realities of life have caught up with me and the fact that this is not merely an extended vacation has settled in. To put it simply, I've been homesick. I miss my family, my friends, and my city. Each day thoughts of everything that I have been missing ran through my head on a constant loop cycle (see previous post) and this list of things that I can't wait to see and do have become a sort of mantra, repeated over and over for anyone willing to listen (thank you Dave).

I was walking to my classroom building last Thursday as I glanced up from the memos I had just received and caught a glance at the hills that surround the school. They are beautiful and beginning to flourish with new growth. Imagine my surprise as the thought, "I love it here," ran through my head. I stopped, stunned at what I had just been telling myself in light of the homesick tune I had been singing for weeks. Is it possible? The thing is, I DO love it here. I am often in awe that I am living this life, in this place, surrounded by things I have never imagined I would see and do.

The appreciation for Ecuador only grew as the weekend continued. Dave and I went with a group of friends to Quito and Otavalo for our long weekend break. The trip had been planned for weeks and we were looking forward to getting out of Guayaquil and seeing somewhere new. We stayed the first night in Quito, a very tourist-friendly city that is populated with North Americans. English abounds everywhere, in restaurants, shops, and parks. There were even a couple of English bookstores that I felt right at home in. There were sections of the city that reminded me of Boise, little neighborhoods that had boutiques and restaurants.

After a wonderful breakfast at the Magic Bean, we all headed to the village of Otavalo. Otavalo hosts Ecuador's premiere artisan market every day. Artisans from all over come to set up their wares and bargain with tourists and locals alike. The crafts are beautiful, made before your eyes, and inexpensive if you are willing to haggle a bit. Dave and I were only intending to spend a couple of hours walking through the market place, but we ended up spending six hours on a shopping extravaganza! We were able to complete all of our Christmas shopping and even managed to buy some prizes for ourselves. I was able to purchase six skeins of alpaca wool for only $4.50! The most amazing thing was just watching all of the activity and people. The market was buzzing with shouts showing off products and asking for the best offer.

During our stay, we were also able to travel to three other nearby villages that specialize in different crafts. I'm ashamed to admit that I only know their gringo names: Leather Town, Wood Town, and Weaver's Town. These places are filled with shops that only sell the goods attributed to their names. Wood town has furniture, sculptures, and nick-knacks all made from wood. Leather town specializes in shoes, purses, coats, and hats. And of course, Weaver's town has tapestries aplenty. Dave and I purchased a beautiful wall hanging that we are planning to put up in our apartment here, as well as hang in our home when we return to the states. We were able to meet the weaver and get his picture with our tapestry as well!

We stayed in a beautiful hostel in Otavalo, the Ali Shungu hotel. It is run by an American couple who have been in Ecuador for the last thirty years. They have completely decorated their hotel with items that can be found at the Otavalo market and it is gorgeous. There was also a wonderful restaurant and lounge area where guests could relax by the fire, play games, and eat amazing food. I can't wait to bring family and friends here when they come to visit. (Still waiting for that first visitor---come on people, you know you want to!)

Saturday night we headed back to Quito to continue to play and explore. We ate well, went book shopping, and spent a lot of time laughing with friends. With how comfortable I was in Quito, largely due to the "Americanized" environment, I was surprised to find myself missing Guayaquil. I definitely enjoyed my time in Quito, but it somehow felt too much like home. I missed hearing the soft flow of Spanish being spoken around me, instead of the curtness and volume of English. I missed seeing the vast span of different people, from all walks of life, that populate Guayaquil. Dave and I were both glad to be back home Sunday night, to a place that has now become recognizable, comfortable, and home.

Here are some more pictures of our weekend adventures:

Wahoo!!!

2007-10-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

David and I bought our tickets to the states for Christmas vacation yesterday. Needless to say....I can't wait.

Things I am counting down the days for:
* Maxi's Pizza
* Java's Bowl of Soul
* A consistently hot shower
* The ability to wear a sweater every now and again
* Tillamook Cheddar cheese (preferably accompanied by frito's and chili)
* A meal at the Falcon Tavern
* Blake to show me "somefing"
* Small group catching-up
* Actually being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet
* REI and Target shopping extravaganza
* Laughing with the Miller/Silvers/Hall/Damon ladies
* Pretzels
* Ice cubes
* Not seeing even one ant within in a 24 hour time span.
* Road Rides on Ronnie

ahhhhh (deep sigh of anticipation)

Only 72 more days...

Only in Ecuador...

2007-10-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are going into our third month of living in Ecuador. It is hard to believe that the months have gone by so quickly, but the evidence is everywhere. Parent-teacher conferences are next week, Christmas decorations have already hit the stores throughout Guayaquil, and Dave and I have established routines that have made us realize we actually live here and are not just visiting. The fact that life in Ecuador is beginning to feel "normal" is comforting and unsettling at the same time.

Do ants crawling along the edge of my plate, or through the dessert I am about to order at the nearby bakery, bother me? No-that is just life in Ecuador, you flick and move on. But on the other hand, when and how in the world did I get used to that ?! Ants back home would ensure the food would be in the garbage.

See what I mean? Comforting because I no longer lose my appetite when ants want to have their own little nibble. Unsettling because I can't believe how wasteful I tended to be just a few short months ago. There is a lot of "life in Ecuador" moments that make me reevaluate how we tend to live in more affluent countries. Food, dental, and medical treatment is cheap while technology and gadgets are more expensive. I paid more for my alarm clock than I did for my dental visit. But isn't that the way things should be? Shouldn't what we need the very most be what we can most afford?

Hmmm....not to get too philosophical on you, but it's something to think about.

Anyways, here are some other "only in Ecuador" moments that we are finding ourselves getting used to:

*On my way home from work today I saw a man under a bus. Not working on the bus, not under the bus because he had been hit. Just under the bus to take a nap.
*Buses pick up anyone, anytime, anywhere. If you bought a ticket for the beach and were guaranteed a seat, don't bet on it. You might be standing for the entire hour and a half.
*Pigs, dogs, goats can be found walking the streets in greater population than people in some towns.
*In the smaller villages, the kids create road obstacles (usually by holding a rope across the road) and ask you to pay a toll to get across.
*There is no such thing as a "no littering" policy and any tree or post can be converted into a bathroom, and I mean any. All this leads to Ecuador's unique scent.
*Filling a cavity (which I unfortunately had to have done) is only $50-$75. The low price could partly be due to the fact that I didn't have to pay for the numbing shot. Yep, that's right. They drilled without first numbing the nerve. Worst. Nightmare. Ever.
*If the invitation to the party says 4:30, they really are not expecting you until 6:00.
*Any bill higher than a $5 is just a pain to carry around. The more one dollar bills you can carry, the better. Change is hard to come by and if they don't have it, they just got a great tip.
*Don't be offended if people often ask you how many kids you have or when you will next be pregnant. The guards at school tell me at least once or twice a week that I need to have a little bebe. It makes me wonder if they are in cahoots with my parents. I'm on to you guys.

Each day, we learn and see something new in Ecuador that we know is just now part of our life. We'll keep you posted.

I Spy...

2007-09-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Finally, I was able to experience a typical "Dave Day" here in Ecuador. I wanted to know exactly what Dave spends his time doing while I am off slaving away during the week. So, what is a typical day in the life of Dave? I found out that it is a day that is filled with bus adventures, people watching, and a lot of walking.

Dave and I left our gated community for the busy streets of Guayaquil on Saturday morning. He was armed with his handy-dandy spy camera, and I was armed with my purell hand sanitizer. We caught the ChongGong bus headed towards the city and our day officially began.

Oh, the things we did see! Here are some of the highlights:

1. Party balloon truck. Awesome.

2. Iguana Rumble. I wish we caught a picture, but they are quick little buggers. You will just have to let your imagination take you to the Lizard WWF that we witnessed.

3. The Bahia: Ecuador's Black Market. You will be able to find absolutely anything you can imagine in this district, at any price. It is noisy, chaotic, and the best people watching you could ask for.

4. Alternate modes of transportation.

5. Me jumping on the bus as it was still moving. Pretty common in Ecuador if there are only one or two people who want to catch a ride. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with my hand-eye coordination on that one.

6. Couples in love, lots of them. I guess it is not culturally acceptable to bring home boyfriends and girlfriends. Instead, the kids find alternate places to make-out. The bus, the park, the sidewalk, a bench, anywhere but home.

7. Ecuador Bike Shop. Job opportunity Dave, think about it.

8. Bus vendors. These are the guys that hop on and off buses to sale whatever you think you might need on the journey. Want some fruit juice, candy, ice cream? They will be sure to hook you up. Never ride the bus in hunger again.

9. The San Marino Mall, for those times you are feeling extra homesick and just need to walk into a Tommy Hilfiger store. Yep, this mall has all the comforts of home and I soon discovered that no matter where you go, you can't escape Brittany Spears or Paris Hilton.

10. What? DVD's for only a dollar?

11. Public Protest. You are pretty much guaranteed to come across some sort of political function or protest in Guayaquil. Elections to rewrite the constitution are coming up next weekend so things are heating up all over Ecuador.

12. Firework show. No rhyme, no reason. Feel like seeing some lights? No problem. People here just set off fireworks whenever they want. Everyday is the fourth of July.

13. And my favorite "I Spy," the street-vendor who kept his change in his ear. Smart, resourceful, and a good reminder to always wash your hands.

Recreated here by David

It was a great day. All in all, we spent about seven hours riding the buses, walking the streets, and experiencing Guayaquil. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of how Dave spends his days.

I'm ready to trade gigs. We need to find that boy a job.

Back in the Groove

2007-09-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been awhile since I have written a "real" post, but Ecuador has kept me one busy chick-a-dee. I think I've made up for it with this last one.

Warning---it's long, but there are pictures. Read it in doses if you must. :)

Field Trips---Ecuador Style

2007-09-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Field trips, I'm pretty familiar with them. During my 12 year career as a public school student and my four previous years of teaching middle school, I have been on my share of visits to the local zoo, government buildings, cultural centers, and city parks. When I arrived at InterAmerican Academy and they told me that I would be chaperoning a "field trip" for my advisory class, which happens to be a class full of eleven year olds, I readily agreed. I mean, how hard can it be?

Foolish, foolish Danielle.

Apparently, in Ecuador a field trip is not your typical quick little trip to Guayaquil for the day. Oh no. It is a four-day adventure out in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention I was in charge of a group of 13 sixth graders?

Yes, there was an initial bout of panic, but I quickly got over it and began to prepare for this new adventure. Another teacher and I were in charge of taking the kids to Bucay, Ecuador, a little village that sits right at the base of the Andes Mountains. The plan was to spend four days building our "class community" and also to spend some time at a nearby school to donate supplies and play games with the local students. So far, so good. The owners of the hostel where we were staying even offered to take the students on some hikes around the foothills, one of the main attractions being a waterfall. After a little calming of the kids' parents, who had not yet been without their children for any overnight adventures, we were on our way.

It only took two hours to reach Bucay, but another hour to reach the hostel. We watched the bars indicating cell phone reception disappear as we went farther into "the jungle" as the kids kept referring to it. The hostel was beautiful, set between lush foothills, and the kids were excited to see a pool and the Ecuadorian staple of hammocks.

Hostel grounds, SSR in hammocks, view, pool, and scenery

The first night went pretty smooth. We played in the pool, explored the grounds, and even worked in a little SSR (silent sustained reading). We had the kids head to bed relatively early because we were going to take a hike to the waterfall the next day.

The hike. This is where I realized how truly different field trips in Ecuador are from the field trips of good ol' Idaho. Never in a million years would we be allowed to take the students on an adventure such as this. We hiked down an old railroad track that curved alongside a river and cut through the dense vegetation of the hills. Two guides accompanied us, pushing a flatbed on wheels down the track. At first I wondered why the flatbed was coming with us, what could this possibly be used for as we hike? Much to my chagrin, I soon discovered the answer.

Don't look down

It was at this moment that I realized why Ecuador is great for a teacher who tends to be anxiety ridden, not to mention completely afraid of heights. Here's my learned lesson:

When traveling with a group of eleven year olds, and doing something that frightens the bee-jumbas out of you, you cannot let on that you are scared spitless. Hysteria creates hysteria with these guys.

So...I made myself open my eyes as we passed over the rickety, gap-filled bridge on our mini flatbed cart, that was holding 18 people mind you, and took the picture. The entire time, I just kept thinking, "Dave is not going to believe I am doing this." I've noticed that I have that thought a lot, just the names vary.

After a few more bridges o' terror, we made it to the waterfall. It truly was beautiful and I was able to see plants and butterflies that I have never seen before. The kids loved it, especially when they got to play in the waterfall, and we eventually all made it back in one piece.

Railroad hiking path, rickety ol' bridges, and waterfall fun

We went on another hike the next day. No bridges this time, but our guide did carry a machete because of the pumas. Yeah, that makes me comfortable. The second hike is really a post all on its own, but I will tell you that we were promised we would only be gone for an hour and a half. We left at 1:30 and arrived back to the hostel at 5:30.

Lesson #2: Ecuadorian time is very different than United States time. When someone tells you how long something will take, add at least another hour. Better yet, add two.

We were also able to visit a nearby school, play soccer, and meet some new people. The students, as well as the hesitant chaperones, had a really wonderful time. Not a one of us got homesick and I was even told by some kids, with evident surprise in their voice, "Mrs. Richert, you're fun!"

School in Bucay, soccer game, Bucay classrooms, Puma Hike, and wild horses.

I think I could get use to this kind of field trip.

Oh man...

2007-09-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted.

Uhhh....You Try It First

2007-08-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Going to the grocery store in Guayaquil has turned into quite the weekly adventure. Especially in the produce aisles. Each week, Dave and I try to find one new item that we have never seen before and work it into our diet.

We played it pretty safe the first couple weeks, buying packaged items that can only be classified as the greatest junk food ever. Seriously, I'm not sure how I've gone 29 years without these items in my life.

Our first discovered treasure are Chifles. These babies are the greatest twist on banana chips ever known. They are actually made from plantains, so instead of being sweet they are savory. I believe they are Ecuador's challenge to the potato chip and challenge they are. If you open a bag, the temptation is greater than Lays. There is no way you are eating just one. Besides, how can you resist the Chifle mascot? That handsome devil who grins at you from every bag, flexing his muscle and giving you the thumbs up sign. It's almost as if he is saying, "Go ahead, have some. They make you strong and likable. Life is great with a bag of Chifles."

You've got to balance the saltiness of Chifles with our next discovery. The Coco Classic Cookie. Oh. My. Goodness. These could possibly be the best cookies I have ever tasted. They are comparable to a shortbread cookie with a hint of coconut flavor. During school I have found myself daydreaming about the delicious snack that awaits me at home, a couple (who am I kidding? It is more like four. Okay, six) of Coco Classic cookies spread with heavenly Nutella. Dave and I have to eat this wonderful duo at the same time because we both have a fear that one of us will get more of this treat than the other. Isn't that what marriage is built on, the concept of even-stevens?

The third week, still a little apprehensive of what we might find in the produce section, we wandered over to the bakery section and brought home the closest thing to pretzels we have been able to find, Rosquitas Trenzadas. We have a bit of a preference for the Rosquitas con Queso, partly because cheese is not Ecuador's strongest offering and anything that has the hint of the taste of cheddar, we grab up. These babies are pretty good and they come in the ultra-fun braided ring. Though they do not provide the satisfying crunch of a pretzel, they are still pretty delicious and the only snack that can duo as a ring-toss game.

Finally, last week we ventured into the produce section. After thorough observation of other customers and the all important scent test, we decided to bring home granadilla. The fruit had a hard-outer shell, which seemed safe enough, and the smell was a bit citrus and crisp. All good signs. We got our surprise when we cracked the sucker open.

What laid before our eyes was orange, slimy, goo. Uhmmm...not what we expected. But daring souls that we are, we scooped it up, said a little prayer and ate. It was actually quite yummy, once you get over the texture and the feeling that you are eating insect eggs. We later discovered that we were eating a member of the passion fruit family. It was a great first intro to the world of Ecuadorian fresh produce too. This week we grabbed more granadilla as well some sort of orange melon doodads that look like cherries.

Oh--I have to go. Dave should be home from swimming soon and I think I have just enough time to sneak in a couple Coco Classics with Nutella. Shhhh...don't tell.

A Little Taste of Home...

2007-08-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it...I've been a little bit homesick the last couple of days. I woke up on Saturday a little bit sad and wishing that I was waking up in well-known Boise instead of tropical Ecuador. Don't get me wrong, I really am loving the experience that is Ecuador and school has been keeping me so busy that the days are speeding by. It is only when things slowed down that I started thinking about home and all the people that we have left there. I think part of my homesickness stems from the fact that Dave and I are trying so hard to adjust to actually living in South America.

Daily experiences of life, like ordering food or going to the grocery store, are hurdles that Dave and I are constantly trying to jump over. Tasks that we used to do without a second thought, I now approach with trepidation. We tried to find the milk and eggs the other day, not expecting them to be on the shelf. We need a Spanish/English dictionary every time we cook and I notice that I just say "si" when I don't understand what people are saying to me, resulting in extra things being ordered or even ordering the entirely wrong thing.

People have been so patient with me, slowing down in their speech to help me better understand but the look of total confusion doesn't ever seem to leave my face. It's exhausting, and not to be a complete whiner, but I just missed the ease of living in a place that is familiar and where I understand and know the customs and the language.

So....Dave had the perfect idea to give me a little piece of home in Ecuador.

On one of his many solitary adventures, which you can read about on his blog, he discovered a perfect place for mountain biking that is right outside of our gated community. I was a little apprehensive at first but he insisted it would make me feel better. As soon as I began the climb up the first hill, I could feel my body relax into performing a task it knew exactly how to accomplish. There was no second guessing, no confusion over a misheard instruction or question, just the ease of changing gears, finding my own pace as I worked my way up the mountain, and the glorious feel of sweat that was not caused by the sun.

Before I knew it, we were looking over the entire city of Guayaquil. It was beautiful, breathtaking, and I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. I think I can make this place home after all.

And Our Blogging Family Expands...

2007-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dave has started a blog.

That's right, my husband has joined the blogging culture so he can document all of his solitary adventures. You know, the ones he is having while I am slaving away at work.

Spork is where you can check it out, you are guaranteed to be entertained. Enjoy.

Puerto Lopez

2007-08-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

Oh, the Places We've Gone...

2007-08-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Daily Occurrence: Dave and I look at each other, eyes going wide with astonishment, and whisper, "Can you believe that we are in Ecuador?"

We just can't seem to grasp the reality of our lives. The last two weeks have brought experiences and sights to our lives that we never expected to be a part of. It is overwhelming, exhilarating, and sometimes exhausting.

Dave and I travelled with a group of teachers this weekend to a small coastal town called Puerto Lopez. We went through many villages along the way where we had to dodge wild pigs, stray dogs, and manage to not be deterred by the two kids holding a rope across the road, creating a make-shift tollbooth. We passed buildings that were falling apart, but still housing a family of ten or more. A lot of poverty, a lot of filth, and a lot of need. When we reached Puerto Lopez, all I saw at first were the stray dogs and the broken up roads. But once we were out of the van and walking through the main street of town, we came across the people. Everyone we met was so kind, helpful, and truly happy. I spent the majority of the weekend with questions bouncing around my head, "what do I truly need to be this happy? What do I have that doesn't fit into what I need?"

I also know that we played a very important role in Puerto Lopez. A role that helps to sustain the livelihood of the residents in this small coastal town. We were tourists, and they were happy to have these American gringos, who were so willing to spend money, passing through their village.

We stayed in a small, but very clean, hostel that was a couple of blocks away from the beach. The walls were a bit thin, but the bed was comfortable and the shower had actual hot water. After we had settled into our rooms and dropped off our luggage, we found a wonderful beach side restaurant that served the best seafood I have ever had. The group of us ate, talked, and laughed the evening away and returned to the hostel tired and very full.

The next morning we walked down to the beach again and waited for the small boat that would take us into the Pacific to watch the migration of the whales.

The boat ride was about four hours long, much of it spent in search of the whales. There were about twenty of us on the boat, and all of us were eagerly searching for any sign of the migrating animals. When we spotted a burst of water breaking the ocean's surface, we all pointed and called out. The boat would then slowly make its way to where we thought the whales might be traveling. I was sitting towards the back of the boat and once it had slowed a bit, one of the guides motioned for me to climb up to the very top. I had the best seat in the house. Before I knew it, we were right in the middle of a group of whales. They were breaking through the water at twenty yards away. I could see their huge forms underneath the water before they would dive up and dive back down. There were at least six whales swimming around our boat, coming towards us and then turning around. I think they were curious about this large shape that had suddenly joined their play time. It was breathtaking and the most incredible thing I have ever seen. I have decided that one of the most beautiful sounds is hearing the whales break through the surface of the water.

As we headed back to shore, Dave looked behind him and saw the whales jumping out of the water.

When we got back to land, we ate lunch at a place called the Whale Cafe. The owners were American and I hate to admit that it was a nice break to have the menu in English. The food was also delicious and overlooked the fisherman on the beach. Dave and I went for a swim in the incredibly warm ocean before dinner and was even able to squeeze in some shopping at the artisan market.

When we headed back to Puerto Azul, we stopped in little villages along the way. We went to Montonita, the hippy beach, and to an incredible pie shop. We stopped at nursery's and artisan markets. Dave and I even bought new wedding bands made out a Tagua nut for only $1. We didn't want our original bands to get damaged by the weather or stolen by someone who take the bands as signs we have money.

The weekend was also a wonderful time to get to know some of my coworkers and for Dave and I to start building a network of friends here. I can hardly wait for the next adventure!

The Sights and Sounds of Guayaquil

2007-08-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a group of us took an Ecuadorian adventure to downtown Guayaquil to walk the Malecon and check out Las Penas, a historical district of Guayaquil.

Dave and I, Karly, Sarah, and Mark

The day started with a taxi ride, which is better compared to a twenty mile amusement park ride. I can't decide if Ecuadorian drivers are insane or very, very talented. We haven't see a wreck yet, but all the cabs we have been in have run stop lights and stop signs, created their own lanes, and used the horn as the only communication tool to signal turns, lane changes, and speed. I avoid looking out the window for most of the rides...you know, what I can't see can't hurt me.

Once we made it into Guayaquil, the cab driver took us to the Malecon 2000. This is a riverfront walkway that the mayor of Guayaquil had renovated in 2000 in order to boost tourism. The Malecon has a beautiful floral park right in the middle of it, historical monuments, and handicraft markets. There is also a shopping district underneath the boardwalk where you can find pretty much anything you are looking for. Dave and I were even able to buy a couple of new movie releases for $1.50 a piece!

The Malecon is also one of the places in Guayaquil where you are almost certain to hear English. The look on people's faces (my own included) when they hear a language they recognize is priceless. At first there is a little bit of confusion, "has my Spanish improved 100%? Because, I understood everything that person was saying!" Then there is the realization that you were actually hearing English and that your Spanish is still terrible. Relief and heartbreak all at once. :)

At the end of the Malecon is one of Guayaquil's oldest neighborhoods, Las Penas. In order to walk through Las Penas, you have to climb the 444 steps that wind their way through the neighborhood. Bordering the steps are shops, art galleries, and restaurants. At the top of the steps is a beautiful church and lighthouse with an observation deck where you can gain an incredible view of the entire city. We were able to look down on the Malecon, spot an impromptu soccer game, and hear a protest that was taking place in the middle of the city from our spot at the top of the lighthouse. There is also a pirate exhibit in the middle of the neighborhood that I am sure told about the pirate history of Guayaquil. Unfortunately, my Spanish has not reached beyond survival so I still don't know much about that.

Worn out from climbing and descending the 444 steps of Las Penas, we survived another cab ride home and had Sarah and Mark join us for dinner and one of our $1.50 movies. It was a fun day that gave us a chance to be tourists before work starts tomorrow.

Next weekend we are headed to Puerto Lopez to go whale watching. I have heard that it isn't your typical whale watching excursion, with you on a nice big boat and the whales miles away. Oh no, we will be in a relatively small boat and the whales will be right next to us. This should be exciting. And maybe a little wet.

And We Are Back...

2007-07-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

I knew the first post from Ecuador was going to be a long one, so I broke it up into three different posts. Hope you enjoy them!

Ecuadorian Adventures

2007-07-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

So far, the time Dave and I have spent in Ecuador has been a complete whirlwind. We arrived in Guayaquil at 2:00 am on Thursday morning. The director, Robert, had his driver take us to our new apartment (see pictures in previous post) and let us sleep in until 10:00 in the morning. By 10:30, Paulino had picked Dave and I up and we were off to take a tour of Puerto Azul, the school, meet my new principal, and finally join Rob and his family for dinner at his beautiful home. His wife, who is from Brazil, made us the most incredible South American dishes of coconut fish, rice, and lasagna. She also served us home-made coconut and chocolate chip ice cream. All of the newbies, which total six, spent the evening talking, laughing, and hearing about the unique aspects of Ecuadorian living.

Friday, we had an informational meeting at the school. Besides getting the necessary school information, we talked with various people from the school and community. It turns out that we will have a doctor on site at school who will be able to take care of most things for us, including prescriptions, vaccinations, and general checkups. It is a bit of a relief to know there is someone who is qualified, kind, professional, and can speak English so close by!

Belinda and Rob also took us on our first shopping excursion in the nearby mall outside of Puerto Azul. We went to the Super Maxi, a store that closely resembles a Super Target, and we were able to buy our household items (such as the ever needed paper towel, toilet paper, and bottled water) and groceries. Dave and I managed to make our purchases without too much difficulty. We only got a bit hung up when they asked us for the price of one of the items. We both just stared blankly until it clicked that she had tried to ring up the strainer about five times.

That night, our co-workers and fellow newbies invited us over for dinner and a swim. It was so much fun to get to know Sarah and Mark, share some concerns about living in a third-world country, and share the excitement of discovering a new place. Ecuador is their first over-seas teaching experience as well. We are so thankful to have met people who are experiencing the same feelings, doubts, and awe that we are.

Saturday was another fun-filled day. We took a bus tour of Guayaquil, traveled to an artisan market, and went to another mall in order to get any items we didn't pick up the day before. Dave and I discovered that electronics are valued very much here (thirty dollars for an alarm clock!) and that it doesn't matter what part of the world you are in, shopping just isn't for us. We were exhausted by the time we finished and we hadn't even made it to get groceries yet!

That evening, Rob, his family and Belinda and her family, took us to dinner in one of Guayaquil's fancier districts. We ate at an Italian place (of all things to eat in Ecuador!) that had a huge fish tank built into the ceiling. The food was amazing and it was definitely a place we want to take any and all visitors (hint, hint).

What we learned about eating out in Ecuador:
* If you want the entire place to yourself, go to the restaurant at 6:30. Most people don't eat dinner until 9:00, which is when I typically go to bed.
* You need to specify if you want your aqua con gas or sin gas. You don't want to order club soda by mistake.
* Portions are huge, don't be afraid to share.
* Don't expect your check until you ask the waiter for it. You don't just eat and run in Ecuador, you take your time and enjoy the meal. The waiters don't want you to feel rushed so they wait for your signal that the meal is over.
* Beware the bottomless refills. The waiters would fill our glasses without us realizing it! I had to go the bathroom all night!

Finally, on Sunday Rob and his daughter took us to one of the nearby beaches. On the way, we passed through all sorts of small towns and villages. Wild pigs and dogs ran through the streets, butchers cut meat outside of their shops, and soccer games were being played on every barren patch of land that could be found. We definitely had a taste of the vast differences between the very rich and the very poor of Ecuador.

The beach we went to was in Playas (meaning beach) and Rob showed us a very nice, clean hotel that is right on the water. He told us that you can book a room for about $46 a night, there is an on-site restaurant, pool, and beach access. It was beautiful. We spent the day playing in the amazingly warm ocean, Jessica taught me how to use the boogie boards, we watched countless games of soccer break out, and we got to see a group of fishermen bring in their catch.

Dave and I came home to venture our first solo taxi ride. We made it to the Mega Maxi in record time and we were finally able to buy our groceries. Yes, there are many things we bought that we can't understand the directions, but that is all part of the adventure, right? Tonight, Dave attempted to make pancakes and, with the help of our trusty Spanish/English dictionary, he did a great job!

We really are enjoying our time here and know that there are going to be many challenges, but also many joys. We can't wait until you come visit and see how beautiful our new home really is!

Home, Sweet Home

2007-07-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Dave and I currently live in the beautiful Puerto Azul, outside of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The school I am working for, InterAmerican Academy, has provided us with a wonderful apartment 3/4 of a mile from school. The spacious apartment is on the second floor of a three tenant building, so it is quiet and peaceful.

The pictures below are of our apartment, friendly visitors, the chef, and the neighborhood. Pay attention to the construction going on at one of the houses and what they use for scaffolding! Dave and I watched the workers climb up and down the bamboo poles, carrying tools and supplies. It was incredible!

L to R, row 1: Entryway, Kitchen, Maid's Quarters, neighboring home. Row 2: Master Bedroom, Backyard View, In-house resident, Chef David. Row 3: Dining Room, Bathroom, Guest Bedroom, Morning Visitor. Row 4: 1st breakfast, Outdoor patio, 2nd bathroom, Neighborhood home.

Things You Can't Live Without When in Ecuador...

2007-07-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have been in our new home for about five days and have already discovered what we absolutely cannot live without during the next two years:

Sunscreen: It is hot in these parts!! We knew that going in, but I don't think anything can prepare you for the blast of humidity that hits you as soon as the plane touches ground. And of course, it isn't as hot as it is going to get. It is winter right now in Ecuador--which basically means that it is not raining. Most people that we have seen have been wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts. The peoples' dress can be explained by two reasons; one is because they actually believe 77 degrees is cold, and the other reason is because looking nice and presentable is very important to them. Hardly anyone ever wears shorts or t-shirts, it is way too casual of dress. Dave was disappointed to learn that the majority of the clothes he brought would not work out for him. Many restaurants won't let you in the door if you are wearing shorts or jeans!

Water cooler: Dave and I were told many times that, "WE ARE NOT to drink the tap water." I guess it is a good way to lose a few pounds if you don't mind being ghastly ill. Due to that little fact, we have our own water cooler. The water man comes around every Saturday and will take our empty bottle in exchange for a new one for only $1.25. Great deal, yes? I have a feeling that most of our money is going to go to water suppliers, that boy can sure drink a lot of it.

The bottled water also came in handy when the water tank for our apartment went out. Not to worry, after talking to our British landlord's wife, who is Ecuadorian, in sign gestures and halted English/Spanish, we were told it would be fixed today. No problem.

Lysol Sanitizing Wipes: I think we are all aware of my "issues" with unknown germs and the possible sicknesses that can result. But you know Lysol wipes are important when Dave is asking for them to wipe off all possible surfaces and my boss says he can't live without them. The first thing we did when we got to our apartment, at 2:30 am Thursday morning, was clean the bathrooms. I packed a container, expecting it to last until we go home for Christmas. No such luck. We only have a few beautiful wipes left, there are just too many hard surfaces in our apartment! You can't find carpet anywhere in the city because of all the dust that finds its way in every crook and cranny. Every home has tile, good for sliding from room to room in your socks and for creating excellent echoes.

Off Bug Spray: There are many, many bugs in Ecuador. I think I saw the biggest flying beadle in the entire world today, a definite species left behind from the time of the dinosaurs. That baby was big. There are also many mosquitoes, the bug that I get along with the very least. Every mosquito bite I have ever received has swelled into a huge welt and knot. It gets dark about 6:20 in the evening right now and the bugs come out in full force at dusk. I put the bug spray on every morning and every evening, it has become part of my morning/evening ritual--right up there with brushing my teeth. Surprisingly, Dave does not seem to ever get a bug bite. He sails through the day without a problem. I hate that.

Other necessities include Purell hand sanitizer, I carry it everywhere and use it often; Vitalin, a magical concoction that disinfects fruits, vegetables, and kitchen utensils; and flower vases! Ecuador is one of the world's leading producers of roses, and of course has many more beautiful flowers growing year-round. You can get beautiful bouquets at the grocery store for under $2.00.

Ecuador is proving to be a beautiful, magical, wonderful place. We live in a beautiful apartment and in a very safe neighborhood. The people have been amazingly friendly and patient with our total lack of ability to communicate. We are so happy to be here and can't wait for visitors, just bring us some more Lysol Wipes!

Saying Goodbye...

2007-07-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are leaving for Ecuador in two days. It is hard to believe that we started down this path five months ago, it has gone by so quickly.

As we have worked to get the house in order, our things packed up, and our documents ready to go, we have been saying goodbye to family, friends, and Boise. Last night our small group went to dinner with us and then had a dessert extravaganza afterwards (delicious strawberry/blueberry shortcake and chocolate brownies). We ate, laughed, talked and prayed. It was during the prayer that it really hit me that this was real, that we are actually getting on the plane Wednesday morning for adventures unknown, and that this amazing group that has supported, prayed, and loved us for the past three years won't be getting on the plane with us. I just started sobbing, overwhelmed with how much I love all of them and how much I am going to miss being apart of a group that laughs so easily and loves so much.

Not only are we going to miss our small group, family, and friends, but we will also miss living in an area so great as Boise. Here are some things I'm not sure I can live without:

* Java in Hyde Park on a Saturday morning.
* The mountain bike trails.
* Our favorite restaurants: The Front Door (best pizza ever!), Falcon Tavern, Highland Hollow, Parilla's, and The Berryhill.
* Floating the Boise River.
* The Twilight Criterium.
* Downtown during prom season.
* Saturday market.
* First Thursdays, Downtown.
* Picnics at Camelsback Park
* Trip Taylor's Bookstore
* Sunday Bike Cruises
* Movies at Satchel's Grill
* Girl's Nights with Molly, Sarah, and Melissa
* People watching at Lucky 13

I'm sure there are going to be things that I'm not expecting to miss, things that will take me by surprise. But these are some of the small details of life in Boise that I will want to see and experience during my homesick moments.

I am going to post again soon, once Dave and I get settled in Ecuador. Hopefully there will be many pictures and many airport adventures to report on (I'm guessing the airport adventures will center around luggage). Keep checking in and maybe send some prayers up for us! :)

Seattle Adventures

2007-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late in coming, but I didn't want to write about the wonderful trip I was able to take with my mom and aunt until I had some pictures to go along with it!

At the end of June, my mom and aunt travelled to Seattle with me. I had to attend an AP Literature course and my mom and aunt agreed to keep me company when I was not in class. Now, it must be understood that Jan Silvers (the mom) and Juli Hall (the aunt) are two of the most fun people to travel and adventure with. It is not uncommon for my dad, uncle, or Dave to call when the three of us are together and only hear peals of laughter. The conversations usually go something like this:

"Danielle? It's Dave."

Only response laughter and then mumbled comment in the background.

"What was that? I can't quite hear..."

More laughter.

"Yeah, I'm having a good time too. All by myself. Say, what's so funny?"

Laughter, giggles, laughter.

"Well, sounds like you're busy. I'll call later."

Laughter then silence.

Needless to say, you could put us in a symposium about the history of dirt and we would have a good time. So it was no big surprise when I asked Mom and Juli to spend the week with me in Seattle, I wanted to laugh and play and have fun when I was finished with a class I was sure was going to be long and somewhat boring (I was right about that one). I told Dave I wasn't asking him to go because he had to work, but I think we both knew the truth.

Laugh, play, and have fun we did. We went a day before my conference started so that we could have an entire day to explore Seattle together. We flew in early and ate breakfast at a wonderful place in Queen Anne, called The 5 Spot. The restaurant changes their menu and theme every few months. This time the theme was Hawaii-Five and the menu include papaya pancakes with coconut candied bacon. Delicious.

We then made our way to the Experience Music Project museum that can be found near the Space Needle. The museum was incredible! It had a recording and demo lab where you could make your own CD, an instrument learning lab, a guitar exhibit, and the history of music from the Northwest. It was fun to travel back in time to high school and "re listen" to bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

After the museum, we decided we should check into the hotel IA had booked for me. Once we finally found the place, we were told that they had overbooked their rooms and had to put us at one of their sister hotels. This normally would not have been that big of an issue, but the conference I was attending was sending a shuttle to pick us up at only selected hotels. My hotel initially told me that transportation to the conference was my problem, but after much discussion (thank you Aunt Juli) and some key phone calls the hotel finally agreed to pay for a taxi to take me back and forth. They also upgraded my room so that Mom and Aunt Juli could stay with me and the first night was on the house. This experience is another reason Aunt Juli makes such a great travel companion, she can get things done!

The rest of the week we spent shopping, eating out, and laughing. We got lost countless times, even taking an unexpected trip to Mercer Island, and found shortcuts only to forget them the next day. I would spend the days in class while Aunt Juli and my mom would explore Seattle and the surrounding towns, making sure that they let me know when they were getting a pedicure, found a great lunch spot, or were still in bed. They discovered the Bellview Mall and took the Underground Tour of Seattle. When I was out of class, we would find the restaurant of the night (usually recommended to us by our waiter of the previous night), window shop, laugh, and talk.

I had a great time and am so glad that I was able to spend the week with my mom and aunt before I leave. I'm hoping that I can convince them to take another trip with me to Peru next summer! Come on ladies, what do you say? Mother/Daughter Tour South American Edition?

PS. The Ecuadorian Countdown is now at 5 days! Holy Moly--I better start packing!

Wait a minute...We leave in two weeks? But I'm not ready!!

2007-07-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Whew...D and I leave for Ecuador in 14 days. We have only two more weeks before we are immersed in a totally different culture, living a completely different life. Actually less than two weeks because we fly out at the crack of dawn...give me a moment, I just need to breathe into this paper bag for a few minutes.

I have been alternating between massive excitement and hyperventilation for the past couple of days. Oh, who am I kidding? It's been the past couple of months. Mostly experiencing the fear and exhilaration within moments of each other. I'm pretty sure that I have my husband convinced that I have multiple personalities with all the back and forth of emotions. Not to mention, the odd little tick I have picked up of resting my head on the table anytime Ecuador, or anything relating to Ecuador, is mentioned.

"Would you like a banana Danielle?"

No response because my head has hit the table.

My indecisive nature is also kicking into full gear. Dave and I have packed up a good majority of the house and have started to fill up the storage shed. The problem is when I decide that I absolutely need something that is already packed away and at home in storage. I don't know how many times I have packed, unpacked, and repacked those boxes. To add to the packing dilemma, Dave and I were told that we are only able to bring two suitcases and two carry-ons each. Hmmmmm....I'm pretty sure my shoes will fill one suitcase and my clothes will fill my other one plus Dave's two. I might need to do some rethinking, Dave it getting pretty territorial over his bags.

I just have to accept the fact that no matter what I do, I will never be as prepared as I would like to be for the move to Ecuador. From my complete inability to speak Spanish, though I do know all of the words to La Bamba (thank you Ms. Rollins), to my unreasonable attachment to footwear, there are going to be things to overcome. I've decided that I just have to be open to the challenge, fear, and experience we are diving into. I have to let go of my expectations, preconceptions, and basically all my habits of living that have been cultivated by living in small communities in the US. (What? You mean I can't just leave my purse on the table at the coffee shop while I order at the counter?) I'm not ready, but I'm willing to dive in with both feet. Wish us luck!

Here's to Seven Wonderful Years!!

2007-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that seven years ago, Dave and I started out on this crazy adventure known as marriage. We looked through our wedding album during our packing extravaganza and we marveled at how young we looked and we remembered how excited we were to start our lives together. It really has been a wonderful seven years, and we have experienced so much laughter, love, and adventure. Here are some highlights:

* Our honeymoon in California-Dave planned it perfectly to our personalities, the first half of the week there were absolutely no plans or schedule (to suit my favorite way to vacation). We explored San Diego, stopped at every point of interest, and relaxed. The second half of the week was planned out with things to do and see (to suit my husband's type A personality). We hit the beach and Disneyland. It was so much fun!

* Moving into our first apartment together, which was in the basement of an older home in Nampa. The Irwin's, our landlords, were an older couple who were so kind and welcoming. Mr. Irwin would shovel a pathway to my car and scrape my window's during the winter, and Mrs. Irwin would always bring us homemade treats.

* Vacationing in San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Boston, Seattle, and Portland. Dave and I save all our loose change and use the money to take mini vacations throughout the year. We buy a bus pass and explore the city we are in, taking different routes and seeing a whole different part than is typical.

* Buying our first home. I love our little house in Boise, it was the very first house Dave and I looked at. We passed the for sale sign when we were going to go see the home our friends Eric and Tracy had just purchased, which is just down the street. Dave and I called the realtor the next day, just to get an idea of what homes were like in the Boise area. We had decided that we were going to buy a place in Nampa, but we both fell in love with the house immediately. We made an offer the next day and moved in two months later. It really has been such a blessing and we are so thankful we took the plunge!

* Mountain biking together. Dave has always been a mountain biker, but I didn't start until we moved to Boise. I wasn't seeing my husband as much as I would have liked, especially since 60+ miles of trails is pretty much right outside our front door. There was nothing left to do but try biking myself. Now, I love it and it is not all that surprising for Dave to come home only to find my bike and myself gone.

* Joining a bible study. Dave and I have made such wonderful friends, and have reconnected with old friends, by joining the small group an old high school friend invited us to. I honestly believe our marriage grew stronger and more secure once we were praying and sharing with a group of our peers. There is something about being a part of a group that is willing to pray and support you through anything that helps to make everything seem possible, even moving to Ecuador!

* Deciding to move to Ecuador. Living overseas is something I have always dreamed about, but have been to scared to ever attempt. I've never lived outside of the state of Idaho, or any farther away than two hours from my family. But with Dave, it just seems like I can manage surviving in a different country, different culture, speaking a different language. Anytime I start to get overwhelmed by what we are leaving to do in two weeks, I just say a little prayer of thanks that Dave and I are doing this together. I can't wait to see how our lives change and how our relationship grows.

* Laughing together. One of the greatest things that Dave and I have shared these last seven years is laughter. Dave and I have laughed together every day since we first knew each other in college. My mom has told me that she loves when Dave and I stay at their home because she can hear us laughing throughout the house. My favorite thing to hear is Dave's "true" laugh, especially when I am the reason it breaks out. We laugh easily together, and often together, and each time it happens I fall more and more in love.

These past seven years have been wonderful, adventurous, playful, and a learning experience. I can't imagine going through it with anyone else. I'm so very lucky and can't wait to see what the next seventy bring!

Mixed Tape Memories

2007-07-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

I ran across all of my old mixed tapes yesterday while I was sorting through my office. I sat cross-legged on the trundle as I ran through each and every one of them, reading the song titles and trying to stay adrift in all the memories that flooded me.

I found the tapes that Brian made me each Valentine's Day for the four years we dated. They had songs by Smashing Pumpkins, Mathew Sweet, Phish, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and Jane's Addiction. I haven't listened to those bands in years but I still know every word to those songs. Then there was the tape that Kevin sent me my first week of college. I think he knew that I would be a bit lonely and terrified and he sent me songs that would remind me of him and our old friends. There is a picture of Kevin in the 7th grade along side a picture of Ethan Embry in Empire Records, the movie we watched religiously our senior year of high school. The tape has songs by Cake, R.E.M, Jim Croce, and Oingo Boingo. I think even a song from the Partridge Family is on there. I also unearthed the tape that Tracy and I made, titled E3's greatest hits, filled with songs we constantly played in our college dorm room.

The majority of the tapes though are from Josh. I have the tape he made me when Brian left for Panama, the one that arrived in the mail after I had called him sobbing, telling him how I hated school and how all the people there were mean and religious hypocrites (not all of them were I was glad to soon discover), the one he gave me before he went to Nova Scotia for an entire semester, and the one he made after we had gone to see BareNaked Ladies at the Rose Room. There is a tape of his college radio show and a tape that he sent for a Tuesday Prize Day. The bands have names like The Rugburns, Pyschadelic Furs, and Mojo Nixon. The songs either made me laugh, think, or just sing along. They have become audio diaries, marking times and experiences that started fading away, but as soon as the opening hook to "We Close Our Eyes" begins, they all come back in vivid and bright color.

If I were to make a mixed tape now, to document the time and experiences I am living, I think the following songs would be there:
* "Girl" - Beck
* "Juicy" - Better Than Ezra
* "White Wedding" - Billy Idol
* "Things Have Changed" - Bob Dylan
* "Lovely Day" - Brad Walters
* "Rock n' Roll Lifesytle" - Cake
* "Life Less Ordinary" - Carbon Leaf
* "Deep Enough to Dream" - Chris Rice
* " Ain't No Other Man" - Christina Aguilera (guilty pleasure, I can't help it!)
* "Everything's Okay" - The Clumsy Lovers
* "Dead in the Water" - David Gray
* "Settle for a Slow Down" - Dierks Bentley
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks
* "Remedies for Remembering" - Douglas Cameron
* "Half-Life" -Duncan Shiek
* "Pretty Little Thing" - Fink
* "Extraordinary Machine" - Fiona Apple
* "Language or the Kiss" -Indigo Girls

What would be on yours?

Tuesday Prize Day

2007-06-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays have long been my favorite day of the week, ever since my sister (many years ago) happened to notice that her birthday that year fell on a Tuesday. For weeks before her birthday, she would celebrate Tuesdays with her family and loved ones. Sometimes she would write a note for us, sometimes she had a little treat. The entire family joined the Tuesday celebration bandwagon and Tuesday Prize Day was born. When I went to college, my mom would often make sure my care packages would arrive on Tuesdays or my dad would send me his weekly e-mail on Tuesday. I started celebrating the day with my friends, leaving them notes in their mailboxes or buying them a coffee. My friends started celebrating it themselves and before we knew it, Tuesday Prize Day was sweeping the nation. :) Okay, maybe not sweeping the nation, but it is definitely celebrated at various points throughout the country by various groups of people.

Dave and I, along with Jodi and her beautiful family, still celebrate the joyous Tuesday by having dinner together on that special night of the week. This last Tuesday, Jodi and little Blake came over for the Richert's Mac and Cheese special (recipe found below). Dinner went great, Blake entertained us while eating and Jodi and I were able to catch up on what had been happening during the week. Uncle Dave then decided to have Blake help him wash the car and that is when the fun really began. Blake took his job so seriously, telling me that he was, "going to make the car all shiny." He only got slightly soaked during the process and was enthralled with the bucket of soapy water, especially once the water turned dingy brown. It was so much fun to watch him, and Dave really enjoyed having his help, even when Blake overshot the car with the hose and ended up getting Dave wet instead. It was a great Tuesday Prize Day.

Mac and Cheese Deliciousness:

Ingredients:
One pint grape tomatoes
Large elbow macaroni
One can evaporated milk
1/4 cup egg substitutes
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut grape tomatoes into halves and place in an 8 x 8 glass cooking dish that has been greased. Salt and pepper tomatoes.
Bake tomatoes for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook elbow macaroni in large pot of boiling water for about seven minutes. When pasta is done, drain and turn stove top heat down to medium. Return pasta to pot and add evaporated milk, egg substitutes, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat, serve it up and sprinkle bread crumbs on the top.

Easy, fast, and oh so delicious. I like to add about 1/4 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese to the recipe to give it a little bit of a bite. Yummy.

Ahhh...Summer Vacation

2007-06-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, my summer vacation is in full swing and I am enjoying every minute of it. Yes, I have tons of things I have to get done before July 25th, but I also want to savor the short summer I get this year.

Things have started out great-this last weekend we had D's little brother and his beautiful wife visit us for a few days. They drove all the way from the central coast of California to spend some time with us before we head off to South America. We had such a great time with them, here are some highlights:

We started out by taking Heather and Jon to Big City Cafe for breakfast. This is one of D's and my favorite spots in Boise. The pastries are delicious, as is the coffee, and the breakfast offerings are huge.

After breakfast, we were able to take Jon and Heather to the Boise Farmer's Market. Though it can't really be compared to the farmer's markets available in California, there is still a lot to see. We wandered through the booths, took advantage of the free samples and put our people watching skills to work. Most of all, we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather!

Later that night, D and I took the mini Richert's to a costume party some of our creative and fun-loving friends were having. We had a great time putting our costumes together, Heather and I were sporting Lee Press-On Nails and temporary tattoo's, and I would post a picture if I wasn't so embarrassed about what we all looked like. I will give you a picture of the part as a whole though, and then you can get an idea of the kind of fun that was to be had. It was great to introduce H & J to our friends, they fit right in and even joined some of the party competitions. Heather's burping abilities allowed them to take one of the most coveted prizes home, the garden gnome. Jon wouldn't eat the live fish though and they missed out on the Bon Jovi Mirror. Maybe next time.

The Richert clan also did a lot of biking while we were all together. Jon and Heather brought their mountain bikes and we made sure they got a lot of use out of them. Our first ride was to the military reserve, where my very favorite trail can be found. We spent a good part of the afternoon playing up there and then Dave and Jon made a trip to the jump park that is down the street from us. That was our mini training ride for the full-day we spent at Tamarack Resort in McCall.

It was a very rainy day, but that seemed to make the riding even more fun. I had stayed pretty mud free until my bike slipped from under me on an open area of the trail. I knew I was going down about thirty seconds before it happened, so I did my best to enjoy the slimy slide. Thankfully, I was riding by myself at the time so there were no witnesses to my superman mud slide. I thought I was as covered as you could be, but it was nothing compared to what the Richert Boy's found themselves in. Here they are after Heather and I had already cleaned up.

Monday, Jon, Heather, and I did a recovery ride at Seaman's Gulch while Dave was at work. The ride was pretty low-key, which suited Heather and I just fine. Jon and Dave did another ride around Table Rock later that night. Crazy boys! Heather and I left them to it and spent the evening at Java catching up on reading and conversation.

We ended the Richert Weekend Extravaganza on Tuesday with a bike ride to Barber Park for a picinic. It was fun to ride along the Greenbelt and be able to share all of the hidden treasures of Boise with D's family. We keep trying to convince them to move here (they would be such great house renters!) but they seem to think they will miss the ocean. Oh well, we will have to be satisfied with their visits. Next time, we will see them in Ecuador!

A Weekend to Remember...

2007-05-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this much, much earlier in the week but time has slipped away from me. This has been a pretty intense week with school ending, visa applications being due, and trying to get our house ready to rent. Good thing D and I were able to have a fun, productive, and somewhat relaxing weekend before the craziness ensued!

Friday night, Dave and I met our good friends Becca and Kelly at Donnie Mac's Trailer Cuisine to hear some live music played by one of D's coworkers. It was so much fun to sit outside, listen to the music (D especially enjoyed the harmonica player) and catch up with old friends. Becca is headed off to get her graduate degree in North Carolina the same time we leave for Ecuador, so we are trying to squeeze in as much play time as possible.

The next weekend adventure was the Tamarack Resort in McCall. We headed up there for the beginning of their mountain biking season. We had such a great time. Their meadow trails are perfect for me, just the right amount of climbing (enough to get a good workout, not enough to think I might die) and great downhill trails, my favorite is Wild Turkey. And D likes to catch the ski lift up the mountain and bike down the more advanced (read incredibly technical and steep) bike trails. We spent the entire day riding the trails and were still able to be back in Boise in time for a nice evening at home.

We were about to head to bed when D suggested we go "camping." Not exactly sure what he had in mind since it was already 10:30 at night, I still agreed. D then proceeded to set up our tent in the backyard and we had a home-edition campout. It kind of reminded me of being a kid and my dad setting up the tent in the backyard for my sister and I. I always loved that style of camping because a) an actual bathroom was nearby and b) you always had the option of climbing into a real bed during the night.

We ended the three-day weekend by starting on "the great sort" of the house. I only managed to sort through my closet, but as the picture suggests, I got rid of an awful lot of clothes. I'm pretty sure I need to go shopping for Ecuador now. That is how it works, right?

Monday evening I headed to my sister's house and had a BBQ with the family. I got to play with Blake, find out that he is no longer into Thomas the Train, and enjoy my brother-in-law's wonderful cooking. All in all, it was a great weekend and the perfect start to the summer season. Now if I can only get through the next two days of school (my last for the year, wahoo!).

Middleton Memories...

2007-05-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

My time at Middleton Middle School is quickly drawing to a close. With only three days of the school year left, I am beginning to get quite nostalgic. Here are some of the people and memories that keep running through my head:

* Rebecca getting her arm caught in the Coke machine outside of the building. The jaws of life had to help cut her out.

* Gage asking me if I remembered where I was when Kurt Cobain died. Does he remember?

* Ryan and Mike changing the settings on my laptop so that the start button said Mike, and the runner across the top said Ryan Rules.

* Having Jace tell me, while he was in tears, that it was the worst day of his entire life because Wess stole his twinkie. Remember when that really was the worst thing that ever happened?

* When Burkley and Jared tried to explain that they threw a stink bomb into my room because, and I quote, "But Mrs. Richert, you're the only teacher who can take a joke!" I didn't take it that well.

* Having Tyler start crying in class the first time the principal conducted a formal observation. Yeah, that helped the nerves.

* Joe yelling out, "can I get an amen?!" during our funeral for overused verbs. The entire class responded with, "Aaamen."

* Tylor asking me to dance with him at the Halloween dance. I politely declined.

* Damian stating that he "owned" my classroom and another student responding with, "Yeah, uh Damian, why don't you join the rest of us here in reality?"

* Rebecca asking me if a hooker could be considered an entrepreneur. I'll be honest, I pretended that I didn't hear her.

* Hillary slipping a note on my desk that told me how much she enjoyed the activity we did in class that day.

* Nikki telling me that she wanted to give me a makeover, "there is just so much that we could do!" she exclaimed. Once again, I politely declined.

* Brittany waiting until her, as of the previous day, ex-boyfriend began his speech in front of the class before she opened up her jacket. Sitting in the front row, it was impossible for Jordan to not see her "I'm not with stupid anymore" t-shirt. His mouth dropped open, he forgot where he was at in the speech, and had to start over. Classic.

* Brett Scherer and I winning the MMS American Idol competition with our rendition of, "If I Had a Million Dollars." The best part of that was overhearing Kenzi in the hall tell another friend, "You know how Mrs. Richert sings in class and it is really bad? Well, she just sang with Mr. Scherer and she is actually really good! Isn't that crazy?"

* Jackson and Matt telling me that I needed to see Nacho Libre because I wasn't getting their jokes. They brought it in for me the next day. I still haven't seen it, oops.

* D reminded me of the time when Alex allowed a couple of his classmates to test out their dog-shock collar on him. He didn't think it would actually hurt him since Raigen and West put the collar on his prostetic leg. Alex didn't fully understand that the metal rod that went through his leg would act like a conductor. If that wasn't a science lesson well learned...

There are so many great experiences and people that I came in contact with at Middleton Middle School. It is hard to believe that I won't be back there in August. I'll miss it so much!

The Joys of May...

2007-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

There is much to be happy about during this month of May. First off, the big move is becoming more and more of a reality. D and I were told that our plane tickets have been purchased and we are flying out at the end of July. Next, my passport finally arrived!! That has been the biggest stress for me so far. Without the passport, there was no visa. Now, D and I have sent all our paperwork to Guayaquil and we just await the legal stamp of approval. Of course, we also have to plan a trip to the Ecuadorian Consulor, but that won't be until July. And finally, it is full-fledged biking season. We broke out the cruisers, we've been mountain biking, and we enjoyed the fun of Boise Bike Week. Life is good.

May in Motion

2007-05-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

This month is May in Motion, the time dedicated to using alternate forms of transportation to help reduce emissions, travel costs, and increase general health. All month long, people have been making a greater effort to bike, walk, ride the bus, or carpool. D's company, BOB Gear, is even having a friendly competition to see who can earn the most biking/carpooling points. It has been tons of fun, especially since it has been a great reason for me to get out on my bike more this month. D and I have taken the bikes with us everywhere, even when we visited Twin last weekend. We did a beautiful ride through the countryside outside of Kimberly. It was beautiful to ride through all the farms, we almost made it to the south hills!

The Boise area has also decided to celebrate May in Motion with the annual Boise Bike Week. It has been so much fun to see so many people biking all over town, not to mention the great events that were organized for the week. Dave was able to hit more events than I was, like the opening ceremony and the National Bike to Work Celebration, but I was able to make it to the BBW Scavenger Hunt. We had so much fun racing all over town to try to be the first to complete the race. We were no where close, there were quite a few actual professionals there, but we had a great time and was able to make it back to a local Boise cafe for the live music and dinner. We even received free t-shirts and I won a prize in the raffle! If anything, the week has gotten me back into riding my road bike more. I even woke up early this morning and was able to take an early ride through the foothills. The ride was wonderful because it seemed like I was the only one awake in the entire city. It gave me some time to just let my mind think through and organize all of the things that have been swirling through it since D and I decided to move to Ecuador. It was the least stressed I have felt for awhile, maybe I should do this every morning!

This Week's Highs and Lows...

2007-05-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

High: Having a student who I had previously been led to believe absolutely hated me tell me that she loved my class.

Low: Having the cap on my front tooth fall out in the middle of second period on Friday (oh beware of laffy taffy)

High: Having the cap on my front tooth fall out in the middle of second period on Friday (man, that was funny. The kids faces when they realized my tooth was gone...priceless)

Low: Realizing that I did not get the right translation done for our marriage certificate, and that I paid way too much for said wrong translation.

High: Going to the horse races with D and my parents in order to watch the Kentucky Derby. People watching extravaganza! That is a whole other culture that I never even knew existed!

Low: Losing money because I have no clue about horse racing. So you don't just bet on a horse because of the cool name (Scat Daddy) or color (the gray one is pretty)?

High: Being able to hear my mom tell me that everything is going to be okay, and believing her. How do moms do that?

Low: My moments of transforming into "freaky, stressed wife" who can't stop worrying about things she has no control over. (i.e. passports, visas, and the diseases of Ecuador).

High: Hearing D tell my dad that he is "nuttier than a squirrel turd." Has my father finally met his match?

High: Having an excuse to read Hamlet and Great Expectations again. They are part of the AP curriculum that I will be teaching in Ecuador. I'm a little nervous to teach seniors, but am really excited about the content.

High: Having D agree to put in the line, "Danielle can not pass up the opportunity to teach in Ecuador and I cannot live without her," in his resignation letter for work. It got a laugh from the boss.

High: Walking through the farmer's market, riding our bikes through downtown, and having the barista know exactly what Dave and I are going to order when we visit the coffee shop on Saturday.

High: Receiving just the right Bible verse from Grandma to help me get through the week, month, year, life.

As you can see, there are many more highs than lows and even the lows are pretty survivable, even funny. Each day I marvel at how blessed I am and thank God for all the love, laughter, and support He has brought into my life.