I Would Like to Thank the Academy...

I can't help it, I am a complete sucker for the Oscar's. I haven't seen a movie in months and haven't seen any of the movies that were nominated. Expect for An Inconvenient Truth of course, but I saw that live so does it count? One of my guilty pleasures is Entertainment Weekly, so I at least know who is who.

Despite my lack of knowledge of the Hollywood industry, I can't help but love the whole experience of the Oscar's. I can't wait for the cheesy pre-show with the uber cheesy "red-carpet" hosts, evaluating what everyone is wearing as if I actually know what I am talking about, and of course...the show itself.

My fascination can be traced back to when my mother used to have all of us dress-up in our Sunday best, fix our favorite snacks, and decorate our home with the life-size cardboard cutouts of stars that my dad would bring home from work. We would all have our own Oscar ballots and make the best predictions we could for not having watched any of the films. It is a golden memory from childhood and I found myself wanting to call my sister during the red carpet so we could nit-pick everything the stars were wearing, talk about what they said in their acceptance speeches and decide who has been the best Oscar host.

Instead, I settled with telling my husband about all the Oscar parties past, as he distractedly flipped through a magazine, and made him promise that the Oscar Party would be reinstated when we have our own children.

Vivo en Guayaquil, Pero Mi Corazón Está en Quito

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 ar

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

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

Yes or No?

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

Living The Good Life

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