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 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.

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

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 ...

Deep Breath

Okay--I only have about two more weeks until we are off to Iowa and possibly a whole new adventure. I find myself avoiding the very things I know I need to do; e-mail prospective schools, complete my portfolio, research the different cultures and societies. Instead, I am wasting as much time as possible by checking postsecrets.com, reading the various blogs I have suddenly become addicted to, and finishing up one of the many baby blankets I have to knit. And yet.... I really am optimistic about this possibility for D and me. I feel like no matter what happens, whether we go overseas or not, something wonderful is going to come out of this. Maybe it will give us the courage to go seek jobs and a life in Boston, Portland, or New York. Maybe it will give me the courage to find what I am really passionate about and go after it, knowing that where we are now, nice as it is, is not a glass box I have to spend the rest of my life in. I think whatever comes out of this exploration, will be goo...

Blog Bling--Featured Artist of the Week

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...

Living The Good Life

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