Living The Good Life

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 You...

  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!

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?

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!)

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?   M...

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...