Living The Good Life

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...

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.

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 so...

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...

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...

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.  Thursda...

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