Guayaquil

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Took a short weekend trip to Guayaquil for a little rest and relaxation. Got to enjoy some warm temperatures and some serious humidity, something we haven't experienced in a long time -- one of the benefits of living 3 years at high altitude. We got to see Barrios Las Peñas, one of Guayaquil's main attractions. We took the 444 steps up to Cerro Santa Ana and got some photos of Guayaquil. To view the entire album, click here.

Happy New Year!

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Without a doubt, Ecuador has us beat when it comes to New Year's Eve. The burning of life-size effigies, jumping over fires, and slutty "viudas" (widows) throughout the city are far more colorful than a jam-packed Times Square and the dropping of the ball. A quick stroll around our neighborhood provided a brief look at some of Ecuador's coolest NYE traditions. In the days leading up to NYE, scarecrow-like dolls, often life-size, appear around the city, mainly tied to cars and propped up at the numerous guard stations. The "años viejos" (old years) sometimes depict a famous person, politician, cartoon, or simply represent the creator himself. At midnight, the effigies are set on fire, symbolizing destruction of the bad things from the previous year and the hope that the new year will be better. Ecuadorians also have a tradition of jumping over the fires, again symbolizing a jump into the new year. (Check out this link of our very own ambassador participating in this tradition) But our favorite tradition, which is pretty specific to Ecuador, is the viudas. Young Ecuadorian men dress up as widows of the year that has passed and block traffic until drivers pay them a few coins to pass. The viudas tend to wear short, tight dresses, complete with the necessary "female parts". Friends play reggaeton music while the viuda dances provocatively in an attempt to embarrass the (male) drivers. Some of the viudas make a point of showing off their colored underwear; as the superstition goes, yellow panties worn on NYE bring prosperity in the new year, while red panties bring love.

One of the best parts of these traditions is that they start early in the day, so those of us who don't make it til midnight can still participate in the festivities. Night night!

Noche Buena and Christmas in Quito 2014

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As it was peanut's first Christmas - and she is just so damn photogenic - we took a million pictures. Looks like Santa needs to bring more memory cards and backup drives next year. We spent Noche Buena with good friends from the Embassy; it was a great evening complete with homemade spaghetti, old fashioneds, and tons of excited kids. We returned home to start our own new Christmas traditions. We must have been good this year as Santa came overnight and filled Annika's stocking, bringing her a little toothbrush for her 1/2 of a tooth. Santa also brought a train set that scared the bejeezus out of her.

We had a relaxing low key Christmas day starting with mimosas and ending with a candlelit dinner. We enjoyed our first Christmas as a family of 3 but missed spending time with our family.

To view the entire album, click here.

San Guiven 2014

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We celebrated Thanksgiving with dear friends Graciela, Marco, and Pepe, who kindly invited us into their home and hosted a beautiful dinner. Our new Embassy friends--who happen to be from Brownsville--are a reminder of just how small the world can be. It was Annika's first Thanksgiving, and, while she did not get to try the Turkey and famous green spaghetti, she did get to sit at the grown-ups' table. We have a lot to be thankful for this year--our health, our family, and our friends old and new. We appreciate our relatives who keep us in their thoughts even while we are on another continent, and Embassy friends who form our foreign service family. To view the entire album click here.

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R&R 2014 Part III: New England

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After being on the road for nearly two weeks, we found refuge in the warm and welcoming Scanlon home in Killingworth, CT. And thus began a week filled with lobster. And family. And more lobster. And more family. Again we were treated to incredible hospitality, and Annika was in heaven with all the toys! Annika also had the opportunity to meet her Great-great Aunt Sil, Great-great Aunty Jean and Great-great Uncle Hop, lots of Wiltse cousins, Kristen, Matthew, Meghan...the list goes on! Even her Great-Aunt Linda drove down from Maine. Annika met future husband Sebastien (and his parents) at Mystic. We are blessed with great family and would like to thank everyone for making the effort to spend time with us. We are deeply appreciative of all of the hospitality offered to us throughout the trip...from meals to places to stay. We enjoyed your company tremendously and are so happy we could share a little time with you. To view the entire album click here

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