Painting, Lonely Weekend

I ended up painting the small bathroom completely on Friday, which was awesome. I love how the color turned out too. I had just enough time in between to drop the boys off for their campout and take dinner to the missionaries. James left for his "boys weekend" with Kenneth, Sam, and Nick in Salt Lake. I stayed busy enough on Friday that I didn't feel too lonely and had no problems sleeping.

Saturday, I touched up the paint and scrubbed the bathroom in the afternoon. While the paint finished drying, I took the 3 younger kids to Dino Soar Days. We looked at the farmer's market, got cookies, and went to the dinosaur museum since it was free admission. It was a little crazy and busy, but I think the kids had fun. I picked up the boys, and we didn't do much for the rest of the day. Things went a little downhill at that point and just weren't fun.

Sunday went all right, even though I ended up teaching a class last minute. James got home safely from his fun weekend. I had a mini breakdown because I don't know how to deal with the Sunday scaries yet and the school year is still new.

Monday, we overscheduled ourselves a little too much by cleaning our closet. It was a bigger job than expected. The new shelf for the bathroom came, so Kenny put that together for me. All that Lego-building has paid off.

I volunteered for the first time in Mrs. Batty's class this year, and it went great. I'll be there Tuesday afternoons.

I'm also trying to get to the temple once a week (on Wednesdays). So far, so good.

Today, I made whole wheat bread and pressure canned chipotle beef. For our date, we're doing sealings at the temple and getting dinner afterward.

I like my schedule this year so far. I hope everyone can stay healthy so I can stick to it. I haven't had time to get bored yet, either. I scanned some old pictures from NC and hope to finish that next week. Many are going to go on FamilySearch as well.

1st Week of School

Back to school night went well, and all the kids are excited about their teachers. I'm also glad I went to the Relief Society activity afterward. It was relaxing to spend time with the ladies in my ward and eat s'mores.

Friday, we did a play date with Navy. Kenny had a party that night at a friend's house. I never did invite any friends over who'd invited us during the summer. I was too tired in between trips to want to be social.

Saturday, I slept a ton but woke up still tired and discovered that the fridge had broken. It was the last standing appliance from when we bought the house, and I believe it was 25 years old. James and I didn't agree at first on which one we should get, but we finally agreed on one and had it delivered on Monday. That was a ton of work, and it put a damper on the whole weekend. Thanks to fridge stuff, we didn't end up going to the fair since there just wasn't any time. Ugh. I'm glad the freezer outside was mostly empty (the emptiest in a year) so we could shift things around and use coolers. It was still a huge pain, but I'm glad it didn't happen while we were gone on a long trip. That was a tender mercy.

So Monday was long. Katie went to a party that night with friends. School started Tuesday, and no one wanted me at the bus stop, but I got some pictures before they left. After my usual stuff, I went to a funeral for a man in our ward. It's one of the best funerals I've been to, and there have been A LOT in the past year.

Wednesday, I went to the temple and then Lowe's to get stuff for painting the small bathroom. I was really tired during the afternoon, so we decided to take the kids out for pizza in the park. It was windy, there were wasps, and the kids were whiny, so it didn't last long. I hope they get used to the school schedule soon.

Today, I made chicken stew and pressure canned it, made bread, and started prepping the small bathroom for paint tomorrow and Saturday. I plan to have it done by Saturday night and put back together completely on Monday. At some point in the near future, I'll also do the master bathroom, at least the walls. If the cabinet turns out good for the small bathroom, I'll also do all the cabinets. I have my doubts since it's old, crappy, laminate, but I've done my research and gotten good quality supplies, so we'll see. If I feel confident enough on cabinets, I might even do the kitchen, but that's not happening this year.

Getting Ready for School

I got over my weird stomach bug by Wednesday night, so we attended our ward's block party. It was fun to share pictures of the trip with a couple of ladies I know.

We tried to be as boring as possible during the past week since we were still pretty tired from the trip. The kids went through all of their clothes so I'd know what to buy. We needed a couple pairs of shoes, socks, and underwear, most of which I bought on Amazon. I'm so grateful for hand-me-downs every time school starts and I don't have to buy much. I got the school supplies delivered with my groceries, so that was no trouble at all.

Joseph had orientation for the high school on Monday, and the rest of the kids have theirs today. I've also had a presidency meeting, helped with boys' activities, gone to the temple, and driven kids to play dates, activities, the orthodontist, and Young Men.

James started work yesterday. I hate getting up early. I'm really feeling it today. I hope I can get used to it before the kids start on Tuesday. I don't know what my year will be like, exactly, but I know I'm not supposed to seek out employment outside of my home yet. Last year ended up being super busy with canning, family history, and Primary.

I finished editing and uploading my family's home videos to YouTube. Most were from 1988 to 1990, so I don't have memories of them. It was pretty fun to see myself as a baby and toddler. I still have a lot to do with pictures, cassette tapes, and more slides (from the Heads). 

It will be a good school year. I know I will be able to find ways to fill my time and help others.

Ecuador

We just got back from an amazing trip to Ecuador with James's parents, Jacob, Anna, and Joseph. I can't believe it's over already, but we crammed in a lot of things.

Tuesday, 7/23: We went to Salt Lake for the day and visited the Church History Museum, had lunch at The Pie Underground, and browsed Deseret Book before meeting with James's family at the hotel. We parked our cars there since we'd be staying there on the way back. Our flight left for Orlando that night, and we finally got to our hotel at 2:30 A.M.

Wednesday, 7/24: After not enough sleep, we had breakfast and swam in the hotel pool. (I forgot how hot and gross Florida is at any time of day! The pool was so nice!) We flew to Quito and got to our hotel, a cute BnB called La Posada Tambuca around 8:30, then had some KFC for dinner. It turns out that KFC is super popular in Ecuador. Who knew?

Thursday, 7/25: After a yummy breakfast, we headed over to San Vicente de Paul, an orphanage nearby, and played with the kids and met the main nun there, Sor Catalina. She shared her life story and fed us lunch. We then visited a Star Wars museum underneath a bridge, then went back, got our stuff, and headed back to the airport to fly to Cuenca.

Friday, 7/26: After a short tour of the OSSO house and orphanage, we participated in a Fun Run with Hogar de Angeles. I helped push a wheelchair down to the park, where we heard a few speeches and watched some traditional dances. After lunch, we did shifts at Hogar de Angeles and the orphanage next door, Tadeo Torres. I helped with the cunas (babies) along with Katie and Big Joseph. It was an interesting experience, especially when we drove with the kids to hippotherapy without enough seatbelts. After dinner, we went into town to see the cathedral at night and got some ice cream at Tutto Fredo.

Saturday, 7/27: We started the day with a tour of both cathedrals and some local markets. The kids were so excited to spend money they'd earned over the summer. It was also fun to feed the pigeons and try chicken foot soup.

Sunday, 7/28: Most of us went to church. Kenny wasn't feeling amazing, so James stayed home with him. Sacrament meeting had a lot of gringos, so it was half in English. I went to Primary and translated for my kids. We met at KFC for a reunion with girls from Hogar Miguel Leon. Many of them came late, but it was fun to meet them. (HML is the first orphanage that OSSO worked with, and the girls are all grown up now and do reunions every so often.)

Monday, 7/29: After visiting the Rotary Market, we traveled to Hogar Miguel Leon and met some of the nuns (Sor Blanca, Sor Teresa, Sor Maria Agusta) for a little chat. The kids went off to play. We had some pork sandwiches for lunch with Rosario and headed up the mountain to Turi. The views were amazing, and we got to do a rope bridge, which was slightly scary. James and I went out to dinner at Fabbiano's (pizza) with Anna, and it was delicious.

Tuesday, 7/30: We started our day at Casa Nino Manuelito in the neighboring town of Azogues. We divided into 2 groups and helped the kids buy shoes for school at the market with a treat of ice cream afterward. After lunch at La Fornace, we visited the Museo Pumapungo, which had both Incan ruins and a cool history for each area of Ecuador. We were also able to go inside James's old house from when he lived in Cuenca for a year. James and I went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant called Tiesto's with his parents and the Roseros, the directors for Ecuador. It was absolutely divine. We got to try a whole bunch of different things. I took pictures of the menu in hopes that I can try some of these things at home.

Wednesday, 7/31: After an hour and 20 minute bus ride, we arrived at Ingapirca, the best Incan ruins in Ecuador. The ride there was absolutely breathtaking. I love the Andes. They are much taller than the Rockies, much greener, and pointier. After an amazing tour of the ruins, we had lunch and then headed back for an afternoon of relaxing, much needed at this point.

Thursday, 8/1: We did shifts at Hogar de Angeles and Tadeo Torres again. This time, I helped out at Hogar de Angeles, where the kids with special needs live. It was a great experience. We helped the kids eat and played some games. In the afternoon, we headed to the airport to fly back to Quito. It was really sad to leave the OSSO house behind. It was comfortable and had a good area for the kids to play. We also really enjoyed hanging out with the volunteer families that were there.

Friday, 8/2: We headed to Santa Lucia in the morning and played with the kids. They sang a couple of songs for us, and we sang back to them as well. After lunch, we toured a cool cemetery, the Basilica, and the artisans' market. We found a cool chocolate shop that gave us samples from different parts of Ecuador and then had dinner at Crepes and Waffles.

Saturday, 8/3: After a quick stop at a glassblowing shop, we went to Henry Davis, an orphanage that Anna lived at for most of the summer while she helped teen groups. The kids there were amazing and so cute. We played games and chatted with the teens. They fed us lunch, and then we headed to Mitad del Mundo, located right at (or at least very close to) the Equator. The kids had fun feeding the llamas and playing in the park. We also explored the shops and museums and got empanadas on the way back.

Sunday, 8/4: We attempted to go the church, but the building was closed down. We instead got permission for the sacrament and held our own testimony meeting at La Posada Tambuca. At this point, I started feeling kind of crummy with tummy troubles. I'm still not back to 100%, but hopefully by the weekend. We had another reunion at KFC with HML girls. It was a blessing that they all showed up pretty early. James and I along with Anna, Joseph, Kenny, and Samantha left to get to the airport. We flew to Bogota, Colombia.

Monday, 8/5: After a night in the hotel in Bogota, we met up with everyone else at the airport. The flight from Bogota to Miami was particularly beautiful, so I'm glad I had a window seat to see Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. We had plenty of time in the airport before heading to Salt Lake, where we stayed for the night. We even saw the DeCamps, a lovely couple from Maeser 3rd who just returned from a mission!

Tuesday, 8/6: We drove home!

Since being at home, we've unpacked, gotten groceries delivered, cleaned, mowed the lawn, and tried to get rest in between. I've still got some kind of bug or infection, but it's starting to get better little by little. I know I need tons of rest and mild food. I'm not in a lot of pain, but it's annoying to be sick right now. School starts in 2 weeks, and we are not ready. I'm really glad we went to Ecuador. It changed our lives!