Our “spring break” was in February. I guess its not really a spring break when the weather is always amazing though. But it was a break and we took full advantage of it. The first part of the break we flew to Iowa. You know, corn, snow, corn. As most of you know, we’ve decided to move back to the States to get Logan into some special education programs. There really isn’t anything here for him and its become a very difficult struggle for both him and us. Thankfully, Alanna had quite a few options of the WHERE when we moved back to the States. Choices ranged from California, NC, SC, to… Iowa. Iowa you say? Yes, Iowa. Iowa offered Alanna the chance to become a first time principal. The tiny little town offered to fly us there so Alanna could have a formal interview (she’d already WOWed them on Skype) and so they could meet us, we could meet them. There was a foot of snow on the ground when we got there. That was quite a shock after it being 70 degrees every day for 6 months. I think both Alanna and fell in love with the idea of “Iowa” pretty quickly – low cost of living, family friendly, small community, it seemed like a nice fit for us. And a chance to hopefully settle down for a good while. Long story short, Alanna accepted and we’ll be moving to Iowa July 1st. So that means a new job for me. I’ve been on the hunt, but thankfully our finances means I don’t have to rush.
We flew back to Ecuador after the weekend and prepared for part 2 of our break – The Galapagos. They are actually a part of Ecuador, a few hours off the coast. The islands are on many, many people’s bucket lists, so it was kind of silly for us not to go since we were so close. Again, Alanna did most of the planning, and found us a cheap 2 bedroom apartment on the main island to rent for a week. The trip was simply amazing. You really feel like you’re in the wildest, broadest habitat you’ve ever seen. The wildlife and plant life was a sight to behold. Everywhere you turned, there was a lizard you’d never seen, or a flower you’d never heard of, or a sea lion sleeping on a park bench. And it was nice to be in a place that’s 90 degrees when most of your friends are back in the States having the worst winter ever. We didn’t do as much as other adventurous tourists did, as we had the little ones with us, but we did hike in lava caves, see giant turtles, swim with iguanas, ate traditional food, had a sunset view on our terrace, watched a daughter become a local celebrity, and a ton of other really cool things I can’t remember. Its a week I’ll never forget and to get to spend it with my family made it all the more sweeter.
The last two months have been pretty tame compared to our previous adventures. Even in Ecuador, its easy to settle into day to day life. I work, Alanna takes care of the kids, and the house, all while getting her doctorate. No idea how she does it. Last weekend was Easter though, so we made it a point to get out of the house for the day. The Equator which runs through Ecuador is only about an hour north of where we live. Its a popular tourist attraction for gringos and locals alike, so we left early Saturday morning to visit the center line of Earth. It was hot, but not too crowded. There’s a long yellow line that denotes the Equator, that runs through a giant monument. Lot’s of people take pics of their feet on each side of the line. We did the campy photos of course. I even tried to sit Abby down on the line but she immediately started crying, which will make a great picture for her when she’s older. Abby again became the talk of the town though. Ecuadorians flock to her. A beautiful, pale skinned, blue eyed baby is very rare to see down here, and people always stop us to gawk at her. They talk about how pretty she is, how chubby she is, how beautiful her eyes are. Then they ask to hold her. Then they ask to take pictures with her. Yes, at the Equator, where people should be taking pics of themselves, we had more than one group of people ask to specifically take pictures with Abby. The father in me hopes she’s not this pretty when she’s 16. I will have to stomp a mudhole in some boys. Anyway, we had a great time there. They had a big village full of tourist gifts, and there was music and dancing to keep us entertained. So check that off the list.
Now we’re about a month out from leaving. We’re flying to Miami on June 1st, driving up the coast, hanging on the beach of a few days, then family hopping for the rest of month in NC. I’ll miss this country, but I’m ready for the next step, whatever that’s going to be.
Okay, here are some pictures to keep your eyes entertained…
