Looking for the Simple Life

Looking for furniture

2012-03-08T22:21:00.001-05:00

This afternoon Steve and I decided to go look at some furniture stores and see what deals are available. We need to find a living room and dining room set but we are on a tight budget. First stop was Vitefama on Manuel J Calle y Alfonso Cordero, there we were greeted by Diego and followed around until we had a question to ask and he quickly was able to assist. He spoke some english which made it a little easier for us. He told us that it would only take 15 days to have a couch done in the fabrics we liked.

Next store was Gout on Av. Paucaarbamba y Manuel J Calle, if you are ever looking for lights this place has some nice choices and reasonable prices. Patricia helped us there she spoke no english but that was fine and walked around and she would turn lights on and off for us. They didn't have very much indoor furniture but they had some nice outdoor pieces. She didn't seem to agree with me when I said that the couches were to hard and she told me no. I guess I don't know what hard is.

We continued our search for more furniture stores on the same block and we came upon Mora Chocolate Factory we stopped in and picked up 10 pieces of chocolate for $4. My favorite was the chocolate covered strawberries. On to look for more furniture

Last stop Ovelinea on Jose Peralta y Paucaarbamba, There was a young man names Diego working there who spoke english very well. He knew the prices off the top of his head he even showed us what he liked, he was very personable. He knew a lot about the company and told us we could change out chair at different tables.

We had a great afternoon out looking at all the furniture choices out there. I think the prices are the same as we would pay in the states. We haven't made any decisions yet on what we want. More to come on that...

Residency Visa...

2012-03-03T17:46:00.001-05:00

Our residency visa was approved February 16, 2012, and within the next few weeks the three of us will be heading to Quito to get our Cedula's. A little over a year ago we began to seriously discuss relocating to Cuenca, and after a seemingly discombobulated process we are about to become official residents of Ecuador. We survived changes in residency requirements (criminal background check), missed filing deadlines by our attorney, an unplanned trip to Quito on a very cold bus, last minute requirements for additional paperwork, and a system which evidently does not believe in first come-first processed way of doing things. BUT, all-in-all, after surviving the process to this point, we are thankful the end is near.

Courtney

Our oldest daughter Courtney arrives in 11 days, and it will be nice to see her expressions and hear her comments as we show her Cuenca. We moved into a larger apartment to make room for her, and have discovered our weekends are now filled with music from the reception hall (Villa San Carlos) next door, and construction in the apartment above us at 7am on a Saturday morning. So, we have a beautiful modern apartment with wonderful amenities, but instead of bus noises outside, we have music, and construction sounds.

Racquetball Court

Our friend, and my business partner Bill is moving next week into a new apartment across the street from us, so we hope to play racquetball several times a week in our building. We have decided to work out of Moca as we get Ecuador SB Marketing fully developed, and supporting clients. Last week we picked up three new clients that I designed websites for totally is Spanish, and they are very happy with the results. The goal is design primarily in Spanish, because we are not looking for clients that are targeting the expat community, but instead Ecuadorian clients. We don't want to be in the expat referral service, or imply by designing websites for clients that we recommend any business over another. Well, enough about work, and now it is time to get away from the laptop, and enjoy dinner out with the family. Take care...

Top 3 Reasons I love Cuenca!

2012-02-24T20:16:00.001-05:00

#1 I get to spend time with our youngest son and my hubby
In our previous life there was never time for us at least that is how it felt. We were always on the go, working, running to soccer practices and coaching. It never felt like we had tome to enjoy each other, but here we do. Sure Monday thru Friday Steven runs Moca for a few hours in the morning, and during that time I am getting to spend quality time with Nick as he does his online classes. We walk most places, so we get to talk, and just share things more often, and with a lot less stress.

#2 Fresh produce everywhere
We can get fresh produce any day of the week and it is CHEAP! I love the availability of all the fresh produce. I won't lie to you I don't know how to cook most of it, but I am learning. At first we thought it was all locally grown, but when I saw grapes in a USA package I asked the lady and she said that it was from the USA. "Strange" I thought, "I am in Ecuador and I can eat grapes from the USA." Shopping at the local markets is enjoyable, and you tend to look forward to the shopping trips here rather than dreading them as I did in Atlanta.

#3 The weather
The last place we lived was Atlanta, Georgia, and its' nickname is "Hotlanta". In the 7 months that we have been living in Cuenca, I haven't had any hot days that ever felt like those summer days in Atlanta, and I am SO grateful. I will tell you that I have been chilly and thats when I just grab my thick socks and a sweatshirt and I am good. It's usually when I am just sitting around the house that I feel a little chilly, but Steven and Nick they can wear shorts and short sleeves most of the time. Atlanta has wet winters, and springs, so the rain we have been experiencing here isn't anything unusual, and at least we haven't had any tornado warnings or woken up to ice covered sidewalks and streets.

New Restaurant for us

2012-02-23T14:47:00.001-05:00

Where we used to live we knew what was around us and where our favorite places to get certain items where, but we've moved now to a different area. So we must find new places.
Tucked away off of Solano is a little sandwich place called Top Sandwich Market. The owner Jose Luis speaks Spanish, English and Germany. He is from a nice guy. The great thing about this restaurant at least for our son is they have Bratwurst and it is great! (according to Nick), I am a vegetarian so I won't be able to judge that, but I can tell you by the smile on his face while eating it, it must have been good. I liked the fries and the potato salad was pretty good too.
Top Sanwich Market serves; hot dogs, Pita's, fries, German potato salad and so much more.
If you are ever in the area of Solano by Crespo look for the Primax (gas station) and a little down the street on Remigio Tamariz you will find it. It is right next to the Boom travel office. Across from Villa San Carlos.They have indoor and outdoor seating.
We also found a nice little store that we call the commisary, I never remember the actual name of it but it is great when I don't want to cross Solano and walk around the stadium to Supermaxi. Now, if I could just find a good bakery near here. Any suggestions?

New apartment

2012-02-20T17:28:00.000-05:00

We have moved to our new apartment. We had more stuff then I thought a person could accumulate after only 7 months, I think it just multiplies.

On our second day here while sitting out on the balcony I looked up and noticed a rainbow in the sky. Normally the rainbows that I've seen the ends seem to touch the ground but not this one it was circling the sun. It was very beautiful and it made me happy about all the things I do have in my life.

Steve had to take a new way to Moca, which seems to be working out well.

Nick had to learn how to take the bus on his own. He and I set out to learn which busses to take. We found that he would need to take 2 busses to get there and we would have him take a taxi home from there. Save a little bit of money. So the next day he went out on his own to catch the bus. I thought he had caught the bus then all of the sudden I heard someone at the door. I thought it was Steve returning home, but it wasn't. It was Nick he was so upset. He had waited for the bus and saw several with the same number that he needed but none with the appropriate title on the top. He finally got on one after four busses went by and then the bus driver was able to communicate that he was going the opposite direction then the way Nick need to go. He was very upset. So he calmed down and we both headed down to find the bus on another street that won't have the same bus going to two different places. Now it was my turn to get upset.

We were looking for the bus stop and kept walking until we could find when all of the sudden there was our bus. I flagged him down in normal Cuencano fashion (we ride the bus often so we know how it's done), but he wouldn't open his door. He had stopped because of the traffic but he wouldn't let us on. Ugh! I understand we weren't at a marked stop but that was never a problem before but this driver was not interested in letting us on. So, we walked and found the next stop and we waited and we waited and finally the bus came. Nick and I rode together to the next stop and there he and I went our seperate ways. Steve was waiting for me across the street at the stop going towards home so we could ride together and Nick was waiting for the next bus to get him to spanish. At that moment rain started to downpour. I felt so bad that Nick was waiting on a street corner and Steve and I were waiting at a covered stop. Oh, did I feel like a bad mom, but I must remember he is fourteen and he can do it. He had his rain protectant jacket on...

In the next few months we will try to design/find furniture that we want built and get what we want. We are currently borrowing our friend Trish's excess stuff that she brought over in her container.

First doctors appointment in Cuenca

2012-01-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

I ran out of one of my medications five weeks ago that I didn't count as being critical to my health at the time. So, I went to a pharmacy to see about getting it like I did with another medication, but it was going to cost over $80 for 28 pills. After hearing that I decided that I was going to make an appointment get my levels checked and see what other medications Cuenca has to offer.

Five weeks later and I finally made an appointment to see Dr. Anthony Guillen who I had heard that he spoke English, because we got his number when we first got her for Nick, but then never met him. I also referred some friends to him, and they loved him so it was finally my turn. On Tuesday I got the chance to meet him. He speaks English as clear as an American, so there are any misunderstandings, he is funny, and young. Dr. Guillen and I had a very through conversation about my problem. He took my vitals, listened to my lungs and heart. We decided that I needed to have my labs done, but I wasn't symptomatic. I asked if he knew how much they would cost he excused himself and came back to tell me $60. "$60 oh", I said. I really was thinking how that was a lot more then what I anticipated and I had only brought $60 with me. I rarely ever carry money. I asked how much his fee would be and he told me normally $20 but he would charge me $15 today. I told him I only has $60 and he said that I could pay him on Wednesday when I come back to review my labs.

Across the hall I went to have my blood drawn. Dr. Banegas (sp?) was a very pleasant man and spoke only a few words in english. He started looking for a good vein, but I had been fasting in anticipation of having labs drawn and they were a little hard to find. He finally decided on one and by that point in my medical opinion the tourniquet had been on longer then needed. He stuck me and on the first try he was successful and I was grateful. He didn't use the typical vacutainner or syring to take my blood he stuck a needle in my vein and let it drip into the tube. Don't worry it feels the same it was just odd to me. I've only drawn blood like that on a newborn infant. When I was done he asked me for the money which now was $65. I told him I only had $60 and I would pay him the $5 tomorrow. I am not sure what changed why I had to pay $65 not $60 maybe there was any extra lab he wasn't aware of. I think there was a total of 6 tests performed. I was told to come back Wednesday at 9am.

Wednesday morning I was at Dr. Guillens office a 8:50 and he was there waiting for me. He asked me to go to the lab to get my results, so I went across the hall paid an additional $5 that I owed the lab. Then went accross the hall to speak with Dr Guillen. I told him about my concern of the costs of the labs he explained that 2 of the tests I had were usually $20 tests and that he would talk to Dr. Banegas, because he thought the cost was a little high, but he was a new lab doctor there, so he wasn't sure. My results were elevated and it was nessecary to go back on my medication. I explained to him about the cost and asked if there were any lower cost medications. We talked he went downstairs to the pharmacy and spoke with them and came back with some options. I paid Dr Guillen $15 and no more I thought I would have an additional fee from review the labs but nope not required. We decided on one and off I went with perscription and told to call if I had any concerns and to come back in six months to have labs re-checked.

My overall opinion is that it was good care and I will go back to see Dr. Guillen and I will have him see my family also. Dr. Anthony Guillen is located on Av. Remigio Crespo and Las Americas upstairs from the Farmacia Salvador (that his parents own) it is the red and white pharmacy on the round about. His number is 095 398 105 you must call for an appointment.

The medication cost was $19.50 for 10 pills. So I will end up paying almost $60 for 30 pills.

Outside the Box

2012-01-18T09:47:00.002-05:00

Susan, Nick, and I leaving Atlanta

There are endless opportunities in Cuenca, and sometimes it is good to think outside the box. During my twenty-five year career in the US Air Force I was fortunate to have some brave mentors who listened to my ideas which were outside the box, and even implemented many of them, most successfully, and luckily only a few bombed. The military is not always receptive to people who think outside the box, and I was not only thinking outside the box, the joke was I had lost sight of the box entirely. Sometimes people have a tendency to over-think, over-plan, and are over-cautious, and these tendencies can handicap any any project, idea, or in our case relocating to a new country.

Thinking outside the box for Susan, Nick, and I has led us to retiring to Cuenca at an early age, but keeping our eyes open as we experience a new culture. We have allowed ourselves to be more social, and welcoming to new people we meet at Moca, or through facebook and our blog. By allowing ourselves to open up to these new acquaintances we have made some very good friends, both Cuencanos and ex-pats, but we have also been burned by a few people who we thought were close friends. But, by allowing ourselves to act outside the box, and open up to the people, and the culture around us, has enriched our lives more than we could have ever imagined, and have by far over shadowed any negative experiences. While living in Decatur as we first discussed our move to Cuenca, our hope was to change our behavior, and try to make new friends, and create new friendships to enrich our lives just as we hoped to enrich our lives by embracing a new culture. After six months, I feel we have just begun to understand our new surroundings, but by allowing ourselves the freedom to act outside the box we have experienced much more than we anticipated.

So, the point to the post, if there is such a thing in a blog like ours, is to let go of the restraints we all place on ourselves, and think, or even act outside the box to free up the endless opportunities here in Cuenca. Try new foods, get out of your comfort zone by riding a bus, offer help to a person you see who needs a hand, or just do something new today that you didn't do yesterday. You'll never know what surprises are around the next corner if you never turn off the path once in a while.

The Beginning of a New Year

2012-01-08T22:27:00.002-05:00

Well, 2012 is here, and we only have to worry until sometime in December according to the Mayan calendar. Personally, I think the chief Mayan calendarologist figured they he had created the calendar several hundred years into the future, and liking even numbers decided to stop 2012. He must have chiseled a note to himself on an ancient post-it-note to add more years to the calendar in 1812, but unfortunately the Mayan civilization ended much sooner. so, relax, enjoy the entire year, and buy a 2013 calendar for Christmas 2012.

Susan, Nick, and I have already made a few changes for the new year. We decided after a lot of discussion with friends, and classmates of Nick, to remove him for Santana for the rest of the school year. The reason for pulling Nick out was the teachers were not involving Nick in the class, and not even attempting to hold him accountable for any homework, or even work done in class. They decided it was easier to treat him as a foreign exchange student, than to take the time to work with him to make sure he understood any assignments. So, for the rest of the school year Nick will focus on his Spanish lessons, take online classes through Global Student Network, and tryout for the Deportivo Cuenca u14 soccer team. He will stay in touch with his friends from Santana, and have them over to the house as often as possible. We hope to enroll him in a new school in the fall that can provide a challenge academically, but at the same time allow him to have a social life.

Cuenca Flats, the real estate and property management company Susan and I started in September 2011 continues to grow as we add properties to our listings of residential, and commercial properties for sale and lease. All of our listings have been referred to us by friends, and satisfied customers, so we haven't had to search for new clients. We want to remain a small company, and focus on providing a level of personal service that wouldn't be possible with a larger company. For us personally, we are moving upstairs in our building to a new apartment, which is a little big bigger (3BR/4 Baths), and we will have a terrace off the master bedroom on the second floor. Susan has wanted an outside space, and we like our building, so moving upstairs was an easy solution.

Our friend Bill Mann, and I have discussed some interesting ideas over the last couple of months, and we have decided to start a new project together this year. The new company we have formed will allow us to use some of our past IT, marketing, and management consulting experiences to help local businesses develop some new methods of attracting customers.

Susan has begun Yoga with her friend Lizette, and though she was sore after the first day, she is looking forward to her next class. Moca Cafe Bar, which we co-own with our friend Trish is continuing to attract new customers, and recently Susan began baking jumbo apple-cinnamon and banana-walnut muffins, and everyone loves them. Susan, along with Moca's manager Jenny have developed some new marketing ideas, and we added Direct TV, so we could show the Ecuadorian national soccer team's World Cup qualifying matches during the road to Brasil 2014.

The big news of the last few days for our family is that our oldest daughter Courtney has decided to join us in Cuenca sometime in March. We are hoping she can take over some of the work at Moca, and spend her free time working on her photography, and writing as she tries to make her two passions into a career. Susan will be heading to Atlanta to help with the move, shop for some things we are wanting, clear out our storage rental, and with luck she all the rest of our children (Ryan, Frank, and Christina), and her father and brother. It was hard having our first Christmas without our four older children, and next Christina will be turning 19 on the January 13th, so this will be the first year Susan isn't there for Christina's birthdays.

We are hoping the new year brings us good health, new friends, and many new adventures as we continue to live in our new country, and we wish the best to all our friends.

Preparing for a holiday without the whole family

2011-12-24T15:06:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is Christmas and this will be the first without most of the children. It will be the first without Christina the 2nd without Frank and Ryan and Courtney have rotated Christmas' with us and Christmas in San Antonio with their Mom and grandparents.

Tonight we have a private party at Moca Cafe Bar with few of our close friends. I have baked an apple pie for all and a single serving apple pie without sugar for our friend Bob O. I also made some chocolate peanut butter fudge. I am excited to see everyone tonight and looking forward to having some deviled eggs, Trish is bringing them.

Nick's last day of school was 15 Dec and since then he has been going to Moca everyday and working on writing in spanish and goes to see Josh 2 hrs a day for spanish. He hasn't really complained, so that is great. Next year we will be starting him on some online class work.
Steve and Bill have started an emarketing business to help small businesses in Cuenca get online for cheap and work with some of the professionals to get better email addresses using Outlook. Who wants to email their doctor at hotmail or yahoo???

I have been upset this week about not having the kids her for the holidays so I will be the first to admit to you it is HARD being away from your family especially during the holidays. Last night I tried to think of a way to live back in the US without having to find a GOOD job, but with todays economy I don't think it would be possible and really even if we moved there would we really be able to see the children as often as I want? NOPE They all live in too many places. Ry in Illinois, Frank in Texas and the girls in Georgia. I think I will talk them all into moving here?

Nick's 1st birthday in Cuenca!

2011-12-10T15:08:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Nick's 14th birthday and for weeks we had been asking him if we want to do anything, invite friends, or go out? He really didn't say much until last weekend. He mentioned inviting some friends over and having pizza.
I started to get depressed that he wasn't going to have his brothers and sisters around but I don't think it bothered him as much as it bothered me.
Steve and I got Nick an ice cream cake from Supermaxi, and ordered pizza from Papa Johns. Yes, we have a Papa Johns here and it almost tastes the same as it did back home. I think the slices are smaller though.
Nick had 4 friends from school over 3 Ecuadorian and one Gringo. All of them spoke english, unless they wanted to speak fast about a video game they were playing then they switched over to Spanish. They are all so polite. Everyone of the Ecuadorian boys came up and gave me the traditional greeting of a kiss on the check and asking how I was. :)
Our friends Stefani and Bob were going to come but the boys were very unpredictable about what they were going to do next. So I brought them up some cake and after everyone left Nick went up to thank them and took them half a pizza so sweet.
Nick's 1st birthday in Cuenca went over well so we are happy and I think he is too.

Another meeting at Santana

2011-12-01T17:09:00.003-05:00

On Monday we had another meeting at Nick's school to see if they can challenge him. The were very nice and polite and really insistant on Nick staying at Santana. The are always nice. They feel we aren't giving it enough time but we aren't asking for him to be fluent in spanish we are asking for them to challenge him, to give him hoomework, and to give him school work.

We've given them the rest of December to see if they can try to treat Nick as a normal student and not just ignore him. They are to fill out his agenda according to our meeting. I really want this to work. I don't want to homeschool him. I want Nick to be around other children his age. I guess we will see what Nick will be doing in the new year.

On another note...

Nick's birthday is in 8 days and Christmas in 24 days. I've asked Nick if he wants a party or have friends over but he said "no". I feel bad that the package his uncle sent him was returned to the states for having food in it and no letter from the food ministry (or something like that). Allen sent Nick his favorite chocolate (Reese's Cups)which cannot be bought here in Cuenca and some video games. Well, I must figure out what to do for him.

Where has time gone?

2011-11-22T10:06:00.004-05:00

Wow, time has gone by so fast...

Moca Cafe Bar

WORKING AT MOCA CAFE BAR
These last few weeks have been busy. Starting November 1st we opened Moca Cafe Bar in the mornings and have been running it Mon-Fri ever since. We're enjoying are mornings there together and our siestas in the afternoon. I guess I can't say I am bored anymore. I, more than Steve have been having a difficult time getting motivated in the morning. Steve's been so great, he lets me stay home some mornings to try to sleep in which I am not able to do. I usually get up and surf the world wide web hoping to see one of my children online. I still miss them very much and I don't think it will get easier, but I know their safe and that even if I were living in the states I may not be seeing them either. Life is busy.

Steve and I have made some new friends through Moca. Bob and Stefani they are brand new to Cuenca. We talked with them and decided to show them how to ride the bus and take a trip to Feria Libre Mercado on a Saturday, one of the busiests days at the mercado. It was an adventure for them. Stefani isn't too fond of the busses and I am not sure she will ride it again, but she knows how if needed. We all went to Puerto Grill on Gran Colombia for her birthday, and enjoyed some great margaritas :). We met George and Monica and their beautiful daughter. They have plans to open a Thai restaurant. Also, we met Matt and Diana from Wu Wei We Go blog who have 2 children that go to Santana where our son Nick goes. Matt comes by Moca and takes advantage of the FREE wifi and gets some work done, if we aren't picking his brain. They will be leaving to head back to the USA soon. Last week we met Jeff, he was here visiting Cuenca to see if this is where he and his wife would like to retire. He heard that we had a mall so we showed him how to get there via bus. It has been so exciting meeting all these great people in Cuenca. Almost everyday we meet someone new at Moca. I hope we continue to meet such great people.

NICK'S SCHOOL (SANTANA)

We recently received Nick's report card and saw that he is passing everything. How can that be? He isn't that great with the language yet and when we talk to Nick he says he doesn't do anything but sit in the class all day. We were really hoping that Santana would be the place for Nick and we know that it is going to take time because of the language barrier, but we don't feel as if he is even being challenged. He has had homework twice since he started yet our friend Trish's son in a lower grade then Nick has two hours of homework a day. How can this be? Nick says he doens't know when he has homework and he tries to ask his friends but they don't give him a straight answer and the teachers never have time so he says.
We had a meeting with some of the staff to see what we can do to help Nick. The staff were all so very nice and helpful and tried to reassure us that all will fall into place as he learns more spanish. We came up with a plan that Nick was to write the homework in his agenda and the teachers would initial it to show that he wrote the right stuff. This has not been done...
Steve and I worry that we are just paying for an expensive daycare. We are considering taking him out the rest of the year and doing some online classes and working on his spanish then try a new school next year. We have spoken to a few Cuencanos that say that Santana is more of a place for kids in the upperclass to go to socialize and network. When I went there last week with Josh, Nick's spanish tutor for a meeting I saw kids walking around campus with there Blackberries out and headphones on texting and listening to music and it was during a class period NOT break time.
We have started researching more schools to find a more challenging one for Nick. I worry about him not socializing with kids his age so I really worry about taking him out of school but I am paying a little too much for him to socialize. We will put him back into a futbol league to have some interaction with kids his age and hopefully Nick will stay in contact with the friends he has made at Santana.
Well that's enough for now. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next post.

Busy in Retirement

2011-10-28T20:01:00.001-05:00

When we decided to move to Cuenca, one of the main reasons was so Susan and I could both retire full-time, and enjoy just being together with less stress. After three months we have gradually found little things to do, which are adding up to making us a very busy couple.

We started out teaching English to Evelina, Joacquim, and Juan Jose after being in Cuenca for a two weeks to give us something to do a few hours a day. This lasted until school started in September, and recently resumed two evenings a week after the families asked us to resume classes.

Susan was an Air Force Medic, and instructor for thirteen years, and saw a volunteer opportunity to work at a cancer hospital once a week. So now, Susan, along with several other expats volunteer there time once a week to assist nurses at FASEC, which is a cancer ward for under-privileged patients who are from out of town, or are without any family in the area. They make bandages, speak with patients, and help in any way possible to make the lives of the patients better.

Cuenca Flats (www.cuencaflats.com) is a property management company which originally was developed to help our landlady and friend Martha lease the other apartments in our building. It has now grown to include nine apartments, a commercial office space, and a country home we are listing soon for $200,000. I thought I would design a little website, and be the gringo go-between to get the word out, but now we have two Ecuadorian clients, and one expat client, and more inquiries for apartments than we have apartments to lease. We are in the process of uploading three new apartments, and beginning the possible renovation of another apartment ourselves. Also, we have made several friends in our building, and are trying to do our best to help newcomers with their transition to living in Cuenca.

Our good friend Trish purchased a cafe called Moca Cafe Bar (www.mocacafebar.com) on Gran Colombia earlier this year, and has been a very hands-off owner. She asked Susan and I to help her come up with some ideas to grow the business, and after a few meetings we decided to expand the hours to include mornings beginning November 1st. The last few days Susan, Trish, and I have been developing a new menu, looking for new vendors, purchasing new equipment, and developing a website and Facebook page to promote the cafe. Last night Susan and I waited on customers, and learned the menu, and how to make different things. Beginning next week we will be opening Moca from 8:00am - 12:00pm, Monday - Friday to see if we can entice new customers to give us a try for coffee and breakfast during the week. It is an upscale cafe, complete with Wi Fi, music, and is a nice romantic setting for coffee, dessert, or a nightcap without having to go to El Centro. Last Wednesday was our first Happy Hour (Wednesdays 4:00pm-10:00pm), and we invited our friends and neighbors to join us, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Moca will give us an opportunity to practice our Spanish on a daily basis, so our goal is to be semi-fluent on our one-year anniversary (July 12, 2012) of arriving in Cuenca.

So, we came here to retire, and spend time relaxing, and enjoying our time together. BUT, as you can see, even in retirement, Susan and I still seem to get ourselves involved in plenty of things to keep us busy. Susan keeps saying that at 37 she is too young to retire, but at the wise old age of 52, I believe you are never too young to retire. So, we will enjoy working together for a change, and see if we can expand our network of friends, and our understanding of our new country. Life is good.

Mandatory event

2011-10-24T20:58:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Nick had a mandatory meeting for Santana called a "Maratón". It was at la Pista Atlética Jefferson Pérez at 8 am, yes at 8 in the morning on a Saturday. Nick caught the bus around 7:15 and our friend Trish came by with her driver Manny to pick us up. It was a great day for this event but none of us knew what to expect.

They had all the children walk out to the field in their respective grades with matching shirts and signs representing their grade. They even had a torch that they used to light a simulated Olympic torch.I was a little shocked at what some of the girls were allowed to wear. This is a sporting event and they were wearing shirts made to come of the shoulder and no they weren't wearing sports bras, at least not all of them. Am I a prude?

I believe this event was to raise money for another school, Escuela Fiscal Ulises Chacón which was also in attendance. In the states we would have never seen an event like this on a saturday. I was so happy to see Nick with kids from his class and they were smiling. It was surprising to see almost all the kids smiling even though it was early on a Saturday morning. There were kids selling cookies, cakes, drinks and hot dogs.

It seemed that most of the kids participated in the event. You should have seen the little 5 year olds running on the track it was adorable. They grouped a lot of the grades together and ran certain distances per group. Nicks grade level ran two laps on a 1/4 mile track. He started strong and then ended slow but he still beat a bunch of the boys. He said it was hard to breath that his throat was dry. The next group had to run on the track and then they went outside of the track and ran around the stadium.

After the event was over, we all crammed into Manuel's car, with me sitting on Steve's lap like we were in high school, but we all made it home safely. Overall, it was a good experience, and it was nice to see so many smiling faces on an early Saturday morning.

Pets Cuenca

2011-10-21T10:17:00.009-05:00

As I was awoken this morning around 4:45 by the loud sounds of a very small dog, I started to think about the differences in pets here versus in the USA, at least where we last lived in Decatur, Georgia. Our last neighborhood we lived in had any kind of oridinace you could think of, noise, smell, pets and so many more. When we moved there we brought 2 of our 4 dogs Ed and Capri. I knew Capri would be able to handle a smaller hame and yard since we were downsizing and she is a beagle. We couldn't find Ed a new home so we had to take him with us. Ed is a big dog, he is a tree walker coon hound.

Where we lived before Decatur, in middle Georgia, the dogs had lots of yard to enjoy and the neighbors didn't seem to complain about them barking, we even asked a few of them and they said "no problem". Taking them to a city was a little different, and we didn't know that dogs weren't allowed to bark for more 10 minutes, or you could get cited. Unfortunately, we moved to squirel haven. Every where you'd look there were squirels and for a hound and a beagle, well lets just say it was hard to control them. After a few months I learned some new commands that helped get them back to the house when they wouldn't stop the barking.

Now we are here in Cuenca and we left Ed and Capri back in the states with family. Ed is with my brother Allen and Dad. Capri is with our daughters in an apartment. We miss them very much, but there are benefits to not having pets anymore. We can go out and not worry about being there to take care of them. Feeling guilty when we are out past their dinner time.

Before moving to Cuenca we had read on some blogs and Yahoo groups about dogs that were being poisoned. That was so sad. Maybe it's because they don't have a system in place to deal with noisy dogs. No animal control and they can't talk to each other here either.

When we first arrived here in Cuenca I saw dogs roaming around the streets without owners and it wasn't like in the US where they just run out in the street with the possiblity of getting hit. No these dogs in Cuenca know how to cross the streets. They will start at one side and stop in the middle where the island is and then look to make sure it is safe to continue crossing the street. It is great. Our landlady told me that she will let her dog out of the yard and remind it to look both ways and be safe and then dog comes home. You can walk down the side walks and dogs will walk right past you, they don't care about what you're doing or what you have in your bags they are just going some where with a purpose it seems.

Back to the little dog this morning. I wanted to open the window and yell out to tell it to shut it up, but I am pretty sure it speaks spanish LOL, and I may have upset it more and it could have barked even longer. I thought about going to talk to the owners later in the morning and then I remembered what my friend said that it's not worth it because then they owners may not be responsive to you telling them how to take care of their dog and then they will know where you live and may treat you worse. I just want to be neighborly and tell them to shut their dogs up. Hopefully nonone is thinking of poisoning them.

In the states you could call animal control, but here the animals are in control. Still it seems a dogs life here is much more laid back than in the states, and just maybe the dogs are smarter.

Three Months in Cuenca

2011-10-18T23:02:00.001-05:00

We have been in Cuenca just over three months now, and we are starting to feel more like residents than tourists. Going to Coral, Supermaxi, and the bakery have become routine, and even crossing busy streets have become less of an adventure. Last week Susan, Nick, and I got our Censo's, because our 12-IX visa was completed several weeks ago in Quito. Our Pensioner Visa application was submitted by our lawyer, and we anticipate getting our resident Censo, and Cedula before Christmas.

I developed a Cuenca budget before we left Atlanta based on the information I had gathered from blogs, forums, and websites, and after three months there have been some changes. Below is our budget based on our first three months in Cuenca.

Rent: $700 - We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, very comfortably furnished with everything we need, and great views out the front and rear of the apartment. Our rent includes electric, water, cable, high-speed internet, and condo fee. The apartment is 1,600 square feet, open floor plan, laundry room with a full size washer and dryer, large kitchen, and real wood floors. We could of found an apartment for less money, but we love the location, our landlord, building manager, furnishings, and have made friends with the other people in the building. We may never move again!

Food: $300 - We shop for fruits and vegetables once a week ($10) at the large outdoor market (Fiere Libre) which is a twenty minute walk from our apartment, and visit Supermaxi, or Coral for the rest of our food, and household items. We are a vegetarian household, meaning we do not buy meat, fish, or poultry, so this helps keep our food costs down.

Household: $40 - Cleaning products, hygiene products, and miscellaneous stuff for the apartment.

Transportation: $25 - Each month we put $5 each on our two bus passes, and average around $15 for taxis. We generally walk to El Centro, Supermaxi, and Feire Libre, and they all within a 20 minute walk from our apartment. After dark we take taxis exclusively, and if we have too much to carry we take a taxi home after shopping.

Cell Phones: $12 - Two prepaid Claro phones ($6 each), and we have yet to use all our minutes. We really love this, because in Atlanta we had 4 cell phones (2 Droids), and spent $160 a month!

Entertainment: $75 - This includes eating out (usually ice cream), DVDs ($1.50 each), and shopping trips to Artesia (ceramic shop), and the Flower Market.

Gas: $6.75 - Two gas cylinders a month for hot water (we all love hot showers!), and one cylinder for cooking and the clothes dryer.

Medical: $22 - Prescription drugs for Susan and myself without using any health insurance benefits. We have medical insurance (retired military), but we have no need to use it here in Ecuador.

Private School (Nick): $231 - Nick is in the 9th grade at Santana (www.santana.edu.ec) an IB certified private Spanish speaking school for grades 1-13 (K-12 in USA). Tuition is $200 a month, and bus transportation to and from school is $31 a month.

Spanish Tutor (Nick): $144 - A tutor comes to our apartment Monday-Thursday after school for 1.5 hours each day, and charges us $6 an hour. Attending a school which is taught is Spanish is tough, and having a tutor is a necessity for the first year to make sure he fully assimilates.

After School Activities (Nick): $55 - Futbol (soccer) is three times a week after school, and they provide lunch between the end of school, and the start of practice.

Total Monthly Expenses: $1,610.75

The first big expense many expats don't have is the expense of a teenager in school, and these expenses account for $430 of our overall budget. We haven't made an effort to keep our costs down, so we are happy with our budget so far. We are still able to save a considerable amount of our income each month, and are looking forward to venturing out of Cuenca to explore more of the surrounding area. When I look back on the budget I developed before we arrived, the only expenses I didn't expect was the cost of Nick's school, and activities. Our apartment is more than I budgeted, but it is worth every penny we pay each month. We are very happy in Cuenca, and we wouldn't do anything different so far. Life is good.

A little of this and little of that...

2011-10-04T12:35:00.002-05:00

Life has been going by very fast these last few weeks.

I volunteered for FASEC (the Foundation for the Service of the Illness of Cancer) on 21 Sept. It was nice . Myself and another expat named Ed were the first expats to volunteer. We had a great translator, Josh. He is an 18 year old expat who is bilingual. We got to spend time with a few patients before we were done. The coordinator Keith can be contacted at kbyancey931@yahoo.com . He has conducted training for expats to volunteer at FASEC and offers us 2 hour shifts.

On 28 Sept we went to the Ninth grade parent meeting at Santana, I was very worried about being able to understand the speakers. Instantly we were approached by a few parents that were bilingual. I was so relieved. They introduced themselves and let us know that they were here for us if we needed help to understand the speakers. After the meeting was finsihed we had even more parents introduce themselves. We were so happy. In the states you can go to these things and never meet anyone.

Santana School

We went home after the school meeting to meet up with our new friends Barry, Maxine, and Eva, Brian and Coriana. We decided to go on a day trip to Gualaceo to Ecuagenera, the orchid farm.

Steve

We took the local bus for 25 cents to the bus depot and there caught a nice bus with comfy seats to Gualaceo. We paid 10 cents at the depot and 60 cents per person on the bus. The ride was about a 45 minute ride, and the bus dropped us off right in front of the orchid farm. The tour fee was $3 per person, which include a tour guide. There were so many beautiful orchids is was great. The tour guide only spoke Spanish, but our friend Eva translated for us. He showed us the different stages the orchids go through. For the first year to two years the grow inside a bottle where they are sealed off from everything, in the next stage they are taken out of the bottles and planted in big trays, after this they are able to start to grow bigger and mature. It was amazing!

1st Stage

2nd Stage

Tour Guide

Eva and Coriana

On Saturday, 1 Oct, I went to The Color Purple Event with Trish and Eva and meet some new friends Denise and Kaitlin. Denise is actually the mother of Josh the translator from FASEC and Kaitlin is his 22 year old sister. Kaitlin is a very talented young lady. She is finishing her college degree online, while giving singing lessons and providing bible school classes to teens 13-18.

This was the first Color Purple Event to raise money for SOLCA's pediatric unit. SOLCA is a cancer hospital her in Cuenca. We had tomato soup, bread and salad. They gave away some door prizes while they had speakers tell us about SOLCA.

On Sunday, 2 Oct, Eva and I went to Kookaburra for an essential oil presentation it was nice. They also showed us Raindrop therapy which looked so relaxing we meet a local lady that provides this therapy here in Cuenca.

On Monday, 3 Oct, I went with Trish to look at some homes in case she has to move from her penthouse due to the her pet situation.

That's all for now...

Visa Extension in Quito

2011-09-21T14:05:00.000-05:00

Like many others we are in the stressful process of applying for a Pensioner Visa. Since we initially provided our attorney the necessary paperwork after arriving in July 2011, we have had the additional requirement of a Criminal Background Check issue to tackle and we did so earlier this month. But, of course as many of us have experienced first-hand, another problem arose to delay our visa application. The day our attorney submitted our Pensioner Visa application we only had 29 days left on our 90 day tourist visa, and we needed 30 days according to the requirements. This could have been avoided, but our attorney wasted 21 days by not informing us we needed the Criminal Background Check, as our application sat in her office after she had told us that she was going to use an Interpol report in its place. If I hadn't called to check on the status of our application, we may have never found out we needed to do our own Criminal Background Check. So, our attorney's error caused us to fall one-day short in meeting the 30 day requirement to submit our application. So, we required to extend our visa, so off to Quito we go.

With two daughters back in Atlanta that we help financially, and Nick's school expenses of $400 a month, we needed to make the trip to Quito and back as cheap as possible. After doing some research we decided to take the overnight bus to Quito on Wednesday evening. The bus company, Pan Americano, offered an overnight trip for $10 per person leaving at 10pm, and arriving around 7am in Quito. The bus was modern, with reclining seats, on-board movies, bathroom, and seats 40, but there were only 10 passengers, so we had room to spread out. One big problem though, NO HEAT! It was one of the coldest, and most uncomfortable bus trips of our lives! We felt safe, but it was just too damn cold to get comfortable. We arrived in Quito at 5:20am, and had to kill time until our attorney's office opened at 8am. Sitting in a cold bus station, and watching time drag by was not fun. Eventually, we got a taxi at 7:30am, and headed to our attorney's office to only sit there for an hour before our attorney's assistant arrived. We headed to the Immigration office after a quick stop to purchase proof of return tickets to Miami for $11.50, and then sat with others needing Visa's for the next two hours. After one failed attempt to get a 12-IX Visa, and several discussions with supervisors, and the head of the Immigration office we finally walked out with a 12-IX visa at 2pm.

Tired, and hungry since we hadn't eaten since the night before we headed to McDonald's, because is was near by, and we were hoping had a nice bathroom. McDonald's are the same around the world, and the one in Quito was no exception. It was clean, busy, and the food even tasted the same. Well, after our experience on the bus we decided we wanted to get home quickly, so we headed to the airport, and bought three one-way tickets to Cuenca on AeroGal for $201.23. We arrived home on Thursday at 7pm, exhausted, dirty, and ready to spend the next few days relaxing. In all it was a success, we extended our Visa for $30 each, and our attorney is submitting our Pensioner Visa application this week, and we should only need to return to Quito in a few months to get our Censo and Cedula.

The most important thing we learned during our 44 hour experience is you must have patience, and never give up hope that in the end everything will work out.

Private School Costs

2011-09-14T16:59:00.000-05:00

As we have mentioned before, our 13 year-old son Nick is attending 9th grade (8th grade in USA) at Santana, a private International Baccalaureate (IB) certified school in Cuenca. It is a small school, with Kindergarten through High School, and the campus of multicolored buildings is situated in the hills above Cuenca. The classes are taught in Spanish with the exception of the English class, which is two hours per day. The majority of students in Nick's classes speak English as a second language, so Nick has had no problem making new friends. There is talk of bringing an International School to Cuenca similar to the ones in Quito and Guayaquil that teach classes in English. Even if that option was already here for Nick, Susan and I would have chosen Santana or another school that taught primarily in Spanish. Nick is currently interested in attending college at Georgia Tech University, which is a very competitive school. We are hoping that graduating with an IB degree from Santana, being bi-lingual, and having the experience of living in another culture will make him more competitive when he applies to college.

Below are all the cost associated with attending Santana for those who are considering a private school for their children in Cuenca. First a disclaimer, Santana is one of the most expensive schools in Cuenca, but it has also the reputation as being the best in preparing students to attend top universities.

Initial (one-time) Expenses: Total - $394
- Application Fee: $50
- Registration Fee: $118
- *Uniform Expenses: $131
- Required School Supplies: $95

* Uniform Expense consists of: 1 pair of Navy slacks, 1 long-sleeve turtleneck shirt, 2 short-sleeve Polo shirts, 1 Sweater, 1 Warm-up Suit (pants and jacket), 1 Physical Education Outfit ( shorts and jersey), and 1 pair of black dress shoes.

Sports Uniform - Shorts, Jersey, Warm-up Pants and Jacket, and Tennis Shoes

Formal Uniform - Navy Slacks, Turtleneck Shirt, Sweater, and Dress Shoes

Casual Uniform - Jeans, Polo Shirt, Warm-up Jacket, and Tennis Shoes

Monthly Expenses: $375
- Tuition: $200
- Bus Fee: $31
- **In-Home Spanish Tutor: $144

** In-Home Spanish Tutor is dependent on your child's level of Spanish fluency, and it is up to you to find a tutor. Nick had 5 weeks of Spanish prior to beginning school, so we have a private tutor, Flor Ortiz, who comes to our house Monday-Thursday afternoons for an hour and half each day. She is teaching Nick Spanish, and also helping him with any problems he encounters with his school work. This is an absolute necessity for Nick, and we expect to use a tutor for at the first semester, but possibly longer based on Nick's progress.

The 2011-2012 school year started on September 8, 2011, and the final day of school is June 28, 2012. We hope this gives you a good starting point if you plan to have your children attend a private school in Cuenca, and there are several good schools to chose from. The quality of a child's education is the result of good-quality teachers, involved parents, and a willing student. I won't try to compare an Ecuadorian school with a US school, because it has only been a week, but I will post updates as we go through our first year at Santana. Life is good.

Cordova Family Dinner

2011-09-13T15:03:00.000-05:00

Our friend Marta's parents invited us to their house for dinner on Sunday. Sunday dinner is truly a family affair for the Cordova's, because it includes four generations of family. Marta has eight siblings, and five of them live in Cuenca, and each of her siblings have children, and some even grandchildren. We were invited, because the family wanted to meet the gringos who were teaching English to two of the great-grandchildren (Joaquim and Juan-Jose), and helping Marta with her apartments.

Marta and her daughter Alexandra, who is a dentist, picked us up at our apartment at 1:30, and we drove to her parents house which is nearby. I had meet Marta's father our first week here when Edgar (building manager), and I were running around town getting parts to install our washer and dryer. He is a retired member of the National Police, and he spent a year in New Jersey training with the State police there in the 1980's, and he is very healthy 82 years old. Once we arrived at the house, we began the process of meeting the family. I lost count after meeting the first 20 members of the family. The meal was fabulous, soup and salad to start, followed by a dish consisting of large shrimp, vegetables, and rice. For dessert we had raspberries covered in the best whip cream I have ever had. Plenty of good food, two huge tables of people, and great conversation. Marta's oldest brother loves music, so we went back and forth inquiring to what kind of music, and artists we enjoyed. Marta's mother looked at me and realized I look a little like John F. Kennedy, and later Robert Kennedy. What is funny, is I have heard that comparison for the last 20 years, and to have Marta's mother point out the resemblance over dinner was surreal.

After dessert, we all headed upstairs to the covered terrace, and continued our conversations. The family was curious why we chose Cuenca as our new home, and wanted to know all about our family. During our talk, we learned that Ecuador shares the same problems we have in the states. The middle-class in Ecuador is seeing a reduction in their quality of life, and families are spending less time together than they did even five years ago. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle-class is seeing the cost-of-living rising faster than income. It was nice to seeing Marta's 60 year old brother sitting next to his mother holding her hand as he talked, and seeing the grandchildren listening to every word their elders spoke. It was a truly special afternoon for us to be welcomed into the Cordova home, and to be treated as family.

We left at 5:45 to head home, and while we were saying our goodbyes, Marta's parents told us we are now part of their family, and are welcome to come to dinner every Sunday. It was a great afternoon for us, and so much more happened than what I have written here, but as we attend more Sunday dinners, and our Spanish improves, I hope to share more experiences of the Cordova family. Life is good.

Nick's First Day of School - Ecuadoran Style

2011-09-09T12:34:00.002-05:00

Nick

This morning Nick started the 9th grade (8th grade in the US) at Unidad Educativa Santana which is an IB (International Baccalaureate) certified, private school located in Cuenca. All the classes are taught in Spanish with the exception of English class which is two hours per day. School begins at 7:40 AM, and is dismissed at 1:40 PM which includes two 15 minute breaks, but no lunch, and classes are held Monday-Friday.

To prepare Nick to attend Santana he had Spanish lessons for five weeks, consisting of two hours each day Monday-Friday. After researching and choosing Santana we had to go through the application process. First task was to complete the application package, which consists of a copy of Nick's passport, a letter from the Ecuadoran Ministry of Education stating Nick's meets the requirements to attend a secondary school in Ecuador, and approving Santana as his school choice, a Health Certificate, school transcripts for the last two years, and a $50 application fee. Once the application package was turned in and accepted we had to pay the annual registration fee of $118. Next, we had to go through the testing process, which included testing in Mathematics, English Language, Spanish Language, and Psychological testing, and personal interviews with Nick, Susan, and I with the school Psychologist, and the Principal. Wednesday, the day before school started Nick was officially accepted, and we purchased his school uniforms for $108. Last Saturday, Susan and I bought Nick's school supplies for $89, so he was ready to go this morning.

With school starting so early, we got up at 6:00 AM (yuck!), and were out the door by 7:15 to look for a taxi. Usually, we can walk out our building and find a taxi within 5 minutes, but not today, the first day of school. We had to walk up the street a good ways until Susan finally was able to flag down a taxi. We arrived at school with 5 minutes to spare, and stood in the courtyard waiting for someone to point us in the right direction. Luckily, the Principal, her name is Margarita said Buenos Dias, and explained where Nick needed to go to meet his class adviser. After meeting the adviser, Susan and I left Nick alone in a new school, in a new language, and we had no idea how he would survive the day. Susan, and I walked part of the way home before catching the bus, and once home had second thoughts on what we had just done to our youngest child. Would he understand his teachers? Get frustrated by his minimal understanding of Spanish? Or be an outcast due to being a gringo?

In the afternoon, at around 2:30 the school bus/van dropped Nick off in the front of our building, and Susan was as excited as if Nick had just come home from his first day school ever. Nick was smiling (rare for a teenager), and told us school was fine, he made two friends, but could only remember one of their names (Lucas). He said the other kids in his class speak English, and he understood a little of what the teachers were saying. He doesn't change classrooms during the day which is helpful, and the different teachers come to the individual classrooms to teach the different subjects. Santana limits the 9th grade to only 50 students per year, and Nick's class has 22 students. He arrived home hungry, since he hadn't eaten since 6:30 in the morning, so he grabbed a snack, and we headed out the door to his Spanish lessons in El Centro.

So, the first day of school is over, and we can relax a little bit, because it was stressful going through the process of finding a school, the application process, and finally starting school. We will continue to write about Nick's school, and hopefully this will help anyone with school-age children who considering a move to Cuenca. Life is good.

School Supplies and Pizza

2011-09-03T21:50:00.001-05:00

This morning we visited our friend Trish, and got a tour of her beautiful apartment. The apartment has amazing views of Cuenca, and a nice terrace full of plants. While there, she loaned us a TV stand, and two small space heaters for our apartment that she was not using, and Susan already has the heaters in use. Thanks again, Trish.

As we were walking up to the entrance to Trish's building we met an Ecuadorian gentlemen named Jaime who lives in the US, and is a ships Captain. As we were talking to him in English he mentioned that he was looking to rent out two apartments he owns in the building across the street from Trish. I mentioned our new website www.cuencaflats.com, and that we were offering to list apartments for rent, and handling the leasing process if people are interested. Well, he gave me his contact information, and he would like us to list his two apartments for him, so I am going to go over and take pictures of both apartments for our website. We literally bump into an opportunity that we weren't expecting, so I guess we now have six units to market and lease.

Later, after a brief visit to our apartment by Trish, Susan and I walked to La Papeleria Monsalve next to the soccer stadium to buy Nick's school supplies. An employee of the store named Maria took the list we received from Santana, and helped us get everything we needed. Total cost, $89.11, and we still need to find a few things that the store didn't have in stock, but we have 97% of the list. The supplies were bulky and heavy, so we took a taxi home. The taxi headed in the wrong direction to our apartment, so we were a little curious what he had in mind, but later realized he didn't know where he was going, but eventually with our help he got us home.

Finally after running around we decided we wanted pizza, but didn't want to leave again, so I called Pizza Hut with hopes that we could place an order over the phone for delivery. Luckily, the manager speaks a little English, and we were able to place an order, and 30 minutes later we had pizza. The pizza was disappointing, and I am not going to order Pizza Hut again, but Susan and Nick liked it better than what I have been making myself, so at least they enjoyed it and I didn't have to cook. We had the typical Saturday night at home like we used to in Decatur, pizza, and a good movie (True Grit), so it was a nice way to finish the day. Life is good.

American TV in Ecuador

2011-09-02T11:00:00.003-05:00

I consider myself pretty typical to the stereotype of an American when it comes to TV. I have a love of watching certain shows on TV and even would move my errands around to watch some of my shows. bad huh?
Now, that I am living the life of a retiree I have all kinds of time on my hands and I can't watch my shows or can I? I found a way with help of my hubby. Hopefully he won't regret it.
Well, when we moved to Ecuador I realized that our cable doesn't show my shows. Yes there are channels that have reruns and their in english with spanish subtitles but I want to see up to date shows.
At first I found USTVnow which allows me to watch basic TV for free, but I have problems with it freezing up on me and I would miss vital parts of my soaps :), but you can DVR it and then not miss any. If you do sign up for USTVnow please use this link so I can get credit and get FREE DVR points :)
Then I found channels on Youtube and I was able to watch my soaps anytime after they posted them that made me happy because I was not tied down to a specific time, but I can't find all my shows on Youtube.
On Facebook I have feeds from some of the shows I like to watch Combat Hospital, Bones, and Big Bang Theory to name a few and they have been posting about the new seasons coming up and I've been realizing that I won't be able to see them unless someone posts it on Youtube which has made me sad.
My wonderful husband came to the rescue he did some internet searching and found a FREE internet masking program Ultrasurf it is great I tried it last night and I was able to go to ABC and Fox and watched a few shows. Today I am able to listen to Pandora and it's making me smile.
Next, I will have to see if I can get NPR, I used to love listening to some of the shows.
I hope this post will help you smile a little more.

Our First Earthquake

2011-09-02T10:20:00.007-05:00

Last night as Steve and I lay in bed getting ready for our slumber we felt the bed and windows shake. At first I thought it was us moving in bed, so we tried to recreate the shaking but we couldn't do it. We thought could this be an earthquake? It only lasted a few seconds so we just decided to go to sleep and look it up this morning.

Steve got up first this morning and reported to me that there was an earthquake near the coast of Ecuador it was 4.9.

Nick slept through it so we told him about it this morning. No big deal to him.

So we lived through our first earthquake! :)

Criminal Background Check

2011-08-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

Our Pensioner Visa application was delayed due the new requirement enacted August 2, 2011 which required a Criminal Background Check for the immigration visa process. Today our oldest daughter Courtney took a few hours to get the backgrounds check completed and apostilled, and the documents are on the way here via FedEx. One less thing to worry about, thanks again Courtney.