the grand granny adventure

well my grandmas have already come and gone...and it was a very memorable experience! it started off on the right foot by my taking a 9 hour bus ride to quito (due to a common ecuadorian strike on the normal route to quito) to suprise them at the airport. originally, i had told them to look for someone with a sign with their names...which is very common in that airport...and the driver would take them to the guesthouse where they would be staying. so i was spying on them the whole time...and then i heard my grandma jackie say, "here it is...here's our sign" little did she know that i was hiding behind some people..then i jumped out! it was pretty exciting! i think they were very excited and relieved that i was there to greet them.

from there...the adventure began. the next day i took them all around Old Quito which is filled with old cathedrals and a lot of history. we saw a lot of things...and they were able to experience the city life. they were suprised at how nice everyone dressed. they thought the taxi rides made the ones in NYC mild. they enjoyed the overcrowded trollies. they loved walking everywhere :)

we also took a bus (which is an experience all in itself) to otavalo..the huge market here with traditional ecuadorian handicrafts. this was fun...especially for me, since i was doing all the bartering. bartering does make for a hard days work! it was funny because right when they got off the plane, i was asking them if they wanted to do any souvenier shopping...and their answer was a strict no. however, once they saw how much of an art shopping in ecuador was...it soon became an addiction...and they had to have 5 or 6 of everything :)

on sunday we were off to shell to see where i live. we took the bus and got off at banos, because i have talked so much about that place. we had a great lunch at one of my favorite places called Posada del Arte, where a chicagoan couple runs! (same guy i took my bike trip with) we continued on our journey to shell, where we were typically greeted with rain. it was a good welcome...God wanted them to experience everything!

the next day, the grannys were exhausted. i guess i am a little more faced paced than they are...but i have to say they did pretty darn good considering they are 50-60 years older than me!!!

we spent 2 1/2 days in shell and they both visited my classroom and did little activities with my students. my students had all kinds of questions for them about me when i was a kid. example questions:
1. why is miss clayton so crazy
2. why does she sing songs in the middle of class
3. what was her favorite toy
4. what was the worst thing she did to her brother

it was pretty interesting listening to their answers :)

on wednesday we left school right after lunch, thanks to the half day! we hopped in a pick up truck taxi and headed off to quito. it was such a beautiful day that i rode in the cab of the truck with my IPOD singing my heart out while enjoying the beautiful creation. it was one of the best times i have had! i loved it.

we arrived in quito and met my mom there. we were kind of scared because another taxi was meeting us at 630 to take us to Papallacta, our thanksgiving destination. my mom wasnt there yet, and we were all getting nervous...715 comes around, and she finally shows up...talking on her cell phone! CONFERENCE CALL!! now i know how my dad feels :) but we were all glad she made it safely and wasnt kidnapped by someone.

we got along on our 2 hour journey to papallacta..which was going to be an adventure because i had never been there before and didnt know how to get to the guesthouse...but we arrived there with many mishaps..which i wont take the time to get in to.

we had a great thanksgiving meal...i even found a real pumpkin in the small town we were! we were able to make homemade --FRESH pumpkin pie..the best i have ever tasted! we had a true thanksgiving meal. it was very special with 3 generations and beth to share it with!

the next day, we packed our bags again and headed off to a spa in papallacta. it was great! they are famous for hot springs and their spa. we stayed in a cabin that had 3 hot pools in the back..it was so beautiful! papallacta is also a spectacular little town. the elevation is about 12000ft ..so we were just surrounded by lush mountains. breathtaking.

it was so relaxing being at the spa..we all enjoyed their many luxurious services from andean mud body wraps...to reflexology...to the favorite turkish bath..to massages..it was sooo relaxing!

we headed back to quito and did some more souvenier shopping(suprise!) and just enjoyed staying at the Sheraton...a very nice hotel...full service and all.

needless to say, we did a lot in a short amount of time, but it was such a great time. everyone here kept commenting on how they were so shocked that my GRANDMAS came here and travelled how i travel..buses, trollies, taxis..everything. they also couldnt believe one of them was over 80! they are definately troopers..and i think even if i did exhaust them, they thought every minute was definately worth it. im sure their lives will never be the same, as my mom kept repeating.

i think i can say that this was the best thanksgiving of my life! it really made me feel special and loved and it was so great to spend it with them! God is full of blessings, and this was/is one of them.

so thank you grandma jack, nana, mom, and beth for making this the best thanksgiving ever! we had so much fun, laughed a lot, and experienced things together that we will never forget.

advice: try talking to flies and other unwanted pests...tell them that they have a certain amount of time to exit or you will kill them. let me know how this works for you.

so I'm told...

over the past years, i have been learning that other people might quite not understand my unique personality. i am also becoming more aware that i am hard to "read." as i have been spending more time with the singles here, they are pointing these odd personality traits out to me...
1. i either hate the person or hate the world
2. people cant tell if i am excited about something or not
3. everything i do might revolve around coffee
4. my voice totally changes when i am on the phone
5. i am very opinionated (even though i really dont think so :))

i cant think of anything else right now, but i know theres more. it has just been interesting getting to know what other people think about me and read me....i know i might be quiet at first, but usually after that i am comfortable to be me :) any other personality traits that you can add to the list?!

november, already?!

time flies when you are a teacher and living it up on the weekends :) today i finished parent/teacher conferences and i had to remind myself that i had a life and a home to return to that didnt involve school. the past few days i have been waking up around 4:45 am to get to school bright and early to get some things done..and didnt find myself walking home until around 7pm. yes, procrastination pays...and i am exhausted.

the past couple of weekends, a lot of things have been going on...well, not really...but i have been to Quito a couple times...and that is exciting! especially when you live in Shell, where there is nothing, i repeat nothing to do except watch movies, eat, and get hit on by random american guys on couches (thanks! :) hehehe) the first trip to quito was to attend a womens retreat put on by the English Fellowship Church in quito. it was a weekend to get away and relax. i was able to experience a turkish bath! it was really cool...and i cant wait to do it again! the trip was great and it WAS great to get away! i even met with a counselor about my decision about whether to stay another year or go...it just helped to talk to someone with an objective opinion. but no, i do not know what i am going to do yet. Walk with faith.

this past weekend was a long weekend due to an ecuadorian holiday, so--me, beth, and spencer (our bodyguard) took the bus to quito for a get-a-way. we went to otavalo (a large market) climbed a huge cathedral (which i was scared for my life to do (see picture below..looks like a chicken cage..but its the very top level!) (above clock picture was taken when we were inside...almost to the top--it was pretty cool to be at the same levels at the clock!...it was scary though because one of the guards caught me changing the hands on the time...he had me in handcuffs..but i then spencer beat him up and we ran for it. (just kidding :) heheh)





me, scared for my life. why?
1. im at the very top level of a cathedral with flimsy wires holding me up
2. i dont trust ecuadorian architecture
3. im a baby (my dad and brother would probably 2nd that)





here is beth and i sitting in a huge window carving type thing. it was fun taking pictures...think: senior photos :)












here is tunguragua..the volcano that recently exploded...this is what it looked like when we came back from the womens retreat. we had ash in shell from this volcano! one morning i woke up and the driveway, bridges, everything had a layer of ash on it! pretty wild!

sorry if this is scatterbrained..im low on zzzzzzzzzzs. more later :)

my grandmas are coming next thursday and my mom on tuesday!! party!