We made a quick trip to DC in August and took the opportunity to catch up with good friends both from our last post in Mexico City and our time in Virginia. We enjoyed great BBQs, a vineyard, and brunch get togethers with all of Annika's tios y tias.
Next time we hope to make our stay longer.
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When living in another country, sometimes you have to find things that remind you of home. Bacon egg and cheese on a cinnamon bagel, almond croissants, and having some fantastic friends are just some of the things we found here in Quito that remind us of home.
Countdown to our next post begins and we will surely miss this place and our great friends.
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.
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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.
From the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO to the High Line and Ground Zero...Annika got a nice taste of New York, and her dad got more than a few photos. Nate, Gigi, Dave, and Seth made cameo appearances. We picked up the Grand-MiMi, who had just flown in from Africa after hanging out with adorable baby elephants. We were fortunate to spend time in the city with "new" New Yorkers Sandy and Dan, and seasoned New Yorker the Gotham Girl herself (now known as Auntie GG). After leaving the city, we made a quick stop in Old Greenwich to catch up with Jordan and meet Harrison and Bennett (so photogenic!). To view the entire album click here.
We kicked off our 2.5-week R&R in DC with good friends and food. Our hosts, Nate and Gigi, treated us like royalty. Annika visited Virginia vineyards with Uncle Jon and Aunt Nancy, and we enjoyed oysters and steak with Uncle Sergio. We then drove south to Roanoke. Annika loved meeting her Grandma Betty and Auntie Diana, and we were treated to another wonderful home-made meal at the Bright Tower. We had a beautiful taste of fall in West Virginia, where cousins Amos and Daisy kindly shared their birthday with us! We loved seeing Aunt Patty, Uncle Bill, Anne, and Darren, too. We made a quick stop in Thomas, WV to see Johnny and the Purple Fiddle before heading back to DC to catch up with lots of friends--Annika attended her second happy hour at Lyon Hall (luckily bringing a baby to a bar seems to be well-accepted in Arlington). And then we were off to New York...whew! And we're not even half-way there... To view the entire album click here.
After a wonderful time in Austin, it was time to head to McAllen, Texas to prepare for our trip back to Quito. We needed to wait on Annika's passport and the layette shipment so we could box up some of Annika's heavier items without having to lug them on the airplane. But while we waited, Annika was able to enjoy some quality time with Abuelo and Abuela. Julia and I got to enjoy some fantastic home cooked meals from my mother, who made Paella and Ropa Vieja (of course), from my dad who frequently BBQ'd, from the Arias family, and from the Forina family. I also got to enjoy some quality time with my sister, brother in law, and nieces who for the first time invited us for a home cooked meal! I got to enjoy talking politics with my parents while drinking scotch and smoking cigars (of course). And I got to enjoy family time with the Perez/Martinez family while watching World Cup. All in all it was a great trip and we are looking forward to returning hopefully for Christmas.
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Seems our little peanut decided to gestate a little longer. To pass the time and to get mama out of the house, we packed our weekend with events. Saturday we met up with my cousin who showed us around his school, The University of the Incarnate Word, where he is studying to be a nurse. On Sunday we met up with Suzan and Tom and Jan from Roanoke, Virginia. It was great to spend our time with family and friends during our stay in San Antonio. To view the entire album of The University of the Incarnate Word, click here. To view the entire album of our Sunday at Bourne, Texas, click here.
Met up with the boxing crew for a sunday bbq -- the same boxing crew that was there when Julia and I first met at Sport and Health! It was great catching up and finally meeting the crew's very cute new additions. To view the entire album click here.
Nothing says summer like a BBQ at Mike and Arlene's, plenty of good food, wine, and friends. Below are some pictures from that day. To view the entire album click here.
We took a spontaneous trip to the Shenandoah thanks to an invite from our good friend from Mexico City, Ben. We spent a day hiking, tubing, and chillin' at Flaquis Farm, (aka "Green Meadow Farm"), complete with bonfire by the river and s'mores. Loved spending time in beautiful Virginia and were grateful for the opportunity to make new friends. To view the entire album click here.
After two years of great memories, great friends, and great times, our tour in Mexico has come to an end. We said good-bye to our boxing instructor Changa and other boxing amigos at a great last class. Our Mexi-friends treated us to a delicious despedida barbecue at the Moose, complete with grilled fruit sangria and empanadas, and came to say good-bye during happy hour at the St. Regis. Our little family--including Ceniza and Compay--crossed the border to spend home leave in Texas, where we've spoken more Spanish and eaten more tortillas than when we were in Mexico. We're already missing the Mexi-crew dearly but enjoying a summer packed with family time before the next adventure. Click here to view the entire album.
We took advantage of the long Superbowl weekend by grabbing a number of friends from Mexico City and heading to the slopes in Park City, Utah. The Mexi-crew enjoyed some good American cooking, slope-time, hot-tub time, shopping, a sleigh ride, and cigars. And then it was back to the tacos... Videos can be seen at: ParkCity Video #1ParkCity Video #2 (Viejo Tiene Tumbao)
