Ode to the people and places...

Top: Sarah, Danika, Beth, Wendy

Bottom: Me, Becky
This weekend, I was able to go to an Ecuador reunion with some of the only people who truly understand my feelings about the experience-the ones who were there doing it with me! Of course, everyone couldn't come, but we did have a good group. This picture was taken after one girl, Katie, left. I just have to say that these are the type of friends that it doesn't matter if we haven't seen each other for months (year?), it is like nothing has changed when we all get together. Even though we are all at different points of our life now, we did share three months where I don't hesitate to speak for everyone in saying it changed our lives. On that note, I think it is fitting to do a mini picture review of some of the good times we shared while we were in Ecaudor and also in celebration of it being nearly two years since we came home as well. Let me just tell you, I would post picture of us in the orphanages, but it is against Ecuadorian law, so I will just have to post some of the other fun things we did, which were many.

Here we are getting ready to go waterfall repelling in a place called Banos. Don't worry, those aren't really diapers, but they sure do look like it!

This is Danika and I on a hike we went in a town called Mindo. It was BEAUTIFUL as you can tell.

We went to the beach for one of our Friday field trips...here we are eating at a beach front restaurant. Don't worry that I look awful, I had been swimming in the ocean, plus I had had the nightshift at the orphanage the night before. We took vans to the beach, so everyone picked Ashley and I up from the night shift and we drove for five hours starting at 4 am. Don't worry, I slept on the floor of the van, since I hadn't slept at all prior. Rough! We then flew home. Don't ask me why we didn't just fly both ways, since tickets were only like $30.

Since we were so close to the Equator, of course we had to visit there! Here we are standing on the line. They had some pretty cool experiments for us to do as well, including standing on both sides of the line and watching which way water swirls when it drains! If you do it right on the line, it doesn't swirl at all, it just goes straight down.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the entire time! This wall is at the Center of the Earth museum, so of course we had to attempt to spell out "Ecuador" ourselves! That is what it is, if you can't tell. :)

I even got the chance to kiss a llama once! Once, we played in a big fountain to re-enact "Friends". It was in the middle of a round-a-bout and there were cops on each corner and no one cared!
This ball was in a park near our house and I always wanted to climb on it because we passed it on our drive every day to the orphanages. Finally, right near the end, we did it!
There is a tram that takes you to the top of the city and you can overlook everything! It was amazing. They also had these nice grassy fields that were perfect for re-enactments of "The Soud of Music." This is Ashley and me.

On one of our days off, we pained the house where our special kids boys lived. Wow was that an adventure. Let me just say two things: watered down paint and small brushes! It made for a LOOOOOONG day!

The month of March is the celebration of "Carnaval" which just means that everyone dumps water on everyone else whenever they get the opportunity. It doesn't matter if they are strangers, either. So one day, we had a HUGE carnaval fight, which started in the house (poor housekeeper who had to clean up all the water...) then it went to the street where eggs, flour, and massive amounts of water and water balloons were involved. The local seminary kids were there that day, so they were part of the fun!

At the end, we got to spend three days in the deep jungle near the Napo River. This lovely attire is what we got to wear, THE WHOLE TIME. It rains non-stop, so ya know. We got to do lots of fun things there, swing from vines, make baskets, swim with the anacondas, watch our guide catch an alligator, hike, and be cleansed from the local medicine man, to name a few. It was a good way to unwind at the end of the trip and to see some of the other parts of Ecuador before heading home.

Well, of course I have millions of other pictures, but here is just a sampling. I loved my Ecuador experience, as everyone can tell. I think it says something that I am still obsessed with it and it has been two years. Oh well!