Halloween USA

I've been enjoying a last minute visit to the USA and got to celebrate Halloween!!  November 2 is All Saint's Day in Bolivia and it involves praying for spirits in hopes that they will avoid torment and making sacrifices in the cemetery, so our church there is solidly against anything that might even look related to participation in such activities.

But not in the USA :)

My little sister and I carved pumpkins...

I may have forgotten just how gross gutting a pumpkin can be!

It was my very first time using a pumpkin carving kit instead of just chopping out triangles with a kitchen knife.  So I copied a design from the booklet but changed the letters to spell my last name!

Adrian was much faster and more detailed than I was.  Her pumpkin got ooh's and aah's from the trick or treat crowd.

I spent pretty much the entire time that kids were coming to the door back at the table trying to separate all of the seeds to be roasted.  Mom found about 4 recipes online, so I attempted to follow one and they didn't come out too bad at all!  

In the end we had to turn out all the lights because we ran out of candy.  I remember being really little and running out of candy one Halloween.  My parents scrambled all over the house looking for loose change to hand out instead!

Genius!

The boys were messing around with some old poles and things, and I really didn't think to pay much attention to what they were doing.  The next time I checked on them, I found that they had planted the poles, tied string to the top, balled up old socks and tied them to the other end of the string, and created tether ball!!!

Awesome!

Even the older boys are in on the action.

Apparently you have to be super cool while playing.  Love the expression of the boy on the left!

Hermana

He still doesn't know my name, so he just calls me "hermana" which means sister.  Love it!

Anna and Angel

How We Met:
In the summer of 2011, Allie Durrua (CIN Missions and Communications Coordinator) needed to teach an English class for her practicum.  She set up in the church that the Bolivia Life Center partners with and did just that for the months of June and July.  In July, she invited her class to come to the BLC and join a group of missionaries visiting from the USA for a bonfire so that they could practice their English.  Angel has gone to the church in Cochabamba for many years and had signed up for Allie's class, so he came to the BLC for the first time that night.  I was working with the missionaries and doing a lot of running around to coordinate the boys, the team, and the visitors that night when one of the Bolivians (Angel) started talking to me.  I kept trying to make excuses to end the conversation and get away, but he talked so much!

Somebody took a photo of us at the first bonfire

How We Became Us:

That night at the bonfire, I think Angel fell in love.  But not with me.  He tells me now that he was deeply impacted by the boys and the home, and wanted to be a part of it.  Angel began coming to the BLC on Saturdays as a volunteer, just to spend time with the boys.  I was skeptical and decided to completely avoid him.  So for the next few months, whenever Angel arrived on Saturday afternoon, I went into hiding.  I've since told Angel about my strategy during this time, and he thought it was hysterical.  He was not thinking about me at all.  During his volunteering, Angel did get to know Brian McArthur (CIN's Adventure Therapy Coordinator at the BLC).  And then we found out that Angel works with Mexicans and therefore knew where there was a good Mexican restaurant in Cochabamba.  Brian and I both deeply miss good Mexican food.  I decided it was time to stop hiding from him.

First visit to a Mexican restaurant!

Also around that time, Angel took some time off of work to help our older boys learn a dance to present at the BLC Anniversary celebration.  Between the Mexican food and his obvious dedication to the boys, I knew I needed to get to know him.  On November 20, after going to see Transformers 2 in the theatre, he asked me to be his girlfriend!

When I Knew I Was In Trouble:

At some point that I can no longer remember, I got mad at God for reasons I can no longer remember, and threatened Him that I was going to marry the next guy that gave me flowers.  I've dated several guys since and even quite seriously but never got so much as a dandelion.  Until March 7, 2012...

He is also the source of the llama.

The Engagement:

We have "known" and talked about the fact that we would get married for a while.  Not long ago, Angel told me that he had a surprise for me in December (he has since learned that he shouldn't advise me that a surprise is coming...I can be really annoying).  And then quite recently we had a "what are we waiting for" conversation where we realized that we each thought we were waiting on the other.  So we started making plans, but I refused to talk dates since no one had actually asked me to marry him :)  Very shortly after this conversation, the date of my "surprise" was moved up.  I might have been a little suspicious.

On Sunday after church we were on our way to lunch when Angel stopped at an ATM.  While I waited in the car, I got bored and started going through his glove box (this is a usual practice and he is aware...he keeps photos in there).  Then I opened the consul box...and saw a little red box and immediately freaked out and slammed it closed, whirling around to make sure that Angel wasn't on his way back to the car yet.  He hadn't seen me, and I literally sat on my hands until he got back to the car.  We went on to lunch, and I noticed that he didn't open the consul when we got out of the car, so I assumed it would come later in the day.  After a yummy lunch, he said, "I'll be right back."  Not "I'm going to run to the bathroom" or "I'm going to go pay the check" but "I'll be right back."  

Since I basically knew what was coming, I got to sit back and enjoy his nervousness.  Actually I really was reassured to see him taking the situation so seriously when he really didn't have any reason to doubt what my answer would be.  Proposals and engagement rings are not Bolivian tradition, but he did an amazing job.  He even asked me in English!  And the ring...gorgeous and a perfect fit!!

And we'll live happily ever after

Making it Green

We try to water the lawn, but mostly we water the children.  They need to grow too, right?

Tantrums

Oh the joys of temper tantrums thrown by a 5 year old.  This one in particular included a nap on my office floor somewhere in the middle.

Making Bread

Just making bread.

Another Yapa

Once again I got a yapa (something extra) when buying some chicken.  Two feet and I have no idea what that other thing is!  The dog enjoyed them anyway.

Bolivian Wedding

Over the weekend Angel's best friend got married, so I got to go to a Bolivian wedding!

First was the religious ceremony.  Later, after greeting guests and cocktail hour, there was the civil ceremony as well which was terribly long and boring and appeared to involve the reading of every law that has anything to do with marriage.

Fake cake!!  It sat as a decoration all night long.  We ate cake, but they never touched this one!

  

Check out who caught the bouquet!

Not only did I get the flowers, but you can see the garter on Angel's arm!  Endless harassment from our table of friends. 

A super fun couple from our table.  We sat with Angel's coworkers and their wives.  Much more fun and pleasant than I had anticipated!

Later in the evening Angel and I got grabbed to help the newlyweds with a surprise... passing out giant foam hats and ties to all the guests!  We also had to help lead the dance which was terrible for me since I don't know how to dance hardly anything and a traditional Bolivian dance even less.  Thankfully no one left screaming.

Reminder

Just in case you had forgotten.

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning and the bus is late.  What to do?  Grab a blanket left out after last night's backyard camp out and start tossing kids in the air!  I swear I found them this way and didn't suggest it.  I was really proud though of their organizational ability, communication in counting out the toss, their ability to take turns without arguing, and their responsibility in not letting a single one hit the ground.  I love my boys!

Mini Vacation Part 3... The End

Day 3 and 4: Copacabana is Gorgeous!!

Once again we headed a few hours away from La Paz, this time to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  Absolutely incredible.  Gorgeous.  Relaxing.  Everything that I needed in a vacation.

As we worked our way around the lake trying to get to Copacabana, there is a portion where the road ends.  There are no alternative routes or bridges and so every car and bus must be ferried across.  Not that I minded.  Projects for bridges have been proposed in the past, but the locals have vehemently opposed them because so many of them make their living by driving the ferries.

I'm a strong swimmer, but the floor of the ferry did have me a little concerned for the car...

From Copacabana you can take a tour boat to many locations including various ruins and even Peru!  I was told that Machu Picchu was under 2 hours away by land and was dying to go!  Pesky visa paperwork prevented it this time.

We took a boat tour of our own!

Our boat, made to look like the traditional boats made of reeds, took us to a Floating Island.  These are man made and connected to the shore by a narrow walk way.  The great thing is that it is run by a trout farmer and while you visit him you can look down into his nets, pick a fish, have him pluck it out and cook it up right before your eyes.  That was probably the freshest lunch I have EVER had.

On the way back from the Floating Island, we passed the Frog's Mouth.  All of the people, tents, and boats in this photo are there to see the rock that is formed in the shape of a frog's mouth and make sacrifices to it.  In the right hand side of the photo you can see the large burn mark on the mountain.

The Frog's Mouth is just around the curve of the land on the left.  On top of the hill is some kind of tribute to their virgin.  We tried to climb up to see it, but I was struggling with the altitude and wasn't sure I was going to make it.  About a step and a half before total collapse, we decided we didn't really want to go up after all.  Both days that we were in Copacabana, we could hear the fireworks go off every few minutes all day long as part of the continual sacrifices that were being made on top of the hill.

Sunset from the end of the pier.  Made me miss Florida something fierce!!

Mini Vacation Part 2

Day 2: Tiahuanaco Ruins and the Home Front

Day 2 started off with a tour of the La Paz bus terminal.  Not quite sure why and I'm okay with the fact that the building is washed out due to sunshine in the photo.  We came out pretty good looking though!

We then drove a couple of hours outside of the city of La Paz to Tiahuanaco.  This is the village where Angel's mom was born and pastured her father's sheep until she was 12 years old and moved to the city to work.  Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures when Angel pointed out the adobe remains of the house where she was born or the house that they moved to later.  Tiahuanaco is also the site of some famous Incan ruins.  I believe there are 3 temples in all.  In the photo above I am standing on top of a pyramid that has not yet been excavated and behind me is the great temple including the Gate of the Sun.  You can probably tell by my face that climbing up at this altitude did not make me happy!

Before the entrance of the large temple is a small below ground temple.  All throughout the walls, faces pop out.

Standing at the entrance of the large temple (where Bolivia's Vice President will be married this September) and pointing to a monolith that I forgot the name of.

Gate of the Sun.  It is all blocked off so that you can't get to it.  Supposedly if you walk through it (it might have to be at a certain time) you disappear and reappear in Peru.  Ancient tela-port. 

Inside the large temple by one of several monoliths.

There were also a couple of museums.  The area is clearly still beginning to be organized and most things don't have labels.  This does force you to pay a local guide who walks around with you to explain things while you assume he isn't just making it up or, like us, you just wander around and make up your own stories.

Inside one of the museums is this giant central room with lighting and absolutely nothing in the middle.

In another large temple that was a slight distance away from the other excavated areas.

There were giant 'H's all around... just waiting for a girl with a last name like mine.

Time for Angel to give me my camera back!