Catching Our Breath

Oh ehm gee.  Here we are, in Ecuador! Fun fact: Currently we are the closest we have ever been to the equator.  Also we are in the highest spot in the world.  Don’t believe me? Look it up. 😉

That last set of flights was a doozy.  We left Rome and flew to Lisbon, Lisbon to New York, New York to Bogota, Bogota to Quito and after a 10 hr layover (spent inside the airport) we finally made it to Cuenca! We arrived last week and it has taken me a few days to fully recover from all the craziness that goes along with traveling. The kids did great, I might add. I continue to be impressed by how well they’ve been traveling. Poor Ev did throw up on one of the flights but luckily she seemed to bounce back right after. Thank goodness!

We have wanted to visit Ecuador for years and now we are finally here. I mean back when Jude was a baby we had talked about moving to Ecuador, to simplify. Plans changed and we ended up in Kauai. No regrets there. But this place holds lots of meaning to me.  It represents years of setting goals and strengthening my relationship with my husband. It represents working together and at times compromising. It represents that adventurous side of me that I never want to lose.

Now we have added two more little ones to the party so our needs have changed but our priority remains the same: To be in the best possible place to serve Jehovah.

Ecuador is considered a third world country but I feel really safe here in Cuenca. I have the advantage over Luke since I already speak Spanish, but he doesn’t hesitate to try and communicate with the Spanish that he does know.

I have been relishing the fact that we don’t have a plan for this leg of the trip. There is nothing in particular that we need to do or see. The lazy side of me is fully taking advantage of this and I’ve been catching up on sleep and relaxing as much as possible. Luke joked the other day that I should go for a walk on my own and explore. He said I needed to be more adventurous. I’m plenty adventurous people! But I wasn’t about to let Luke get away with a comment like that, so off I went, with Isla in tow. The city is beautiful, lots of amazing architecture. I’m a sucker for pretty buildings with balconies and this city does not disappoint.  Here are a few shots from my walk:)…

-Vanessa