Ecuador Part Something

Sorry, this is really old. This is from Ecuador.

Some of the kids decided to color. Andy just couldn't miss such an opportunity to show off his superior coloring skills.

Andy w/ the picture he colored all by himself!
Max.

Zach.

Jared.

Maddie.

Nate.

Isaac!

Zeke.

Mr. Rogers and a monkey in the zoo. He said if you get too close they sometimes take your glasses.

A taper in the zoo. No fences around it. It was just sittin' there...

The monument "at" the equator. It's not exactly right, but it's close enough!=)
Becky doing a cartwheel over the equator!
Andy.
Guinea pig, yum, yum!
A guy at the equator finger painting. Yes, he did all that w/ his fingers, nail,or palm!Ben.
Nick. He likes pink.

Part of Quito.
Looking down from the cable car in Quito.

Me and Ben in the bus.

A feather that I bought for my Aunt Feather who loves horses and likes to paint(especially birds)

The resort.

The awesome view on the way up the mountain while riding the Peruvian Pasos (horsies). This is one of the few times we were going slow enough to take pictures.

An Iguana in the tree outside my hotel room window in Guayaquil.

Flying out of Quito on the way home.

The "gross" pictures.
Angel and her momma.

Igloo!

So, I think it was yesterday, Zeke & Isaac decided to build an igloo. They started from a fort wall they'd built before and it's gotten pretty big. As soon as I found out what they were doing of course, I helped too. I've mostly carved out the inside, envisioned & instructed, packed, and supervised(to make sure my instructions were carried out). I did haul a few wheelbarrows-full(?) of snow though. Zeke has mostly hauled and did the initial carving and a little after we enlarged. Isaac has umm.......oh! he helped clear out a lot of the snow is was getting from carving out the inside. Not sure what else he was doing; probably playing Star Wars. Anyways, I got some pictures for ya! I tried to get some of the inside and w/ Joy(dog) inside, but that just didn't work. Joy was just too busy trying to lick my face to pose for a picture.

Inside-ish

Ecuador!!<3 Part 1

For anyone who didn't know before, my all the family on my mom's side(except for Uncle Chee) got to spend 2 weeks in Ecuador for a family reunion!=) It was a ton of fun, though traveling almost constantly wears you out. Jane Bloom graciously drove us to the St. Louis airport so we wouldn't have to leave the Hickle's van there.=) After being delayed a couple hours in St. Louis, we flew to Miami, met my grandparents and my mom's older sisters and her 2 boys, and flew to Ecuador the next morning. The Rogers met at at the airport in Quito and we split up and stayed at the Senior & Junior Rogers' houses. O, btw, the Rogers are a missionary family in Ecuador. They fly into the jungle in little planes and preach the Gospel as well as setting up schools for the Waorani natives there. We got to go into the jungle and see one of the villages, but because of our super busy schedule and other stuff, we could only stay for the afternoon.=( I really wanted to stay longer and actually help out w/ something instead of just going to gawk, but I guess I'll have to do that another time. Actually, we might have been able to help out w/ something as it was community workday, but it rained while we were there so everyone had to stop working for awhile. We thought we might get stuck overnight and I wouldn't really have minded..........but, after raining about 45 min., it stopped. and the air cleared enough for the pilots to get through. My Dad just commented that it was a LOT of rain for the short time period. Aparently this happens often, but Dan Rogers(the son who went in w/ us) said he's never gotten stuck for longer a day.

We stayed at the Roger's a day or 2(I don't remember) and saw the equator and went on the cable cars up the mountain, then we went to Cuenca(which I thought was spelled Quenca for the longest time....) and did some stuff......then we got a bus and drove to a resort in the middle of nowhere in this big bus on some really small roads around some very sharp turns and through some super tight places, like only and inch to spare on each side. Seriously! We made it to the resort alive and we were all very thankful that we had such a good bus driver!=)

At the resort we played lots of pool, ping pong and of course euchre. For those of you who haven't heard of that game it's super fun and it's pretty much a Douglass family game.=) According to my cousin Nick, I'm really good, but I think I just get lucky, like in pool.=D There was also a zip-line over a pond at the resort, which was a big hit. Of course it turned into a competition of who could do the coolest most creative thing and I'm not sure who won. O, it was kinda like a swing seat, so there were more options. I was the first to try 'superman'(or woman) and that got me lots of points even though I didn't put it far enough down on my body so I had to bail before I hit the dock.......O yeah, we were doing all of this in our clothes w/ life jackets over. Even though it's Ecuador, I suppose they do have some rules.=) I can't remember all the other cool things everyone did except for one. Zach(my cousin, about 12) would lean back and dip his head in the water while holding on w/ his hands. Being that it was a competition, I had to do him one better by dipping my head back, hold on w/ my feet and sticking my hands and arms in the water too. Unfortunately, I couldn't get back up, so I had to bail before I hit the dock w/ the back of my head. Everyone thought that was really funny of course, but it wasn't too bad. The water was pretty nice temp-wise, but the wind was cold when you got out...brr.....also at the resort, they had a concrete slide that went down the mountain a little and was super fast! The ending was a bit dangerous the first time, but then you learned real fast how to stop. You definitely have to wear shoes though, the ground is a bit rocky and hurts when you fly off the slide and land w/ bare feet. O, there was a swing too. It went off the mountain. Apparently, when my cousins went last time, there was a bigger swing that went off a cliff and was a lot higher up. I gathered that either they took the tree out, the tree broke, or the swing broke or something......... Wow, this is getting really long! Congrats if you made it all the way to the bottom!! I think I'll save the rest for another time. Of course I'll probably forget...... O well. Good night.=)

mICHIGAN 5

wELL THE b&m AND THE GIRLS GOT UP HERE 2 NIGHTS AGO IN TIME TO ENJOY THE CAMPFIRE i MENTIONED IN THE LAST POST. tHE NEXT MORNING IT GOT REALLY COLD! iT WENT FROM BEING REALLY HOT BACK AT THE FARM(AND UP HERE) LIKE 90S, TO BEING REALLY COLD WHILE WE'RE UP HERE(50S&60S!). iT RAINED ALL DAY YESTERDAY, SO WE WENT TO THE LITTLE MOVIE SHOP IN A TOWN NEAR THE LAKE AND PICKED UP 3 MOVIES. wE WATCHED 2 OF THEM WHEN WE GOT HOME AND SAVED THE LAST ONE FOR TODAY. wE WATCHED bEVERLY hILLS cHIHUAHUA(NOT AS BAD AS i THOUGHT IT'D BE BUT........ WE ALSO WATCHED dUMA, A MOVIE ABOUT A CHEETAH. tHAT ONE WAS PRETTY GOOD. tHIS MORNING i DIDN'T GET UP TILL 11:00! wE ATE BREAKFAST THEN WENT SHOPPING. i DIDN'T GET ANYTHING BUT GUM, BUT i THINK A COUPLE OF THE GIRLS GOT JACKETS....... WHEN WE GOT BACK WE WATCHED aIR bUD sPIKES bACK. cUTE AND FUN TO WATCH THE VOLLEYBALL PART AT LEAST. iT WAS A BIT CORNY THOUGH.=) aFTER THAT WE HAD DINNER(HAMBURGERS) THEN WENT KAYAKING. tHAT WAS FUN. kARLEE AND i WENT ALL THE WAY AROUND THE LAKE SINGING SONGS FROM bEAUTY & THE bEAST AND TALKING ABOUT RANDOM THINGS.=) wHEN WE GOT BACK THEY HAD STARTED A CAMPFIRE SO i SAT AROUND THE FIRE A BIT THEN i CAME INSIDE TO BLOG.=)

oN THE WAY TO cADILLAC(WHERE WE WENT SHOPPING), WE SAW THIS CAR W/ A HILLBILLY TRAILER ON IT. tHOUGHT WE'D ADD IT TO THE LIST OF "yOU MIGHT BE A hILLBILLY iF..."

i ALSO HAVE SOME PICTURES OF THE CAMPFIRE AND SUCH, BUT i'LL LEAVE THOSE FOR MY NEXT POST, IT'S GETTING KINDA LATE.... i'M GOING HOME(OR TO il)TOMORROW! wELL, GOOD NIGHT!!

Michigan 4

Well, now I'm here at the cottage looking out on the lake, and it's a very pretty site.=) We were going to come up Friday, but our plans changed and we came up Saturday instead. Like I said before, it has been really hot up here, at least at the farm. When we finally got here after 3 stops at 3 different 'Menard's' to pick up tile stuff(they're re-doing the bunk-house bathroom) we arrived an d found that it was about 10 degrees cooler up here than at the farm. Not unusual, but disappointing none the less. It is warmer then last time we were up here though, and that's nice. Also we'll be staying for a few days this time and B & M and the girls are coming up this evening. Most of the rest will be boring so you can stop reading if you'd like.=) This is mostly to help me remember what I got to do while I was up here. Sat. before we came up, we went to the Middleville 4th of July parade. It was definitely a small town parade, but fun anyways.=) Then we packed up the horse trailer and the back of the truck w/ all the stuff UD and Burk would need to remodel the bathroom. That included 38 or so bags of cement, a cement mixer, 12 some boxes of large tile and 16 little tile packages. We got most of the tile and all of the cement at the first Menard's we stopped at, but they didn't have all the little tiles we needed, so we had to stop at 2 others along the way. At one of the stops we stopped for food(either lunch or din din, I think lunch) and I got a salad and an oreo shake thing. Mmmm.... When we got to the cottage, AF and I helped UD unload the truck then we went swimming. It wasn't really warm, but the air was warm enough and the water cool enough to feel really good after sitting in the car for two hours and standing in a store for the other 1 or 2 hours of the trip.=) This morning I got up and had a few pieces of toast forgetting that I can't run after eating. So I read for awhile and mowed the lawn, giving my stomach time to digest, then went on a 2mi run. Well actually I had to walk a lot of it because my silly lungs decided to give me a hard time. Hate it when that happens. Kinda hard to run when you're wheezing and gasping for breath.=) I made it back alive though and went on a Seadoo ride w/ AF. She took the little one and I took the big one. After a bit she went back in but I stayed out a while longer and had a lot of fun!! Since it's the weekend there were more boats out, but since it was, is cold there weren't too many out to make it no fun. One thing fun about other boats is the waves they make!=) I had so much fun jumping the wakes of other boats(not too close of course)! Since it was pretty cool and the wind was cold, I wore a wetsuit which I'd never done before. On land it was pretty annoying and restrictive, but in the water it was really nice! I think I would have frozen to death w/out it!=) After the Seadoo ride I lay down on the grass in the sun and read for awhile then we ate dinner-chicken(really good!), salad, potato salad, and green beans. Sometime during the day we had a lunch of PB&J, a typical lunch w/ AF & UD.=) I don't mind at all, because I love PB&J! I've sometimes been known to eat several sandwiches at once, but I've been limiting myself to 1 or 2(usually 2). Hey Becky, remember that time on our trip to NY that I ate 5 PB&Js at once?? You were so disgusted! That was fun.....=) Btw, I do miss all you guys back in Rolla(and everywhere else), even though I'm having such a great time here.=) I've had a lot of time to just relax and read while I'm here and that's been really nice.=) I finished all the Agatha Christie books I brought( I think I brought around 5), and the 2 books that were really 4 books each(that'd be 8, or rather, 13 (counting the AC books) for those of you who are mathematically challenged=D), so all I have left is the Odyssey and my Bible. But I also brought along some leftover school that I've got some of done. Things like copying each lesson verse and point to remember from Purpose Driven Life so I can stick them in a scrapbook. I think I brought some other stuff to but........the copying will take awhile cause I'm writing it in calligraphy. Anyways, while the girls are here I most likely won't have much time for reading, seems like they never run out of energy!=) Some of y'all might think that's shocking coming from me but compared to them I'm just an old lady(who happens to be able to pin them and buck them and push them into the water, and managing to escape the same fate). Wow! I just looked back on what I've written and realize that I've been babbling on for a really looong time! Oops, sorry to bore you so terribly, but I did warn you I suppose.=) Well I'm going to go outside and enjoy a nice pinecone campfire w/ AF. TTFN!(ta ta for now!)

Michigan 3

**WARNING** VERY BORING!

On Father's Day we went over to Melissa's parents', swam, had dinner, and went for a pontoon ride(they live on the same lake Burk & Melissa live on-Duncan lake I think). As a result of all the rain they've been having up here, the lake was super high, but it was pretty. Since then I've done all sorts of stuff and I will try to sum it up for you.=) Aunt Feather(AF) and I have gone riding a lot, though the horses aren't used to being ridden quite so often so we can't ride them every day. I've helped w/ the garden and meals a little, and also mowing. The pasture was getting kinda high in some places so I mowed the tops off, but I had to go over some of it 4 times because it was so so thick/tall! It's been really hot up here and humid too. AF & UD(Uncle Dick) aren't used to such hot weather and AF especially doesn't like it!=) There was one day when it was like 95 degrees and really humid w/ absolutely no breeze. That was the day AF decided to catch up on some paper-work(inside!) and I read pretty much all day. That was fun, but I felt very lazy. We actually rode on one of the really hot days and UD said that I was the only person who could get AF to ride when it was this hot!=) AF & UD are awesome and we all get along really well. We're making jokes all the time and UD is continually teasing me. I spent the night at B & M's and the girls were very excited about that.=) We played in the water a lot since they live on the lake. Their neighbors have this raft thing that's basically a square of white styrofoam. They let the girls use it and we had fun w/ that, all 4 of us can just barely fit on, though as soon as I get on the whole thing sinks about a foot. Which also means I'm the main one that has to keep it balanced- which is not the best job for me to have as you probably know.=) It was ok, though one time it tipped and one of the girls' head's happened to collide w/ my nose. It bled a little, but I kept playing and eventually it stopped. I was more careful though.=) Right now I'm sitting in AF & UD's kitchen trying desprately to remember everything I've done in the past few days.=) AF & I went on a short ride this evening and it was pretty nice. The weather has cooled down a little and Burk helped UD install an attic fan a couple days ago(no AC in the farmhouse) and that has helped a lot. On the ride we saw a little racoon(which was very cute) and 3 deer. We also took some pictures!=)

This is one of their fields of wheat which I thought was very pretty.

The horse AF is riding is Rocky(he's a Quarter Horse(QH). The horse I rode is Empress who is half Arabian, half QH. All the pics of me on Empress are on AF's camera so I'll post those when she gets them loaded on her computer.=)

This is me right before we rode trying on the hat I wore.

Here Am I

Well, here I am in Michigan.=) I arrived safe and sound Wednesday evening, had pizza w/ Aunt Feather & Uncle Dick, then we watched a movie. Thursday, I went running in the morning then Aunt Feather and I went riding on their trails for about 2 1/2 hours. It was fun and I only fell off once!=) I'm fine btw.=) Then we ate lunch, packed an overnight bag and came up here to their cottage on Rose lake where we are presently. We got here about 4 and I rode around the lake on one of their jet skis, a couple times w/ Aunt Feather to get me used to the lake then a whole bunch of times by myself. It was really fun!! The water's a bit cool, but it's not really bad.=) I also swam to "the point"(it's not very far) and back, then, I took the paddle boat out and back. After that we had dinner(hamburgers), and a campfire w/ marshmallows. The mosquitoes aren't too bad yet, but I did get a couple bites..... Anyways, today I'm going to go running, then maybe take the Seadoo(jet ski) out for awhile....we're going back to the farm this afternoon and we're going to go see some barbershop which will be fun as I've never seen barbershop live.=) Well, I'm off to run! Hopefully I can find some time later to post some more.=)

Michigan!

Some of you probably already know this, but I'll be going to MI for 2 weeks to stay at my Great Aunt Feather's(yes that is her real name) farm. Aunt Feather & Uncle Dick are my dad's aunt & uncle and when he was 16(I think) he stayed at there farm for a few weeks in the summer. He helped a lot w/ their fields and general work around the farm. He also got to ride horses a bit while he was there, and as you probably guessed that was the main draw for me to go up for a couple weeks. Of course, I'll be helping w/ the work too, Aunt Feather has a pretty big garden and I'll help weed/pick/plant and I'll also help w/ meals and cleaning and stuff. Another thing I'll get to do up there is play on the water, jet skiing, tubing, possibly water skiing....etc. Aunt Feather & Uncle Dick have a cottage on a small lake and they have jet skis and a couple tubes and kayaks and a paddle boat too. They also have a son w/ a house on a bigger lake and he(and his family, wife + 3 girls(oldest about 12?)) has a boat and water skis and tubes and such. They also have wake-boards, but I don't think I'd be able to get up on one of those.....=) Anyways, it'll just be a nice relaxing time away from business, ya I'll be doing lots of different stuff, but when you compare it to living w/ 5 siblings, all w/ their owns activities....it is comparatively relaxing and slow. I'm looking forward to it!=) So, I think I'll be up there about 2 weeks, I'm going up Wednesday w/ the Qs(very kind of them to give me a ride) and I'm not quite sure how I'm getting back, but I think maybe the 3rd I'm somehow getting to my G-parent's in IL for a family get together then I'm coming home just in time for volleyball camp.=) Well, I'll miss most of you who'll read this(ok, I'll miss all of you........maybe, if I remember to=D) but I'll be home for a week in a half or so after VB camp before we go to Ecuador for a family reunion! Hope I'll get to see at least some of you sometime....................=)

Oh, btw, I'm not sure if I'll be blogging in MI or not. Aunt Feather & Uncle Dick have a computer and Internet and stuff, but I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend on the computer. If it turns out not, I'll try to remember so I can tell you when I get back in the 5 seconds I'll have before VB camp.=)