Owen Talk

More New Fruit

I know it seems like I have nothing else to talk about other than fruit, but it's just because there are so many different varieties here! I want to be able to remember all the fun fruits we ate in Ecuador.

These little guys are called uvias, or ground cherries in English. Other than the name, they have nothing in common with cherries.

They are orange and small- about the size of a cherry tomato- and grow in these cute little paper husks, or "tents" as I call them.

They grow on a bush similar to a tomato plant and resemble a tomato, but taste like a tomato crossed with a grape. They have a sweet, almost tart tast to them. It's very unusual.

I like them okay, but can only eat a few at a time. The lady I bought them from at the market gave me a large bag full, and I doubt I'll be able to finish them all!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

or

Feliz Dia de San Valentino!

as they say here in Ecuador.

(I know I'm writing this almost a week late, but oh well.)

We had a pretty enjoyable Valentine's Day this year. We try not to make too big a deal out of it, but we always try to do something nice for the other person. And I am a sucker for little surprises, which Josh isn't too fond of. I know he always feels the Valentine's pressure. But he does a good job and I'm easy to please.

In the morning I decided to make crepes for breakfast. My first time making crepes too. We needed eggs so Josh went out to buy some for me and also came home with the little vase of flowers pictured above. I was happy! Yes, we can buy 2 dozen roses for $2, but why do that on Valentine's Day when we get get them anytime so easily? So this little arrangement was much more impressive. The crepes were yummy...I just wish we had strawberries to go with them but we're not supposed to eat the strawberries here due to risk of getting sick. And I think I impressed Josh with my cooking abilities.

In the afternoon Josh went with Eddie and Sarah and hiked Pichincha, the mountain/volcano just to the west of Quito. We see it everyday from where we live. Towards the top they even hiked in a little snow! (This was a practice hike for the BIG hike they were supposed to do up Cotopaxi two days later, but that hike was snowed out. Cotopaxi is the volcano pictured in our blog header.)

Then in the evening Eddie and Sarah were gracious enough to give up their Valentine's evening to babysit Owen so Josh and I could have a romantic date night at TGIFriday's. It was such a good dinner too! Josh got steak and I had chicken, and it tasted just like back home (except for the lemonade, which was really limeade...I have yet to see a lemon in Ecuador). Plus, they played awesome 80's music! It was a fun evening I'm so happy we were able to spend time together.

I am so grateful for my valentine, for the love of my life! He is amazing and I don't know what I'd do without him.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm posting this little questionaire I got tagged for:

1. Where did you meet? ASU. We were in the same institute class. It was my second semester and he had just barely gotten home from his mission. I thought he was cute, but was too nervous to talk to him. Then I saw on a bulletin board that he was looking for a group to travel to Europe with. I had already saved for a trip to Europe that ended up getting cancelled, so I was ecstatic for another trip opportunity, and the opportunity to get to talk to him!
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? I was so nervous! We were both studying in the institute, and I was trying to muster up enough couage to say something to him. When I finally did, he had just gotten up to head to class, so I "ran after him" (as Josh says) and was able to talk to him before his class.

3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? no, but I'm sure it was just jeans and some t-shirt he probably still owns. I do remember he wore glasses and I liked the way he looked in them.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? In front of my house, after a date, April 6th, 2001.

5. Where did you go for your first date? Our first date Josh originally considered just a "hang-out." I don't think he was looking to start dating anyone at the time. We went to the Golfland castle to play air hockey, then drove around Tempe and Mesa in his nice Oldsmobile (because he hadn't planned anything else), and ended by going to Neilson's Frozen Custard. This is where we realized we both had the same favorite flavor: oreo with strawberry. I wasn't sure if I should pay for myself since it was just a "hang-out," but he paid and then in my mind it became our first date.
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? It was about 4 months I guess.

7. How did he/she ask you out? I actually asked Josh out first, because I asked him to an institute dance. He kindly rejected me, because he had been asked by someone else. He made up for it by calling me the next week and asking me to "hang out."

8. How did he propose to you? It was the day after Thanksgiving 2001. He took me to a park to eat turkey leftovers that he packed. Then he blindfolded me, drove me to the temple, sat me on a bench on the east side of it, got down on one knee, unblindfolded me, and asked me to be his wife.

9. Do you and this person have kids together? One adorable little boy

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? Um, nothing intentionally. Just little things like speeding, bringing produce into foreign countries. Things like that.

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person? I had a crush on him the first time I saw him, and realized I liked him after we started talking about our Europe trip.

12. Do you trust this person? 100%.

13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? always and forever.

14. What is the best gift she/he gave you? my wedding ring and all it symbolized, and our little baby.

15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? only one? ha ha. well, currently it's staying up til the early hours of the morning playing his computer game.

16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Josh will finally have a real job, we will be homeowners, hopefully settled in Arizona, with another kid or two.

17. What causes the most arguments? misunderstandings, and medical-related things.

18. How long have you been together? almost 8 years
19. Are you married? almost 7 years

20. Who do you tag? nobody, but you can do this if you want!

more for the grandparents

Galapagos- Days 4 & 5

Josh and I decided we were not leaving the Galapagos without going SCUBA diving. We had heard it is an incredible place to dive and didn't want to miss out on it. With Owen, we knew things would be a little harder to plan, but our travel agent in Quito assured us she found a company that would allow him on the dive boat, then Josh and I would just split the dives and go separately. This was fine with us.

Well, we talked to the SCUBA company a couple days before our scheduled dives just to check in, and they told us Owen would NOT be allowed on the boat, no matter what! We were a little frustrated because we had thought everything was all planned out, and if we had known beforehand that Owen couldn't come with us we would have found a way to arrange babysitting beforehand.

Well, lucky for us, and employee at our hotel graciously offered to babysit Owen. She was actually really excited to babysit because everyone, including her, can't seem to get enough of our little kid. They all want to play with, talk with, and take pictures of him. I was exremely nervous about leaving him because I had never left him longer than about 4 hours, and I was leaving him with a complete stranger for 9 hours! But she seemed trustworthy and I knew Owen wouldn't even know the difference. So in the morning we said our (almost tearful) goodbyes to Owen and away we went for some SCUBA fun! We went to Santa Fe Island, near where we had gone snorkeling two days earlier.

These were dives 5 and 6 for me, 7 and 8 for Josh. I was really nervous to dive because it had been nearly 3 years since my last dives which were only my certification dives. I had reviewed briefly online, but once I first hit that water I got quite anxious and felt like I couldn't breathe. I had to tell myself to relax and once I made it to the ocean bottom I felt much better.

The Galapagos are known for the diverse ocean wildlife. We did see some pretty cool things!

colorful fish...

an eel (his eyes are looking right at you!)...

lots of starfish...

lots of rays...

We also saw some Galapagos Sharks (don't worry, they were small, far away, and look pretty much like big fish), a sea turtle, and some sea lions! They were so awesome to see up close. I couldn't get pictures of these things because they were either too fast or too far. Another diver saw two hammerhead sharks after Josh and I already started to surface. We were so bummed we missed them!

During our surface interval between dives we went to the bay where we had snorkeled, and I was able to catch pictures of more wildlife.

sea lion...

blue-footed boobies, and yes, their feet are very blue!

In a way I was very happy they didn't let Owen on the dive boat because Josh and I were able to do both dives and we were able to be dive partners. And when we got back to the hotel Owen was still in one piece and was happy as a clam!

The next day we had to say our good-byes to the Galapagos. Owen was pretty sad to leave too. We feel really lucky to have been able to experience the Galapagos and see so many beautiful things!

Owen playing in the ocean. (sorry it's sideways, I can't figure out how to turn it)

Galapagos- Day 3

The third day our guide took us out to the Tortuga Bay. We had to walk about 30 minutes through this desert before we got to the beach, and boy was it hot! The sun sure does beat down hard in the Galapagos.

Along the way we saw this tree, a poison tree. Our guide said if you eat the fruit you'll be dead within 2 minutes! Simply touching the leaves causes skin irritation. Talk about a dangerous fruit! The only animals that don't die from this fruit are the giant tortoises. I really feel bad for the people who had to discover this.

The beach was beautiful! Lots of soft white sand, and marine iguanas everywhere. They really are pretty fun to watch run around. Josh even chased a few.

The day before at the other beach, we put Owen in the water and he hated the waves! He got real scared and started crying. So here we found a calm little bay with no waves, and Owen had a blast playing and splashing in the water!

In the afternoon we drove towards the middle of the island. The elevation rises quite a bit, so the landscape was lush and green. We went to a place with two big volcanic sinkholes. These areas sunk a long long time ago.

Nearby the sinkholes was a lava cave. Supposedly there are several around the island. The caves form as lava flows and the the top starts to cool first, while the underlying lava continues to flow creating the tunnel.

Owen felt so adventurous walking through the cave!

Lastly, we went to an area where there were "wild" giant tortoises. Owen wanted to ride one, but we weren't allowed to touch any of the animals. So this is as close has he got.

Galapagos- Day 2

In the morning we hopped on a boat and headed for Santa Fe Island, a tiny island near Santa Cruz Island. Melanie got pretty sea sick on the hour boat ride that felt like much longer. But we finally got there and were happy to see beautiful scenery and clear blue water! Owen had fun on the boat.

Santa Fe Island

We came to a little bay with beaches covered in sea lions! It was awesome.

We took turns snorkeling in the bay, and we were able to get very close to the sea lions! It was way cool. They are so fun and friendly, and swim so fast! They'd just dart past you so fast. We even saw a few baby sea lions. We were sad we forgot our waterproof camera.

After snorkeling and a lunch of rice with vegetables, octopus, and shellfish, we went back to Santa Cruz Island to a beach full of Marine Iguanas! Marine iguanas don't live anywhere but the Galapagos. They've adapted the ability to live in the sea.

Many of them are black, often the same color as the lava rocks, and we learned this is so that they can quickly reabsorb heat after being in the water. They also have special nasal glands used to expel salt that has accumulated. So all over we'd here a "sneezing" sound, and it was them blowing the salt out of their noses.

They blend in well with the lava rocks.

Galapagos- Day 1

Last week we went to the Galapagos Islands! We figured we couldn't live in Ecuador and not visit them. The Galapagos are part of Ecuador, and they are an archipelago of volcanic islands 600 miles off the coast of the mainland Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean. They are famous for their large amount of endemic species (only found there), and because of Charles Darwin's studies on the islands, which helped lead to his evolution and natural selection theory.

this is the whole airport

After two flights, a little difficulty with our entrance fee (make sure you bring cash if you go!!), a short bus ride, a ferry ride, and a long bus ride, we made it to our hotel- Tortuga Bay Resort. We also joined with our tour group, which the majority ended up being about 25 sixth grade boys. Not our ideal tour group, but we tried to ignore them and we were ready for some fun!

We stayed on the Island of Santa Cruz. This is a view of the main town, Puerto Ayora.

There are lots of cactus in this part of the island. We almost felt like we were back in the Arizona desert! But much more humid.

The first place we went was the Charles Darwin Research Station. Here tortoises are bred, hatched, and cared for until they are ready to be introduced into the wild. We saw several large tortoises.

This big guy is "Lonesome George." He is famous in the Galapagos, as he is the last known tortoise of his specific species. He has been labeled the "rarest creature in the world." It's estimated that he is nearly 100 years old. This was the best view we had of him.

This is a Galapagos Land Iguana. We liked his red and yellow coloring. Their coloring is one obvious distinction from the marine iguanas.

After we left the Charles Darwin center, our tour guide took us to see the pelicans being fed. When the fishing boats come in at the end of the day, a few fish are saved to feed them. People could pay a small amount of the fish to throw to them.

On a nearby dock we saw several sea lions lounging in the sun. There were also several red and black crabs climbing on the rocks below.

Six Months Old

Today is Owen's half birthday! Already 6 months old, and so much fun! It feels like he's changed a lot this past month.

Here's what he's doing now:

*He weighs 15lbs 4oz, and is 25.5 inches long.

*He can sit up all on his own now! He has good balance and can reach for his toys without falling over.

*He rolls over from his back to his tummy all the time now. He plays on his side and his tummy, and often sleeps on his side or tummy, more so than on his back. I always put him to sleep on his back, but he almost immediately turns or flips. It used to worry me at first, but I figure he is still breathing and he likes it and he sleeps well that way, so I let him be.

*He eats rice cereal now. He has taken a pretty good liking to it, and usually eats it twice a day. He also gets to eat in his new big boy booster chair!

*He still has the prettiest bright blue eyes, and he gets commented on them all the time, especially from the girls. He's already a big flirt!

*He is turning into a mama's boy. He seems to want constant attention from me, and still often cries when I leave the room and he knows when I'm not around. But it still warms my heart when he is so excited to see me!

*He love to play and hang out with daddy. Daddy teaches him how to be strong, does little exercises with him on his belly, and is also starting to teach him some Spanish.

*He loves bath time and loves to splash the water (especially onto mommy). I can't wait until we have a full-size bathtub for him to play in.

*His new favorite toys are paper and crinkly plastic, and of course they go straight to the mouth. A couple weeks ago he ate his first piece of paper (on accident of course, I usually grab the paper from him before it gets too soggy!) and we witnessed its exit out the other end.

*He is ticklish on his hands and feet and laughs when I clean them.


"Hello everyone! I was going to package myself up and ship to the U.S. so I could visit family, but mommy said no. But only 4 1/2 more months til I get to see you again!"

New Fruit

This new fruit is called a Cherimoya,

also known as a Custard Apple in English.

It is native to the Andean Highlands of Ecuador and Peru.

I think it almost looks like a smooth artichoke, and sort of feels like a bumpy avocado.

The flesh is smooth and creamy, and custard like, with lots of black seeds.

The seeds are poisonous if crushed open, and the skin can cause paralysis if eaten.

(I feel bad for the unfortunate people who had to figure these things out!)

It tastes really good.

Mark Twain once called it "the most delicious fruit known to men."

I think it tastes like a combination of a peach, banana, strawberry, and maybe a pineapple.

Some people have said it tastes like commercial bubble gum.

If you come across one of these, try it and decide what you think it tastes like!

How to Make Chocolate

We made chocolate while we in La Y. Clara, the German volunteer, showed us how to do it.

It's a fun process, and a lot more work than I thought!

Here's how you get chocolate:

First you have a cacao tree. They are native to the tropic regions of the Americas, and only grow within 20 degrees of the equator.

There are wild cacao trees growing all over the area around La Y.

Cacao pods, not fully ripened.

Ripe cacao pods are yellow. Inside, the cacao beans are covered in a white fruity pulp.

The pulpy beans sit for a few days while the while pulp ferments, a necessary process. Supposedly it removes the bitter taste.

(this picture taken from the internet)

Then, the beans are laid out to dry for at least a week, preferably in the sun.

When it's not rainy, we've seen piles of cacao beans drying like this in Quininde.

(this picture taken from the internet)

Beans after being dried.

The beans are roasted for about an hour. Then the thin brittle shell of each bean is removed. We did this process by hand. It took a long time.
Roasting turns them a nice dark color and brings out the chocolate smell and flavor.
You put the beans into a grinder like this, crank the handle....

....and you get this! Chocolate!

{I'm sure the Hershey factory uses a much more refined process.}

It was fun to make, but in the end the chocolate tasted like burnt wood. When we made hot chocolate with milk and tons of sugar, it wasn't too bad!