Leaving Ecuador

Well, tomorrow we are leaving Ecuador! Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. We can't believe this experience that we had talked about, planned for, and waited for for so long is now coming to an end. Looking back on it all, I still can't believe we decided to move to South America for nearly a year with a new baby. It has not been the easiest experience and we've had our ups and downs through the journey, but we can honestly say it has been worth it and we are happy we decided to do this. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and now nobody can take it away from us. The things we have seen, experienced, and learned have forever changed us. Our eyes have been opened even more to the world. We have experienced a new people and a new culture, new foods and new terrains. There really is no way to fully describe our experience here. But we are better because of it.

Things we'll miss:
-the mountains and having a great view from our apartment
-weather that is practically perfect - "eternal springtime" - with no snow
-being forced to walk everywhere since we don't have a car
-having our laundry washed, dried, and folded for us
-all the good food-- the bakeries, the tropical fruit and fresh juices, the empanadas, the patacones, the hot chocolate, the Magnum icecream bars
-super cheap rent
-ridiculously cheap roses
-not needing a prescription to get medication at the pharmacy
-being able to sleep in almost every day
-having Josh around so much during the day and being able to spend so much time together
-all the people who stop to admire Owen and say how cute, precious, or handsome he is and that he looks like a little doll
-all the people from church
-traveling around and seeing new things

Things we won't miss:
-stinky, dirty streets and rough, bumpy sidewalks
-bad drivers
-relying on taxi's and buses to get places
-daily afternoon rains
-inefficiency and lack of organization
-feeling like a walking target for theft
-worrying about getting sick from dirty food or water
-strangers telling us that Owen is cold, when it's 70 degrees outside
-baking at high altitude
-the metric system
-12% sales tax (and we thought Chicago was bad!)

Things we look forward to:
-not having to travel so much
-being able to take Owen to nice parks, zoos, and libraries
-buying new toys for Owen
-having a full-size bathtub for Owen
-having four seasons
-having our car again
-having a gym membership
-not having to worry about the tap water
-being able to use coupons
-eating foods we've missed- blueberries, condensed soup in a can, our favorite brands of foods and candies, better milk!
-our queen size bed (we had only a full size here)
-our full-size couch (we only had little chair-seat things here)
-catching up on movies
-regaining some sense of style.
-having church in English
-Josh having a more consistent schedule
-spending time with family and friends

Good Bye Ecuador, we will miss you!!!