Swag Bucks

http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=311298.

Click on this link and then use swagbucks as your search engine instead of Google or something like that. Everytime you use it you get points (well its pretty random) but those points build up and then you can redeem them for anything they offer, like Barnes and noble cards, amazon.com cards. starbuck cards. I think its worth it. And if you use this link, then I get points from you signing up too. :-) It doesn't change anything so why now. :-) Try it out.

First Baby Shower

This past weekend we traveled to Boston on friday afternoon after work. I always get worried about Richard being able to get off of work, but thankfully we were walking out the door in record time. We got to Boston in good time, and amazingly enough I didn't make Richard stop too much for me. He says he doesn't even hardly notice a difference. Although, riding in the car is more uncomfortable.

We stayed at my Auntie Terre's house (she is my mom's sister, and I lived with her after graduation for a few months) and I always love visiting with her again. The shower was a brunch shower on Saturday morning, and I must say brunch showers are so fun. My aunt is a wonderful entertainer and always throws a great party. I got to see a lot of people from my parents home church at the shower, and loved catching up with child hood friends.

I was amazed once again at how God amazingly provides for us, and completely overwhelmed with gratefulness. For my Aunt and cousin who threw the shower for me, and for all the wonderful gifts. It is so helpful for first time parents. I did get 2 of the pack -n-plays off my registry (I don't really know how that happens), but its ok, becuase I will return one and put it towards my stroller, and I didn't even know if I would be able to get one, so two is even better. :-) The only problem was the awkwardness when I opened them up one right after another, it was like uh, oh, sorry. :-) I got a lot of other useful things also, like a Bumbo (which was another luxury I didn't think I would be able to get) and a lot of practical things instead of clothes,(although I did get some), but it was a very good shower.

We didn't get to go to church on sunday because they had so much snow and i was sad not to be able to see people again from the church I was married in. But the snow had stopped by the afternoon and we were able to make it back to our place that night for Richard to go to work on Monday (thankfully i had the day off!!)

I know that my church here is going to give me a shower too in Feb, and am looking forward to it again. They are just fun. Like Christmas just for you!!! (but I cannot express how thankful I am also)

Christmas/ New Years 2009

Well, we're back. :-)

We were very busy leading up to our trip to Ecuador as you already know. IT was a long awaited vacation trip for us.

WE left really early on Christmas Eve with Jerelyn and her family to fly out of Newark about 2 hours from our house. I don't really feel the need to go into detail about our trip. But I will say that it was a very hectic pretty stressful, long and tiring day of traveling. But God also took care of us, our luggage and the schedule. He had a plan, and thankfully we did arrive in Quito and then had a 4 hour drive to my parents house. It made for about 23 hours of traveling, but God worked everything out.

Needless to say we didn't do too much on CHristmas day. Between my being 26 weeks pregnant, my mom's blood pressure, and (big news!) Jerelyn being 9 weeks pregnant!!!! we didn't do too much. Us pregnant people were just laying around alot of the day chatting with our mom and loving the little baby that was there.

The altitude didn't affect me too much, just maybe a little extra tired and out of breath after walking up the stairs. I did take naps just about everyday.

I think the best thing about the trip, is the laid back atmosphere of living in a 3rd world country, cooking with my mom, helping her with things, chatting with all the girls in the family and speaking spanish again. Juli came the 28th of Dec and left a few days after us, but we did have one full week together and we enjoyed every minute of it.

In Ecuador the big holiday is not christmas but New Years. Its an experience that is very hard to describe to someone, and you just pretty much have to see it and experience it with your own eyes. They burn an "Old Man" which supposedly is the old year and then bring in the New Year. So all day on New Years Eve people construct the old men to burn that night at midnight. The town is crazy and does a lot of crazy things. OF course what is saddest to us, is the profanity, and sinfulness that is associated with this time of year, but its also neat to show the new christians how to experience it in a God honoring way. So we had a get together with the church and burned our own old men. The years I have known Richard I had told him about this, and finally he was able to experience, the sights, the sounds, the smells of the town of Riobamba during their festivities of the New Year. We were so thankful to be there during this time, with my family.

WE have a lot to be thankful for over the past year. But especially for his provision and protection and the enjoyment that we had on this trip. It was a great way to end the old year, and start the new year.

The trip back was pretty uneventful but also very tiring again, and had a day to rest before we are back into the grind of things.

Meanwhile, my pregnancy keeps progressing without complications so far, Praise God. Things are going well, and I definitely can feel the baby kicking me a lot! and am starting to get bigger and bigger every week. ITs a little hard to get used to, but that is life. :-) This was my 26 week picture in Ecuador. I loved that I could take one in front of the snow capped mountain. :-)( I am now 28 weeks along though)