Machu Picchu!!

So, guess what?! Brian and I were up, dressed, and sitting in a train eating breakfast by 6:20am today! It's amazing how quickly we can move without getting six people out the door!:)

Our cute little hotel owner and his wife knew we had to catch the very early train, so they got up and made us a little bag of snacks and juice to take for breakfast, and he drove us down to the train station. This is not their high session, so they don't have many guests right now. They sure are attentive and kind to us!

This is a Peruvian fruit that was in our breakfast box. It's called maracuya, and it's unlike anything we've ever had before. Strange texture, lots of seeds, but a really good flavor. The Larsons served us a dessert the other night that had maracuya topping on it-- quite tasty!!

We had a couple of hours in the train ride, which would us along a river, through some gorgeous valleys. Here we are on the train to prove it!:)

And here's one of those really pretty valleys we got to see...

And on, to.... Machu Picchu!!! Tahdah ...

It was pretty amazing, and we took way too many pictures. But I can assure you everyone else there seemed to be taking TWICE as many!! Ha!!

Take note here: yes, Brian and I were together all day, but thus was the only picture we got of the two of us together, and it didn't even turn out very good. Oh well...

There were alpacas wandering all over the terraces. I got this pic of a cute little girl trying to pose by a baby, so cute...

Here's Brian, by the main gate leading into the complex. Everyone (and I do mean pretty much everyone) took their picture by the main gate, so we followed suit. Luckily we got just ahead of the tour group of 30+ people we'd been following.:)

The round looking building (below) was significant for some reason and was called a temple of some sort. No one really knows what all the various buildings were for, kinda like Stonehenge. But they built their city so that the buildings lined up with the sun for winter and summer solstice celebrations, also kind of like Stonehenge.

They have restored a lot of the buildings, like this one below, that was some kind of house. 

And this one here was quite restored, they think it was part of a palace or something.

The whole city was built in the 15th century, they believe. I thought it was much earlier than that. But I was wrong! It was left in ruins sometime in the 1700s, they think, and an American explorer named Hyrum Bingham discovered it in 1911. He is the guy who the character Indiana Jones was modeled after. Cool huh? Peru has an American to thank for very lucrative tourist attraction!

They say about 60% of the complex was intact when it was discovered and about 40% needed restoration work. This grand staircase was pretty much intact. 

Notice the lady at the top of the staircase with her arms outstretched... We called her selfie-lady, because we saw her several times and each time she was either taking a selfie or making her boyfriend "tomar un foto" of her and the ruins. Ha! Yep, selfie sticks were EVERYWHERE here!!

We were going upstairs when this little guy came right down the stairs and passed by us. I could have reached out and touched him. I think I may be in love with alpacas now.:)

Here's the sacred tomb. I guess they think a king was maybe buried there? No one knows for sure, though...

And, one last shot of the whole city, before we left. What a day!

I forgot to mention, after our train ride, to get up to the entrance of Machu Picchu, we had to buy $12 tix and ride a bus for twenty minutes up some treacherous, winding switchbacks. At the end of the day, we decided to take the stairs down instead of the bus. Yeah, were crazy like that. It took us a little over an hour, and we saved $24, plus we got some great views of the mountains. But I think my legs may be sore tomorrow! Here's one section of stairs-- not as steep as most of them, actually...

At the bottom, there was a nice little museum with some cool artifacts and a clean, free bathroom. Perfect!

Then we went to the market (and I forgot to take pictures of it), and ate a delicious meal. Mine was mango chicken with some kind of salty apple compote. Tasty!

Now we're on the train ride back to our hotel. Brian is working-class or maybe kind of sleeping??;) 

Hasta luego, Machu Picchu!!

San Salvador stop over, and on...

My phone was not cooperating, so I didn't get many pics of our fun stop-over in San Salvador. Maybe I'll see if I can transfer some from Brian's phone. 

And I'll start by saying, we had a great time. We rode the city autobus into the city, for only 60 cents each. But we had to stand in the isle the whole way, no A.C., And the drivers are CRAZY!! It was an adventure, and beat the $50 the taxi drivers were offering to take us on the same trip. Ha! Plus, I now have new tricep muscles from hanging on so tight on those curves! I've been feeling them all day today! Ha!!;)

We stopped in the main town plaza, where they had these cool fountains, and lots of people-watching opportunities.:)

We visited a couple of cool churches, the one above was in the town square. Then we wandered over to this funky one below... From the outside it was kind of grungy looking, then inside it had a rainbow of light through these of shaped stained glass windows. Very lovely and tranquil!

Samantha and Spencer would have loved it!

This one plaza had tons of pigeons; Spencer would have loved chasing them.:)

I look hot. (Below.) Because it was really hot!!! I really wanted to hire someone too drive us to a beach. But considering we still had a six hour plane ride ahead of us and no change of clothes, we did no beach time.:) But we did buy rambutans, Brian's favorite tropical fruit. Yum!

We took a taxi across town to a really upscale mall that had all kinds of American stuff, very expensive! The comparison between the "old," poor town center and the very ritzy shopping mall was really kind of sad and hard to believe. But we sure felt right at home! They even use American currency and charge American prices at their food court!:)

A perfect name for a cute little candy store, huh?:)

Yes, they had Burger King, in Espanol.:)

And a killer toy store. We would have broke the bank there, if the kids were with us, ha!:)

Then it was back to the bus, back to the plane, and on to Lima. We arrived in good time, after a delicious plane meal and a great entertainment package. (I love flying international!) Then our friends, the Larsons, picked us up at the airport. We stayed with then and had such a great time visiting with them. Since we had extra luggage allotment, we were able to bring then some goodies fun friends and family at home, which was nice-- things like brown sugar, peanut butter, and shortening-- that just fine taste the same here.

Anyway, my phone was nearly dead, so I took no pictures, of the Larsons, or of our dear R and her fiance, who we met today at church. Let me just say... They are adorable! And both seem soooo happy!! And we LOVED getting to be with them!! The church meetings were in Spanish, so I had a hard time concentrating, and really, I just wanted to visit with mi amiga bonita!! (She really does look soooo great, and well have to get a pic sometime soon!!)

It's bedtime here, folks. But the rest of the short story here is that we took off after church, said our goodbyes for a couple of days, and caught a plane to Cuzco. 

Then we got a ride from there to this amazing little hotel in this darling little town in the Andes Mountains called Uraybumba, or something. It was almost dark when we arrived, but here's a view I snapped out the window while we were driving...

It's lovely, with the most beautiful hand-sculpted gardens. 

We ate delicious civiche and lomo saltado for dinner at a very cute little restaurant. The hotel owner drove us there himself. It's been a great day, and now we're headed tiki bed so we can get up suuuuper early and go visit Macchu Picchu!! Soooo excited!:)

On our way

On our honeymoon, Brian and I spent two+ weeks traveling around Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It was such an awesome adventure! I look back now and realize I was fearless, and maybe a little bit reckless... Compared to now, at least.

Being a mother has changed me, obviously. But I hadn't really noticed this change... The one where I'm a true stress case at the thought of finally going to South America with Brian, as he's always vowed we would. Finally, we have a reason, we have the time, we have enough frequent flyer miles--- what are we waiting for, right?! :)

We are going to Peru!! We're on our way as I write, actually!! It's exciting, and I'm finally warming up to three idea, now that we're in the air, half way there. But I'll tell you, these past few weeks have been extremely stressful for me. I've become such a worrier!!:( All the "what ifs" have been in in the back of my mind constantly. Er, actually, it's more like those "what ifs" have been relentlessly shouting in my brain. Not fun.

Part of it, I know is the excitement/anxiety I feel for one of my dearest best friends-- she's the reason we're headed to Peru! She's found an amazing, good, righteous man in Peru, she's totally in love with him! And she's getting married to him and moving to Peru!! It's so romantic and brave and crazy, all at once. In my mind, I keep thinking of all her "what ifs" as well as my own. And it's freaking me out. Yeah. Maybe I need therapy?

Then again, maybe this trip will be a little bit of therapy for me? So far, so good. Take deep breaths, be calm, enjoy... :) We started our journey last night, with a long layover in San Francisco. It was lovely. We rode the train into the city, then walked around, exploring for awhile. We sought out an amazing Afghan restaurant (as in, food from Afghanistan). There's a sister restaurant in Boston that we both loved years ago. I ordered the baked pumpkin and fried eggplant, with a sweet spiced rice. Sounds different, I know. But it was amazing! Brian has a couple pics on his phone, maybe I can load them later.

My phone died early on, so this is the only picture I took, of us on the train.:)

After dinner, we walked down to Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf for awhile. Then we stood in line to ride the trolley car 🚎 back up to the subway line. It was chilly, but so cool, riding up and down all those hills. It was a fun night, just the two of us!

I admit, I was ready for a nice hotel bed by then. But instead, we took a red-eye flight to San Salvador, which is where we'll be landing in just a few minutes. We have a seven-hour layover here, so we can go into the city and explore a little bit.

Then on to Lima, where we'll stay the night with the Larson family, from our home town. They are serving as mission presidents in Lima. Then, Sunday morning, we'll get to see R and meet her fiance!! Soooo exciting! Please pray for them, that all goes well wIth their plans... They keep running into paperwork "hiccups," she calls them. But they're really hoping to be able to get married this coming week, and WE are, too-- so we can be there for it!!

Mom vs. Toddler

Dear Whoever Cares About This Tedious Little Stuff,

I can assure you, I was not ready this morning to do battle with my toddler. But apparently she was ready to take on the world, and mom and all her Mom Rules were just standing in the way!

We've dealt with marker on the face, legs, and hands-- not to mention the walls and books in Samantha's room. Several ink pens have been disassembled this morning, Legos have been strewn and stepped on, and juice has been spilled on the floor. There has been some toilet diving, in at least two-- maybe three-- bathrooms, and some running yucky dishrags over her head repeatedly.

She has thoughtfully "helped" me sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Also, she has been a great "help" with the two loads of laundry on the couch I've been folding. There may have been some underwear worn on her head – – maybe more than once today. And at least a couple of drawers have been emptied. I think she may have eaten something she wasn't supposed to, because she kept making her "yucky" noise and cutting her mouth when she came out of Natalie's room earlier.

My $16 tub of fancy conditioner would have thanked me to leave that last load of laundry and just put the girl down for her nap five minutes earlier. Instead, we now have a very slick shower floor, a tub full of very conditioner-coated clothes and shoes, and a newly bathed girl who will probably smell like Biolage product for the next few days at least.

At this point, I think I will join her for a little sleep, and I hope we wake up with a little less intense toddlerhood on our hands!!

Cares of the world

Today I read an article about a woman who escaped from a long term capture under ISIS authority. I actually didn't even finish reading it, because her story was so disturbing, horrific, and heart wrenching. She watched her family be tortured and killed, and then was repeatedly tortured and abused by her captors for months. Those people who do such things are barbarians, and it is hard for me to think that we live in a world where such evil exists and often reigns. 

I'm not sure how to respond, what to do, or how to feel when I read such things. 

I live in a gloriously happy little bubble, I know. And I am so grateful for the stability and serenity that surrounds me and my family -- and always has surrounded me. I have felt so blessed, protected and guided by God my whole life. 

That said, I do also feel compelled to know what is going on in the world around me. And so I read, I watch, and I study. And I find myself surrounded by the stories like the one I described above. When I hear these things, the compassion in me seizes up; I fear, I sorrow, I weep. And the mother in me worries deeply about the future my children must face. How am I to prepare them? How am I to shelter and protect them, while also getting them ready to deal with whatever life throws their way?

There is a part of me that just can't reconcile my fortunate, prosperous circumstances with the horrors and heartaches that belong to so many others. I believe in God. I believe he loves all of his children, and watches over them. I have felt his blessings in my life in inmeasurable ways. But so many others seem to have so little, live such hard lives, and face such personal tragedies.

Yesterday in Sunday school, we discussed the parable of the sower. What does that have to do with anything I've just written? Well, one of the phrases struck me as we were discussing this parable: Jesus explained that the seeds that fell among thorns represented those who were sidetracked by the deceitfulness of riches and the "cares of the world."

Our Sunday school teacher actually talked a lot about the riches and the pleasures of this world, and how easily we get tempted and sidetracked. But I silently reflected on what "the cares of the world" are to me. These heartbreaking tales of others lives are heavy burdens – – cares that way me down sometimes with so much helplessness and sadness. As I pondered this particular wording from this parable, in a figurative sense, I was able to see how my parylizing reaction to the atrocities and calamities around me are like the thorns swallowing up the good seeds of faith in my heart. While I weep and fear and wonder where God is in the lives of these people who are hurting, I am failing to recognize, respect and be grateful for the Lord's unwavering hand in my own life. He is there; He is real; and I feel His presence constantly in my life. There is a fine line between compassion and what I call "borrowing trouble." I want to work harder to stay on the right side of this line.

But I also hope with all my heart that God is hearing and answering the prayers of those who are truly downtrodden, suffering, and broken.

Camille is talking to us

Our baby girl is starting to say lots of fun little words. It is so cute to hear her, and so fun to watch her learning. I just wanted to take a few minutes to write some of her best words…

She says:

Dada, and sometimes daddy. She calls  Spencer daddy also, which he thinks is hilarious. :-)

Mama, finally… It took her a longer time than I was hoping!

Grandma, although it sounds a lot like mama. :-)

Grandpa – sounds like pop-pop

Popcorn – – Also sounds kind of like Pop-pop

She also uses pop-pop to mean soda pop, otter pop or popsicle. I think she just knows "pop" usually means something good. :-)

Go

Hot

More

Baby

No – – This is new, as of today. I'm not sure I'm so happy about it, but it was inevitable.

Natalie – – Sounds more like Nah-yee, and it is so cute! :-)

Hello– – sounds more like heyyo. She looks down her own shirt, and says hello to herself. :-) I'm not so fond of it when she does it to me, but I think she's looking for her binky. Ha!

Ella,  because she absolutely adores her cousin Ella. She talks about Ella even when she's not around. :-)

Up

Help– – She said this this morning, trying to help me make my bed.

Oh, I almost forgot two...

Here-ya-go-- she says this when she's handing me something. It sounds more like heee-go. 

Shoes-- she LOVES shoes and wanders around finding people's shoes and bringing them to their owners. And when she gives them to you, of course she says "hee-go!":) She has brought me as many as four pairs of my shoes while I've been making dinner!

That's all I can think of right now. We sure do love this little cutie, and can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Some pics of our one year old girl