I'm Here

Hola!  We are in the city and are doing well! Ít has been a great time, and we have already tried so many new things! 1. Lomo Saltada (a beef dish with frech fries, onions, and tomatos) 2. Inca Kola (a peruvian soda that tastes like cream soda, yum!) 3. Pavo wich is arguably duck (we couldn´t decide though because pato is duck and we might have eaten something else¨) 4. a motor cycle taxi (wich when cramped fits 3 okay, we had four in one :) We are busier during the days and explore more often in the evenings. We will be three weeks out and one week in while we are here so this is our first week in. I was excited to hear that the internet comes with where we are staying! So I should be able to keep in good contact for a whole week while we´re here.  We are yet to get over being excited to be here and no one is sick... yet :)

Oh and one more thing, something funny happend today, while we were hanging out in our rooms one of my friends came in and we were all talking and he said ´guys be quiet. He said we need to put our clothes in our bags and get out of the hotel and on the street because they´re spraying for dengue. (which is rare) so we husseled and put our things away then hurried out just as a guy dressed like a gost buster came in and blew stuff around. we were then informed that it would be a half hour before we could again enter our residence (which is quite accomodating) and we went to supper then :) a rather fun adventure that i regretfully did not take a picture of... any way love you!

okay this is another letter written on monday the 24th.  We leave today to take a 30 hour boat ride on a boat with 700 people... this could be interesting. I will be gone for three to four weeks and we are not planing on staying for a whole week next time, but it all depends on how we feel. I am certain that all is going well for you all.  I will be trying to take good notes and detailed journal entrys to be able to remember important events while I am gone.

Things I will be missing, the breakfast and juices here are amazing... i´m not sure if i will have them for the next three weeks. also, running water, fans, electricity, easy transportation, food that we do not need to cook. and other such things. also the very sweet little girls that remind me of kallen and lincoln... i´ll miss them too... Things i will not miss the noisy city, the yucky sewage smells at times among other things. :) no one is sick yet so that is very nice.:) They have many things in the city that we can buy if we need things which is very very convenient. I will not be writing again for at least three weeks.   We are excited to learn about nature and people.

Overview in Photos

My favorite boots? You bet!

Some pictures of San Fransisco

We walked about (no less than) seven miles on streets like these...

These are what I call the potato mountains.. right? they look like potatoes! Arizona

this is our assent of Squaw Peek

inside a divot on the potato mountains

Phoenix below squaw peek

sunrise from the top followed by racing the sun down.

20 miles in less than 24 hours in New Mexico = fun but exhausting adventure

These are a few highlights of the year I hope to have more to share later!

I have not included all the great adventures I've had with family over the past month! I love you all!

PRESSING ON

This packing has been quite a process, I am quite exited to be leaving shortly, but I often feel as though I will be leaving behind something very important. It's a rather scary concept. But I know that I will have everything I need and all else is just a luxury. It is amazing to see how little we truly NEED in comparison to how much we often have. I fear that we have grown accustom to such lives of luxury that we often forget what is luxury and what is necessity. I cannot wait to embark on this journey I will miss everyone here but I know that the best is yet to come when there will be no more crying, no hurt or pain. I'm living for that day. My thoughts are with you as I know this life is difficult and tedious at times I hope you always remember what is important in this life, and what means nothing in the end.

If my blogs no longer sound like the person you've known me to be, know that I am no longer in charge of posting these things and may begin to sound much cornier than I usually am. :] But I will miss these sunsets at home :)