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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Lake Life, Part II


After Lake Rapel, we drove to Lake Vichuquen to stay at the lake house of the good friends.  We stayed there on our own all week until Friday night, when Ruddy and his girlfriend Vale arrived around midnight and his mom, Nuddy, sister, Natalie, arrived at 2:30 am.  I was asleep with the kids for all arrivals!

They are generous friends to let us use the house all week!  Sheesh, how amazing and fortunate are we???

The week at the lake with our little family was such a gift!  We had family team building time, basically.  No television - so lots of time together, talking, dreaming, exploring.  We would call out, "Adventure is out there!"  every day as we set off for whatever - kayaking on the lake, a boat ride, a trip to the nearest general store (think - one room, 1950's USA).  


I love chatting with Nuddy and just being in her presence.  She's one of my favorite Chilenas!  She's amazing - has beat cancer, travelled the world (she learned English in Papau New Guinea where she spent 10 months as a newlywed 23 year old - and they speak pigeon English - can you imagine?!)

We took a day trip during the week, over the mountains to a town called Duao.  It's in the Maule region and is a cute fishing village on the coast.  Lunch, swimming in the restaurant's beachside salt water pool, and then exploring the beach were so fun.  Tristan and Tanner collected shells for their Gammie back home.  We could drive right onto the beach.  Tristan had fun challenging the tide.  










We drove off and stopped for ice cream down the road where we discovered that Tanner had left his shoes on the beach!  We managed to drive back and find those tiny little Crocs and made the crazy trip back to the lake house.

The road was a single lane dirt road up a steep mountain and down a steep mountain.  Deep, deep, powder dust made it even more exciting.  The views were spectacular - a huge lake on one side and the ocean on the other!  We had to share the road with logging trucks!  Interesting ride, to say the least.  



Tristan had friends to play with during the week.  Augustine is the caretaker's 8 year old son and Vicente came on the weekend with his dad, Igal (I have no idea how to spell this name.)  He had fun making new friends and it was good for his Spanish language development.  

Tanner loves Ruddy and Natalie and they were able to get him to have some fun in and around the water!!!  Victory!

Kiko got some dirt biking dreams come true, riding with Paleo and then with Ruddy.  








Tristan is growing up too fast.  He did the kayak solo!  And got really good at paddling!  That's my boy!

I have more photos to add as soon as I can upload them so stay tuned!!!  We might take a break on photos as Kiko and I both gained a bit - cheese and bread, chocolate, and an ice cream bar every day did not help my lose weight mission.  At all!  But sure did taste delicioso!

All in all, our little family agrees that we love lake life and will be on the lookout for a lake house just as soon as we can!  

Lake Life, Part I

Last Saturday we met up with Moiky and Ritchy across from Kids Store in Santiago and followed them to Lake Rapel to spend the weekend at the Marisio Family Lake House.

Let me say, that my confidence and self image has not been the greatest this past year, after gaining 20 lbs in three months (what is THAT??) and failing to lose it.  So imagine, pudgy, not tall, pale North American me, walking up to the poolside to find three of the most beautiful women in Chile sunbathing in bikinis.  Oh my word.  

I think I may have quickly retreated to our room and may have needed Kiko to give me a quick pep talk to rejoin our society and let myself actually enjoy the weekend.  It did help that he pointed out that all three are actual models and generally accepted to be more beautiful and perfect than any one.  Ever.

So, tankini with cover up on, I rejoined the group and discovered some truly wonderful and amazing people!  They were the kind of friends that made you feel right at home, are interested in you, encourage you, and you want to stay up late talking with.  My biggest regret was not being fluent in Spanish!  Someday, I am going to be just so I can talk, really talk, with these friends and family that continue to make me want to really know them!

Alvaro had all the toys!  He has jet skis, wakeboards, a pool, swing set, basically a little paradise for the boys and for us!  The house was beautiful but comfortable and functional.  Tristan was in heaven!  Alvaro took him jet skiing and it was all he asked to do, every 10 minutes, for the next 36 hours.

I got to wakeboard!  I got up!  On the 2nd day I even got a teeny, weeny amount of air jumping the wake.  The photos are not flattering.  I am focusing and concentrating so hard and it's all over my face!  

Moiky is so smooth and fluid wakeboarding - she's stunning anyway but put her on the wakeboard and it's beauty in motion!  I watched her from the deck of the house and another boat passed by and the guy wakeboarding behind it kept watching her, even once he had far passed her and did the horrific crash for it.  

Her husband Ritchy has only been doing it for a year and was awesome!  The kids loved them both.  Tanner was especially in love with Moiky and was all snuggles and kisses for her.  

They got Tristan to kneeboard on our last day - he was terrified but went for it anyway and was so proud of himself.  He fell over and didn't let go of the rope quickly so had a little bit of time underwater being pulled by the boat and learned that lesson the hard way.  And daddy and Ritchy had near heart attacks watching it happen, ready to jump in and rescue our little buddy.  

Alvaro is a pro on the jet ski and wake board.  He thrilled the kids with flips and grabs, jumps, wheelies and style!  

Maryanne, his wife is pregnant and has an active 20 month old boy, but won jet ski races and championships previously so next year we will see her show the boys even more, I suppose.  She is one of the people I am looking forward to talking with and knowing once I can speak the language!  It's so frustrating to want to ask questions or know more and totally not have the words to do it.  

Dominic and Francisco (aka, Negro) were another couple there and were great to chat with and get to know!  Dominic is like me with the language - understands but not able to speak, so she spoke in Spanish and I spoke in English.  Someday we are going to be great friends!!!  

All in all, my best days in Chile were there at Lake Rapel watching my boys have the time of their lives and getting to know some great friends of my husband's and now, mine!  

I am so impressed with Alvaro and Kiko's friendship.  One of those lifetime, totally blessed friendships we all hope to have.  



















Too much to catch up on?!

So I obviously have not developed and kept a good schedule of blogging about this adventure in Chile. At all.

Our first two weeks in Santiago de Chile, the capital city of the country, home to some 8 million people, sprawled out between two cordilleras - mountain ranges.  It's big.  And noisy and busy and tense.  The Andes are on one side - massive mountains that at first made me think of Denver but then realizing their size and closeness to the city I have to rethink it and say, "No, not another place - just here."  And that is something I have to do a lot.  When I travel, I find myself thinking, "Oh, that looks like California!"  Or some other place I've been to before, comparing and contrasting.  But I have to take time to recognize the here and now and the uniqueness of wherever I find myself in that present moment!

During my first two weeks, we stayed at the Cecy and Enrique's apartment in Las Condes.  A development of five buildings, each 21 or 22 stories tall.  We are on the 15th floor, with decent views and a large balcony.  Cecy is a talented decorator and the home feels live-able but well put together.  So we had her cover everything white (our boys are annihilators of white furniture) and we spend some time redirecting behavior (like stay away from windows and terraces that do not have screens on the 15th floor...and I pray a lot about that and keeping the door of fear closed.)

I lost two pounds though I was pretty bitter about it.  I worked out every day, did my intervals, walked a lot, did the vibroplatform "gym" with my sister in law four days a week, took the stairs once a day, and was hungry for two weeks.  And I lost TWO pounds.

So I kind of went on a food bender the past ten days of holidays within our vacation.

And now I am back in Santiago, and will go back to being hungry, working out, and seeing what to do next!  Grrrrr.  My MIL is suggesting that I go to the doctor here and get a work up of my hormones.  I was having trouble the past several months with them and seemed to be doing much better since going after the issue in prayer.  I am not sure what to do...

Friday, November 30, 2012

One week in country.

Well, it's been a week since we left our home in Colorado and make the trek to Chile.

It was a long travel day and I didn't sleep much on the flight from Dallas to Santiago.  I did meet an awesome mom in seat across the aisle.  She was chaperoning a youth mission trip to another part of Santiago with a group of 40 kids (looked like 10 years old to 18) from a church in Washington.  Her daughter was on her fourth year of making the trip and it was the mom's first!  The mom and I had great talks and it was awesome to meet a sister in Christ and share some of the goodness of God.  For a little while, I was a bit offended that no one tried to save me at the gate or on the plane, come on!  Forty kids on mission with their adult helpers and not a single attempt at salvation???  Once I got over myself, it was great getting excited about what HS is doing around the world.

One of our old friends from Aspen (Renato) now lives in Chile again and met us at the airport with Claudia's father.  It was good to see him again!  Great memories with him and cool to meet a friend's dad!  He was a really loving guy and so sweet I just wanted to take him home!  I bet Claudia does too - how hard it must be to go so many years without going "home".

We had a weekend filled with Kiko's family.  His sister, her husband and their three children met us at the airport and then came over for a lunch at Cecy's apartment.  We settled into our rooms and the cousins played.  Martin and Tristan are only a few months apart in age and they are great buddies - even if they don't speak the same language.  They are determined to be friends and it works.  Maybe there is a good lesson there, eh?

On Sunday, I slept through church!  So bummed.  We are going to visit the English speaking churches in Santiago and there is a Spanish speaking church I want to visit as well.  This Sunday will have to be #1.  We are going to check out the Santiago Community Church.  So looking forward to it.

We did have a great surprise - Kiko's dad took a bus overnight to surprise him!  He had his daughter's high school graduation on Saturday and then took a 9 hour bus ride up to Santiago to see his son (and family!)  I cried.  I think both he and Kiko did too!  It was an awesome  surprise!  We had a long asado (bbq) - and then I crashed out taking a nap with Tanner in the late afternoon!

It was a long but fun weekend.  The four hour time difference was just enough to get me and the kids slightly "off" on our time for sleep.  They were hungry for dinner at 10 pm and not ready for bed until 11:30 or 12!  It took us all a few days to get right.  They are now fighting off colds so praying for healing and protection.

We have taken a few walks, visited a skate park nearby, checked out the local mall and grocery stores and are getting oriented to our part of the city.  Kiko got to go to the opening day of friends' motocross track and will be able to ride his own dirt bike there tomorrow.

Last night we visited Ruddy and it was so nice to see him - he came to see us years ago in Aspen.  His English is great now - and my Spanish is actually worse than it was when we were here in 2009.  Tristan and I are both going to start Spanish lessons next week.  I loaned someone a copy of my book, "Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish" and don't remember who it was!  I am going to have to buy it online for my iPad as I found it to be the most useful book I read.

Products here are about two to three times the cost of the same item in the US and that really bothers me.  The ships are coming directly from China and yet, the retailers are really gouging the Chilenos.  Shame.  And it keeps me from eating much processed food as I refuse to pay so much for it!  The produce is amazing and tomorrow I am going with Enrique to the market where he buys produce for the week.  Very excited!

I am really grateful for Kiko's friends.  He has amazing friends.  I am super fortunate that I married into a great family and such a network of terrific friends.  Very cool for me!

A few funny cultural things:
1.  Tristan asked yesterday if Vale, the nana, is an apartment servant and why we have one.  She comes in the morning to clean Cecy's apartment, makes them lunch and makes dinner and leaves it for Cecy and Enrique.  In the afternoon she goes to Pao's to clean and make dinner there.  Tanner is warming up to her, very, very slowly and Tristan is totally unsure about it all.
2.  At the mall Christmas display everything was in Spanish and it somehow surprised me!  Norte Pola and Feliz Navidad!  The kids are excited for Christmas but a little thrown off with the seasons and it being Christmas in summertime.
3.  Kiko and I keep mixing up English and Spanish.  For instance, telling someone to turn on their lights last night, I was saying it in Spanish and HE was saying it in English!  I was yelling, "Las Luces!" and Kiko was yelling, "Your lights!  The lights!"

I really will post some photos.  Really.  Ok, I might.  Soon.  Ish.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Where did that come from?

This where the name of this blog came from...

Watch the clip above if you want to know how we came up with the name for this blog.  It's one of our family's favorite movies and we quote that line all the time.  "South America...It's like America....but South!"

Happy Thanksgiving to our North American friends and family!  We are very grateful for coming from such wonderful, loving, generous parents who know how to live well and love well.  Kiko and I feel like our lives have been especially marked with extraordinary friendships throughout the world, for which we are also grateful.

We plan to have our turkey dinner with the Holloways, an awesome family we have loved for years, near Aspen.  Christina was Tristan's teacher from 11 months old until he was almost 3 and her little boy, Luke, is one of his best friends still!  I am bringing roasted vegetables, gooey pumpkin butter cake, and cream puffs drizzled in chocolate.

Tonight will be a cleaning and laundry extravaganza in our house!  For this of you who have seen the horror that is my office - I might post a picture of its organized beauty for you.  It makes me want to work in it!!!

I have to run - I have had a headache for four days so Kiko is going to play chiropractor on me and see if he can help my neck.  Pray for me, friends!  God heals and I need that healing to manifest now!

Getting ready...

Today is the day before Thanksgiving and I am thankful we are having dinner at friends tomorrow. My house has been upended!  We are packed and ready for the flight on Friday afternoon, minus last minute carryon items. IF I can keep the boys out of their backpack and suitcases. They keep retrieving toys out of them. And pulling out out clothes to make sure I did pack the favorite t-shirt that has been requested roughly five thousand times.  (Thank you, Shawn White for designing for Target!).

Momo keeps me excited by counting the sleeps with me and the boys are beside themselves with anticipation!  So fun!

Today I have to mail Christmas presents to my nephews.  This year I was finished shopping by mid-November!  Deadlines are good for me.  I will sure miss my family this Christmas but poor Kiko has missed Christmas with his family for years and its about time he got one!  Thank God for this blessing of an extended holiday and the opportunity to grow our business in Chile.

We have totally full bags that we already took to the airport to weigh and each one is right at 50 lbs.  Two of our four suitcases are presents!  Yay for Christmas!  We hope to make it really special for the boys sharing their first holiday with our South American family in the summer!  I might miss peppermint everything but am excited to see what they traditionally enjoy for Christmas.

I packed 1/2 my clothes in a size too small. How's that for motivation?

We had a fiasco with our airline seats as we thought to check on them the other night for some reason and discovered our assignments were changed and our little family was not sitting together on a 9 hour overnight flight. For a minute it was tempting to let some stranger deal with my two year old at 3 am but responsibility won out and we spent an hour with an American Airlines supervisor on the phone insisting she could do nothing and that the flight was sold out nearly and the best she could do was put me and kids in the back of the plane and Kiko in the middle. Um....no, thank you, that's not very helpful.  Kiko got on Skype with his father in law at his travel business in Santiago and they were able to change our seats to our preference.  I am really not impressed with American and am hoping the many issues we have had with our tickets prior to departure are the worst of it!

Our friends, the Phillips, always have awesome testimonies of favor when they travel and we are releasing that over us for this trip!

I better sign off as it doesn't appear the house is willing to clean itself today.

Chao!  (Chilean for bye!)