Nauvoo

It is time for a new video camera.  It has been recovered a number of times from bad falls, but in Feb it plunged 15 ft into a small cave at the highest point of the mountain in Machu Picchu.  Good thing that mom was not there because Dad sent Abe into the black crevice to recover it.  But I digress.

Here is our trip to Nauvoo.  It was spectacular.  What a great experience to see Brent and Janet as missionaries (performing nonetheless).  We were able to spend sweet time in the temple, enjoy geode hunting on P-day, see the pageant, and get a better understanding of the life the Saints led in this sacred place.  This trip was so memorable.

I am having troubles uploading the video, so you can find it here until I fix the gliche.

We spotted this fox over and over throughout the week.

Grandma booking Carriage Tours and Wagon Rides

Playing in Jonathon Browning's backyard.

Getting a tour from Grandma

Anna Amanda Amelia Applebee

Our favortie Jed and Annie

Random Thoughts

• I love mint chocolate chip ice cream and cheese danishes even more.  Fortunately for my waist, I cannot get either here on the local economy.  However thanks to the commissary, today I ate both.  
• I miss the sun!
• Afterschool activities that live up my standards are hard to find here.  I just can't let go of my expectations. 
• I have a lot of decisions to make which is a double-sided coin.  I just can't seem to get it off my mind, even though I really am trying.
• I LOVE real estate.  In all forms.  Some people love to craft or cook or bake or use Photoshop. I love to look through the MLS and read real estate investment blogs.  This is one of the few reasons I dream of living in the same place forever.  Real estate and established friendships.  Period.
• While I do dream about Target and Costco, I will give up both forever if it means that I get to travel.
• We have such great friends here in Peru.  If I raised my children in once place, they would not have to say goodbye over and over and work at establishing new friendships every few years.  Except that if we didn't, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know the great families posted with us around the world.  We have such great friends.  Truly.
• I have a pile of things to blog about, but just can't get motivated enough to do it.  Just the thought of sitting here while the photos are uploading...
• I think that this blog might have more future value if I go private so that I can be more open.  I simply just don't want to.  Why not?  I don't know.
• I love the Young Women's organization of the Church.  There is no better place to serve.  They lift me up day in and day out.  Regardless of history or language.  They are the hope of the future.  Incredible.
• I could listen to this song over and over and over:

• Speaking of which, I love this one too (thanks to the Nie Nie Dialogues new family video):

Preview of Nauvoo

One of the pioneers favorite passtimes was the Stick Pull.  This is  just too good not to share... More of Nauvoo to come soon.  We have a lot to share from our summer vacation. There is some good stuff.

More Sophia

Seriously?  Nothing like hanging out in a basket.  

Or going to sleep when you are tired.

The Girls

Sophia is full of personality and such a heart-breaker.

She love to dance and she turns everything into a song.  This is her best friend Kennedy. They are in the same class at school and she has an older sister who is just a couple of months younger than Peyton.  I love when it works out like that. :)  They were so cute in this little performance for Mother's Day.

Peyton loves music and dance too.  She is meticulous and orderly.

Showin' her stuff.

Jazz class.  She loves to get out and move.  We are looking forward to the time when she can play basketball.  So is she. 

Happy Father's Day

Okay, I really need to get caught up before we leave on R&R or I might as well throw in the towel on this blog right now.

Happy Father's Day to the 

2011 Embassy Games Chess Champion

This was really fun to make with the kids for Father's Day Dinner

and the

 2011 Embassy Games 3-on-3 Basketball Champion

It is funny how things come full-circle sometimes.  Steve held both of these titles at Ricks College in 2000.  So much has changed and yet, this is a reminder of how many things have stayed the same.

Nash Despedida

We said goodbye to the Nash Family today.  They are heading back to SLC to start a new chapter of their life.  Elder Nash has been the Area President here in Peru since 2007 and it is time for him to accept new church responsibilities.  Shelly and Spencer left just hours after this photo was taken, but Elder Nash will be with us on our flight out on Thursday.  Steve told Elder Nash that we were on his flight by special request from the First Presidency to make sure that he boarded. :)  

Shelly has been my friend and Visiting Teacher since we arrived.  The very first Sunday that we met, she looked at me and said you must be Jaclyn.  She is a good friend of the Area President in Buenos Aires who had told her of our arrival.  It was so comforting.  There is something about being 'known' in this strange lifestyle we lead where we have to start all over every couple of years. 

Shelly has taught me so much in the year we have been in Peru.  She is such a light and shining example of everything that a great woman represents.  We have enjoyed the football games together, walks, spanish class, tennis and most of all, the laughs.  We will really miss you!

This is such a great group of people.  The Nashs' have touched so many lives. We had the priveledge of making a video with memories and photos from people who are currently living here and those who have moved on.  Everyone was so eager to contribute.

What the heck was I doing?  Trying to make light of goodbyes.  I have said it a hundred times, but goodbye are the very worst part of this life.

Cherilyn and Betty Ann.  What would I do without these great women?  And how did my bangs get so stinkin' short? Just sayin'.

After years of talk...

Steve said goodbye to the world of corrective lenses.

In a few hours, he will wake up a man with 20/20 vision!

Huaraz, Peru

Steve has been at it again!  We are the stars of our own movie!

Check it out here!

It is a must see and cannot be missed!

If you could go back...

...to right before you had your first child, what would you tell yourself?  There are so many things that I wish that I had known.  I was blessed to have a insightful sister-in-law who told me that I was about to fall in love again and she was so right!

My favorite answer is "Google doesn't have children."

Easter 2011

We were in Huaraz until Saturday afternoon and then trying to find a time to hunt for eggs and baskets as a family between church meetings before and after 830 church took some planning.  In the end, we had a great time and like always, was worth the extra effort.  

Easter Grub

Sophia swiped Peyton's new hat

Peyton found her stash behind the curtains

My mom bought Sophia a great dress (with those fun purpleshoes) that coordinated with Peyton's dress, but instead Sophia insisted on these treasures from her Easter basket.  Good thing that they were both purple, too bad that they weren't meant to go together. :)  She really is developing a personality with opinions all on her own.

Our resident Chef.  

There was a day when cooking together doubled the prep time, but these days she really contributes and is a great help.  She and I can whip something together in no time.  She is always wants to learn.

Huaraz, Peru

For Easter weekend, we headed to Huaraz (a difficult 6 hour drive) with good friends to take advantage of the extra days off and enjoy the scenic snow-capped mountains.  It was so nice to get away from the desert sand and catch a glimpse of green.  Although I was extremely sick due to the altitude (note to self: take medicine in the weeks leading up to this kind of trip), it was really awesome to catch a glimpse of the life of the native people of Peru.  They speak their native Indian language and live a life that you can only imagine existed hundreds of years ago.  

There were small children as well as teenagers who tried to set traps of one kind or another to stop us along the way at various time.  You can only wonder whether or not they would have tried to rob us or if they were simply looking for handouts.  Steve had to shout at the window to let them know that we were not stopping.  We nearly hit a handful of dogs and sheep, but our friends came within inches of a poor sheep that cross the road at the wrong time.  Sometimes the travel can be a little stressful, but you just can't even really buy these experiences.  I am not sure that people will even believe me when I recount these stories in 20 years.

View from the Car

On Day 2, we headed 15 miles up into the mountains to visit Honkopampa.  A pre-Incan Ruin near a hikable waterfall.  We rode small horses to the waterfall and then hiked on foot past it.  This was definetly the highlight of the trip.  I wished I was able to take a picture of the incredible scene.  10 of us on horseback, led by tradional Quenchan people into the hills.  I was holding Sophie, so the camera stayed in the bag.   

Just snagged this from Cherilyn's blog:

On a road much like the one below, I even saw a girl with down syndrome dressed in traditional clothing with her basket of laundry that she was taking to the stream.

Traveling unmarked dirt road through tradional Indian villages.

Cade, Sophia, Abe, Peyton and Will

At the waterfall

Abe's horse and Guide

And in case we hadn't had enough time to really soak in the views, our friend's car was stuck in the mud on the way to see the Ruins after the hike.  It took 3 hours to realize that the engine block was stuck in the mud. Every trip needs a little story to tell, right?   

Entrance to the Ruins: $1

Horseback Ride to the Waterfall: $3

3 hours with native Quechuan people trying to dig the car out of the mud: PRICELESS.

It gave the kids a chance to play in the pond and get really muddy:

Don't miss the ruins in the background, sheep wandering into the scene near the car, native Quechan people lending thier assistance and Scott praying for a successful pull.

A few more tourists to help and some time later, this was the final push:

The reason for the trip:

Huascaran (22,205ft) - Can you see the snow capped peaks above the clouds?

Lake Llaganuco

 Pre-Incan Ruins at 14,000+ ft

This face in the snow was extremely amusing.  I think that it looks like Darth Vader.  Do you see it?

Our favorite thing about traveling is seeing just how people really live.  This village is quite large considering it's location.  There are only small footpaths into this agricultural village.  Just imagine how removed from the world they are.  Incredible.

The Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is an incredible place.  Simply Beautiful.

Just look at those fingers.

Sophia loved this little llama.  My mom has a better photo somewhere.

This llama farm was one of our favorite stops.

The kids learned firsthand how wool is dyed.

This was our guide at the farm.  He kept the kids stocked with greens.

Sacred Valley

Market Center in Pisac

This is Ollantaytambo - the last stop for vehicles.  You have to take the train the rest of the way to Machu Picchu.  We spent a night here after train service was cancelled due to high rain waters.  This entire town was constructed by Incans and was an Incan stronhold during the Spanish Conquest. 

These women are using the running water to wash their clothes.

Ruins built into the side of the mountain.

New construction built on old.

This is inside the traditional home from the photo above. There were guinea pigs being raised for this month's dinner and strange skulls nestled in wall niches.  I felt bad for taking photos, so I bought a small wool cardigan for Sophia.

If Abe had his way, he would have wandered through the maze of streets for hours looking for secret hideouts.

I spent the day chewing on coca leaves and cloves hoping that the pain of the abscess would subside.  I searched high and low looking for a decent pain killer.  As it turns out, anything with addictive qualities is illegal here in Peru because they cannot properly regulate the pharmacies.