One thing that I will miss here

Yesterday, I posted about something that I will NOT miss here--icy, cold weather.  Well, today, I am going to post something that I WILL miss here--family.  We had our family Christmas gathering yesterday at my brother's house in Cincinnati.  We had a GREAT time!!  I plan on being there next Christmas, but as we all know, we don't really know what the future has in store for each of us. 

We have been taking this same picture every year for the last 16 years, ever since my mother passed away and my brother started hosting our annual family Christmas party.  It is amazing how fast time goes by when you see how some of the kids are in their 20's now. 

My 86 year old aunt is the only one left of her siblings.  Less than 5 years ago, both of her sisters and her brother (my dad) were still alive.  We weren't sure if she was going to be able to come this year, but we were really happy that she did.

My sister and her husband of 28 years (I think) were also there.  My sister and I are very close and I will miss seeing her on a weekly basis.  We also like to go to Tunica, MS to gamble a couple of times of the year.  We always have a blast!!  But I told her that I think there are casinos in Ecuador, although I'm not sure there are any in Cuenca if that is where we end up.  Hopefully, Cuenca will be a place that everyone will want to visit us.  Looking forward to visiting there in Feb. 09.  Hasta luego!!

One thing that I won't miss here

One thing that I won't miss if/when we move to Ecuador is the winter weather.  We have had pretty miserable weather this week.  And because we live in the middle between the milder weather and really cold weather, we are never really sure WHAT we will get in Louisville, Kentucky.  So, this week, the result was a 1/2 inch of ice covering everything. 

The first picture is of the icicles hanging from our front porch and the second picture is of the icicles hanging from our back porch.  Needless to say, I won't miss the ice at all.  We have had all of that ice covering EVERYTHING for the last 4 days. It reminds of the Paul Simon song -- "Slip Sliding Away".  I think some people around here have not been out of their houses for 4 days.  So I will definitely NOT miss this mess in Ecuador.

Our Last Christmas Season in the States???

Hola!  Pat and I having been practicing our Spanish hoping that we will know how to say something in Spanish when we visit Ecuador in February.  It is amazing how difficult it is to learn a new language as a 50-something year old.

My Monthly Bunco Group

Last night, I went to Derby Dinner Playhouse to see "Forever Plaid Tidings"--a really funny and entertaining Christmas program with my bunco group.   It is amazing how you think about things differently when you realize that you may not be around next year.   It has made me really appreciate the moments more.

Today, I have been writing and addressing Christmas cards.  It is amazing how hard it is to find Christmas cards with a "Christ" theme in the stores anymore.   It seems like we have to be so accepting and tolerant of everything else except Christianity.   It is like we have forgotten what Christmas is all about.

I have been reading and re-reading every blog that I can about Cuenca.  It is amazing how we just decided to visit Ecuador less than 8 weeks ago to see if it is something that we might consider.  And after doing more research and reading several blogs of ex-pats who have made the move, Pat and I are thinking that it is probably a "done deal".  We are really getting excited about the possible move.  It is mind boggling to think about all of the details that are involved.  Hasta luego, Sue

Just Starting Out

So begins the saga....  We have been thinking about moving out of the country for over a year.  Pat has been wanting to retire for a couple of years now.   And we aren't sure if we would be able to do it the way that we want to and live in the United States.  SO, first Pat mentioned Costa Rica and Panama last year.  I thought he was just talking and dreaming.  But as the year went on, Ecuador was coming to the forefront as a possible location.  International Living magazine said that we could retire on $17,000 a year.  That sounded very appealing.

But, our oldest daughter,  Elizabeth, was preparing to get married this last September.  And we were pretty comsumed with the details of the wedding throughout the summer months.  So I didn't have the time to give serious thought to moving out of the country to live.  But, after the wedding, Pat brought it up again.  And alot of things were going on at the time and I thought, "Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea".  So we both started talking seriously about checking it out.

We made plane reservations to go this coming February for 2 weeks.  We planned on spending a week in Quito and a week in Cuenca to see which one we would like the best.  But over the last 8 weeks, I have been reading alot of great blogs about Cuenca.  And Pat has been reading more about Cuenca and we think that is the place where we will probably end up.  So, we are only going to spend 4 days in Quito and 10 days in Cuenca.  The ex-pats who are already living in there have been writing some wonderful blogs about their moving experiences and how much they love living there.

So I have decided to write a blog about the process too.  Hopefully, it will not be too boring and will contain some valuable information if someone else is thinking about moving to Ecuador too.