Can't Buy Me Love

The picture is our sweet puppy after surgery to remove a baseball hat from his stomach. The adorable black dog is his friend Nahla who was staying with us for the weekend.

Ever since we returned from our big trip to Ecuador, we have been working hard at being better stewards of the money and resources God has blessed us with. This began by stepping out in faith and starting to tithe...meaning giving 10% of our income to the church. It felt great to know that we were being obedient to Him, and it strengthened our faith as we counted on Him to provide for us each month.
I would like to admit that while we have seen God provide for us in many ways, it has not always been easy to trust that He has things all under control. Sometimes you have to really take a step back to see Him working. The month of August was especially difficult. Things seemed to be going quite well, although I will admit we were not doing the best job at budgeting our money and spending wisely. I had received a nice bonus for my teaching portfolio, and that was mainly used to pay off the credit card that we used while we were in Ecuador. Well, we went slightly over budget on our trip, but we still managed to get it paid off with my bonus. Around my birthday we decided that we could finally afford for me to replace the car I have been driving since I was 16. We found a great deal on a new Nissan Sentra, and the best part was that we qualified for an interest rate of 0.9%, which is next to nothing. It was a little more than we had planned on spending, but the thought of having a car that is under warranty for three years made it seem worth it. We knew that with two cars over 95,000 miles, we were going to start running into expensive problems sooner or later. The month of August was a little slow for Santi, and his commission check was not as high as normal...no big deal...we were still more than fine. We have emergency fund for these purposes if need be. Then...one day our lovely dog decided that a baseball hat seemed like a delicious lunch while we were at work. I came home to find no more than a couple of tiny pieces remaining. I thought surely he had destroyed it enough that it would just make its way out naturally. Well, that was not the case. $2,ooo later the hat was successfully removed via emergency surgery, oh, and there was also a toy in there. Following that hit to our budget, my mop also decided now would be a great time to break. This is not just any mop...it is a steam mop. When you have mostly tile floors in your home, it is not practical to just mop the old fashioned way. So...I had dirty floors and no mop. When it rains it pours. All of this was in light of our already planned trip to Indiana for my fall break in October...so tack on $500 in plane tickets and another $250 to board the dog. In the grand scheme of things, these minor setbacks may seem like nothing. We are very blessed, and we can work around them. They may be a pain, and they may mean we have to sacrifice here and there...but they are manageable.
After feeling a bit frustrated...I was able to see that this must be God's way of telling us it was time to get serious about budgeting our money and start being better stewards of what He has given us. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)
So...as of September 1st...we are back on track with our budget and so far doing better than we ever have. We have been out to eat once in over a week...and it was to Taco Bell! We have also been under budget on groceries...and my cooking skills are quickly improving:) I will keep you all posted on how this new budget works out.

Fall is around the corner...

Ahhh fall...well, I can pretend anyways. Once the calendar flips over to September, it is fall in my book. It may be 105 degrees outside, but I can still get into the spirit of fall can't I? There are many wonderful benefits to living in the desert, like ample sunshine and mild winters...but I really do miss fall. Last year we drove up to Sedona in October to get our fill of fall weather and scenery, and I must say that Sedona is a beautiful place to be in the fall. Well, Sedona is a beautiful place to be any time of year...in fact it may just be one of my all time favorite places to be period. This year I don't think we will make it up there for the fall season...but we will be heading to Indiana, where I am hoping we get a real taste of all things fall that I miss so dearly. Bright colored leaves, cool sweatshirt weather...and the wonderful smell of fall. My husband likes to tease me when I talk about the "smell" of fall, but ladies will all agree that fall definitely has a distinct and lovely smell. A sort of combination of apples, hay, crisp air, and pumpkins...or something like that. I don't know, you can't really describe the smell...you just know it when you come across it.

Summer's End

It's hard to believe that summer came and went. I guess that's what happens when you spend your summer traveling around the world and visiting with family and friends. Santi and I spent two and a half weeks in Ecuador in June. It was truly an amazing experience. This was the first time he had been back to his home country since he left over 13 years ago. When we first landed in Quito it felt surreal to both of us to actually be there (could have been the lack of sleep or lightheaded feeling from the altitude). This trip was something we have both talked about since we met, and to think we were finally there was unbelievable. We spent our time exploring Quito, which Santi discovered had changed and grown quite a bit since he had left, and traveling around the rest of Ecuador visiting family. Ecuador was absolutely beautiful. I always knew I would love it there, but I never expected that it would grow my love for Santiago and give me a clearer understanding of exactly who he is and where he came from. Our childhoods are such defining parts of who we are as people, and until we went to Ecuador and I was able to see where he grew up, I never fully understood that part of him. He always had a good idea of what my childhood was like because he lived in Indiana for 13 years, understood what life in the midwest was all about, met my family, and spent time fishing and doing all of the other things I enjoyed growing up. I had never had that opportunity. Of course I had met some of his family at the wedding, and his immediate family lives in Indiana, but to meet everyone else and be there, in Ecuador, was a completely different experience. We saw and experienced so many fantastic things. I would be here all day if I wrote about them all! When people ask what my favorite part of the trip was, I have to say the FOOD..and truly experiencing the culture. I have such a deep love and respect for Hispanic culture, and Ecuadorian culture in particular. It has always been part of our relationship, but now I think both our American culture and Ecuadorian cultures will be much more closely intertwined. I love listening to Ecuadorian music, and after purchasing an Ecuadorian cookbook I am becoming quite the cook! I think that the blending of our two very unique cultures makes us a unique couple, and will one day make us a unique family.
Speaking of family...no we are not expecting! I don't know how many times I was asked that in Ecuador...being that I am almost 26 and Santi almost 29 with no children is kind of rare for Ecuadorians. That's where our American side comes in I guess! I have to admit, I have had babies on the brain for awhile now, especially with so many of my friends having babies, but there just never seems to be a "right time". I know people say there never will be a "right time", so I guess at some point we are just going to have to let God handle the timing. We always set a time frame, and then push it back when we plan another vacation or large purchase...it seems like there is always "just one more vacation" or, "let's just buy this for the house first". Lately it's been the search for a new car. Not to mention my fear of who would watch our baby if we can't afford for me to stay home. Hopefully with both of us finishing school in the next year that won't be an issue. I guess for now I need to "give it up to God" and trust him with the solution.
School is starting a week from Monday...can you believe that?! I am astonished that it is already that time of year again! I must say though, I am a little excited. I do love teaching. I am extra excited this year because it will be my second year in the same grade, kindergarten, which I love! I finally feel like I have more of a handle on what to expect and what works and what doesn't work now that I have a year of kindergarten under my belt. I was in my classroom all last week getting things arranged. I must say it looks sooooo much better than last year when I had no idea what I was doing! I have seen my class list so far...16 kiddos, but I won't get my hopes up because I will be at 20+ by the first day. This year should be extra interesting too because instead of all Spanish speakers I have one child that speaks Arabic and one that speaks Vietnemese. I have also made the decision to blog about my classroom this year. Teaching is such an inspirational career, no two days are ever alike, and to be honest I have some really funny things I would like to blog about! Hopefully it goes well.
Well, for now it is off to make dinner.

Summertime and the livin's easy...

Well, I can remember just a few weeks ago I was thinking summer would never arrive, but here it is and boy it came fast! Today I enjoyed my first official day of summer and it was grand, although I must admit I am already bored. Thankfully we have a busy summer of traveling and hosting visitors ahead of us, so I think I better enjoy the boredom while it lasts. This weekend I enjoyed catching up on my cleaning and soaking up the sun on the Salt River with teacher friends. Poor Santi is busy at work trying to get ahead before we leave. We leave for Ecuador in less than 2 weeks now, and I have plenty of last minute travel details to keep me busy for the next few days. My brother is coming out for a visit on Friday and will be here several days. We are looking forward to seeing him! I am so excited about everything we have planned for the summer, and I am so grateful that we are able to do these things. This trip to Ecuador has been a long time coming and I know that Santi is truly excited to return home. I am also really looking forward to learning more about where he grew up and seeing the beauty of his home country. I am also excited to meet many of his family members and old high school friends that I have never met! I know it will be an amazing trip and one we will cherish until we are able to return:) Shortly after we return from Ecuador I will be heading to Indiana for a week to see family and also attend the wedding of Deanna, a good friend from college. I am so excited to see my family and friends and be home again in Indiana. I cannot believe it has been almost a year since I have seen my mom!!!!! That is ridiculous if you ask me. I think we need to be making more trips! It's hard being so far away, but I am constantly torn between the life we love out here and the world of opportunities that we have and the nagging feeling that we should be closer to family. I hope sooner than later we can strike a balance.
On another note, Santi and I have joined a "Home Team", or Bible study through church and it has been a real blessing. We meet once a week with a group of couples our age, eat together, and discuss the message of the week from church. I have been praying for a long time for God to bring us some married friends our age that we could relate to and develop relationships with. At work, all of our friends are single for the most part, so it is difficult to find friends to relate to. The best part is, we also discovered that we live just one street over from the only other couple in the group who does not have kids! It's so nice to finally feel like we are connecting with people out here. I can't believe we have been here almost 2 years! Time flies!

Well...I will post again with photos of our experiences in Ecuador!

Where has the time gone?

I know it has been awhile since the last post, but things have been crazy here! We celebrated the holidays with Santi's parents here in Phoenix which seems like only a couple of weeks ago, but somehow we are already into March! Santi's parents spent most of January here. We celebrated Santi's 28th birthday with family from California who came for a visit to see the new house. Santi's parents went back to California with them for a couple of weeks, and then we went out to pick them up so they could catch their return flight back to Indiana. In the midst of all of this traveling and hosting visitors I was sick AGAIN with a second round of bronchitis! Thankfully I finally got over being sick and now I am enjoying a relaxing spring break! I am spending the first half of my spring break taking some much needed time to unwind and relax. Santi's aunt and uncle from Indiana are visiting us this week, but drove up to Vegas for a couple of days. They return to Phoenix tomorrow evening. On Thursday we are taking them up to Sedona, and then on Friday we are going to a spring training baseball game. I am also looking forward to Saturday and Sunday when Santi will be off work and we can spend some alone time together. It seems like that rarely happens lately.
On another note, I am already into my 4th graduate class! It seems like I just enrolled. Hopefully I will be done in about a year or so. Santi is also speeding along with his courses. He and I should be finished with our degrees around the same time, which is really exciting. In addition to school news, we have planned a much anticipated trip to Ecuador for June! Santi finally received his 10 year green card and we are all set to travel! We have been talking about this trip since we were dating, and it has been a long time coming. Santi has not returned to Ecuador since he moved here at age 15, so I am sure it will be an emotional trip for him. We will be staying with several of his family members and touring as much of Ecuador as possible. We will be there for a little over 2 weeks. At first we were so busy trying to get all of the details into place that we really didn't have time to think about the actual trip. Now that the tickets are purchased and plans are made, we are eagerly anticipating our trip! For anyone who really truly knows Santi and I, we are big planners (me probably more so than him) and this is one more thing off our checklist! We are having such a wonderful time enjoying being young and married. I know this time of just the two of us and being able to do all of these things will not last forever (hopefully), so I am enjoying every minute of it!
Well...the next couple of months will be busy I am sure as I prepare for the end of the school year and we get ready for our big trip. If I don't post again before Ecuador, I will definitely post afterwards with lost of pictures!