The new tile has ‘super grip-ability’ so I don’t fall and injure myself.  My dad lobbied for a grab bar in the shower but I’m not ready for that yet.  I will be able to lounge in the bubbles with the relaxing sound of the river in the background – heaven!  Check out that view – it’s the river!!

We drove up to Sinincay last week to find tile for the 2nd floor and the kitchen.  There are many places that have hand made red tile for sale.  The prices are MUCH, MUCH cheaper than anywhere in town.  After choosing the tile, Oscar the architect drove us back to Cuenca through the countryside and into the Sinincay town square.  I was quite charmed with the area.  My friend Denise was with us and she liked it, too.  They started laying the tile late last week and it is looking awesome!

Here is my bright green bedroom with the new tile.  They are going to put cement in between the bricks and then it will be sanded and polished.  They go perfectly with the Spanish style of the house!

Here is Eamon’s floor:

Javier (the amazing) cleared out all of the plants along the wall.  I bought a weed whacker and he told me it works incredibly well.  I was nervous about what we would discover underneath all of that ivy and sure enough, a huge rat’s nest was found!

I HATE RODENTS AND WOULD EVEN SAY I AM TERRIFIED OF THEM.

I emailed Oscar about the infestation and asked him to get an exterminator out ASAP.  Yesterday, they put concrete over the hole/rat house front door (which Oscar described as really big, they must like space) and he said he would get an exterminator out.  He told me the only reason the rats were there was because the house was empty and as soon as the puppies and kitties moved in they would be gone.  I don’t care – I am not taking any chances, the exterminator is still coming!  Here is the cleared out yard:

The wall and fence will be pressure washed and painted soon.  Plexiglass is being installed along the wrought iron to prevent the felines from leaving the grounds.  Bamboo will be planted along the wall to create a beautiful living fence of green!

I decided I want a balcony outside of my bedroom.  The view of the river is so spectacular that I knew I would regret not having an outdoor space to enjoy the vista.  I am excited!

I have visited every tile store in Cuenca and have not been able to find the right back splash tile for the kitchen.  I emailed the artist who did the tiles we used on our island in the Seattle kitchen.  She creates hand painted cat tiles – very colorful and totally unique.  She has enough for our new kitchen and they should be on their way south soon!

Eamon’s social life is improving, which makes me happy.  He went over to his friend Sebastian’s house this past weekend and had a terrific time.  His friend Nico has been coming over after school to do homework with Eamon and his tutor Ruth.  And, he has requested a Blackberry because ‘all of his friends’ have them – very positive!

My friend Greta arrives tomorrow!  She bought her condo a year ago, it is on the Yanuncay close to Mall del Rio.  She will be staying with us for a little bit until she can get some furniture and other necessities for her place.  Welcome, Greta!

The sun is shining and I am headed out to enjoy it!

Javier got multiple bids for the security system.  I’ve decided a visible deterrent is not such a bad idea.  Not sure of the timing, I think the exterior wall needs to be painted first and most of the interior work has to be close to done.  We took Rachel and Heidi to frolic in their new yard.  Rachel loves to roll around in the grass!  Javier noticed a large dead RAT in the front yard which the workers made disappear.  I hate rodents.  Once the cats take residence, I do not expect to see another one…

I got a bid for curtains that was WAY too expensive – $1600.  I went to a fabric store downtown and found some nice sheer fabric – perfect for the windows.  I got the whole bolt (50 meters) for $3.50/meter.  Then Javier (the amazing) found a seamstress who sewed ALL of the curtains for $55!  AND, they were ready in two days!!  Truly the highlight of the week!

Then there is the visa.  Heavy sigh.  We do not yet have the new visa or the extension.  My attorney keeps telling me not to worry, which is easier said than done.  All of the paperwork is SUPPOSED to be done by next Tuesday.  I am not very optimistic, but there could be a January miracle.  Unfortunately, it is almost February.

I hope we can be in the house by the 3rd week of February, fingers crossed!  I will take some photos and post them tomorrow or Monday.

Eamon was quite disappointed he missed all of the snow in Seattle.  Mom wasn’t disappointed at all.  Sunshine (and a little rain) is MUCH better!

I love color and I want a happy space!  The architect assures me it will be beautiful!  I am having trouble finding just the right tile for the back splash.  I may need to order it from the states and bring it in Kathleen’s container from Seattle.

We still don’t have our visa extension.   The plan is to fly to Quito one day this week with our attorney.  I am converting from a work/business visa to an investment visa.  We have been waiting to get a final deed from one of the properties I own.  Should be straightforward, but nothing is that easy here, especially when it comes to official, bureaucratic paperwork.  Fingers crossed things go smoothly!  Eamon is excited he will get to miss school for a day!

I intend (I think) to install security system(s) at the house.  I got the first bid this week.  It included an electric ‘deterrent’ for the top of the exterior wall as well as an alarm for the house itself.  I am undecided whether both would be overkill.  I will be getting a couple of more bids to compare prices and will consult with my Cuencano friends to make sure I am not being quoted in ‘gringo’ dollars!

Someone has been shooting off a cannon close to our building, the loudest we’ve ever experienced.  Not sure if there is an event happening;  it is probably just another Sunday morning in Cuenca!

View from inside the bedroom – WOW!

That huge, gaping hole is my bedroom!

A (semi) front view of the house with my teeny car.  You can also see the 3rd floor balcony and of course you can’t miss the gaping hole….

This used to be the kitchen – it was WAY too tiny and now it will be big and cool!

This arch used to be closed up.  We punched it out so the kitchen will be open to the living/dining space and will have a more informal feel.  You can’t really tell from the photo but the arch is made from beautiful gray stone.

I am going to paint the exterior of the house and the outside wall.  Not a big fan of terracotta, I think I want more of a Mediterranean flavor.

I close today with Christmas photos of some of the kids:

Heidi – all dressed up for Christmas Eve at Moca!

Chloe decided to stay home – she is not very social.

Rachel slept through the season.

Fingers crossed that mucho progress happens this week!  I have a head cold so won’t be spending too much time in the dust.  Life keeps marching on!

Christmas Day was quiet.  Santa managed to leave a few packages for Eamon, although I don’t think he was all that impressed.  It was a relaxing day, with many calls from family and friends in Seattle.  I will admit to shedding a few (many) tears after hearing those familiar voices.  Despite my resolve to start creating new memories in our new home, it was still really hard to be away from all of the people we love.  Hopefully, many of them will be heading south to see us soon!

Our participation in the New Year’s Eve activities was limited to watching the fireworks from the penthouse terrace.  They actually started as soon as it was dark and continued into the wee hours.  During the days preceding the big night, we drove by MANY stands selling effigies, ready to be burned at midnight.  A lot of the faces were distorted caricatures and reminded Eamon of a bad horror movie.  The concept of getting rid of all the bad stuff from the old year in a blaze of glory and starting fresh is terrific.  Maybe next year we will be more active party people and pyromaniacs.

A new year is truly an opportunity for a new beginning.  Eamon and I (along with the 4 legged family members) will have a new beginning in our new house on the Rio Tombebamba!  I had been looking at houses for several months, hoping to find something that would work for the pets and feel as comfortable as the penthouse.  The rules in our condo have been changed to restrict the number of pets (1/owner) and I did not want to   spend energy, legal resources or time fighting the unknown people in power.  The stress has already given me an ulcer, which was the last straw.  NOT why I came to Ecuador!

I found an incredible house just a few blocks from Palermo, right across from Rio Tombebamba.  It is only a year old, but was built in a Spanish colonial style so it looks and feels older.   The moment I walked in I knew I had found the place.  There is a small yard, perfect for the pets.  And the sound of the river – AMAZING!  I am having a wee bit of work done before we move in.  Target move date is the second week of February.  I plan to rent the penthouse furnished for the time being.  Here are a couple photos to give you a feel for the place:

Front yard.  I am having plexiglass installed behind the wrought iron fence to help prevent escapes…

The family room.   The wooden benches are coming out, the walls are being painted a light color, the fireplace is going to be gas and Eamon is going to have a ping pong table!

Rio Tombebamba just across the street.

Part of the covered patio.  Paint and clean up here, very simple.

Welcome Home!

Next post I will have some ‘in progress’ photos!

Happy 2012 from Eamon, Trish and the rest

Miracles CAN happen!  More later in the week once I come down from the clouds!  Ho Ho Ho!  Christmas is almost here!

Back to new traditions!  Susan, Steve and I have decided to close Moca on Christmas Eve and celebrate with our Cuenca family!  We will share holiday cheer (and munchies!) Christmas DVD’s, festive music, video and board games!  Much merriment is anticipated by all as well as photos! (I know I don’t have much photo credibility; be kind, ’tis the holiday season, after all!)

Christmas in Cuenca is pretty different from Christmas in Seattle.  The weather is warm and sunny.  No Christmas Tree lots.  Virtually no exterior lights or decorations of any kind.  No Christmas music in the background anywhere (it might be playing in Spanish).  No edible candy canes or peppermints.  You can buy stuffed ones for decorations.  Jesters and harlequins are quite popular.  Purple, pink, teal and lime green seem to be favorites.  I saw some pretend poinsettia leaves in sparkling teal and lime green.  No wrapping paper in rolls ( I am covered there since I must have 10,000 rolls in the bodega grande).  No eggnog, although Susan says it comes out just before Christmas.  We are pretty close to ‘just before Christmas’ in my humble opinion.  And eggnog can be made from scratch, after all…

The first part of this week will be getting the last bits needed for the visa extension, sigh.  It has to be filed by Wednesday.  We didn’t get the property deeds in time to file the investor visa paperwork, so an extension is required.  I hope the movimiento migratorio office isn’t too, too busy.  And then there is the proof of your ticket out of Ecuador.  In the spirit of the season, I am going to stay positive.  Update later this week.

I close with a couple photos of Eamon at his friend Nick’s birthday party – enjoy!  Thanks to Susan for the great shots!

We had a wonderful, albeit too short, visit with Cyn.  She brought all of the bits and pieces for Eamon’s new computer so he was happy (at first).  He isn’t all that happy now because the device is not yet functional.  Our good friend and family member, Larry, is coming for Christmas and is an IT genius so I’ve no doubt they will have it working in no time!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving feast at Mansion Alcazar.  They even had cranberry sauce – hurray!  I asked our server where they got the cranberries and he said SuperMaxi.  I haven’t seen them yet but I am not giving up.  Cyn had spent some time shopping in el centro before we had dinner and she must have eaten something bad because she woke up the next morning sick, sick, sick.  Fortunately (or not) I was all too familiar with her symptoms and gave her the pills I had used when I was sick last month.  Her last few days in Cuenca were not as pleasant as she would have liked, sigh.  She made it home safely and is feeling a wee bit better.

Good news!  Cause for Celebration!  The camera has been rescued from the bowels of the bodega grande!  Kudos to Javier for his persistence!  The Droid phone is still MIA, oh, well. I will post some photos in the next day or two.  The flowers are in full bloom on the terrace and quite beautiful.

We have some Christmas decorations up and the condo is looking quite festive!  This will be our first Christmas in Cuenca – a major milestone for us.  We have much to celebrate and be thankful for – life is busy but good.

The week started out well enough.  I was looking forward to the festival later in the week and I had gone out a couple of times with my good friends Keith and Denise while they looked at houses.  Javier returned from Peru with a GIANT watermelon and a small cookie/cake pastry item called ‘Mi Jesus’.  Mercy gave me a small slice on Monday.  That’s when things got interesting…

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, I woke up shivering with cold.  Actually, it was more like shaking.  I finally got out of bed, found a wool hat, wool socks and a mountain of blankets.  I think I fell asleep.  By the time the alarm went off I was a bit warmer but alot sicker.

Fast forward several hours.  Sicker and weaker, the fluids just kept finding their way out of my body.  Eamon returned from school and I sent him down to Denise and Keith’s place for help.  Their incredible son Josh came back with him and asked me what I needed.  I told him I thought I should go to the doctor (UNDERSTATEMENT).   He called the even more amazing Dr. Parra, who said he would meet us at the emergency room at Mt. Sinai.

The taxi ride was horrendous.  I was already more nauseous than I had ever experienced in my life.  We finally got there.  Dr. Parra was waiting for us.  NO languishing in the waiting room for hours.  Surreal.

Dr. Parra asked me about my day and decided I should get some fluids and anti-nausea medicine to start off.  I told him about ‘Mi Jesus’ and he suspected it wasn’t as holy as it sounded – possible food poisoning.  He also took some blood for testing.  The giant syringes of anti-nausea drugs weren’t helping, sigh.

He returned a little while later with his surgeon friend, Dr. Serrano.  They informed me my white blood cell count was very elevated and they suspected appendicitis.  Heavy sigh.  I went for two ultrasounds and a CT scan.  Appendix looked pretty good, Trish did not.  The doctors decided I should spend the night so they could be sure it wasn’t the appendix.  The giant syringes of anti-nausea medicine were helping by this time and I felt a bit perkier.

I had a restless night in a lovely, large private room.  Both of my doctors came by late Tuesday night and first thing Wednesday morning to check on me.  Appendicitis bullet dodged, I was released and sent home.  Total cost – $535.  INCREDIBLY SURREAL.

I can not say enough about my wonderful doctors and my very good friends Keith, Denise and Josh.  Eamon and Rachel spent the night with Denise and Keith and were lovingly looked after.  I have been improving slowly, day by day.  I managed to look at some of the beautiful art along the river.  And I managed to lose several pounds without trying very hard.

When I was talking to my dad about my ordeal, he shared the cost of his recent 3 night stay at the hospital when he had the two stents put in – $113,000.  I LOVE Ecuador!

Eamon didn’t want a party, he just wants a computer.  Mercy went and bought him an ice cream cake, skinny little candles (the kind that don’t go out) PLUS candles spelling out ‘Happy Birthday’!  So he had 24 candles in all!  Since the camera is still in an unknown box, Mercy took some pictures with Eamon’s cell phone.  I will try and email them to myself and insert a couple into this post.  Don’t be too disappointed if I am unsuccessful.  He was also allowed to skip his Spanish lessons on the big day.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EAMON!!

Yesterday, there was a MANDATORY sporting event for all Santana students.  We had to be at the park no later than 8 a.m. – on a Saturday morning!  Fortunately there were bleachers for the spectators.  We witnessed the Santana version of the Olympic Games – including a runner with the Olympic flame!  The children marched into the stadium by grade, proudly displaying brightly colored banners with their team name!  Eamon’s class voted to name their team ‘Los Hippies’.  In Spanish, the ‘h’ is silent; hence, ‘Los Ippies’.

There was only one event per grade – a race.  The younger grades ran a quarter of the track.  ’Los Ippies’ had to run an entire lap around the track.  Eamon is not much of a runner, but he managed not to come in last place!  Go, Eamon!!

The apartment on 12 de Abril is, for all intents and purposes, ready for habitation!  Direct TV is coming tomorrow and I will get the internet installed this week, too.  There are a few (very) minor cosmetic touch ups the architect needs to do and he also has to clean the whole place from top to bottom.  Another milestone achieved!  Kathleen, your new (temporary) home awaits you!

The search for the camera and Droid phone continues.  Mercy and her dad looked through all of the boxes in the downstairs bodega and came up empty handed.  Sigh.  They DID find a part of a lamp that attaches the shade to the base, which is something, I guess.  This upcoming week their search will continue as they will venture into the depths of the ‘bodega grande’.  Fingers crossed they are successful!

Spring seems to be officially here!  We have had several days of warm, sunny weather with clear blue skies!  If I had a camera, I could show you all of the pretty flowers blooming on the terrace.  Close your eyes and use your imagination!

Life continues to be good.