The flights home

We flew all night with the oh-so-unfriendly American Airlines flight attendants and very uncomfortable seats. As we approached Dallas early in the morning, it was so windy that the pilot had to abort the landing and circle around. He made it on the second attempt and then the attendants came around to ask if we were all okay. Some people threw up, some were really upset. I was surprised... it was bumpy, but I wasn't scared. Even the flight attendants said it was the worst flight they'd been on in 30 years. Weird. A bunch of flights out of Dallas had been cancelled, but wiht a little luck, ours was on time! We flew out and landed safely in Seattle. I was so excited to see the kids! They ran to us when we finally found them and hugged us. They are so sweet. They had a wonderful time with my parents, but they were happy to have us back too. Cam was pretty sad for a couple of days to be back to our normal schedule, but I was kind of sad too, so we hung out together. He got over it though and he's looking forward to the next time we go on vacation without them! Silly kids.

Our last day - Tuesday

Tuesday morning, we woke up and headed to Starbucks and the wine store. There was a girl at the wine store who was from Belgium and she helped us choose a case of good wines from Chile. I was worried about getting them all home safely and she showed us some bubble packs they have and demonstrated their effectiveness by dropping a bottle that was wrapped in one. Scared me, but it worked, so we bought them. She wrapped our purchases from Tarapaca too so it was all safe for the flights home. It was nice and warm again that day and Jeff and I headed up to the hill where there was a giant statue of Mary looking over the city. We drove up there and checked her out. We had fun just checking out the area and then we ran into the Castillo de Hidalgo and Jeff wanted to show that to me, so we drove up there. Turns out it's right about some beautiful Spanish style steps I'd wanted to see as well so we checked all of that out. Most of the Castillo was closed which was unfortunate, but the area was still beautiful and it was such a nice relaxing day. After that, we went in search of Los Buenos Muchachos again because Susie was worried she had left her really good rain coat there the night we went together. Luckily, they did have it so we got that back and then decided to just stay and have dinner there before heading to the airport. It was just as good as the other night except this time it was very quiet. The photographer showed up for work and recognized us from Sunday night (not sure if that was good or not!) and told Jeff he could burn those photos to a CD for him while we were eating. He had his little girl with him and she was so cute! He went and copied the photos and the little girl gave the CD to us. He was very nice. Really, everyone we met in Chile were very kind. From there, we headed to the airport. We stopped at the toll booth to Repay Rodrigo for the $350 Chilean Pesos he had loaned us the day we arrived and then we turned in the car and waited for our flight. I had a few thousand pesos left (not very much money, really) so I spent most of it in little gift shops because I couldn't really change it back to US dollars and I didn't want to just keep the money. I got a cute little wooden carved penguin and a magnet for our fridge that reminded me of Valparaiso. Finally, we boarded our flight and we were off.

Monday in Chile - In search of waterfalls.

Monday morning we got up early. Jeff and I went to Starbucks and then had breakfast at the hotel. We checked out of the hotel and started driving south. We were off in search of Salto de Laja - waterfalls on the Laja River, south of Chillan. On the way, we stopped at Tarapaca winery to see if we could get some bottles of the wine we had at the restaurant the night before. The winery was closed, but when we told the guard that we wanted to buy wine, he called down and they let us in. we drove through acres of vineyards (including an organic section) and made it down to the buildings. The lady there - Claudia Diaz told us about the vineyard. It's actually owned by a company that makes matches and a lot of the families that work there also live there and they even have a church on the property for those families. Someone had stolen their copper lines that let their credit card machine work... apparently copper is getting expensive there so thieves are stealing it wherever they can find it. She told us they cannot ship wine to the US right now because they don't have an importer here, but told us about a really great wine store that can and it turns out it's directly across the street from the Starbucks I'd gone to every day! We then asked her what wine she recommended as the best of the winery and she showed us a bottle. Jeff and I bought two - one for us and one for Dad. Paul and Susie bought some bottles too and we were off again. We tried to find another winery she had recommended, but we couldn't find it (again with the poor markings). We knew it was 5 hours to Chillan, so we decided to keep heading south. We drove down I-5 and not far outside of Santiago, we discovered that people run across the freeway. Our first sighting was of a school bus driver who helped two little kids run across 3 lanes to the center median area! Then he left them to cross the other side. I was shocked. We were driving 70 mph. I saw so many people running across the road it stopped surprising me. At one point, I had to pass a scary big truck with some long rope hanging off of it and bouncing around the road. I was afraid I'd drive over it and have an accident, but thankfully I passed it safely. Another time, we crossed a one lane bridge that was also shared with the train tracks. They have guards at either end of the bridge to tell you when it was safe to pass. Eventually, we got close to Chillan and it started getting dark from the clouds and it rained and rained. When did make it to the falls and it really is beautiful! We were able to walk down to the base of it and walk around. I will try to get pictures up if Jeff gives them to me. After we walked around there for a while, we split up. Susie and Paul were heading farther into the Lakes District and into Patagonia and Jeff and I headed back to Santiago. I hadn't realized how far away Chillan really was and I didn't want to be late for our flight, so we drove. I was so sad to leave Paul and Susie though - we were having such a great time! Later, I found out there were more falls there as well as Alpacas and a fabulous market. Oh well. I'll just have to go back again sometime :) Jeff and I drove straight back to Santiago and arrived about 2 am. We went back to the hotel we'd stayed at before and asked if they had room. Turns out they had one left, so we took it and went right to sleep.

Los Buenos Muchachos

So.. Sunday evening in Chile we were in search of a nice place to have an authentic Chilean meal with Susie and Paul. The groom recommended Los Buenos Muchachos and the guy working at our hotel said they had wonderful steaks, so we piled in the car and set off for it. Of course, we had a hard time finding the right streets because nothing is really marked in Chile and it's hard to navigate 5 lanes of free-range traffic. Eventually we found and were directed to parking in the back. I had a vision of cloth tablecloths, candlelight, soft music so when I opened the door to the restaurant, I stopped, closed it and turned back to the other three. My eyes were wide and I asked if we were sure this was the right place! We went in and were seated at a table right at the edge of the dance floor. There was a band on the stage and someone was talking, but it was in Spanish, so I only understood some of it. I had a feeling we'd walked in a little late and everyone watched us as we entered. Paul ordered the national drink - a Pisco Sour and somehow, we accidentally ordered one for all of us. I'm so glad though because it was SO GOOD!! It was fabulous. After that, we ordered a bottle of wine from a local vineyard - Tarapaca. The wine was yummy! The band played Chilean music and there were dancers - kind of a bunch of different dances and songs to get the flavor of Chile. It was very entertaining. Our food came and YUMYUMYUM! I ordered a steak and mashed potatoes and it was definitely the best meal I had in Chile. We ordered a second bottle of wine and then the band and dancing on stage changed gears to Easter Island. The music and dance was similar to Hawaiian luaus. The dancers went out into the audience and Jeff was chosen to go up there and dance. There were several other people from the audience too, but Jeff was the special one... the girls surrounded him, removed his shirt, put leis on him, rolled up his pants and put something resembling and apron around his waist (I'm sure it was something the original people on Easter Island wore, I just don't know what to call it.) Then, one girl took him out in the middle of the dance floor and danced their hula-ish dance. It was HILARIOUS! Unfortunately, both Jeff and Susie - professional photographers - left their cameras at the hotel! Luckily, the restaurant had a house photographer and in my alcohol induced euphoria, I purchased three. They are available to the highest bidder. Just kidding - they will remain hidden forever! We really had a wonderful time there and if you are ever in Santiago, you have to eat at Los Buenos Muchachos. We all ended up dancing - or stumbling on the dance floor. Paul and Jeff drove us home while Susie and I were silly and laughing in the back of the car. We got lost again on the way back to the hotel, but that's nothing new.

Jeff knows everything

The other day, Cam asked me a question and I answered him. Then he said "Mom, how did you know that?" and I replied "Because I'm your mom and I know everything!" Cam said "No, you don't know everything, Mom, but Dad does!"

It's snowing here! The kids are outside playing in it. The dogs went out with them for a while, but Zoe got cold quickly and looked all pathetic out there so I let her come in and I turned the fire on. Genevieve doesn't understand what Zoe's problem is. She's out there having a great time!

Thanksgiving was nice, we had dinner here with my parents and Jeff's mom and grandma. The kids were so spoiled with 4 grandparents in the same room. Friday morning, we went out shopping and had a great time! I got almost everyone all taken care of and now I get to wrap presents. Saturday morning my parents went home and the kids, Jeff and I set up the tree and hung the stockings and lights on the banister.

Sunday in Chile - day 3

Sunday morning, Jeff and Susie had to get up early because we were off to Argentina. We drove up a crazy road with a million switchbacks with NO guardrail to get to the top of the pass. I'm not sure why they don't have problems with people falling off the mountain. the tunnels are in ill repair, the roads are full of potholes, people can pass anywhere, anytime and there is no protection from falling off cliffs. Close to the top, we found a hotel on a lake where skiers from all over the world come to train for the Olympics. The people are just so nice everywhere we went! We also stopped at a park where we could see Mt. Aconcagua - the highest peak outside of Asia. We finally got to the border, although I wasn't sure exactly when we crossed. We had to stop about 5 times and show documentation. At one point, we had to get out of the car so the guards in Argentina could look it over. Finally, they gave us our paperwork and said we would need it at the next checkpoint. We rolled our eyes and got back in the car. We drove about 3 feet before someone from the booth stepped in front of us and asked for the paperwork we'd just received. Apparently he was the next checkpoint! I don't get it. How can they need to ask us again for the very paperwork they just handed us? Anyway, we finally made it into the country and had our passports stamped 'Argentina'. We drove a bit and stopped for lunch and then headed back because Jeff and Susie had to be back for a second photoshoot with Claudia and Alfredo (the bride and groom). We again had to stop a million times to cross the boarder, but at least the Chilean guards were kind of funny and always happy. We raced back to the hotel, but had some trouble finding it (again, the roads are NOT well marked) and got there a half hour late. That was unfortunate, but Claudia and Alfredo were not upset and they all took off to the Castillo Hidalgo for more pictures. Unfortunately, the gates into the courtyard were closed, so they couldn't get some shots they had really hoped for (Jeff and I went back later and apparently those gates are always closed to the general public.) I went for a walk to the Starbucks down the street and on the way back to the hotel, I saw some street vendors, so I took a detour. There wasn't anything fabulous that I wanted, so I continued on and got a little disoriented. Thankfully, I can say "Donde esta el Bosque Norte?" and some nice man pointed out the direction. I got back just in time to find Jeff leaving the hotel to go look for me! I felt bad, I didn't mean to worry him and he never would have found me because I was in a different direction. Alfredo had recommended that we go out to a restaurant called 'Los Buenos Muchachos' for a wonderful, authentic meal, so we made reservations and took off.

Los Buenos muchachos adventure needs it's own post, so I'll do that next.

Santiago, day two

Saturday morning, we woke up late and I had to suck it up and call Susie and tell her I was sorry for telling them we had to get up at 8 to get going and enjoy Chile! About 11:30, we all got packed up and on our way. We stopped along the coast road to see the pelicans who hang out at a local restaurant on the beach. The guys who worked there were outside cleaning fish. They'd save the heads and guts and throw them up to the pelicans who hung around for a free meal. We talked to a guy who worked across the street who said there was a rock out off the coast just a little bit where the penguins hang out because they are protected there. He said they call them dumb birds (in Spanish) because they look so silly when they are waddling. We also stopped and took pictures of sea lions out on a rock and stopped for a guy who was selling hand pounded copper pots. Then, we headed inland to Santiago where it was sunny and 80 degrees. In Santiago, it's a lot like Eastern WA, except you can see the amazing Andes Mountains. Roads and on/off ramps are not well marked, but Paul did a great job finding our hotel just in time. The driver arrived to take Jeff and Susie to the wedding. Paul drove me back out to the airport because I had to pick up documentation that would allow us to drive the rental car into Argentina. We found our way back and I took off to go shopping and Paul went in search of dinner. I should have gone with Paul because there was NO SHOPPING anywhere around the hotel. The few stores I did find were either closed or not unique to Chile. I did find one store to buy a few things for the kids, but no authentic stores with handmade items or things not imported from China. I walked until it got dark and then I found a taxi to take me back to the hotel. Jeff and Susie got back around 4:30 in the morning.

We are back from Chile!

We had a really great time in Chile and the kids loved visiting Gramma and Pappa. I got to talk to them almost every day and they picked us up at the airport when we arrived home. The people in Chile are so kind and friendly and wonderful. The first day, we didn't have money to pay the toll for the road we were on and there was no place to get money so a guy that worked there loaned us $350 Pesos (<$1 USD) for the week and just asked that we repay when we return to the airport to go home. We thought we were good so we just drove on and then ran into another toll station, still without any money! This time, the guy behind us paid. Then, he gave us more money for the next toll so we could pay that too because there are no places to stop in between and then we followed him in to town to repay him and he went out of his way to help us find our hotel in the next town up. It was really amazing! After we got our hotel room, Jeff and I drove down to Valpraiso, an old shipping town built into the surrounding hills. It is so steep, they have funiculars (elevator things) to get people up to their homes. It used to be the biggest shipping port in South America until the Panama Canal was built. Anyway, we were just driving around and I saw a lady in a pink coat with a camera around her neck. I said to Jeffy "Hey... that looks a lot like Susie!" (Susie is the photographer who was hired to do the wedding down there and she and her husband, Paul are our friends). Jeff turned around and sure enough it was Susie and Paul! They had gotten a flat tire while driving around in Valpraiso and stopped at a gas station to get it fixed. Susie later said that no one will fully understand how amazing that was to find each other. It's like randomly finding someone you know in LA. We spent the rest of the day together in Valpo, had a very nice dinner and then returned to our hotel in Concon where we had a suite with a deck and a view of the Pacific Ocean. We decided to meet the next morning - early at my request because I didn't want to waste the whole day sleeping in. Of course, I overslept until almost 11 the next day. I'm a dork, and they'll remind me of that for a long time to come.
Next day in another post.

Cam's goose egg

Cam hit his head HARD last Thursday. He is so lucky he didn't split his head open! He jumped over the couch and smacked his forehead on the stair case.

Collin and his parents came over and the kids played with the police car together. They love to do this and it cracks me up. We definitely got our money's worth out of that car.

Below is a picture Cammy drew and a picture of Binks being a nutcase:

I finished my first quarter of school with two As! yay! I only took two classes :) Then I had to take a boring math class, but I finished the whole thing in 5 days. That felt good. Now I get to sit back and relax.

We are off to Chile soon. I'm so excited, but so nervous too. I will miss my kids so much! They are sweet.