Reality Bites

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything here, huh?! But, to be honest, I've kind of been in that place where all the newness and excitement has worn off and all of the reality has set in. Wilson has started classes and doesn't get home each night until around 9 or 10. And he even has classes all day on Saturday!!!! So, that leaves me alone way too much in a place where I don't have a car or too many friends. So, it's been pretty hard for me lately. I've been a bit down as I realize that we really are going to be here for another 5 years!!! Some days I just don't know if I can do that. I mean, five years without Chick-fil-a, Target, or Dr. Pepper?!! What kind of life is that?! Ha!

But, here are a few of the things that have happened over the past few months:

My 30th birthday: Well, I have said good-bye to my 20's, and it actually seems a little strange. We didn't do anything too exciting. We went to the beach for the day and just kind of relaxed a little. I had saved birthday cards from my parents and my grandmother which I opened on my actual birthday, so that was really nice. And, since I missed my cousin's wedding, the whole family sang happy birthday for me and sent it to me. I burst into tears when I saw it! (They weren't that bad of singers though!) :o) So, my 20's were definitely very good to me, and I hope the next 10 years will be filled with many happy and special moments, too.

Father's Day: We spent Father's Day with Wilson's dad at a family friend's house. Mr. Oswaldo was really glad we were there. I actually sat with him most of the time. And, in very Ecuadorian fashion, there were speeches given. (They even had a sound system and microphone when there were only about 15 of us in this guy's living room!) Three or 4 guys gave a speech about fathers, and one even read a poem. It was so hard not to laugh. They tried to get Wilson to give a few words, but he declined. I wonder if he'd be a speech-giver if he'd never moved. Hmmm... But, one of his brothers did say that they wished the best to my dad in Georgia, so that was really nice. :o)

4th of July: The school had a kind of all day party on the 3rd that we went to for a little while. It was kind of funny to celebrate July 4th with a lot of Ecuadorians. Ha! They served hamburgers, hotdogs, and corn on the cob. And they had fireworks (of course they set them off in the middle of the day so it actually felt more like warfare than celebration, but oh well.) It wasn't really anything that great, but it was a nice gesture. And an excuse for me to get out on a Saturday afternoon, so I did enjoy it.