Happy 2012!

Spending time away from my friends and family during the holidays does not get easier, but this year I had some lovely visitors that certainly helped take my mind off being so far away from those I normally spend Christmas with.

My Hermanita and a crew of volunteers come from Machala to rock my Christmas and bring in the New Year.

It's always great having people come to visit because I take part in all the fun activities my site has to offer that I never partake in. Right when the girls got in we hit the beach, chilled out and even did the banana boat rides. I remember this time last year when I had two of my besties visiting we took my first boat tour to the different beaches near Sua. This year I went on the Banana Boat and another fun ride for the first time. I always see tourist come and scream their heads off, but never go on the rides myself. It was SO much fun and I always just get filled with gratitude that I actually LIVE here.

In the days leading up to Christmas and the days between Christmas and New Year's, we hung out in Sua, Atacames and Mompiche during the day. At night we again enjoyed the beaches of Sua and Atacames. It's worth repeating that normally I am in.the.house. at night, but to be a great hostess I was out building bonfires on the beach in front of my house and dancing the night away in Atacames...and I actually like it! Visitors are the best.

For Christmas we cooked all day like we did last year. We cooked in the "Tree House", a house on the beach made out of wood that my best friend here owns with her husband and two kids. They are like my family here so it was nice getting to spend this Christmas with them again. I had planned out the menu with my Hermanita and all the girls just picked something to prepare and had it. It was a great group experience. After all that hard work we feasted together buffet style and it was deliciously fun!

New Year's was also a blast. From frequenting the beach all week long we had made a lot of new friends so New Year's was just a
culmination of that. More friends came to visit and other volunteers had come to the beach to celebrate. We danced all night and let off fireworks on the beach at midnight. All in all great start to 2012. I'm looking forward to what this year will bring!




Peep how I wear the same Christmas Shirt every year.