Roll.

We have been teaching business classes in the communities as of recent {and by We, I mean Oliver, I am usually wandering about taking photos}. After taking roll today, I looked down, and this is what I saw:

Juan Daquilema
Maria Rosario Daquilema
Maria Rosario Daquilema Puculpala
Maria Agustina Charco Daquilema
Manuela Maria Rosario Daquilema
Maria Manuela Rosa Puculpala
Mario Marlino Pucupala
Maria Manuela Marcatoma
Maria Anstacia Charco Daquilema
Juan Marcatoma
Maria Marcatoma Puculpala
Juan Manuel Charco
Manuel Juan Daquilema
Juan Lasso Marcatoma


I guess remembering their names won't be difficult.

Everything Tastes Like Ecuador.

If you are wondering if this past weekend I rode on a smelly Ecuadorian bus for 4 hours, got in a fight with an indigenous couple who clearly did not have bus tickets and were sitting in our seats {for some reason the indians always lie about having bus tickets, and then giggle like children...it gets real frustrating}, and got sat on by some random Ecuadorian Man who had an immense amount of chest hair...the answer is Yes. Why, you ask? For food. Food that doesn't taste like Ecuador. To eat Ratatouille, Saltimbocca, and Tomato Basil Soup. It was so worth it.

For the past three nights I have had dreams about going grocery shopping in the United States. My cravings are getting a little out of hand, and Oliver is being a very good sport.

The BABY is Coming!!!

In case you haven't heard, Maeve is in labor RIGHT NOW! Give him lots of kisses from his aunt Carly, I can't believe I am not there right now. Good luck Maevey! We love him already.

P.S. Everyone please send pictures.

Update: Babes came at 2:30pm. 8lbs. 3oz. 21.5 inches. He is already taller than Maeve! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILES JAY!

The World is Flat.

Just in case you were wondering, all of the people that live in this little compound {probably 15} have cell phones. In fact, every adult that I have taken a picture of or met so far owns a cell phone. Interesting, no?

Rocky Mountain Raceways.

Tis the season, racetrack time. Oliver and I {with the help of Ian and Kelsee} will be running the souvenir stand this summer, again. As many of you know it is a very upscale boutique, and we only sell the most exclusive items, to the most exclusive of clients {generally, those clients lack teeth}.

Nascar quilts - check.
Jeff Gordon Barbie Dolls - check.
Hats with flames - check.
Tie-dyed shirts - check.
Dale Earnhardt Visors - check.
Scrunchies - check.
Grave Digger Hot Wheelz - check.
Nascar figurines - check.
Cotton Candy - check.
Toy cars - check.
Checkered flags - check.
Mens tank tops - check.
Nascar baby outfits - check.
Diecasts - check.
Zippo Lighters - check.
Shirts sporting eagles and American Flags - check

Ready to empty the pockets of the fiscally irresponsible - double check. Hey, we have to pay for Grad School somehow. Get ready Nonny and Kels, this is all currently being shipped to your house.

So while the rest of you are laying by the pool, think of me...I will be covered in car exhaust, shouting "Checkered Flags, $2."

Ninos.

I took these photos while the Youngs were in town, but I just found the time to sort through them today. Children are by far the easiest subjects.

And last but not least, this is the coolest child in Ecuador. Oliver took this photo, I love him...the comb, the expression, children just don't get better than this.

The O Man.

I got tagged by Meg & Cass...so here you go:

What is his name?: Oliver Davis Young
How long have we been married?: 1 year and 3 months
How long did we date?: 7-ish years.
How old is he?: 22
Who eats more?: Oliver, it is amazing.
Who said I love you first?: uhhh...I don't remember, sorry it has been awhile. We are not really the sentimental type.
Who is taller?: We're the same height.
Who sings better?: We are both about as tone deaf as it gets.
Who is smarter?: We have different strengths, but Oliver gets 4.0s.
Who's temper is worse?: Probably me, but Oliver doesn't ever get upset.
Who pays the bills?: They are on auto-pay.
Who does laundry?: The lady down the street (but in the U.S., Oliver does).
Who cooks dinner?: In Ecuador - Oliver; in the U.S. - Carly.
Who drives when we are together?: Oliver
Who is more stubborn?: Carly
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?: Carly
Who's parents do you see more?: Exactly equal.
Who has more friends?: Carly; but in general more people probably like Oliver. He is a better human being.
Who wears the pants in the family?: Oliver says that we each wear a leg, and I think that we are both too laid back to put on the pants in the first place.
Who eats more sweets?: In the U.S. Carly, in Ecuador Oliver. In fact, Oliver just spent all of his allowance on Oreos today.
Who mows the lawn?: When we are not in Ecuador, we live in a car wash.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?: In Ecuador, we each have our own twin bed and usually Oliver tries to sleep on top of me {like back of his head to the front of mine}. In the U.S. if you are looking at the bed, I do.
Who asked who out first?: I took Oliver to the Sadie Hawkins Dance sophomore year.
Who kissed who first?: Oliver kissed me first.
What's my favorite thing about him?: Oliver is the easiest person in the entire world to get along with. He is also very humble, hilarious {without knowing it}, and loving.

Facelift.

Maevey helped me customize my new look. It was a much needed update. Thanks sissy!

Camino Inca.

Day 1: Starting on the Inca Trail - only 12km to camp.

Views of the Andes from the trail.

Our group at campsite no. 1.
{L to R: Oz, Car, Omar ~ Brazil, Vanessa ~Buenos Aires, Mariano ~ Buenos Aires, Emily ~Utah, Kristin ~ Utah, Megan (in back) ~ Utah}

Day 2: Hiking past many ruins, 13km all up hill with a 3,000 ft elevation gain. We reached 14,000 ft.

Uphill battle of day no. 2.

Views from campsite no. 2.

Oliver in his element.

One of our porters. In order to hike the Inca Trail you have to hire porters to carry most of your stuff {ie: tents, tables, chairs, food}. They also cook for you. Porters get paid close to nothing and carry an amazing amount of weight. Please note that he is carrying a propane tank which is held on his back with some twine. They do not have proper equipment, they often sleep in caves, and they cruise up the trail. Needless to say we left them a good tip.

Day 3: More ruins. 11 km to camp.

Oliver with fluffy hair and a Brazilian.

Our Guide: Simon Puma, he wanted to wear Oliver's jacket for the picture.
Sometimes in South America weird things seem normal.

Day 4: 12 km. Our first views of Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate.

Our Destination.

We made it.

Peru

Although we didn't see much of the country, what we did see we were in love with. We spent our first day in Cusco, 4 days backpacking, 2 days in Aguas Calientes, and one more night in Cusco. Because I was sick the one day that we were in Cusco {most likely some form of elevation/jet lag combination}, all of our photos are from the trail and Aguas Calientes.

Regresamos.

We survived without getting too cold or too wet. Even though it rained every day, it was an amazing experience, and we could not have asked for more. Every single second of the trek was incredible. We hiked through high paramo (reaching up to 14,000 feet), cloud forests, dense jungle, steep mountains dotted with waterfalls, and plenty of Inca Ruins.

...and now it is time for a siesta, stay tuned for photos.

Via Peru.

Cameras charged, bags packed, travel arrangements confirmed, history researched, guide books in hand -- we're ready to go! We start our long journey tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, we are headed to Machu Picchu. Grandpa Hiram Bingham would be proud. See you on the 19th!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to Brighton and Peanut on Wednesday. Love you guys!

Otavalo

After a lovely taste of the developed world this weekend {the Youngs were kind enough to let us stay at the JW with them}, we sadly parted ways with Oliver's parents and brother. It was really nice having family around. We woke up early on Friday morning and said goodbye in Quito.

Because Oliver and I share the inability of sitting still for a single moment, we then headed to Otavalo {which lets just say is nothing like the JW}. The actual town of Otavalo is nothing spectacular, it looks pretty much like every other town in Ecuador, it is the people of Otavalo that are amazing. Not only are they the nicest people ever, they look rad. For the most part everyone in Otavalo wears their native costume, for the men it is: white pants, white shoes, white shirt, black poncho, and long braid, and for the women it is: white shirt, white skirt, with a dark skirt on top, black shawl, George Washington style scarf hat thing, and 3,000 gold necklaces around their necks {see examples here and here}. Otavalo has the largest street market in all of South America every Saturday. And this my friends is why I didn't take a single pictures, I was just too busy bartering for Nativities, provisions for Peru, and Alpaca goods. Sorry if I failed you, I am regretting my actions as we speak.

Highlights of Otavalo:
-Me and Ozzy nearly simultaneously vomiting on the ferris wheel {a.k.a. death trap. Amusement rides in South America really are scary, because there is a pretty good chance that you actually could die}.
-Walking down the street and seeing a mural of Moroni made of Alpaca {a large majority of Otavalo is LDS}.
-Hearing the local government of Otavalo announce over a loud speaker, through the entire town, that the locals need to be nice to the tourists. Hilarious.
-Drinking Aztec Hot Cocoa while staying in the coldest hotel in the Milky Way.

Parent/Grandparent Political Update.

As many of you heard, Columbia bombed Ecuador. It isn't as big of a deal as the media is making it out to be and we are 195% fine. Here is what I know {keep in mind there is a language barrier}:

FARC is a drug cartel/rebellious group from Columbia that often escapes the Columbian Government {who is often searching for them} by flooding into Ecuador. Columbia knew where they were {3 miles from the border} and decided to take care of business. They then attacked. Although it was a good thing that FARC was attacked, Ecuador was upset because Columbia bombed their country without permission {or that is what Ecuador claims}. What was recently uncovered though, President Correa's {the President of Ecuador} campaign was partially funded by FARC.

Moral of the story: Whether it is a volcano, political situation, or the economy, South America is just unstable in general. That is what makes the area so colorful, passionate, vibrant, exciting, wonderful, and dramatic. Everybody needs to stop crying about how awful the United States is and be thankful for what they have.

They're Here!

The Youngs {Spencer, Sherry, & Winslow} came to town this week and it has been wonderful, to say the least. We have been staying at Abraspungo, wandering around Riobamba, Guano, and we visited two of the villages. Today we built a water-catchment system for some of the indigenous villagers {so that they can have water to irrigate with in the dry seasons}. Tomorrow we are headed to Banos, then on to Quito. It is going to be very sad to say goodbye.