The time is nigh..................

Here we come...ready or not!

We sold our lovely home this weekend. Things are falling into place so easily. The new homeowners won't take possession until March 25th and we didn't want to leave untill the end of March....how great is that!??!

I have 3 more shifts to work. Finished on Dec 23rd.
I have slowly but surely been selling off things that we don't need for the next 3 months.  Now it's time to get serious.
Time to empty the pantry and freezer. I will have to get creative with cooking what's on hand. I see lots of soups and cassaeroles in our
We had a go at trying to empty some of the booze cabinet Friday night. I am way to old for that! 3 drinks and I was out for the count.

I sure won't miss this cold weather. It's been colder then normal for several weeks now. That's okay....let it snow. One last white winter and we are done!

Official Retirement Date

My 60th birthday gift to myself was to set a retirement date and give notice at work.
December 23rd will be my last day of work.
Wow....that's less then two months away!

We went to the Ecuadorian Consulate on Friday and got some of our paperwork taken care of.

Met with a couple of realtors on the weekend and will be meeting with them again tomorrow to decide how and when we are going to market the house.

It seems so surreal.......... we really ARE doing this!

In three days I start living life after 60!

60? Me? When did that happen? I just turned 40......
Guess what folks.....life is what is happening now. Don't let it pass you by.

What a beautiful fall day in our lovely British Columbia! Nicer than most of the summer we had.

We are starting to get ourselves ready for the move to Cuenca.

Made contact with the attorney we have chosen in Ecuador, and got a list of the paperwork we need.
Police reports done. Apostille for Marriage license done.  Contact with Ecudorian banks done. First garage sale done.
Going to the Ecuadorian consulate next week for documents to be stamped or what ever it is that needs done.
House goes on the market soon. Hard to know how long the sale will take, so it's hard to know when to put it on the market......I say now, but Doug says after Christmas. He has visions of being homeless before we are ready to leave. I say cut the strings and fly!
We are shooting for late March or early April.
I am quitting work at the end of the year. YIPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!
That will give me the time to start selling our wordly possessions. I have been putting things on Craig's list and have sold some of the things we don't need. Funny how things become just that....things.
My thoughts on keeping stuff changes daily. Part of me says get rid of everything except our clothes (and a lot of them should stay behind....32 pairs of shoes? what am I....a catapillar?!?). Another part of me is wanting to put a few things into bins for storage for a while. How does a person decide?

So much stuff!

The past two weeks have been spents going thru the "stuff" that we have accumulated.
Next week end we will have our first "Pre-Moving" garage sale. How is it that we have so much stuff?!!? We have to get rid of the "stuff" before we can start getting rid of the things............
Things I once thought I could never be without are now just so much excess baggage...........can hardly wait to be shed of it all!

We are going to do this............

Going to work every morning at 5 a.m., is getting harded and harder to do. I thought that with the end in sight I could breeze thru another year of work.........

I think I have "short timers" desease.

When are we going? Are we still going? Can we go now? My sweet husband is tired of my whining questions.

Patience he says...... we are going.

Finally!

Two days in a row of sunny warm weather.
Theses are the kind of days that make a person glad to live in this beautiful place. Only problem is, they come to few and far between!
I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and beans this weekend. It made me think of the markets in Cuenca.

Is it possible to be "homesick" for a place I haven't actually had a home in?

We have gotten back into the groove of being home. But.......... I must admit..... it feels like a tempoaray step.
I find that being at work is easier and less stressful than before we went to Ecuador. I just say to my self.... remember...you are on the one year plan.
We are busy finishing up the remodel of the kitchen that was almost finished before we left. Just another step in the plan.
Daily steps. Each leading to our return to Ecuador.

Just do it..... Take the steps.  Make it happen...... I am still amazed that it actually is that simple.

Back to the grind.......

People ask me "what will you do with yourself in Cuenca, Ecuador?"
One thing I wouldn't do is get up at 4 a.m. and go to work!

I have to keep reminding myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Each day brings us closer to the prize.

As Doug says.... we are on the one year plan. A year.......it seems like a long time, but yet it seems like such a short time to make the life changes we have in mind......

Meeting with an accountant tomorrow. That's step one. After that we just keep taking steps.

Can it be that easy? After all the time spent thinking and discussing and dreaming and hoping and researching......is it really as simple as this? ......
Just do it. Take that step.

As Lao-tzu said.....
"The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet."

Homeward bound

The trip home has been long.............. it's 8:10 at night and we are still at the Houston AirPort. Flight to LA was late which means we would miss the Vancouver connection.......so we rebooked on a direct plane leaving two hours later that gets us to Vancover 30 minutes sooner. huh?...good old Continental......at least they didn't charge us for the change in flights. good thing. We went to the bar and I had a bloody Mary, Doug had a beer and a shot of Crown and the bill came to 30.00! I don't think we are in Cuenca anymore Todo.
After a bite to eat, a magazine and a newspaper, we are down close to 100 bucks. A bottle of water was 3.00........and people ask me why we want to move to Ecuador?!!??

Otavalo and theMarket

What a colorful behive of activity.You will all be pleased that I did not bring home a lot of useless
 craft for you.......but it was sure hard.
I hope to bring you here on a trip so you can experience the market for its self.

Still trying to figure out how to get two of these chair swings home,.

 

Doug never even made it to the market before he bought a belt from a vendor. The young man got out his tools and cut it down to fit right there on the corner. A beautiful leather belt for 10.00

These pictures don' t show the real hustle bustle of the markets.

The town:

Cotacochi

Coctcachi is the largest producer of leather goods in Ecuador as well as the birthplace for many musicians and the making of musical instruments. The Imbaburra Volcano stands over the city.Its hard to believe that you are at 8000 feet and looking up to another couple thousnad.

There is a square where a leather market is held every Saturday. athese statues are a munument to the musicians, the leather crafters, and thr instrument makers.