Our Daily Lives

     We have been in Ecuador for over five months already.  It seems like much longer than that.  When we look back to our first month or so here, it seems like eons ago.  Our house is pretty much unrecognizable from when we first arrived.  Slowly but surely it is coming together. Emphasis on the slowly part. 
     Even amidst all the construction and chaos, John and I have developed a routine in our day that has helped keep us sane.  Our morning coffee and breakfast on the porch is one of our favorite times. We have realized we spend most of our waking hours outside, although lately John has been painting which keeps him inside more than usual.  If it weren't for the fact that we were opening a bed and breakfast, we could easily get by with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen (along with our front porch, of course).  Probably one of the biggest changes we have made is the amount of television we watch.  Unfortunately, in the U.S. we watched way too much tv.  Here, if we watch one hour a night, it is a lot.  And most of the time I can't stay awake for the whole show (probably because of all that fresh air).  That is definitely a positive change for us.  We enjoy walking on the beach which is great exercise for us and the pups. 
     Another change is we really don't leave our house too much.  The grocery store and the mercado are two of the places we go the most. The mercado in La Libertad is my favorite outing. We actually prefer to go on the weekends when it is busier and more festive.  We don't have a car, so when we do go somewhere we take the bus, which we don't mind at all.  In fact, we find it quite nice not to have to worry about driving.  We have also found that we don't really miss going out to eat as much as we used to (one time in the last month).  It is just more relaxing to stay home with the puppies. 
     We are excited to be done with the construction and get ready for our grand opening.  We haven't set a date yet, but hopefully by the end of May...  The pool construction is going great. Our pool contractor is our guardian, Jimmy's dad and so far he is doing a fantastic job.  He has a full crew here every day (but Sunday), and they work hard.  Meanwhile, we just keep plugging away, doing what we can.  One day at a time...