Week 4

Saturday-Today we took our first all day tour to Tequendama waterfall and Hacienda Colonia. The drive (once we were out of the city traffic) was beautiful! It was so nice to drive through the mountains. Our first stop was the stinky waterfall. The nearby factories dump waste into the river above, but the waterfall was still beautiful to see. We got some traditional Colombian food at a vendor while we observed. Then we went onto Hacienda Colonia, which is a coffee plantation. It was a wonderful break from the fast paced city life. The setting was very serene with beautiful flowers and birds. We learned all about how the coffee is grown, picked, dried, and roasted. We smelled some wonderful and terrible coffees, and were educated on how to buy good coffee at the store. Then we got to sample some of the coffee grown on the Hacienda. It was a lot of fun! Our tour guide Rene was very informative, and he and Emily kept all entertained with their lively conversation. Brielle did wonderful being out all day, and we made it home with only one meltdown!

Sunday: After beautiful weather on Saturday, we woke up to rain. We waited until afternoon to head to the outdoor market, and had a late lunch in the mall. Brielle is loving playing with Grammy and Grandpap. She is getting bigger and bigger and wearing us out with all her high energy play!

Monday: We all slept in, and then Emily and I went to the park. We walked for a while, and played with Brielle on the playground. Jennifer and her kids got to come for a bit too. We had a relaxing afternoon, and then I tried my hand at making arepas for dinner. They turned out great! We had them topped with ground beef and cheese.

Tuesday: Emily and Kevin were so kind to babysit, so Scott and I could have our first real date as parents!! We went to eat at Crepes and Waffles, and saw the movie Chef. It was a lot of fun and refreshing to have some time to ourselves. Then Jen & Nick and the kids came over to swim. It was their first time, and we had so much fun. They were fearless!

Wednesday: We caught a cab downtown, and had lunch in a little sandwich shop. I have loved being adventurous and trying new places to eat. We cook a lot of our meals at the apartment, but it is fun to just find a little tienda (shop) and stop for lunch. Then we went to look at emeralds. Colombia is known for their emeralds, so I wanted to see them. Then Emily and Kevin toured the Gold Museum while the rest of us rent home to rest. They said it was a great museum!

Thursday: We headed back downtown to Simon Bolivar park. It is such a fun park that we have visited it three times. We played and walked around, and then got some lunch at the park restaurant. Their food is really interesting. My 'perrito Americano' (American hot dog) came with cheese, ketchup and chips crushed on top. Not one of my top meals in Bogota. Then we headed to the Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful! My favorite parts were the waterfall and the rose garden. We also enjoyed picking herbs from the herb garden, and getting Brielle to sniff them. She has been doing really well imitating us lately! I have been working on the "mmm" sound with her, and also "ma". Tonight I got her to imitate 'mamama' pretty well! I'm hoping she'll connect those sounds with me soon!

 Another first in Bogota! Our bus got hit by a car. The driving is crazy, but this is the first accident we've been in. Luckily everyone involved was ok, and we got on another bus right away. 

Friday: So today was supposed to be a relaxing day at home, but things quickly changed in the morning. We had to go sign a new power of attorney, so our case could be switched to a new judge. We are now in a new court, and hoping our case gets accepted and signed quickly! Please pray hard for this! Then we went to eat at Palatino, and Kevin and Emily had one last traditional Colombian meal. Brielle and I went swimming for a bit after everyone took naps, and we had steak fajitas for dinner. Then Kevin and Emily were off for the airport. We will miss them! One great discovery that Kevin made right before leaving was the Brielle will walk around with the aid of a rolling suitcase! A great makeshift walker while we're here.

Brielle thought the clothes going round and round were fascinating. 

Hopefully we'll have good news to post next week!