We’re back in Minnesota! Home sweet home!

Sorry for the lack of updates but it has been a whirlwind! A few updates on how it all went down.

August 8. Fort building. Anyone else remember these times? I like to say that I was an awesome fort builder back in the day. Santi enjoyed and introduced peanut to the greatness of fort building.

Every fort I’ve ever built has a hair brush in it too.  Don’t judge!

Clau and I had a meeting regarding our property. I’m not going to give great details but since I keep referring to meetings, here’s a brief breakdown. Hey, have any of you had experience with the “power of prayer”? Well, we had firsthand experience with this today. Synopsis: the lot we purchased several years ago was estimated to be a certain size. This measurement was stomata’s by satellite imagery. When we were required to bring in a topographer to measure the lot for future projects, the lot size was only about 2/3 the estimated size. That’s substantial! We had city documents stating and showing essentially the shape of our lot and an estimated area that were provided with our sale documents. But during our initial tour of the lot, the previous owner gave us rough points showing the property boundaries. Our theory was that the owners boundaries he showed us were incorrect. Well, this is a business man we were dealing with and he has a reputation (as we learned later) of being hard to deal with. Every meeting we had with him was unbending and he would delay getting back with us on anything. The government offices in the area were useless and provided no help. Our only real hope was reaching out to this business man’s business partner. The partner we had heard was an easier man to deal with so we requested a meeting to discuss 3 separate issues with him. To ensure transparency, we requested the meeting with both men. Let me tell you that God is so amazingly awesome. Not only did the partner agree with us on our theory about the boundaries of our lot giving us the missing 1/3rd our the property, but he also agreed to our other 2 proposals as well. It was awkward watching the two partners get into a “argument “ over it. They were civil but …yes it was a disagreement between the two of them. We walked out of that meeting and looked at each other and said “did that just happen?“. Then essentially ran away before they changed their minds. God is so wonderful! I joked with Claudia “we should go back and ask for more! Maybe we didn’t ask enough!”.

Enough about that!

August 9. Termales one last time. Again, this is one of our favorite things to do in our visits. This time we brought Mercedes, the old caretaker Claudia grew up with. She has been staying with us up in Santa Rosa and has bee Instrumental in us attending these awful meetings we’ve been running around with. No USS Peanut at the pool this time. We were told it wasn’t safe. I’ll be honest, I rolled my eyes hearing that because it’s not like I was launching the peanut solo across the pool. There were always two hands on the “boat” at all times but I suppose that the guy was just doing his job. It was a gorgeous day to be there for sure but of course it did rain which sounds bad but in that hot water, it is so refreshing.

Poor Nani.  It’s like a shark attacked her ice cream cone!

August 10 Saturday-Adri & Herman visited. Great friends that we didn’t spend enough time with this trip. They brought desert and we enjoyed some conversations and went for a long walk. Lots of fun.

Someone is in a hurry to learn how to walk.  The big leg kick you see here is really popular with my 9-month old.  We’ve told him the the shoes he is wearing combined with his leg kick are for “hormigas”…ants.  To be clear, I do not encourage him stomping on ants.  It’s only a joke.

Aug 11…celebrating Hernando’s birthday. My father in-law’s birthday is actually the 12th but we celebrated it a day early. We invited only a couple friends over but Mercedes did a ton of work in the kitchen and I manned the grill for some ribs, chorizos, and flank steak. Good stuff and good times with the friends that we happen to know pretty well ourselves. No pictures from the party but a cute one from visiting a nursery afterwards

Big boy with big smiles!

August 12, Monday. We made our way to Pereira today and took Hernando out for lunch followed by haircuts for everyone but papi who is rebelling against rules. Even peanut got his first haircut. No pictures since the main picture taker was redirected to be the peanut restraining device. Overall, little dude did well…not great but well.

Manicures are so cheap here but had to coerce my 14-year old to get it done.  I recommended she do her school colors and that was the trick!

I got a bit bored watching manicures so walked over to the cathedral for a bit of prayer time.  Santi came with to hang out.  Such a good man!

August 13, Tuesday-packing day- Nothing great today other than last minute shopping

August 14 - travel day- early morning wake-up call. Said our goodbyes to Aminta but dad helped us get to the airport. We still needed an Uber. Successfully checked bags and got through security.

Quick picture before boarding.

Getting a preflight briefing from big brother 

The brother in the background heard me talking to Santi about a necklace he was wearing with an icon / medal of St. Christopher.  He ended up giving Santi a handful of medals/ icon of St. Joseph.  Oh the irony of how much I believe St. Joseph has been an advocate for our family…so much so that Andre’s middle name is what?  Yup, Joseph!

Keeping him entertained was no easy feat.  First half of the day was great but he turned into a handful from Orlando to Minneapolis.  Lots of screaming (happy playful but loud and frequent) and tons of squirming restlessness.

Not nearly enough of this on the evening flight.

It was an interesting day. The airlines kept losing our stroller. You know you can keep it all the way to the gate. Well our stroller has a protective travel case which I used. Problem with that is that it more resembles a set of golf clubs than it does a stroller. They kept sending it to baggage claim which made for a lot of carrying the peanut. Then, in Minneapolis, the lost it all together. We did get it back the next day but again, carrying Andre through the airport was an epic pain.

Our Uber ride home almost ok a tragic turn. Only a couple miles from the airport on highway 494, a car came zipping by us traveling in the wrong direction on the highway . Passed us in the lane next to us. Kind of freaked me out personally.

Home sweet home.  Everyone is exhausted.  

Everyone slept so soundly. Up around 8 am I suppose.

Goofing off on the floor n the morning.

First Family breakfast at home. So awesome!

it’s been an adventure for sure.  We’re so grateful to the Lord for creating this beautiful and amazing family.  We are so blessed.  Andre has adjusted so well.  He has put on weight and crawling.  We have definitely bonded as a family.  Andre is thriving.  We will now end this blog and print it out into a book to pass on to Andre about how our journey started with him joining our family.  Our family has been blessed in ways unimaginable.  Jesus, you’ve blessed us through adoption and chosen us.  We fervently desire to do your will and love you dearly.  Amen

We have return dates

Wednesday August 7, 2024-Santa Rosa, Colombia-

Yesterday’s events led to not feeling like posting last night. It happens. For being an adoption blog, there is little having to do with the adoption process. It’s like now, we are on vacation with only a few “new events or notes” about Andre. So everyday is a stretch for posting.

It’s an incredibly small world. Tuesday we met with a friend at an associate of his house. He was telling us his story about how he lived and worked in Medellin and was suffering from burnout, decided to retire, and move to the house they were in. Towards the end, he introduced us to his wife and the first thing she said to Claudia was “I know you”. Upon a few moments, we realized that she was the sister and f an old friend of ours that we hadn’t see in around 20-years. Tatiana and her husband were constantly around while we were dating and they even attended ur wedding. But you know how it is, ver time when you. I’ve away, you lose track of people, even the close ones sometimes. It was a sort of reunion. Small world as I said.

Wednesday, a non-eventful day again. Except for the fact that last night I fought a battle with a mosquito buzzing my ear. 3 times it woke me up and I never did find the little bugger! So I slept in a bit until I was rudely awoken by a monster being put in my bed.

Note my hoodie string in his mouth. I’m giving up on wearing them because the strings are always soaked with spit! Ick!

Monster!

He was a bit more pleasant later.

First taste of an M&M…let’s just say he was a big fan! Mami did not approve.

Claudia and I were finally able to have a business meeting we’ve been trying to have forever. We’ve tried here but our continually interrupted. We had to leave the house to accomplish this feat but it was successful. We went for coffee at a place called Mirador. Its very close to the house. It started with coffee but ended in a glass of wine. Beautiful night and beautiful view for a meeting. Check it out.

Bamboo viewing tower

“Business meeting “

I mentioned that coffee turned into wine later in the evening. To the right is the bar we got the wine from. We sat down to enjoy and were promptly asked to leave. Yup, you read that correctly…Claudia and I were kicked out of a bar! If I were you, I’d repeat this in embarrassing situations for us! Ok, the rest of the story, the bar was reserved for a wedding reception and somehow I slipped past security posted at the doors. At the bar, I was asked if I was part of the reception party to which I said “yes”. I apparently didn’t hear the question correctly….it was loud in there. I did pay for our drinks so it’s not like we were wedding crashing.

Sunday in Guacas

Sunday August 4, 2024 - Santa Rosa, Colombia-

What in the world is Guacas?! It’s like a region…neighborhood perhaps, north of Santa Rosa but still within city limits. Saturday, Nani is starting to come down with something and wanted to stay home with Andre. We met with Octavio, a friend of ours who has worked a lot of construction Projects for Claudia’s dad. We’ve gotten to know him over the years. We visited with him while walking a beautiful farm with some spectacular views. Really pretty place. It’s a shame but a few years ago, Octavio was in a motorcycle accident and got pretty messed up. Now he has hired his daughter to be his chauffeur. Check out this view…

It was nice catching up. Afterwards, we ran into town for some groceries and…a decent cup of coffee and fresh bread. Colombia was playing Spain in the Olympics. That didn’t go well by the way. Awesome coffee shop though.

That was kind of the extent of Saturday. Time spent at home was fun.

Sunday, the Lords day. The church here in Guacas does not have an assigned priest. It doesn’t even offer mass every week but there has been a sign on the door stating mass today at 2:30. So that was our plan.

Prior to mass, Claudia and I went for a walk. We headed to our lot which is around a mile from where we are staying. It was really nice out and pretty enjoyable. There is a section of road which makes me a bit nervous and I finally can show you why.

There is no fence on the road, it is lined with trees and bushes. The drop from the road is pretty nasty. This is not a section you would want to speed on driving.

The church is a bit run down and needs a lot of work but that is the reason we want to go there. The church was pretty full honestly. The community raised money for new pews which were really nice. There is a drive going on to restore the church. In retirement, I anticipate a closer relationship with us and that church/ chapel. I’m not sure what o call it. I’m not aware of a tabernacle in the church but I could be wrong. I’ll take a picture later… forgot today. Church is a bit strange here. There aren’t doors per se, so there was a dog that walked through during mass. I’m not a fan.

After mass we head into Pereira to meet up with mom & dad and went out for dinner. Nani is definitely coming down with something. We did stop at the pharmacy for her. Andres sleep schedule is just out of whack. Some days he sleeps until after 8 am. Other days up at 4 am. Exhausting and hard to establish a routine. There is a growing desire to be home at least for the routine.

Termales

Friday August 2, 2024 -Sant Rosa, Colombia-

What a great day! No appointments this morning or surprises! We decided to squeeze in a trip to one of the things I fell in love with about this area. We went to Termales which is a thermal spa very close to where we live. It’s always a bit chilly there as we do drive up the mountain bit but climbing in that hot pool is so awesome and relaxing. Enough talk, pictures!

Divina!

My man!

We MAY have forgotten his swim suit at grandma’s house

Peanut! Yup! Sitting in the USS Peanut that made the trip with us.

“Captain, you’ve run ashore!”

Just liked this picture of my guy!

A little rain shower for a while. This was REALLY refreshing!

We infringed on someone’s nap time. Peanut needed one too.

The USS peanut was been a wise investment for this trip. Seriously! Adopting families take note!

He’s winding down. You can see it in his eyes.

Well, what needs to be said? It was a lot of fun. In the evening, remember it is Friday night, a big group celebrating a birthday showed up so for us, we decided it was time to go. In the evenings, it sometimes turns into a party atmosphere there. We were there for 5-6 hours which was plenty. Andre was tired which that hot water can do that to you.

So much for plans

Thursday August 1, 2024 - Santa Rosa-

Rough morning that kind of threw off the day for the hero of this blog. Andre woke up at 4:00 this morning and never really fell back to sleep. That had a domino effect on his mood and sleep cycle for the rest of the day.

Mom and dad made an early arrival. We had another meeting downtown but this time with Claudia’s dad. Grandma stayed with the kids while we went to town and spent way more time than intended. We made it back home and ordered delivery Don Julio again. Grandma wanted to stay with peanut longer and convinced us to leave little boy with her since he was a bit off today. And he was struggling. No big smiles or laughter today. He wasn’t sick, no signs of fever or anything, just off.

The plan for the day was to drop off a donation at the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa of Calcutta’s Order). We did make it . We met a young sister from the Philippines who had been with the order only 2 months. There are about 10 sisters there, 5 colombianas, a few from the US and 1 from the Philippines. Her English was really good which we appreciated. Their mission used to be the elderly abandoned and homeless but it sounds like their mission has shifted to the homeless addicts who seek their help. We talked about donations for the future. I know some at our parish were asking what they needed. Sheets, blankets, towels are always welcome. Personal hygiene items were what they requested when we called and honestly the main reason for our trip to PriceMart (Costco) yesterday. Also, just cuz we’re convinced that nuns need a treat, there is a box of Oreos on the table in the back. The sister smiled when we pointed it out.

Where our plans fell apart, and probably for the best, was the afternoon. We were planning on a family day at Termales. That’s the thermal volcanic waters that I’ve told so many of you about. We haven’t been there for a few years but decided with as much fun as peanut has in the water, it’s a must. Well, a few factors came into play and we passed on the opportunity. Peanut’s sleep schedule and mood were just off. We got back from Pereira really tired. It had rained today and the humidity was pretty high but lower temperatures. Basically it was kind of chilly and we didn’t want to risk anyone getting sick. I know the kids were disappointed but we will do it before we leave.

A picture from a previous trip to Termales

We ended up staying home and watched a movie. Cabrini…awesome movie worth the view if you get the chance.

Every other day post? Unacceptable!

Wednesday July 31, 2024 - Santa Rosa, Colombia-

I seem to have fallen into an every other day routine which I am not happy about. Sorry about that.

Tuesday July 30. Did I mention that today I have a 9-month old?

Today was a day that will live in infamy! We went to Colombian Costco!! A day to remember for sure! We made our way down to Pereira after after breakfast to meet with mom & dad since they hold the prized membership.

First, a question; have any of you ever gone shopping while hungry? And while shopping, has anything NOT on your list ended up in your cart? Perhaps that $10 bag of pistachios? And by chance, have any of your unplanned treats ended up open WHILE you are still shopping? And then next thing you know, there is a big bag of Hershey nuggets sitting in your cart ALSO OPENED? How that other bag got opened was just an insane coincidence! As we went to the checkout, I complained to the cashier about the poor quality of the packaging and the pre opened containers. She laughed a lot harder than I anticipated. Perhaps I’m funnier than I think (not likely) or perhaps I butchered the Spanish language with my attempted humor.

Since we have that lot in Santa Rosa, otherwise known as a finca or farm. Any good Colombian farmer carries a machete. So ve been in the market for one down here. Now, to be clear, my better half has opinions about such a purchase and let’s be clear…she is not a supporter of my farmer dreams. I did find that PriceMart sells machetes and I thought fate was on my side but once again, my dreams were twarted!

Don’t let the price freak you out…divide by 4000 to get to the US dollar price. Apparently Pereira had run on machetes and I was late to the party! Claudia won this round!

After we were all checked out, the hunger pangs could no longer be ignored. Right there, at PriceMart, was a food court. Just like any other you would see at Sam’s or Costco. Pizza, hot dogs, fried chicken…there was nothing else the human body could need! My argument must have been convincing enough and we stayed. Claudia was up making the order while the in-laws picked a table. They were pushing the stroller where peanut had drifted off to sleep in. I felt the need to tell them not to get used to this extravagance. We cannot go around flaunting out resources like this. This was a one in a lifetime event…drink it in!

Claudia needed to run an errand with her dad. That left me to take the kids and mother in-law back to their house. As we got into the car, I asked my mother in-law “Tienes miedo? ( are you scared of my driving?). She laughed and said “no”. I asked “porque no!?” To which she laughed again. We got home and peanut was still in need of a nap. He slept but in short spurts. He was rubbing his eyes and clearly wanted to sleep. I brought him back to the room we used to stay in. There was no bed for him so I stacked pillows making a barrier but though he was tired, he did not back down from the challenge. I had to lay down with him to try get him to relax. Vishnu would have none of it. He found my glasses fascinating and discovered that my scapular was a tasty treat. Next thing you know, he heard mamis voice in the living room and all thoughts of napping were gone.

Hanging with Grandpa. Nothing better on earth than grandpa!

Random picture of my little man!

Ironically, I was accused of “falling asleep “ back in the room with peanut. Fat chance of that! It was like trying to cuddle with a caffeinated squirrel! You remember the squirrel from Ice Age? Yup, just like that!

Anyway, we had a light dinner with grandma and grandpa before we headed home. Great eventful day.

Wednesday

Long day spent at the property. Today we worked some shifts. Nani wanted to stay home and care for peanut while Clau, me and Santi headed to the property. It was a bit fun talking to Julian, the neighbor who gave us some insight of things we need to be aware of. Most concerning and Interesting was the note that there is some form of a wild cat living near by that has been eating neighbors chickens and geese. Apparently, it stands about knee high, brown front and striped tail. I did some google searching and came up empty. So Julian recommended not going into the wooded area alone or without protection….thats a win for Wes in the machete department. I know that sounds ominous but we’re not really worried about it.

Julian harvesting coffee from the neighbors lot.

I finally got to explore the bamboo part of the lot. It was difficult getting down there but once past the initial thickets, it opened up inside.

I found Dwight’s cousin. This little fella was about as big as my hand…a really fast. It appeared to go underwater which will cause me to start therapy again. I’m trying to convince myself that it only glided across the top of the water but it all happened so fast. Just another stupid thing for my childish brain to think about, spiders with snorkels!

A run into town for some necessities gave me this photo opportunity. Anyone else find this funny?

This man! The whole reason for this blog, remains absolutely adorable! Never mind my silly nick names and anecdotes. He is putting on weight, he now has 2 lower chompers (lower teethe), he is now crawling off and on. His smile is wonderful and laugh infectious.

Oh I like this lazy day!

Monday July 29, 2024 - Sta Rosa, Colombia-

I didn’t post yesterday (Sunday) because I personally ended the day with a pretty nasty migraine. Sunday was good though. We went to mass in town and afterwards to Don Julio’s for lunch. I think it’s the 3rd time we’ve been there in the past couple weeks. I forgot to take pictures so I’m relying on google search for this image. It’s a really cool place that they’ve built into a bamboo forest. On a hot day, it is typically 10-15 degrees cooler in the bamboo. Not sure why that is but the moisture seems to be higher but not humid as we think of it. I’m not sure why but it’s pretty comfortable. Mosquitoes can be an issue so you need to come prepared.

Good restaurant with seating back in the natural bamboo forest. Mosquitoes can be an issue so you need to be prepared for that.

Peanut slept through most of lunch so he was fully rested for a little bit of galavanting. We had talked about going to check out a nursery, as in a plant shop. We’re talking about what type of hedges we would like on our property and trees and other stuff like that. Plus, even at home, some of the stores you go to are just amazing. I’m not sure how people can grow such beautiful plants because every time I try, it looks like a war zone with nothing but death. Claudia has been keeping the plants pretty good. I tease her a lt about buying plastic plants because they don’t need water and when they get dusty, just put them in the dishwasher. She’s not amused by my commentary but she is used to me now. I also have an annoying habit of whistling TAPS when she even looks at plants. She deals with a lot from me. But I digress…

The shop was amazing. We had heard there were a few nurseries in the area but only found the one. My kids were thrilled beyond words that we could only find the one.

Check out this Jade plant, taller than my sassy daughter. I always have liked these.

Feather dust! I have no idea what this is but thought it was interesting.

Fruit trees galore. There are some pine trees that I’d like someday n the property. There happens to be one at the home we’re staying at.

I’ve only seen these in Santa Rosa

It is very soft to the touch. The tree is very full, good nesting area for the birds.

Avocado tree? Yup! Need a couple.

It was educational and beautiful to look at. We came home around dinner time. Leftovers and the Olympics. Before bed, we prayed a rosary as a family because we think our prayer life has suffered a bit being here, so we are going to make some changes as a family.

The migraine came as soon as we got home and I personally deteriorated until going to bed.

Monday morning, headache was gone and good thing, we had another appointment at the lot. We left Nani babysitting as she is lol excited to to so. The rest of the afternoon was spent at home. There was a thunderstorm that passed by the area. We got all the thunder and lightning and even a rainbow but hardly any rain. A few drops maybe but no more. Then the sky cleared up and we could see Los Nevados. It is of course part of the Andes mountain range but the Nevados, I believe, are volcanic. Colombia has 3 mountain peaks that are snow covered, we can see two of them from our current home.

Typically, it is too cloudy to see any of these but the last two days it’s pretty clear.

Hanging out at home.

Cracker snack time on the floor. Huge mess! HUGE!

Burgers on the grill tonight, some Olympics & a rosary.

A visit from the grandparents

Saturday July 27, 2024 -Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia-

Yesterday was much of the same…2 meetings at our lot. Nothing groundbreaking. The rest of the day was getting set up for our time here.

Ou friend at breakfast this morning. Praying Mantis

“You gotta problem?!”

Our little boy has put on some weight! He we couldn’t be more pleased.

Home for a few weeks. Thank you Nestor!

Hammock time with papi. Way more easy going than I anticipated .

After nap time for peanut, we ran into town for groceries. That place was packed! Friday night I suppose. Our timing was good though. Although it took longer than anticipated, we still got home at a reasonable time to have a light dinner and send peanut to bed. We stayed up for awhile and watched some of the Olympic highlights. We all went to bed laughing as the last thing we watched was synchronized swimming which my kids had no idea that was a sport.

Saturday, the in-laws came over for a visit. I know they have mixed feelings about this place. Father in-law loves it up here. He was born and raised in Santa Rosa. But mother in-law couldn’t wait to get out of here when they lived here. It was “way too cold and rainy “. So she prefers staying in the city and will not understand why we wouldn’t want to stay in town the whole time. The kids are so cooped up in their apartment. Can’t let them “outside to play” because there is only street to play in. Here?! Well, I have to say, It was so much fun watching them kick the ball around the yard today. I’m not interested in my kids needing to take the kids a half mile to the local college on the off chance they could play on the soccer field. So today, the might have been some “ you took my grandchildren away from me”.

Grandpa in the hammock. I might be yelled at for thi photo on the blog.

A move to Santa Rosa!

Thursday July 25, 2024 -Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia-

This morning went like the others except my wife woke up early to go to Eucharistic Adoration at the chapel up the street. It was at 6:15 this morning. By the time I woke up, she was gone. Nani & Santi came with this time but peanut stayed with grandma again. She has really embraced her time with Andre. We appreciate her help as these days would be rough on him. We were a bit rushed again as we needed to be up in Santa Rosa by 10. Our friend, Nestor, offered his home to us for a few weeks and we needed to take over the keys and learn the ins & outs of the property. Fun fact, this home is right next door to my in-laws old house. In fact, this property was part of the first purchase we made here in Colombia. Nestor bought this land from us. That’s how we got to know him. I can give you the inside information about why we sold tomorrow. It’s a beautiful area and gets us thinking about what could’ve been but no regrets.

After securing the house, we headed to the property for yet another meeting. Lots of meetings about that property on this trip for sure.

We had a disappointing lunch in town prior to another meeting with Marco Tulio, a business man that we bought our lot from. Before that meeting, we had time to stop by the cathedral. We wouldn’t be the Chases if we didn’t.

I did not know that the patron saint of this town is St. Rose of Lima who is very close to our family.

A good chunk of our meetings are with him regarding some questions that have come up along the way. We met for coffee at our favorite little shop Cesar Restrepo Pastelería. They never let us down for coffee or dessert.

We headed back to Pereira to pack . Ended up back at the house around 8 pm and settled in. Peanut got to bed a bit late but was quite a little trooper.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

Just one of those days

Wednesday July 24, 2024 - Pereira, Colombia-

“Those days”. You know the ones I’m talking about. When you wake up in the morning with the attitude of “meh!”. That was me today, but was it just me?

The kids and I stayed up and watched a movie last night. But we still all got to bed at a reasonable time. Even peanut was a bit “meh” today. Not really cranky, but not full of smiles like the bonus video the other day. After a quick breakfast, we needed to un to Santa Rosa, a recurring theme in our lives. For the record, so much of our Colombian life is based out of that town and is why we he’d that direction so often.

Hint for tomorrow…never guess where we are going again?!?!

Anyway, our trip there as a relatively quick one. I think we were at our lot for a grand total of 30-minutes then right back to Pereira. Plenty of time for Santi and I to explore a new area of the lot. This got a bit treacherous and we abandoned our mission. Even I was falling into ruts that were waist deep and a risk of breaking my hip (again). Check out the grass compared to my little bud!

Bold and brave! Not afraid of tall grass….spiders…maybe even snakes…

Forward, March!

Abort! Run away!

The in-laws had a medical appointment this morning so Mariana stepped up to stay home and care for peanut! This was her first time alone babysitting and she did great.

Mango goo! Gross! Yes, some did get into his mouth.

Note: You may be asking with all of these trips, why didn’t we just stay there to begin with? Well, initially, we couldn’t find a place that we were willing to pay for. Secondly, to allow time with grandma and grandpa, we needed to be closer to them. Thirdly, it gets my in-laws upset when we don’t stay with them…never mind having a new baby!

On the way home, we got a call from the in-laws who had a car that was dead. We diverted our trip but fortunately, the dead car (battery just needed to be jumped) was one of our go-to restaurants only a block away; Delight. Strange combination of food but we love their hamburgers & lasagna. Don’t ask questions! Of course it makes sense! We brought home lunch for everyone, 3 burgers and 3 lasagna. I said, don’t ask questions! It was delicious by the way. Burgers here have pineapple and thick sliced sweet pickles on them by the way…you should give it a shot.

2:00, claudia and her mom had appointments for manicure & pedicure. The men tagged along and got much needed haircuts. Ok, cost of living comparisons Colombia vs USA. I’ve been told, that a manicure/pedicure at home will cost $100 per person. My typical haircut at home is typically $30-40. Today, Hernando, Santi, Mariana, Aminta, and I all got haircuts/ styling & Aminta & Claudia had the mani/pedi for a grand total of $64. Part of me felt like we were hillbillies who just came to the big city and all got haircuts at the same time. So we will probably go back before coming home. My hair is pretty long and curly right now and might not quite be in military standard to go back to work. And paying $5 for a nice haircut instead of a $40 pet-clips haircut is way more palatable.

During these groomings, a certain peanut required entertainment. It was nap time so there were a few trips around the block to get him to fall asleep. It worked. While he was sleeping, me and the kids went to the Pereira cathedral. Someone forgot his phone at home so I’ll have to give you some stock photos from previous trips.

The first time I was here, I thought it was under construction. But looking at the wood work and the beams and structures, it is awesome. I also love the mural above the altar though this picture is a bit far off.

We prayed for a bit. I noticed the priest was starting to do confessions which Santi and I took advantage of later on. But we went to a few religious shops near the cathedral and bought Santi a nice crucifix for his bedroom. He wanted a more “big boy” crucifix (my words, not his). And it was really nice. Nani had a time limit for being back so we brought her back and Santi and I headed back for confession.

Remember what I said about a “meh” day? I think it cleared up while we were in town. Time spent at church and confession may have been just what I personally needed. My attitude may have also been driving others down as well. Sorry family if that’s the case.

:(

On the way home, it was another Queso & Cafe night. Peanut was awake, on his game and wonderful in the restaurant. Did I tell you that last time at this restaurant, I felt his bottom two teeth poking through? Well, he hides the, well and when you try to open his mouth to look, well, be ready for a fight and screaming like you’re committing homicide. But Nani did get a glimpse of the “tooth” she said, she thought it was just one. We discovered at this restaurant as well his love for mandarin juice. He has been devouring it. Tonight was no exception. We got home and played on the floor for a while. He is getting closer to crawling. It’s about 90/10 that he gets on his arms and dragged his legs across the floor. We catch him up on all fours every now and the. When we try to help, laziness steps in and if you try too much? Screaming homicide again. That little grump!

Oh, one last note before I go. Bath time is a favorite time. I’ve been doing a majority of these duties. The routine consists of going into our bedroom and removing the clothes and the diaper because once he sees the water, it’s a mad scramble to break free and get into the USS peanut I introduced all of you to weeks ago. Anyway, while transitioning from bedroom into bathroom, I felt my stomach start getting warm, then I felt the wetness. All that mandarin juice he had earlier was now being released all over my shirt, and across the hall. Ironically, the diaper I had just removed was heavy from urine. This dude has a tremendous bladder for a little guy. He is all too willing to pee on anyone! Never had this issue with Santi….this dude’s making up for lost time. Of course Clau is no help! Her and her mom laughed hysterically!

Bonus video

Post nap smiles

A couple day break….sorry

Sunday July 21, 2024 - Pereira, Colombia-

This post accounts for a couple days. Friday and Saturday we spent a large chunk in Santa Rosa

The facts are, there hasn’t really been much action to report on. I love being in Pereira, probably for that reason. For the past few days straight, we made trips into Santa Rosa for various reasons. And we’ve also made trips to our lot out there. The weather has been beautiful so we really enjoy our time out there. It’s nice visiting with Amparo & Julian, the caretakers of the farm up the hill. The owner of that finca, Carlos, live in New York and visits pretty frequently. Amparo & Julian are a sweet older couple. They have always looked out for us and Julian has helped us out on several occasions, cleaning up grass for our arrival and clearing pathways to the creek so we can get down there and goof off. Which we did…again. It’s what we do!

Peanut on the farm! Excuse the boxes around our faces. I think I did a screen shot instead of a picture. Still a good shot.

Guayaba from our lone fruit tree. Sweet fruit with pink pulp and lots of seeds but the goal is to turn this into…

This! Delicious!

The creek from up on the bluff. Not that easy to scale down.

But we managed. Not really dressed to do much down there today.

We ended up getting back late but it was pretty great.

Saturday, we had lunch plans with Mercedes at her Apartment. She is the main reason I don’t lose weight in Colombia. She used to work for Claudia’s parents but is basically retired now. She lives with a friend and helps care for her 93-year old mother.

Before heading up the mountain again, I needed to stop for gas. If anyone can explain this to me, I would appreciate it!

Taxi driver pulls in, grabs ramp out of his trunk and backs one tire one it. He continues to fuel while shaking his vehicle. Fascinating but I can’t explain it.

We had to run up to Santa Rosa again on Saturday. This time we left the kids home with grandma. Hernando has been accompanying us out of boredom we think. That’s ok, it’s been fun having him with us. We wanted to get back to Pereira because we wanted to surprise the kids with going to the movies. Which we did, we saw the new minions movie….in Spanish which made it a bit complicated but still fun. Peanut stayed with grandma again which she is thoroughly enjoying.

Sunday morning….time to go to mass. In route walking to church, we ran into the motorcycle vendor selling mazamorra. Video included to see how this goes.

Mazamorra guy on a Sunday morning! Ridiculous!

I don’t know how to describe mazamorra other than MAYBE like oatmeal but with corn in it. Claudia loves it but the rest of us are “meh”!

Mass was beautiful again. The in-laws decided that they would go to mass later in the day and they stayed back to prepare lunch. After lunch, we put peanut down for a nap.

After the nap we headed over to our friends Adri & Herman’s house for some catch up time. Always awesome hanging out with some of our oldest friends.

Adri’s mom was also over so it was nice seeing her again.

Repeat from yesterday…no big plans

Wednesday July 17, 2024 -Pereira, Colombia-

Fun day though nothing special happened. Peanut woke up at 9:00 so I’ll let you guess what time I woke up…

I’ll give you a second to think about it…

Those of you who guessed 9:00 are absolutely brilliant! Well done! Of course my wife is a responsible parent so she was up earlier with Santi but the big one? The 14-year old? She came wandering out around 9:15 and the only reason she woke up was a street salesman wandering through the neighborhood was yelling “Banano banano banano! Aguacate aguacate aguacate!”. For the gringos in the group here is hard to understand but I will try to capture a video of the lovely cultural treasure next time it happens.

We tried to give mother-in-law (Aminta). Break from cooking and offered to take the, out for breakfast but getting up at 9:00 was a bit late for that. We did manage to talk them into going out for lunch instead. But for now, we, the Chase clan, did walk to Queso y Cafe which is a restaurant chain but one close to the house. Peanut was well behaved except for devastation he caused in his diaper. Fortunately it was after breakfast. That was absolutely diabolical! And we, the experienced parents, managed to walk out of the house with a stroller, up the hill, with no diaper bag. What! How does this happen?! Newbies! We need to get our heads in the game a little bit better than this! Breakfast was really good. The coffee was disappointing this time but historically has been good. We were asked to bring back some fresh bread from this place so Aminta was pleased.

In-laws had a doctors appointment so we did coordinate a nap for peanut. But upon their return around 2:30, lil dude woke up and we headed out, diaper bag was along with us this time.

Note the head of the table diaper bag placement! In-laws have never been ones for looking at the camera during pictures. Usually it is Hernando looking away. This time it was Aminta and for some reason my oldest son is trying to hide behind a bug spray bottle. Weirdo!

I suffered a serious attack and my hat sustained damages from Vishnu, king of the peanuts!

Grandma takes over a feeding

Later grandpa took a shot at giving him some limonada

Less than impressed by the sour limonada I guess.

Biggest news of the day was the return of our car from Bogota. FREEDOM! Not having our car was a contributing factor to our uneventful days. Though offered, I do NOT like taking the in-laws car. There are a myriad of reasons for it that go outside of “Minnesota-nice”. Also, if you remember, two of our bags that we couldn’t ship were in the back. This will change our mobility for sure.

The evening consisted of laying on the floor with peanut and working on crawling. He is getting close but not quite yet. He is such a sweet man and he has really flourished with us. His personality, especially when his belly is full, is amazing. Now if he is hungry, sleepy or, heaven forbid a combination of both? Hide! No seriously! Be elsewhere!

How could that be? So sweet! Listen, don’t fall for those little baby brown eyes!

O forgot to mention that with the return of the car meant the return of the USS peanut. He saw the deflated pool and he grabbed it barely allowing me to blow it up. He was a surprising pain for that. Also, it is really hard to blow up a contraption like that while an infant is pulling it away and you’re laughing at the same time. That process didn’t work very smoothly.

A “do nothing” day!

Tuesday July 16, 2024 -Pereira, Colombia-

It was bound to happen. Even in a place we enjoy so much, just a do nothing day. Sounds intensely boring, doesn’t it? If by boring you mean “wonderful”, then we’re on the same page. Who doesn’t want a day at home where you aren’t running like a chicken with its head ….well, you know. The highlights of the day included; laundry, taking peanut for a walk around the block and visiting the outside chapel of the church for prayer and reflection, trying to figure out what happened to the Wi-Fi in the house, and peanut bath time. There you go…that was the day.

Peanut bath time was filled to the brim with smiles, more than normal I’d say. We spent extra time today. Keep in mind there is no bathtub in this house so we need to improvise. I seem to remember as a child, watching my mother give my sisters bathes in the kitchen sink and can only assume I had done the same thing. Well here, you’ve seen the inflatable pool used for bathing and more importantly, functioned as the USS Peanut in the pool. Well, we don’t have that back from Bogota yet. Grandma had a plastic was tub that meets our needs.

Desorden!!!!

No comments on my parenting, water levels, AND also I believe it is clean! Dude had a blast and I think in the end my clothes were as wet as if I was taking the bath. “Desorden!“ really gets his motor running though when the camera is running, it’s distracting to him. Too bad.

Connectivity remains an issue here. Mental notes to make for the future. I say this with all due respect and keep in mind that my in-laws are upper 70’s and low 80’s. Some of the equipment they are using is pretty dated. In this picture (which I will be yelled at for), my darling wife is doing her impersonation of a cable installer.

Authors note: the whole purpose of this picture was to illustrate to my beautiful bride that she chose to crawl, the hard way, from the other side of the desk where she could have just walked to the other side of the desk where the picture was taken. I maaaaaayyyyy have been making fun of her a bit. Maybe! I’m not one for teasing or making fun or jokes.

Under the table on the small shelf is only what I can call a “power strip”. It would officially be the oldest version of a power strip I’ve ever seen. I believe it has failed completely. There were other items plugged into it that were also inoperative. Looks like I’ll be replacing this relic of years past in the next couple days.

The kids wanted to watch a movie last night. I’m sure I’m the last to know but there is apparently a new Despicable Me / Minnion movie out? Ok, you all know how disconnected especially I am. Anyway, we are waiting for a rainy day to take the kids (ok, the big immature father too). But, in preparation for that, we watched the original. On my iPad, I have 5 movies, Despicable Me being one of them. Thanks to that movie, now I have “Boogie Robots” singing in my head. If you don’t know what I am talking about, you need a refresher.

Well, that didn’t take long! I was already discovered with that less than glamorous photo of my technical support lady. I’m posting it anyway!

Day trip to Santa Rosa

Monday July 15, 2024 - Pereira, Colombia-

Anyone who knows us knows how much we love this area of Colombia. My first trip to Colombia brought me here to Pereira and I fell in love. During that initial trip, my in-laws and other family members made a trip to Santa Rosa de Cabal which solidified my love for the region forever. Actually, Santa Rosa is now my first love just because of the size and a bit cooler climate.

We needed to make a run with Claudia’s dad, Hernando, for some other business he had. So we took advantage and hung out with him for the day. We left peanut with Grandma who was more than eager to have alone time with Andre. We thought it would be really a sweet opportunity for her since we live so far away and won’t get to see him as often. Anyway…where in the world a, I talking about? I think I did some of this in another section of this website but in case you missed it…

Pereira is about 200 miles west of Bogota and pretty much the half way point between Medellin and Cali.

Heading north over the mountain about 10 miles to Santa Rosa de Cabal…God’s country

Over the bridge that connects Pereira and Dos Quebradas. Fun fact; Nani was born in Pereira and Santi in Dos Quebradas

For those who don’t know, we own a small chunk of land that sits undeveloped and waiting for my retirement. Developed or not, we’re visiting several times during a typical trip to Colombia. Today was no different.

Me and my man at the main town square in Santa Rosa. Surprised to see they were moving an artisan market within the square. I think it will be nicer than its previous location. That’ll be nice.

The lot.

At the neighbors house, Claudia walking with her dad down the hill towards our lot

Nature!

We didn’t spend much time there since our main purpose was for Hernando’s personal business. Heading back into the actual town of Santa Rosa I snapped a few pictures of the scenery.

Can’t do business on an empty stomach! Stopped by an empenada stand for a little “álguito”.

We did some grocery shopping before heading home. Ended up getting back around 8 pm. We were greeted by HUGE ear to ear smiles and hyper hand flapping laughter by a certain little boy who is the star of this blog. It was very sweet but on the way home, Nani said “I miss Andre” and it seems like a unanimous opinion from the back seat of the car. Well, the siblings didn’t disappoint. Lots of playing on the floor and a certain peanut stayed up way past his bedtime because of all the catching up we needed to do for this missed day of play. I know the kids did some pictures and videos on another device, maybe I’ll have them do a post tomorrow with some of that material.

Love you all!

Nice painting of our Lord in a closed artisan shop.

A Nani post

Sunday, July 14

Flying Day

                 Well, Santi and I woke up at about 8:00 am. We got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast and got busy eating eggs, toast, and mango. Mami and Papi had to go drop off some bags at the Coordinadora so they could be sent to Pereira because all of them couldn’t fit into the car. Turns out that the website said that the store was open, but when they got there it was closed. So, they hurried back home and got ready to order 2 Ubers. One for the bags and the other for the very stressed out human beings. Don’t worry, we all got there on time and the best of all… WE WERE EARLY!! We stopped by and bought ourselves some Starbucks coffee. I ordered a caramel frappuccino and it was amazing. It was soon time to go through security and it all went smoothly. Right after security it was time to board but we hadn’t changed Andre’s diaper, and he was getting a bit fussy which was a bit of a red flag. We boarded the plane and got all situated. He started being complicated so we tried to entertain him with many different things but that didn’t work either. Finally the plane landed and we got out ready to reclaim our bags and head to our grandparents house. The drive took about 20 minutes. Once we got there Andre was already asleep, so we put him down on the bed and he stayed there for about an hour. For lunch we ate some beans,rice,plátano,and meat. We hung around the house for a while until it was time to attend mass. Mass was pretty good because I could actually understand the homily. When we got back we were ready to cheer on the men’s Colombia soccer team in the Copa America final.

Location change! Adios Bogota!

Sunday July 14, 2024 -Pereira, Colombia-

It was a lot of fun prepping for travel when all the adults were sick! We managed though.

Saturday was the last day of soccer camp for the kids. We dropped Nani off but today, Santi was going to be late. We decided to pursue orthodontist work for my man. Claudia went with him while I hung out at a coffee shop. Not from lack of interest but for some reason, security into the building is a pain. Plus, there was a coffee shop! But my brave 9-year old walked out with this beautiful blue retainer! So the treatment begins. The price here versus home? Umm, this was a no-brainer! Treatment cost at home? I could afford to fly us down to Colombia and pay for the treatment a couple times per year! As I said, no brainer. For Santi? Well, lots of saliva, mumbling, laughing, even an occasional gag reflex. Always fun! He’s in good spirits. I don’t think the easy process he thought it would be.

The coffee shop was disappointing so I wandered the streets. They were beginning to set up the market we visited last Sunday. Got peanut a sweet stocking cap.

Not quite buying into the whole hat thing.

That is NOT an expression of joy but he is still learning that as parents, it is our job to torment.

Back to the camp for our Santi. Today was game day for the kids. On our way back to the apartment, we drove by an area that was selling all the Colombian soccer jerseys for the Copa America which, Colombia is playing Argentina for the championship as I type! So we went and ordered personalized jerseys. They both wanted the same player, #6, Richard Rios. So no confusion there.

After, it was back to the house to pack. Our plan was to get our two biggest bags shipped again. Problem was, the times listed on the internet for hours of operation? All lies. We drove all over trying different locations that said they were opened. We finally had to give up and go get the kids. We had one more option Sunday morning at 8:00. Fast forward…do you think it was opened? Nope! Main problem in Colombia is reliability. Even in business. Customer service doesn’t really exist so they have no trouble wasting your time. Plan C was to leave our bags in the trunk of our rental car which will be delivered to us on Wednesday. I could have drove but it is a dangerous LONG drive and with peanut, that is too much to ask of him.

Anyway, the kids were thrilled when we picked them up with the jerseys. I think they lost faith that it would happen. They needed to be all decked out for the game. Peanut was a trooper all day with the running around. Claudia thought it was one of his easier days with us.

Sunday morning.

I wasn’t sad saying goodbye to our apartment. It was fine but not very welcoming. All the complaints against us for parking, Saturday someone in the building had a party in the building and double stacked cars in their spots effectively blocking our entry. Our stay there just started and end bad for multiple reasons…the parking is only my favorite.

Our time at the airport was easy as it could be. We were even early enough to sit and enjoy a morning coffee.

They’ll always haunt me. Most of you know I retire later this year. While I am thrilled to death, I know I will be broken hearted as well. It’s funny, most of the guys at my work have never really seen me work on an airplane. I’ve essentially been a supervisor for around 15 years. But I enlisted in 1987 have only worked C-130’s. I love those ugly things. They’ll always be in my heart and blood. Ironically, the Colombian Air Force has an aircraft with tail number 1008. Han, for those who don’t know, that was the tail number I was assigned to here in Minnesota. Ok, enough about me but while ordering coffee, this was the view out the window.

My man chilling with Juan Valdez at the airport

Peanut on the airplane? Um, this was good practice. He was a handful. Remember the “Vishnu” name I gave him? Even more funny on an airplane because everything is so close? My glasses, mami’s hair, the airplane literature, the seat belts…no interest in the toys we brought. We distracted him with an unopened bag of chips that he beat and beat and beat on everything. Thank goodness the bag never opened because that would have been a chip crumb disaster like never seen before!

Arriving in Pereira, Colombia

What’s special about Pereira? It Claudia’s home town. It’s where her parents live and a place I’ve come to love. Taxi to the in-laws house and greeting their new grandson

It’s Sunday obviously…therefore, we went to mass. It was a great service with a new young priest I’d never seen before. I actually enjoy that the church is really only a block away with an Adoration chapel. After mass, it was nice to find my son ho went on his own to the chapel to pray. Warms a parents heart

Disease, disease, disease!

Friday August 12, 2024 -bogota, Colombia (part 2)

Look, I’m not ignoring the blog. That is the furthest from the truth. But, Mercedes, who is staying with us for a couple of days, she came down with an Epic flu with all the symptoms that go with it. We did our best to take care of her. Well, next day, she was doing a lot better and Claudia and I started getting that feeling. Claudia Nyquil’d up last night. She was knocked out. Fortunately peanut only woke up once at midnight and was back to bed pretty easy. The kids still had their soccer camp so I accompanied them in a comatose state. Then back to the apartment and back to bed. I didn’t get up until 1:30.

Life goes on, kind of. Kids aren’t sick and God willing it stays that way, Bogota! Ugh! Hot cold wet repeat!

Let’s see if I have any pictures to share. I’ll get you all caught up when I stop drooling on my iPad, I promise.

Another weed whip-bike. Better picture this time

This was our last pre-death picture. Went to Oliveta is Usaquen. Outstanding! Great choice, maybe the best of this trip so far.

That’s it tonight. I’m doing my night time meds and….g’night!

Embassy appointment

Tuesday July 9, 2024 -Bogota, Colombia (part 2)

Ugh! Rough start to the day. Peanut woke up at 4:09…and never went back to sleep. Alarms were set early anyway for our various appointments. Kids needed to be at soccer at 7:30 and we needed to be at the embassy at 7:30. Worlds collided but we survived.

The US Embassy is nuts no matter where you are in the world. For being a country that some politicians say is awful and that we are a racist nation, there was no shortage of people standing in line for a chance to come. I’ll bet there were 500 people standing in line in front and this was only before lunch. And it happens every day.

First things first, little peanut needed a photo for his visa. F course with all the no sleeping he was doing early this morning, he fell asleep in the car and we had to ace him up for this picture. So the dazed and confused…this is why.

Hmm, what’s going on behind the curtain?

Huh?!

Having completed the visa, we walked out and I took this selfie since no cameras were allowed inside the building. Mr. Chase, the little one, looks thrilled!

Our time in the embassy was relatively short. Most of the time spent was when I went back to pay the bill for the visa. Ok, honestly I thought we paid for all that stuff already but they continually Nickel and dime you to death. This one was to the tune on $325! Seriously! Enough! The agency sent a lady to help us navigate the system and get in quicker. Remember what I said about the line? We were escorted to the front where our name was on a list. They even stopped the security line to let us butt in. But I can’t imagine doing that all with Andre. No shade, no shelter. If it rains, deal with it. But once inside, I was lead back to pay that bill. Couldn’t do anything until I had a receipt

Anyone else find the highlighted section odd? Or am I just a child?

Soccer camp. They sent these team photos out today and thought I would share.

Santi’s group

Nani is first row far right red uniform

They love it because some of the big names in Colombian soccer have received this very same training, male and female. They’ve even seen some of the players they’ve watched play in the World Cup.

Today the had some 1990’s World Cup player come in and give a talk, Jorge Balaño, which they liked. Don’t worry, I never heard of him either.

On the downside though, Nani re-injured her knee in a collision with the goalie. She spent the evening icing it down. I know she is really bummed about this. It was funny, she decided on her own to go to the medical tent and who did she run into? Pickle! 100% of Chases in attendance were wounded. My house needs tougher love I think. Santi’s sounds like cramping maybe? He got hit in the leg and they gave him stretching to do.

AirBNB drama!

The owner of the apartment received a complaint about us yesterday. Apparently my parking in the garage doesn’t allow the lady access to her passenger side door. “You’re parking wrong “ is what I was told. This is the smallest apartment garage I’ve ever been in. This is my “corrected” parking I guess. I am the white Renault Duster.

I believe the black mounted cones are where I need to be away from. Yesterday I partially parked on one. When we first got here, each of those cones had a plastic pylon on them but I kept running them over. Check out the other side.

I’ll try to be better

Peanut tantrums

Noon time nap, keep in mind he was very tired from no sleep last night and an interrupted sleep at the embassy. He was about 2 hours overdue a nap. Diaper clean, formula fed, burped thoroughly, heavy eye rubbing meaning he was ready! Put him into his bed and he starts screaming, blood curdling, make the neighbors forget about my parking, alert the authorities screaming. This went on for quite awhile, no holding, rubbing back, bouncing or anything helped. But Claudia and I have a theory…teething. He currently has lots of slobber & chews on everything. He hasn’t had a fever though which I thought goes along with it. So tonight, we got some of that numbing gel for kids. We tried to administer and how do you think that went? Alert the authorities, the Chases are ending another child! We’ll see how this Theory works out.

On the way to the pharmacy, we stopped for street food. Sooo gooood!

Arepas! The white stuffed bread you see there

Yes, that lady is wearing a parka.

Andre passport & soccer camp starts!

Monday July 8, 2024 -Bogota, Colombia (part 2)-

Exciting day. We needed to get up early today, 6:00 to get our children fed on on our way to soccer camp. I can’t wait to hear the reports of how it went.

Awfully excited today. Apparently they woke up at 3am and started getting ready before realizing how early it was.

Dropping off the nimrods at good camp

We did meet another couple of parents who dropped their daughter off. Same age as Nani. They’re from San Diego so there should be someone to connect with. Also, their daughter is adopted as well.

We were told that passport pick up time would be around noon so we had time to come home for some breakfast and put peanut for his morning nap.

Not the whole passport but not a bad picture if you ask me

Passport was a quick trip. Nice for a change. It took less than 5-minutes. Afterwards, we needed to do some administrative cleanup at the doctors office driving across town for a signature but, ok.

Interesting things we’ve learned n this trip:

• Motorized scooters in everyday traffic. This is complete madness. Never mind the obvious of a 2000lb car running into you, but even just hitting a pothole or uneven surface. It’s crazy! Not a great picture below but you get the idea.

• Bicycles motorized with weed whacker engines. See pictures below. This takes some creativity and it works pretty good. You’ll see these guys whipping in and out of traffic too.

Scooter on the main road

Pretty awesome if you ask me. This was a food delivery guy who had to fix a flat.

Pedal chain on one side, weed whacker engine on the other.

Soccer camp report:

〰️

Soccer camp report: 〰️

• Santi - well, it sounds like there were quite a few bratty kids in his group and according to him, lots of inappropriate language. Most of the kids are not from Colombia as most Colombian kids went back to school this week. So a lot more English than we were hoping for and little correction for foul language. He says he had fun though and wants to go back. He thought it as really cool meeting some professionals and the women’s team coach. I’m glad he still wants to go. There was some other stuff that clearly he didn’t know how to handle that we will be working on. I will try to prevent spreading my sarcasm and cynicism to him. I also don’t want to get him in trouble.

• Mariana- I don’t know who this girl is but she made friends! My shy little church mouse! It was funny, after we dropped off, we met those parents from San Diego. We were right that they hit it off pretty good. Apparently, Nani became the Spanish translator for this other girl. Then we heard about these other girls who try to speak English but it doesn’t work out well for them. She says “ oh, they’re so nice”. I really don’t know who she is meeting people like this.

  I’m really pleased they are having fun but we will be monitoring Santi’s situation pretty closely. I know eventually he will be forced to deal with this garbage but man, I just want my 9-year old to get to enjoy his age.

We got our notice that we have an embassy appointment at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Peanut is getting his visa in his passport! Not sure what we need to do beyond that. Besides meetings with social workers down the line. We might be done!