Didja miss me? (Izzy)

Well, what do you know, I'm back! And no, I didn't forget about you, I just forgot about the blog, there's a difference. I'm sorry, I know, I'm a terrible blogger, I am ashamed.
But I have news!!!!
Those of you who remember the day that I proclaimed I was starting field hockey will be quite happy to know that I bought a stick and ball, they are lovely and awesome. I am getting a lot better at this sport that has now become my new favorite and I hope to amaze you with my sweet skills when I return.
I have been e-mailing a lot of people about parties, and there have been some suspicions. Allow me to clear them up:
1. No, they are not on school nights.
2. Yes, there is usually, like, 50 kids there (OMG!!! I know, I know, It's a lot, but you have to invite both classes or else someone gets jealous.)
3. Yes, they go from 9 pm-1 am, but everyone is usually gone by two ( in the morning.)
4. No, there is not more than one a weekend!
5. No, I don't know if I'm going to do one for my birthday!
I love my school and my friends are doing fine, I recently got a 9 (90%) on a biology oral exam, and I got an over-all 9 in geografia (geography). We just finished the first trimester and I didn't get any over-all grades less than a 7 (which is a C, more or less.) (!!!) Daniel is doing great and rocking in math. I still have to do any and all homework in Spanish, so the Spanish-English diccionary is always near. I think we will have at least 9s and 10s at the end of he year.
We have visitors coming in June, December, some other month and some other month. I am so happy that people are visiting! I am super-excited to see people that I haven't seen in 6 months.
BIG NEWS!!!! On June 10th, Daniel and I will have been vegetarians for a whole year. And to think people were saying I couldn't last a week. Ha! In your faces, people (but I say this lovingly.)
Well, It seems to me that I have used up both all of the colors of the rainbow and the news, so I will have to say a painful goodbye.
(Sob.)
au revoir and adios.
...and adeus and до свидания.
In other words (English, not French or Spanish or Portuguese or Russian,)
Bye- bye!!
-Izzy

Getting Hot Where U Are?

Winter has begun in Argentina. As we hear from our friends in Modesto of the temperature breaking 100 we are heading the opposite direction. We had our first snow the other day and now have settled into 20's at night but still up to 40's and 50's by mid-afternoon. It has brought us closer as we all huddle on the couch at night to stay warm and watch anything that is in English on the TV.

Every week all of us speak Spanish a little better. Karren and I have been especially proud of how much Spanish the kids have learned in the time we have been here.

Walking in Chacras

We are heading into Autumn here in Argentina. Mornings are cold and crisp but the afternoons are still warm. Soon we will be into our first South American Winter. 2 of these pictures are from the backyard and the other is from 45 minutes south of us driving along the Cordon de Plata.

Hola Chile!

Playing at the beach at Vina Del Mar

Home Again.....

Hey Family and Friends! We are home again after a week of travel! While Randy and the kids went off to vacation on the beaches of Vina Del Mar in Chile, I was visiting the U.S. to retrieve our winter clothing and the very much missed road bikes! (O.K. Only I was really missing the road bike but Randy has benefited).... Let me just use this blog to say "Thank You" to Sandra for a place to crash, a car to use to gather endless things, and many yummy meals that I am, to this day, busy working off! Thank goodness I have the bike now...and the mountains to ride in. Thank you Dad-Ron, for all of your help with storage! Thanks Mom & Dad for taking such good care of the bikes! To all whom I had the pleasure of seeing on my whirlwind trip - You made it fun and exhausting and I hope my liver recovers soon.....

In Vina Del Mar, Chile, Randy and the kids enjoyed sunny days at the beach, vegetarian fare, and nice hotels without me. They have now been to seven different countries and are looking forward to their next passport stamp!

Routine, as we know it, has begun again and it is officially fall here with leaves on the ground, chilly nights and beautiful sunny days...

Horses! (Izzy)

Well, I am back again!
And with news! We went horseback riding today!
And yes, it was really really fun! I tried to speak Spanish to my horse (they were rental horses who went with us and a Gaucho, an Argentinian cowboy, up into the Andies,) and we all had a great time.
We went with some owners of a winery and their 11-year-old daughter Lauren. They are experienced horseback riders and so is Dad, so Mom, Daniel and I were the only first-time riders! We got on the horses, started walking and hoped for the best!
When we had gotten comfortable with the walking, we started making them trot a little every now and then. In the second half, my horse started trotting, got to the front and decided to start galloping! It was scary at first but fun! We all survived.
The horses were so used to going on the same path all of the time (they always went the same way,) That I hardly ever had to choose where to go. If there were two paths, they ended up meeting again in a few meters, so it didn't matter where you went! We walked through the wonderful Andies and got some beautiful views!
Until the next exciting thing,
Izzy