For some reason our Embassy celebrated the 4th on the 3rd. So, we celebrated last night and then Seth went again today for a flag raising ceremony and the revealing of a plaque to honor our 3 hostages that were rescued last year just before the 4th of July.  Seth will have lots more to write but I will post pictures now and let him write when he has time to catch his breath.

I have to start by bragging on Seth which he won’t like but I think it’s important. The event had 5500 people. Seth coordinated it all! He had 17 committees to cover all of the different aspects of the event. Earlier in the week that there was not going to be enough food and beer but as the night went on everyone seemed to have what they needed and beer didn’t run out until late in the evening which in this community is the sign of a well prepared event! Seth got lots of compliments on his great work including people last night saying things like ” whoever did the arrangement of music for the fireworks did an excellent job!”  It was very moving to hear our patriotic songs. It makes me all that more eager to get home to the US!

Jackson was exhausted but took it all in and enjoyed himself! It was a drizzly night and it always feels weird to have to wear jackets on the 4th but overall the rain held back and we stayed dry!I didn’t get many good pictures but here are a few anyways….

Both looking a little like they want out!

Fanny Lu…Colombian rock star. Jackson was a VIP so he got to go behind the scenes and meet her! He was too tired to be impressed!

This picture is in honor of our friends the Maney’s! When the girl scouts came around selling these  I was like “who needs one of those glo sticks?” Then I had a vision of Sarah and Paul walking through the fair trying to sell them so I whipped out the cash!

the stage area, pre-5500 people

Our friend Nicholas, wishing he was an American

watching the kids show!

Happy 4th Everyone! Eat some hot dogs and hamburgers for us today!! We are missing home!

I guess it’s about time that I blogged about my trip to the Amazon.  Not that I’ve been putting it off, it’s just that life seems really busy right now.

Which I guess is why the Amazon was such a great trip.  Since the advent of cell phones, I’ve never been somewhere for so long where I didn’t have access to the outside world.  But more about that in a minute.

Many months ago, I started talking to our South African friend Nicholas about going to Leticia (which is the Colombian city on the Amazon).  He was game, but it took a while to take off.  But we finally booked it.  We went over Memorial Day weekend, for 5 days.  We flew into Leticia, which was an interesting town.  It’s the only city in the department (state), which tells you something about the department.   It’s all jungle and forest, and those who live there are indigenous and don’t want to interact with city folk or the government.  I don’t even think there’s a road connecting it to the other departments.  Leticia also shares an invisible border with its Brazilian sister city.  So when we went from Leticia to Brazil, we didn’t even know we had crossed into Brazil.

We then took a boat ride, which lasted about 5 hours.  We were only about half way there when the sun set.  And we had to stop at some river town for a pit stop.  It was really interesting to see the way the locals lived.  As we went along in the boat, we saw the tops of huts/houses which were flooded by the Amazon and other tributaries.  From what our guide said, the owners let it flood, and then when it’s low season, they move back in.  I can’t imagine living on a river.  Not like today’s Mississippi.  Like 500 years ago Mississippi.  Living off the river commerce.  Being affected so much by the high and low seasons.  For example, when the river is in high season, it’s harder to fish, because the fish have more areas to spread out to.  But when it’s low season, they are confined to their little river.  What a strange life!!

Our jungle lodge was neat.  It was all earthy and organic.  They only had electricity for about 2 hours a day, and the only light we had during those times was 3 flourescents in a large mess hall.  The light was dim enough that you could barely read.  Which meant we went to bed at around 8 or so, because there wasn’t much else to do.  Of course, the sun rose at around 5:30, along with the rest of the jungle.  Even before the sun rose, birds and animals and insects woke you up.  We slept in little cabins that had wire netting for walls.  And then we slept underneath mosquito netting.

The weather wasn’t quite what I expected.  There were less bugs, less heat, and less rain.  None of which I am complaining about.

It was definitely hard to be so far away, communication-wise, from Kristen and Jackson.  There was no cell phone, internet, landline, TV, etc where we were.  Which was a nice break.  But was also hard not getting to see how their trip in Cartagena was going.

I definitely got to see a lot of wildlife, but not as much as I had expected.  That was partly because we went out in groups, and weren’t the quietest bunch.  But we did see monkeys, caymans, pink river dolphins, grey river dolphins, birds, and pirranahs.

Overall it was a great and memorable trip.  I’m really glad I went.  But Kristen and I have decided we’re not the kind of couple that enjoys taking separate vacations.  Maybe one day, but not today.

A few weeks ago I passed a truck with packs of 24 roses for 2,000 cps (the equivalent of about a $1). I rummaged through my purse and had no cash!!! I was so bummed. I told Seth I wished I had had cash because I would have bought like 100 roses because they were so cheap. He kind of thought I was silly.

Today, I came around a corner and lo and behold there stood the rose truck! Jackson was starting to fall asleep so I had to go home. After I got Jackson down I was heading out again and much to my delight it was still there when I returned!!!

So, I bought 5 packs! That’s 120 roses! All for the equivalent of $5! They are scattered in vases around the house!

It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing to have this many roses outside of a flower shop!!! At least for me!

Jackson is 21 months old today. He continues to surprise us with what he understands and says. Here are some of Jackson’s latest and greatest…

One of his latest acts has been pretending to be a baby wanting to be held like a baby and “talking” like a baby saying “goo goo gaa gaa”. He thinks this is so funny. He says he is being like Ben (our South African friend’s baby).

He discovered Mr. Potato Head in my work cabinet and is obsessing about getting the pieces in.  I am hearing a lot of “Oh no, it’s stuck”.

Jackson is doing lots of pretend play. His favorite is to make muffins or pizza. He often warns us when things are hot and uses a hot pad to get out the hot pretend food.  Last week we had guests for dinner and Jackson warned them that the dinner was hot just in case they couldn’t tell.

Jackson found a harmonica a few weeks ago that Seth bought when he was a baby. Jackson has gotten quite good at it.

He is officially out of his sleep sack, sniff, sniff. He loved that thing and now uses it to cuddle with in his bed. No worries about him being 5 and in a children’s size sleep sack.

Jackson is very interested in potty training but I have to admit I am not yet. I need a little while longer to gear myself up for the work of potty-training. We have out M&M bowl ready and training pants washed and folded in the drawer. I just don’t have the stamina or patience this week to dive in!!   He gets to go when he asks but no all out training in the Kolb house!

Jackson went to a birthday party this week for a 2 year old. There were 40 kids and a great puppet and music show. Jackson was the kid that laughed longer and louder.  I didn’t know if I should be embarassed for him or proud.  I don’t want him to be that obnoxious kid laughing so loud that everyone in the auditorium wonders if he has a problem! He loved it! Much to his disappointment when he realizes there will be no play at the 2 year birthday party. Maybe Seth can do some standup comedy for him.

At my mom’s house Jackson found some birthday hats (I may have mentioned this in the blog about our trip) and insisted that we all wear them and sing. He got the  “Happy Birthday” song in his head and frequently sings “birthday to youoooooooooooooo, YEA!!!!”

Playing the harmonica in his  SpiderMan shirt