An Unexpectedly Wonderful Turn of Events

We sold our mountain house!

We put it on the market with the expectation that it was going to be a long haul.  Our house has a certain customer base and they are few and far between.  We were not holding our breath even though we were constantly advertising.

It took a very long time to close due to changes in the Ecuadorian law, but we are so happy to say that today we signed the papers!

One of the biggest reasons we decided to move to Ecuador was so that we could save up money to travel.  Mark and I have always had that itch, and what a great way for Finn and Tali to see the world and to learn all about it.  Finn is so excited to see all of the different architecture.  With the sale of the house and receiving residency in July, we are now free to hit the road and travel at the end of September.   Our plans are to visit with family and friends in Ohio for the month of October.  Mark is desperate to see his mother who is 95.  We plan on spending lots of time with family as well as a side trip to Niagara Falls and a week of camping in Beaver Creek for Halloween.

In November we are going to backpack Europe.  Our plans are to house sit our way around the continent, and to visit the cheaper countries for longer periods of time.  We need to stay within our pension amount and countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia will allow us to do that.  We are also hoping to meet up with some of our expat Cuenca friends in Thailand. One of our favorite families just moved there and our other favorite family will be spending three months in Chiang Mai.  It's all up in the air though.  While I have planned a rudimentary itinerary, it is still going to be loose and slow travel.

We have received two offers from some other friends to house sit their villa in Umbria, Italy, and to
stay in either a houseboat or a two bedroom apartment in Amsterdam.  We are really hoping those offers come through.  Not only would it be AMAZING!, but it would also help to offset costs.

Our great friend, Orit, is going to put us up for the month of December in her home in Israel, which is on Mark's bucket list.  While there, Tali and I will fly to China and back again.  Mark, Finn and hopefully Patrick will continue to sight see while we are gone.

Which leads me to the most important part.  So many of you have given so much of your heart in order to help Tali reach her goal to visit her home country.  There are no words to express how grateful we are that we have such amazing family and friends.  You all mean the world to us.

We know that your donations were given with love, and with that same love we offer the money back if you would like it.  It is an awkward request, but please do not hesitate to send me a personal message if that is what you would like me to do.  We know that money doesn't grow on trees and some of you may need it.  Or, the money could be set aside in an account at CCAI, Chinese Children Adoption International, for another child to have the chance to visit their home country.  If you would still like the donation to go to Tali, please know that all of the money donated has gone towards purchasing Tali's plane ticket.  She might also get to hold a baby panda.  :)

With love we say thank you to all.  You are amazing people and we will never ever forget it.