Our honeymoon in Arequipa, Peru.

Our favorite restaurant in Arequipa.

The ¨Plaza de Armas¨. I think almost all Peru cities has one, and is like a downtown square. They say that Arequipas is one of the prettiest.

Me and my new friend.

They don´t call it the city of white for nothing. After the city was destroyed by an earthquake, people started building with the white volcanic rock.

Had to get a picture of that.

While we were on a guided tour, we ate at this restaurant, and we got to see some local dances.

At the Colca Canyon, and waiting for the condors to fly. Unfortunately we didn´t get any close up shots of them.

Beautiful.

A village.

Tunnel through the mountain.

What kind of bird is this?

Eliana getting a llama kiss.

Photo with some locals. I imagine they live in the nearby mountains.

These are related to the llama, but are quite a bit smaller.

Photo of the sun setting right before we got on the plane to return to Lima.

Wedding Pictures

Picture with Elianas parents, sisters, and brother.

Picture with my Dad and Aunt Warene.

Elianas beautiful smile.

At the reception.

Picture with the cake.

Getting ready to light the center candle.

Picture with our nephew Gabriel.

Entering the reception.

We are married!

I imagine everyone has already heard, but we are now married. Our wedding and reception was so beautiful. I hope everyone has already seen some pictures. Eliana was so beautiful. Warene walked me down the aisle, and then I stood and waited for Eliana to arrive. And then a car drove up to the front of the church, and I could see Eliana inside, and she was stunning. We were both really nervous, but were able to soon calm down at the reception. A Pastor from Miami flew in just for our wedding, and to marry us. I was his roommate at a conference here in Lima, and he is a friend of Elianas father, and all her family. He said everyone in both Spanish and English. Before he married us, he wanted to say a lot about marriage, and how it is important that God is first in our lives. He said that we can not look to each other for happiness, but we have to look at God. He said that we are being united for a special purpose, and to accomplish the will that God has for us. Really was very special. The pastor is such a nice person. After the reception, we went with a professional photographer, and he took a lot of photos and video of us at a pretty place. It was cold though, because we were outside, and a wedding dress is not very warm, and so Eliana was glad to get back into the car. But I know the pictures will be beautiful. Our wedding and reception were videotaped, and when we get the DVDs, I want to send one to my parents.
Eliana and I are now in Arequipa, and really is a pretty city, and a good place for a honeymoon. We really like our hotel, and I think we will be going on a tour. We will post more when we get back to Lima, and also post pictures. Have a good week.

Good morning. I wanted to post, and tell everything that Warene and my Dad made it to Peru, and they are good. Their plane landed at about 12:10 a.m., and we got to the house about 2:00 a.m. Warene is getting ready to start taking pictures. Today is a big day for all of us. It is incredible that our wedding day has finally arrived. Sorry not to write much, but will post more later. Have a good day!

They´re almost here!

We will soon be leaving to go to the airport to pick up my dad and aunt, and we are all excited that they are soon here. I really hope they enjoy their time here. I will post again tomorrow morning. Good night!

Only one more step until our wedding

Lacking just one day and then our day is here. The days passed very quickly, and thank God who helped us that everything is ready for our wedding, even though there are some minor things to finish, but the hardest things are coordinated and that really is a great relief. Yesterday, Thursday, I had to do some things and not be able to go to the university, I had to make some decisions and the time was not enough because I went to a place that is just for brides and there they prepare the brides for the wedding. There were many things they did to me and some were a bit painful, but they treated my face, hair and nails, they said I should have a small change in the color of my hair so that the hair can be showcased on the day of marriage, but I did not want a change in color. But they said it would be very good and I would look nice, then I said: "Yes" and began to change a little color in my hair and it became a little lighter. When they finished, and I looked in the mirror, I didn´t like it. I started to feel bad because I thought that my family and especially Tim would not like my hair, and when I finished everything in that place I went to the house much afraid of what my family would say to me, and when I was near the door I saw that it was my parents and my two sisters at the table. I entered with a lot of fear and my sisters were surprised and I thought immediately that they do not like my new change and then my parents looked at me, and suddenly one of my sisters smiled and said ¨pretty¨, then my other sister also said it was beautiful and it makes me look that much better, and my parents said nothing. Tim was not there, and so I went to where he was, and when he saw me was surprised and said "my love, I like it," That really was a relief and I started to feel better. On Saturday I will return to that place, because I will have my makeup and hair done and make a treatment to my feet and then I will be ready for the wedding. Actually I did not think that I would go to that place to do many things, but I think it's a good place. Yesterday Tim also went to get his hair cut, my father had a friend who always cut his hair, and my father told Tim that his friend could give him a haircut, and he would be ready for Saturday, and I saw that Tim looked very nice in his new haircut, and he was happy because he likes getting his hair cut.Today Friday, we have some things to do, and in the evening after my time in the university Tim and I we go to the airport to receive his father Randall and also Tims Aunt Warene. We are praying that God will take care of them and that their Peru trip to be good and quiet. We also asked that Tims Mom Janet soon is better and although it is sad to know that she will not be with us on Saturday, we know that in God's time we will have a time where we can be together and we know it will be a very special time.

Dear Janet, We love you very much.

Update

My mother has gotten better, but not well enough for a trip to Peru. I think if she came to Peru, she would just be worst again, and its good that she is at home, and can rest. But my Dad is still coming, and also my Aunt Warene, and it will be very good to see her, and I hope that she really enjoys her time here.
I now have my suit, which I really like. It was made by a young man I think who is in his early 20´s. But he knows how to make a suit, and not just the jacket, but also the pants, and is now making my vest. He really does very professional work.
Elianas dress is now finished, and she went with a friend to go pick it up tonight. Eliana says that it is beautiful.
Thanks to God, everything is almost ready for our wedding and reception. We have less than 4 days before our wedding.
Eliana and I washed clothes tonight, and I had 3 weeks worth of laundry. She also had a few weeks worth of laundry. And we washed it all by hand. And I am tired, although she did most of the work. Its really not easy to wash clothes by hand, but takes some skill to do, especially if you want to do it quickly. They don´t use a washboard, which is what I know people used to use in the U.S.. Eliana can wash most of the clothes with just soap and her hands. And they can get stains out of clothes that have been there for a long time, which really impressed me. I have a habit of walking around the house without shoes, but with socks. And they get really dirty, and after today and washing my socks, I don´t want to do that anymore.

Prayer Request

Our wedding is Saturday, and my parents plane is scheduled to arrive Friday night. My mom recently came down with pneomonia, and she has been really sick. She has another doctors appointment on Thursday, and the doctor will then tell her if she is healthy enough for the trip. Please pray about this, and that my mom will soon feel much better.

One day more

It is amazing as the days have passed so fast, and is so special to think that soon will be Saturday 10 November, the day that Tim and I have been waiting for, and that that day will come soon.

I´m very pleased to write to our blog, I do not write much lately, and that is that a lot of things have been going on that had no words to write, but it is good that today I write a little message to our blog, and thank you for your prayers and we always want to know and the things that happen in our lives, Tim and I are very happy for the help that God has been giving our lives, not really imagine that to prepare for a marriage was so difficult and complicated, and now I understand that my sisters had their marriage and how difficult it was for them to prepare for their wedding. Actually I often come to feel with frustration and joy in not having to prepare for our marriage, but thank God that put people at my side and had words of encourage you to be able to rely even more on God and move forward, really appreciate very much for all the help that I have received and especially the support of my husband Tim, because he always had good words for me, and told me that God was in our midst and that he would help us at all, and until he today we have seen the help of our loved God and how to use it to help people.

Now, I´m very calm expecting him great day, and I know that Tim is in the same way that I, we are very excited and happy, and we have a peace that makes us be quiet and not be concerned and it is really very special. :)

Thanks to Rhonda for the work she did in our blog, including the new header. Eliana and I really like it!!

Chili with Cornbread, and Strawberries and Cream.

Eliana and I made lunch today, but not just any lunch. We made my Grandma Essies ¨best ever chili¨and also corn bread. My mom sent me the recipes, and so it was all in english. So all that needed to be translated into spanish. Nobody knew what was corn meal, and really I did not know what that all was in corn meal either. But they did not think we could buy it here, and so Elianas father took some corn, and ground it up into powder. I was impressed at how fine he was able to grind that up. I think he may have used a coffee grinder. We got a lot of the ingredients at a super market, which is similar to any large super market in the U.S. But some stuff we were not able to get there, and also some that we did not want to buy there, because we could buy it at the market near the house for much less. The market is walking distance, and people sell all sorts of food on the sides of the street, and also a lot of small indoor markets there. We bought more than 4 lbs. of hamburger for the chili soup. By the way, one thing that made it difficult is that american recipes are in measurements of ounces, cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc. And it is different here. To measure cups, I got a coffee cup that I thought was close to a measuring cup, and used that. Here when they cook, really they do not measure anything. But I tried to measure everything, because I am not very good at guessing. Eliana was able to taste the chili, and say whether it needed more of an ingredient. I am not good at that. Anyways, back to the hamburger. We got all that hamburger at a market, and its not like in the U.S., where everything is prepackaged and ready to sell. We told them what we wanted, and I saw a lady take an ax to a big piece of meat, and cut off a big chunk. And the next thing I knew, we had ground beef. We bought baking powder for the bread, but here it is not really a powder, but reminded me more of play dough. But Eliana said that it is the same stuff, and will work. The kidney beans for the chili we had to buy dry, and so they soaked in cold water all night, and then her sister cook them in the morning while we were at the market. You can buy white sugar here, but really what everyone uses is brown sugar. They use that in their coffee, and to cook with, and everything. But it is a lighter brown and I think has less molasis. Also the grains of sugar are much larger, but they quickly dissolve in water. I was not sure if everyone would like chili soup, because it is something they have never eaten. They have also never eaten corn bread. And when I saw the corn bread in the oven, it looked much different, and I thought maybe something was wrong. But I was wrong, everything was so delicious!!! I worried if everyone would like the meal, but most everyone wanted seconds. I do not know how many compliments we got, but they were many. We were planning on cooking for 10 or 12 people, but when I was making the chili, I realized that I was making a ton, and I thought it was too much, and we would be eating chili for days. But a lot of family and friends showed up, and we fed between 17 to 20. And by the time that everyone was full, we had eaten it all, except for a little chili and bread that we are saving for some people that was not able to be here for lunch. Bread here is very cheap, and Elianas family always buys their bread everyday from a nearby bakery. Elianas mother asked if I would be able to make some more corn bread tomorrow, and I said yes. Really it is easy. All I need is Elianas dad to grind up some corn. I also had all the ingredients for peanut butter cookies, but was not able to buy peanut butter. I think that is hard to find in Peru, and they must not eat much of it here. But Elianas mother said that if I need peanut butter, she can make it for me.
After the chili and corn bread, we had a delicious desert. Eliana and some other woman made a strawberry cream, and then that was served in a cup with whole strawberries and whipped cream. It was so good, I ate 3 cups of it. Elianas dad asked us how much we were charging everyone for this, because it was so good. It was really a very special time. We had a lot of fun making this. And I want to give God credit, because we asked for his help with all of this, and he helped us with everything. Any ideas for what we could make next time?

Eliana and I went to a store a few weeks ago, and had them make this stuff for us. Everything was put together by hand, and really is so beautiful. It is the bouquet that Eliana will have in her hand, the small one is what I will have on my suit. The medium sized bouquet is what Eliana will throw. The two other smaller ones I am not sure what they are for. There is the thing that Eliana will be wearing in her hair (I am sure by now you wish that Eliana was writing this, because she could tell you what everything is called. But she is taking a nap). Also the knives for cutting and serving the cake, and the glasses for Eliana and I.

our civil marriage

This is where we had the ceremony, but is now over, and I am holding our marriage certificate.

Picture after the ceremony.

Eliana and I with her parents. Our ceremony was done inside through those doors.

Us at the house before our ceremony.

Well, Eliana and I are now legally married according to the Peruvian Government. I imagine it is difficult for a lot of people to understand having a civil marriage and then a wedding. It was new to me. I think in the United States, really it is easy to get married. But here it is more difficult, especially if you are a foreigner marrying a Peruvian. In Peru, first there is the civil marriage process. It took us about 3 weeks to complete everything that we needed to do. We had a lot of problems, but nothing that God did not help us with. I must say that God helped us so much with everything. Our civil ceremony was really special, and more than I expected. It lasted about 20 minutes, with pictures and everything. Someone read us the vows, and we said yes, and then signed our names, and we were then legally married. Two women from the church had cooked us all a delicious lunch, and we really enjoyed that. Eliana was so beautiful in her dress. I imagine a lot of people just have the civil ceremony, and not a wedding. But November 10 is our wedding, and we will go on our honeymoon after that.

Elianas oldest sister took Eliana and I to a place to order our wedding cake. I thought we would be going to a bakery, and so I was surprised when we were knocking on the front door of a home. The home is a grandmothers home (not elianas) who makes cakes for a living. And I know she makes a lot of cakes, because she had a planner that looked full. She had a stack of magazines, and had us look through them, and I think she could make about any cake we wanted. So we got our cake picked out, and she will be making it for us. After the honeymoon, we will be posting pictures. And if my mom wants, she can send out pictures to everyone before that, since she will also be taking pictures with her camera.
Eliana and I both say that we are glad that we have only one wedding. November 10 will be a special day, and I think we will have a lot of fun, but the preparations are so much work. I think preparing for a wedding is about the same here as in the United States. Although Eliana just told me that tomorrow we need to go see about having some security at our reception. If you ever visit Peru, you will see bars on windows and doors, and also there is police and security everywhere. I am glad that we will have security there. Eliana said they do it free of charge. I think that the local municipality provides security free of charge for like receptions, and other events.
Changing of subject, Eliana and I cut up some potatoes and made some french fries. I was able to buy a little container of ketchup too. And so for supper we had some steak, french fries, rice, a vegetable that I don´t know the name of, and coffee. There are a lot of fruits and vegetables here that I had never seen before. They have corn that is black, and they boil it, and then add sugar, and it makes a good drink. My dad also drank that while he was here, and was surprised by how it was made. Everyday about 1/2 mile from the house, there is a market in the street, and people selling all sorts of food, and other stuff. It is neat to see.
Well its time to get some sleep. Good night!