tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028343521029374252024-02-07T17:27:27.775-08:00Mark & MichelleTravel, Food, Fermentation, Adventure, Love, Family, Friends, Mindfulness, Cycling, Hiking, Skiing, Outdoors, DIY, Vacations for Educators, and . . .Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-64629251373720325372019-06-26T16:22:00.004-07:002019-06-26T17:36:52.908-07:00Instant Pot / Air Fryer Vegan Noodle Soup - Oil FreeMark surprised me by custom ordering some roll out drawers for our cabinets. They have transformed our kitchen!! Our pantry items and cookware are so much more accessible!!! This inspired me to make use of some pantry and refrigerator items that have been sitting around for awhile to create some comfort food goodness. I had also been wondering if a noodle soup would work in the Instant Pot, so Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-48366314017009600302014-12-01T20:36:00.001-08:002014-12-01T22:40:12.823-08:00Vegan Split Pea Soup
I think Mark and I both have the idea that one day we will blog more regularly. We have exciting events going on in our lives all the time so it would be nice to have a bit of an online journal.... But, it's not a priority yet apparently. I think both of us have the crazy notion that we need to finish writing about our epic year abroad before we can carry on writing about our day to day Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-65356406527573925392014-05-09T22:37:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:28:43.966-07:00Grandma's Kitchenware & Vegan Shepherd's Pie
My grandma no longer lives at home and I recently had the opportunity to select a few special items from her kitchen. I found the most colorful and retro casserole pan and a stainless steel gravy boat that inspired us to make a shepherd's pie with gravy. It was so wonderful to use some previously loved kitchen tools that each had a history of serving up food for my grandparents and their guestsMark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-58303608664521455822012-01-11T22:59:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:30:22.567-07:00Mark's Survivor Video
We haven't updated our blog in a very long time and so much has occurred. The very, very latest thing to happen is that Mark sent in his video application to our favorite show Survivor on CBS. The video is less than three minutes long, as required, and it gives a brief update on what has been keeping us so busy.
As always we hope to update the blog more regularly, but in the Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-44998409077359925982011-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:00:44.838-08:00Our WeddingWe got married! It was so beautiful. We hiked to the top of a ridge and were wed by our close friend Valerie at sunset. Thank you to our closest friends and family who came despite the short notice. What a lovely surprise! Check out the title link for some photos.Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-58950472520925063662010-02-15T22:09:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:29:19.087-07:00One step backThis photo really epitomizes a greater part our trip, and the kinds of things which we saw and experienced. It's not an exaggeration to say that we saw a lot of waterfalls, and I mean......a lot! By this point, we had seen so many that I remember almost thinking to myself that I had seen enough waterfalls to fill a lifetime. Even still, you can't deny the beauty and grandeur in this photo, andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-48953095082669370632010-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:30:36.603-07:00Baños.........February in Baños. Decadent.
We took a lovely hike alongside a canyon on a trail called "La Contrabandista." The main trail was one of many in a network of trails and caves in which the old-time bootleggers and moonshiners would move their wares and hide them when necessary. Today only small portions of the trail see much use from "los gringos" and we didn't see a soul.
At the end of the hike Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-66051639647539252422010-01-24T07:54:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:31:02.371-07:00From the Jungle to the Andes
You know where you are?
You're in the JUNGLE baby!!!!
We left Baños and headed to a sleepy town called Misahuallí. It was very tranquil after the holiday festivities in Baños.
Mark played beach soccer in the sand with the locals. One side of the field was the luscious tree line and the other side was the lazy river.
He was on the team without shirts and the subsequent sunburn was a Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-78023926655044711562010-01-01T17:42:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:31:23.915-07:00Thanksgiving through New Year 2010We celebrated Thanksgiving in San Gil, Colombia at our favorite vegetarian restaurant (no turkey that night folks). It was wonderful to share a delicious meal and reminisce about our amazing family and friends and this trip that we have been on for almost almost 9 months.
Enjoying Colombia as much as we did, we decided that it was time to GET OUT before it was too late because.... "the only Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-81151276658017514732009-12-01T19:07:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:31:36.113-07:00Beautiful ColumbiaAfter arriving from Venezuela, we decided to stop in Bucaramanga, which is partway along our journey to San Gil, so that we could see the stretch of road during the daylight (we were told that it was dramatic and not to be missed). To our surprise, the following morning I (Mark) woke up with serious nausea and vertigo. The whole room was spinning and I couldn't make any one single item stop. I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-33976669091590219152009-11-12T17:17:00.000-08:002016-10-16T23:31:51.388-07:00To the land of Coca Cola Ahhh.....Columbia... sun... sand.... Colonial architecture and Coca Cola, lots of Coca Cola to drink here....... One might say that it's snowing in Colombia. There is a loose analogy here for certain, and one in which we would not participate, but in reality, it is a fact that Columbia provides 80% of the world's Cocaine. An impressive fact considering the size of the country. We have been here Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-31928564554452818062009-10-25T11:08:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:32:01.890-07:00Our Trip Back to Costa Rica For a SpellWe haven't been around computers in a long while so here's an update from mid-October.
While we were in Boquete, Panama we learned that Michelle's brother and sister-in-law were heading to Costa Rica for a 10th anniversary celebration. It turns out that they were going to be only a few hours from us so we decided to crash the party. First, however, several factors came together at once to make Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-57894091110327152132009-10-11T17:32:00.001-07:002016-10-16T23:32:12.185-07:00Boquete, PanamaWe headed inland to Boquete, Panama mid-November and landed at the Pension Marilos after a full day of travel. We ended up taking the one room they had left which was a single with a shared bathroom, thinking we would move the next day when a double opened up. Well, we found the twin bed cozy and we loved the room and the price ($6/night), so we ended up moving in and staying for a month. It's Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-14706617491539277582009-09-13T12:01:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:32:21.901-07:00Adios Bocas del DragoWe said goodbye to Bocas del Drago and headed to Boquete, Panama. Boquete is a tad bit higher in elevation so we are looking forward to busting out our fleece jackets again.
Our time on the island was well spent. We reviewed all of the verb tenses and practiced Spanish as much as possible on our little beach.
We also tried to pick up a few chords on la guitarra.
Mark jammed with Enrique one Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-57260410278208600352009-09-03T11:38:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:32:35.512-07:00Bocas Del ToroWe're in Panama right now......living in the region of Bocas Del Toro on Isla Colòn (Columbus Island). The official name of the beach where we currently live is Bocas Del Drago, but most people associate this region in general with the "Del Toro" part of the name above. It's kind of confusing with all these different Bocas names, but so it goes. This island is part of a string of beautiful Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-51935636595023141932009-08-12T20:19:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:32:46.901-07:00Viva Nicaragua!The last 3 weeks have been well spent travelling and spending time with each other in different places. Michelle and I are slacking a little on our Spanish skills and have already begun losing much of what we learned in Xela! We'll get back on the ball here in a few days.
To the right is a photo of Chris and I pretending to use the "laundromat" in the town of Livingston on the Caribbean. This Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-88943186413933305902009-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:32:54.075-07:00Hola Honduras!
We made it to Honduras via the coastal route. It's been a grand adventure and this post will not do it justice but I'll post our general whereabouts and where we've been. From Xela, we took a bus at 4:00 in the morning bound for the SE corner of Guatemala, where the land is jungle and the air is humid. We stayed 2 nights in the town of Rio Dulce and spent one of those nights with some new Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-27233649396893295382009-07-21T18:11:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:33:01.765-07:00Adios XelaWe will be leaving Xela at 4:00 in the morning so hopefully our blogs will become frequent and exciting once again. Cristóbal joined us in Guatemala on the 10th and Mark will blog about their journey to Xela soon I´m sure. They have some great photos.
Meanwhile, goodbye to our teachers and new friends. Cristóbal took two days of intensive one-on-one Spanish classes with Oscar and learned an Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-24720020647054761432009-07-20T19:49:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:33:28.928-07:00Bienvenidos a Christopher!Christopher arrived about a week and a half ago and during this time he has adapted incredibly fast (he hops on and off Chicken Buses like a pro) and has experienced so much including collaborating with me on this blog.
I picked Chris up on Friday the 10th, and we stayed in a compound of houses heavily guarded by guys with automatic rifles, etc. Guatemala City isn't known to be the safest placeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-9264128155517192202009-07-08T15:48:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:33:40.733-07:00We´re still in XelaWe are still enjoying life in Xela. Normally, this is the daily schedule:
7-7:15 am: We get up and get ready.
7:30 am: Breakfast--fruit, coffee, and sometimes bread.
8:00 am to 1:00 pm: Mark walks Michelle to her Spanish school Eureka and then heads to the library or other fine place to study until lunch.
1:30ish pm: Lunch. We also use Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-55978120991375118362009-06-10T17:22:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:33:52.339-07:00PhotosI thought I´d supplement Mark´s amazing blog entries with some more photos. Here they are. We have all but stopped taking pictures because we are attending school and studying every day like mad... and... dare I say it... learning Spanish, finalmente!
Feliz Cumpleanos, Marcos! Some more photos of our
fabulous hike up Volcan Tajumulco.
Some more photos of the colorful & fantastic Xela Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-84470748924034187232009-05-30T09:14:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:34:12.714-07:00Life in XelaIt's good to know that Burger King is alive and well here in Guatemala. It's just what the people need to eat. That, Coca Cola and Lays Potato chips. Truth be told, Lays makes a chip that has less fat than the locally made chips, a tick in their favor.... But Burger King? McDonalds is here also. They have a great marketing campaign.....buy a hamburger and some french fries, and get 30 min of freeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-77616840092141490132009-05-25T21:04:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:50:51.028-07:00Across the Border and into GuatemalaMoving along in the story.........in the last post, Michelle and I were leaving Tiscao hoping to make it to a hotel on the outskirts of the park before dark (a nice cliff hanger... glad you liked it Candeye!). The short story is that no we did not make it before dark, but it did all work out. We caught the last collectivo of the day, and by the time we got out of the park it was getting pretty Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-90594279952473905892009-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:50:34.320-07:003 Days in Lagos de MontebelloSo, where to begin.......so much has happened since the last post but I'll do my best to give some justice to the last 2 weeks, most likely posting the info in increments starting with the oldest.
After leaving San Cristobal, we caught a collectivo bound for the town of Comitan. The drive was beautiful, and we were able to see the terrain change as we descended in rolling waves of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-802834352102937425.post-43703626804527018542009-05-18T11:24:00.000-07:002016-10-16T23:50:17.674-07:00Adios San Cristobal
We are leaving our beautiful casa in San Cristobal at this very moment to head to beautiful Lagos de Montebello and then to Quezaltenango (aka Xela, as the indigenous people call it), Guatemala. We will arrive in Xela by Thursday and will enroll in one-on-one intensive Spanish language school for five hours per day beginning in exactly one week. We also hope to live with a Guatemalan family Mark & Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428163646964932470noreply@blogger.com5