Aha. . .so you were a little curious! Excellent! I'm glad you're here. Even if you don't stay for the whole show, it was nice of you to stop by for a visit!
I suppose I say this every year, but 2011 was incredibly busy and extraordinary. Arguably, the most important events of the year were our trip to Ecuador in July and our move to a new home in October. Through the generosity of friends and family (both by blood and through church), our family of four was able to join a 29-person contingent from First Covenant Church on a mission trip to the country of Ecuador. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all four of us to be able to do this trip together, and we are very blessed and grateful to have had the opportunity. It was an ineffable experience for all of us.
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STOP READING THIS. GO DIRECTLY TO THE ECUADOR BLOGS. I kept a detailed journal while we were on the trip, and the blogs provide a full-bodied description of the experience.
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Ok, now that you're back, let me summarize the experience by saying that this trip was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. I would venture to guess that the rest of the family would agree.
Needless to say, we met some amazing people and forged some wonderful relationships with the Ecuadorians that the miracle of Facebook allows us to maintain to this day. Likewise, each of us were blessed individually by God-inspired moments in which He demonstrated His power and purpose.
In three years, Erika will be eligible to return to Ecuador with the youth, and she is already to excited to return. Even so, the rest of us are equally anxious to see what God has in store for us with regard to Ecuador. Personally, I would love to return to Ecuador, God-willing. When we returned, I decided that one of my goals was going to be to learn Spanish so that I could speak more fluently. . .just in case I end up accompanying Erika in 2014. :)
Clearly, Ecuador was the highlight of the summer, but it wasn't the only trip we took. In June, we had the opportunity to use some free airline tickets, so we booked a little escape to Treasure Island, Florida. There was no extraordinary reason as to why I picked TI other than the fact that it was just a few minutes away from Tampa, which was one of the airports available to use for our free tickets. HA! 
It turned out to be a great decision. We stayed at a hotel called Treasure Island Bay and Marina, and it was right across the street from a public beach for the Gulf of Mexico. Even though the weather was outrageously humid, we really didn't care because we spent 90% of our time on the beach. The sand was sugary, the water was heavenly, and the general atmosphere was divine.
As you are aware, Erika has been a bit challenging with regard to vacations of the past; however, this was a vacation that, for once, she thoroughly enjoyed. She swam, collected enough sea shells to fill a suitcase, and was thrilled by the sea life. For example, on one afternoon when she and I were in the water, a manatee floated by. Speaking of shells, however, I am reminded of a bit of a mishap with Erika at the airport on the return trip home. As I mentioned, Erika collected a superfluous number of sea shells and sand on this trip. In fact, I believe she packed four or five baggies of sand into her carry-on. You can probably see where this is going. Once we tried to get through security, Erika ended up being pulled aside because of the mysterious contents of the baggies in her carry-on. She was a bit unsettled for a moment, but we all had a good laugh later.
Erika and Mike are the most adventurous in the family, so it wasn't surprising that when Mike wanted to go parasailing, she was game as well. I am not a fan of heights, so I didn't want to go, and Nick couldn't make up his mind (shocking) until after Erika and Nick had left.
Of all the vacations, I believe this one was Nick's least favorite. He did enjoy the beach, sun, etc. However, he is more of our nature boy. His favorite vacation has been Estes Park in Colorado; he prefers mountains and trees to beaches and heat.
Even so, this was our family's first experience with renting a car, and we took full advantage of it as we tootled up and down the coastline, exploring the various little cities along the Gulf. It was a lot of fun, and I know that Mike and Erika would easily return if the opportunity ever arises.
Even though the previous paragraphs make us sound like such a cosmopolitan, jet-setting family, we really aren't. As you know, our usual vacations include a camper and campfires. Unfortunately, due to our busy schedules this year, we didn't get much camping done.
On the fourth of July, we made our usual, traditional trek to Lake Beauty for Family Camp with other Covenanters and my mom and dad. Between Mike and me, we figured that this was probably going to be our last year since the kids are getting so old and busy, but they were the ones who convinced us to sign up for next year as well. The fireworks and water fight are fairly priceless fourth of July traditions.
The only other camping trips we managed to squeeze in was one trip to Mike's sister's lake place on Lake Andrew and one trip to my mom and dad's new property near Osakis. Mike and I are hoping to use the camper a whole lot more next summer. For the first time in our married life, I do not have any preliminary plans made for any trips next summer. With Nick graduating and not having firm plans for his next step, we are a little apprehensive about making vacation plans. With both kids working (at least, we are presuming that Erika will have a job), it gets a bit tough to try to organize a trip. Oh well, we'll just wait and see. (I am not very good at doing that).
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