OUR 'HOOD

We've been in Brazil almost 4 years and I just realized I haven't really posted pictures of our 'hood. I always blogged about places in China because everything was different and I was in a constant state of culture shock. Living in Brazil is much easier, we have all the things we had in the States, just with some Brazilian flare. We can read all the signs, stores sell mostly the same things, food is not completely different, and there are similar traffic laws (although no one obeys them).  We took a stroll around Cambui last weekend and took some pictures of our stomping grounds.

Our old apartment building. Ours is the 5th one up on the right. 

Our first apartment in Brazil was awesome, we loved it and the neighborhood it is in.  We still live in the general area, but it was in a different part of the city. Each Saturday we walked to Massa Pura to get breakfast. We started pilates at the studio across the street from us.  We bought our groceries at Fruteria, a mom-and-pop store (actually we still walk there because we love it so much).

Our pilates studio 

Our weekly Saturday morning joint 

Yum.

Our little Brazilian fitting right in

Our grocery story 

All the streets are cobblestone 

Right before having Tae we moved into a larger apartment, in the more central part of the city.  With the location change our weekly breakfast place changed to Riviera. We go on lots of family walks and Keila always takes Tae on walks, so everyone in the 'hood knows Tae.  The waiters and cashier at Riviera all greet him by name.  The other day he was in the stroller on our way to the pool and a random maid I had never seen before said, "Oi Tae." I was caught off guard and then she explained she sees him on walks with Keila.  Another Tae fan is a worker at the gas station right by our place.  Anytime we walk by with Tae he stops what he is doing and runs over to greet Tae.  If he doesn't Tae pops his little head out of the stroller as if to say, hey why aren't you looking for me!

Our new breakfast 

Our current street 

The Shell station where Tae is famous 

Our apartment building 

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Ready for the pool 

We feel so fortunate to live in our apartment and our neighborhood.  Brazilians absolutely adore children, ur neighbors are so nice and always gush over Tae.  He plays with the other kids in the building and if I happen to be in the elevator without him someone always asks how he is doing.  That boy is loved by everyone in our building.

Katrry's Wedding Weekend

There's something about family, weddings, and God's creation that make a magical weekend. Although I would have loved to spend another week in Colorado with my amazing family, I took in every moment I had with them for the short time I was there. 

I also have to say, my nieces and nephews are the cutest kids in the world.  I love being their aunt and getting to see them grow up. Laura has grown into such a beautiful young lady with a fun personality, Beckham has his dad's one liners, Ains is thoughful and caring for her little cousins, Matthew is so stinking smart and loves technology, Whitters is a little jumping bean who loves to talk, and sweet Justin might be the happiest baby on earth.  I definitely miss seeing them often.

 Mom and dad are so gracious and always putting us before them. Dad rented a house for all of us to stay in for the wedding week. It was so great to wake up to cuddles from the little ones, play games after dinner, and just plain enjoy each other's company.

On Friday night, we hosted a Bridal shower for Katie. Julie came up with the brilliant idea of having Christmas decor, since Katie and Larry LOVE Christmas.  This way the party was cute and the newlyweds got to keep the decorations.  We laughed for hours at old stories and celebrated Katie and Larry's pending wedding.

I'm so happy for Katie, I have never seen her so happy. She was glowing all week with love and happiness. I have looked up to her as long as I can remember, and to see Larry treat her so well and their bright future ahead makes my heart happy.

                                  
   Katie and Larry are so in love, it was contagious. They were both beaming the whole weekend. 

I fell in love with Jess even more (didn`t know that was possible) seeing him with my family and friends. Also, at the wedding their pastor's sermon struck a chord. He gave a brilliant talk on how the wedding is just the beginning of a marriage and how God has so much more in store. We may have to go through painful growth spurs, but how our trust in Him and faith in His plans to make our marriage beautiful are needed. Jess and I have grown so much in our first year of marriage, at times it wasn't always fun, but it was reassuring to hear that God has so much in store for us! 

God sure pulled off the perfect day on October 13th. The day before at the rehearsal it was COLD and WINDY. We all prayed for great weather and the big man upstairs came through.  I mean really could you ask for better scenery?

The Scott family is now complete!  We went from a meager seven members to a whopping 21 (and more to come I hope!) Seriously though, being with my family was incredible. I'm so thankful for each person for unique reasons...and I we clean up pretty nice if I do say so myself. 

Maids, oh how I love them

One of the perks to living in China is cheap labor. I know that is probably not PC, but it's the truth. Take a look at what some magical ladies do to my apartment every Monday while I am at work. It is so nice to come home to a spotless apartment to start the week out. (Mom, I know you are probably thinking you didn't raise me like this, but you can be proud I am helping out others). :) By the way it is ridiculously cheap, like $2.00 an hour. How can a girl say no to that?


Kitchen before

Kitchen After

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After


Laundry Before


Laundry After (Yes, I actually have to put it away! ugh lol)


Bedroom Before


Bedroom After

Living Room in the Far East

I decided to participate in Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life...Living Rooms. I know I am really late, but better late than never right?!?!

Living in China I wanted to make my apartment feel like home...it isn't quite like home, but it is my home for the time being. It's a place I love to relax and entertain. It's very simple, but I like it. I'm thankful to have a western style apartment, it is a palace compared to the apartments here. I guess my "theme" for the room is memories and travel. I have been collecting artwork at all the different places I've gone. :)


This is the view from my front door. All the furniture came with the apartment and my contract. It is pretty comfortable and a neutral color. I can definitely deal with free furniture!


The painting above my couch is from the dirt market in Beijing. I love the colors and dress of the little child. It is a traditional outfit for a minority group in China. I got it framed here in Dalian, Jess found a great framer for super cheap. I think the custom frame was less than $30 USD!



The artwork on the left I picked up in Thailand. It is carved out of cow's hide (spelling?) and was made by hand. I picked the elephant to remind me of my ride on the elephant when I was there. The one on the right is also from Thailand. I loved how simple it was. Had to get my Furman quilt in that Mama Scott made...I love curling up with it on the couch and also the memories of it.


This is the view from the corner of the room looking at the TV wall. I am still looking for a great piece of artwork to hang on it. I am hoping to find one in India or Shanghai this week!


The bookshelf is filled with pictures and books, reminding me of home and my loved ones. I can't forget my rockband set, I love to have friends over and have jam sessions. It is great in the winter when it is cold!


Of course I had to put a picture of my fishies. It's nice to have some pets. They are easy to take care of and make me happy.