Happy New Year!!! Our Families Yearly Recap: December 2013 --> December 2014

Heather and I reconnected about a year and four months ago.  I was living in Cheyenne, Wyoming and we decided it would be best if I moved down to Florida.  After much discussion, I moved down and in with Heather and her Mom.  Heather let me know early on that she came as a package with her mom.  I was really nervous about how her mom truly felt about me and how we would all get along living together.  We all have a Great relationship and my fears are now gone.  Heather had a plane ticket to fly up to Denver so she could drive down to Florida with me. However, the day before she left a nasty winter storm was coming in so I decided to drive out ahead of the storm.  It was a pretty rough drive and the storm chased me for a large portion of the trip.

We spent our first New Years Eve together with Our Best Friends, Christie and Henry.  Christie and Henry cooked an amazing dinner for all of us.  We brought snacks and some sweets.  Christie and Heather did some shots and really enjoyed themselves.  It was a Wonderful way to ring in 2014.

During the second week of February, Heather and I drove to Ft. Collins, Colorado where we stayed with our friend Al.  We had to go back to Colorado for my long overdue divorce hearing. Of course my daughters along with my ex were a no show.  Nobody had heard nor seen them since August 2013.  Because of all the lies told and games played throughout the divorce process the divorce took over two years to get finalized.  Since my ex wife had removed the girls from the State of Colorado against court orders.  The only thing Colorado would do to locate Emma and Danielle was to order a "Return Order for the Protection of the Children."  Only problem was no states, including Colorado enforced the order.  My divorce was finalized on Valentine's Day.  After court, Heather and I decided we just wanted to get home so we headed out into Denver's crazy rush hour traffic.  We wanted to have a non fast food meal for our Valentines Day dinner so we stopped and enjoyed a meal at Noodles & Company.  We both enjoyed Beef Stroganoff sprinkled with Smolder from Bolder.

Within 5 days of us returning home from Colorado, Heather and I got a lead on my ex and my girls so we once again hit the road and traveled this time to Atlanta.  They had in fact been hiding out there since they had vanished from Colorado 7 months prior.  We took lots of photographs of the home.  It was completely trashed with about a foot of debris in the home, along with dog feces, drugs, needles, and a dead puppy.  It was so awful!  Heather spent a while outside tossing her cookies from the sights and smells.  We managed to recover some useful information and Heather found some photos of Emma and Danielle in all the trash that my ex left behind.  I will treasure those images of my girls forever.  

From there we used every resource we had including a private investigator that contacted Heather at work.  He tracked my ex to a Roach Motel in a shady part of Atlanta.  Then Heather and I tracked her to New Jersey through my ex's friends who said she was unstable and scary (they said she was mentally unstable and unbalanced.)  She was using false names, paying in cash, and using fake identifications to hide "according to her friends."  Even with all of this we were still able to find her.  She realized we would never give up so she returned to Colorado and asked them to forgive her, and they did.  We have since found out that Colorado knew I was living in Florida and they wanted the case out of the state since the governors office had already received dozens of complaints about the handling of the case.  In addition, the Center for Missing Children and Social Services in Georgia, New Jersey, and Colorado were investigating her.  The only goal for them was to shut the case down FAST! 

Our Family's Christmas Day Wrap Up! (Picture Heavy Post)

We had a Wonderful Christmas this Year.  Dan and I celebrated our first Christmas since we got married.  My sister was able to spend some of the day with us.  That was amazing and something that will not happen once we move as she works in retail and always has to work during the holidays.  We will just have to come up and see her and the family from time to time during the holidays.

I was up until 3am Christmas Eve night cooking some of the holiday dishes.  With mom working night shift we eat dinner early in the morning.  We waited for Amanda to arrive around 11am, she has been sick and we wanted her to try to catch up on her rest.  We ate about Noon.  This year it was super easy to fix dinner since for the first time we opted to purchase our Ham & Turkey Breast from Honey Baked Hams.  If I had known how much easier dinner would have been I would have done that years ago.  Dan was only able to eat 4 ounces and he for the most part nibbled his food.

For dinner we had:

• Honey Baked Ham
• Roasted Turkey
• Homemade Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
• Corn Souffle
• Green Bean Casserole
• Stove Top Stuffing (Chicken Flavor)
• Homemade Turkey Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce with Whole Cranberries
• Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream
• Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream
• Sweet Iced Tea

After dinner, Dan opened up his knife and I opened up my new Canon Rebel T5 camera and my new replacement wedding band.  My birthstone is Sapphire and Dan knows just how much I wanted a Sapphire and Diamond band.  He did a great job picking out my gifts.  Sorry for the blurry ring pictures. When I get a few minutes I'll use my new camera to take a better picture.  

Dan's New Favorite Christmas Gift!

On Christmas Eve, the best present arrived (material gift that is, my daughters would have been the best gift).

We took a few photos to show off my newest toy. It is a Global Sai vegetable knife. It is a quasi Nakiri with a twist. The blade on the Global Sai is a bit longer and it has a slight curve to the blade so you can rock the blade like a standard chef blade. I have to say the knife is everything I had ever wanted and exactly what I hoped it would be. Before I even used the blade, I decided to let Candy and then Heather try the blade on some potatoes we were going to mash for Christmas dinner. Then I also asked the ladies to use my cheap Chicago Cutlery 8 inch chef knife. I keep the Chicago knife razor sharp and it still didn't compare to the Global. The Global was double the thickness and the blade was 50 percent heavier or more yet it was comfortable and balanced.

I used two different holds on the blade, the traditional grip that I learned years ago. Then I tried the newer pinch grip method. The pinch grip was very comfortable and the older traditional grip I was used to, not so much. The heft of the Global made cutting so easy and accurate. My point was clearly made to the ladies, now they understand the value in getting high quality knifes and why I wanted some quality knives. Heather liked the knife so much that she had a hard time giving me the knife back. :-)

If it's not clear yet, I am an unabashed foodie. I know I could drop a serious amount of cheddar shopping for cooking gear. My next knife will most likely be an eight or nine inch chef knife. I have yet to decide what knife yet and I welcome suggestions from you, the reader's. I will say that the knife will have to be bulletproof. Due to this requirement, I already ruled out Shun from the short list. It is a good knife but far to brittle. Please, give me your views. From the comments Heather gave me, I might have to wait until next Christmas or after we get settled into our new life in Ecuador. Knives are going to come in handy with all the produce that is available year round down in Cuenca.

About a year ago, I gave a friend of mine my old incomplete set of Bergoff knifes, I resolved then that I would buy a new, fancier set of high end knives. However, the more I research and learned I have realized that selecting different brands made more sense as each brand has there own strong points. A chef knife, Nakiri, and a large and small pairing knife. That's all I plan to use so a large set would be kind of wasteful.

Dan

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!  We Want to Wish Everyone a Wonderful, Happy, and Safe Holiday!

From Our Family to Yours :)

Update #1:  Emma & Danielle we attempted to call you at 10:00am EST to wish you a Merry Christmas and once again we were met with a voice mail...Message left on your mom's cell phone :-(

Update #2:  Girls, we have tried again at 3:45pm EST with no luck!  Message left, again!  I'm so brokenhearted that your mom refused to let me talk to both of you.  I REALLY want both of you to be with me and Heather.  You would have an amazing life with us.

Update #3:  My beautiful girls...I tried to reach both of you again at 7:25pm EST and still nothing!  I Miss You! :-(

O' Cookie Trees...O' Christmas Tree!!! (Yummy, Recipe)

This is without a doubt my favorite time of year.  The weather is cooler outside, being able to spend time with family, lots of houses are decorated inside and out, the scent of Christmas Trees, and most of all the tastes and smells of baked goodies.

My mom "Candice" would bake cookies with me and my sister, every year, as a child.  She would buy all types and colors of sprinkles.  She would make red, green, white, and blue frostings so we could make cute cut-out cookies.  Those are memories I will have and cherish for the rest of my life.

Every Christmas morning we would look in our stockings, open our Christmas gifts, and enjoy Pillsbury Orange and Cinnamon Rolls.  That is a tradition that we still carry on to this day.  After breakfast we would go over to my Aunt Susie & Uncle Sonny's house for Christmas dinner with the whole family.  Now, my Aunt also made amazing fresh baked cookies yearly and I just loved them. They were so yummy in my tummy!  Years later, I learned that they were actually Classic Spritz Cookies or as my mom calls them, "Little pillows of Love."

As an adult, a have purchased an amazing cookie press that makes baking fun and easy.  I picked the Pampered Chef Cookie Press.

I would have loved to make my normal amount of different types of cookies or goodies.  However, we have a huge move coming up and lots going on so I opted to only make spritz cookies.

I do have to say that there were many moments during the few hours that I was baking that I wished I was able to bake these cookies with my Step Daughters Emma & Danielle.  Maybe somewhere or sometime in the future that will happen.  I just really hope that they are having a chance to make some lasting memories, like baking, that they will cherish throughout their lives.  

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to give them a try.  Trust me they are yummy and everyone will love them.

Classic Spritz Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) butter (3 sticks), softened

1 cup (250 mL) sugar

1   egg

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups (875 mL) all-purpose flour

 Colored sugar or sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer about 3 minutes or until creamy, scraping down sides as necessary. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour; mix on low speed just until blended, scraping down sides as necessary. (Dough will be soft; do not refrigerate.)

2

Fit Cookie Press with desired disk (see Cook's Tip); fill with dough. Press dough onto Cookie Sheet 1 in. (2.5 cm) apart. Decorate cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool cookies 2 minutes on Cookie Sheet; remove to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield:

6-7 dozen,
 servings of 2 cookies

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 140, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 15 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 55 mg, Fiber 0 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: No information is currently available.

Cook's Tips:

Do not use disk #10 for cookies. 

Chocolate Spritz Cookies: Increase sugar to 1 1/4 cups (300 mL). Decrease flour to 3 cups (750 mL). Combine flour and 1/3 cup (75 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder in medium mixing bowl; blend well. Proceed as recipe directs.

Source:  Pampered Chef Recipes

Here are my finished cookies!  

Happy Holidays Everyone, Heather! 

I HATE those furry little.....

On December 9th, Heather had planned to use her truck (I gave it to her when we got married as a wedding gift) to go to Disney, she started the truck while I stood beside her.  I just had to give her a few kisses goodbye. The motor ran however it sounded really rough.  The dash had every light on...In the 10 years that I have had the truck I have never seen it light up like something out of a Star Wars movie.  Scary stuff!

I yelled "Turn it off and pop the hood!" as I walked up to the front of her Chevy Silverado.  My worst fears were founded...Acorns, Acorns, and Tons and tons of Acorns scattered all over the motor. The insulation from the hood and firewall had been ripped off and made into a nest.  Next to the nest on the drivers side firewall was a bundle of wires that had been chewed on, some were even eaten all the way through.  We were shocked...the truck had only sat for 5 days.

I called our insurance company... then I found a local mechanic.  

As all of this was going on Heather had taken her mom's car to Disney for the day/night with Amanda her sister.  The entire time Heather was gone I thought of the costs involved with the repair.

Let's keep one other fact in mind, while all of this is going on we already know that we have to sell the truck before we move to Ecuador.  Of all the things that could happen, the timing of this was not at all welcome. We want to be able to save all the money we can for the big move in April.

Let's fast forward about a week and a half.  It's now December 22nd at 12 noon. The mechanic finally called and said the truck can be picked up at any time, the insurance check had arrived.

During the week, I had a few conversations with the mechanic about all the work that was being done and the parts being ordered.

The damage from the squirrel:

• Replace the hood and firewall insulation inside the engine bay
• Repair and reloom/insulate the frayed and broken wires
• Reset the computer to insure all codes were clear and that no further damage was missed
• Blow off the motor compartment with compressed air (I tried to remove most of the acorns with a water hose with some luck, Heather took a photo of what fell onto the driveway)

The mechanic also noticed some other work was needed.

So we did:

• Oil change
• Replaced both the serpentine belt and the a/c belt as both were really bad and they had never been replaced before. (110k)
• Replaced the wiper blades

The mechanic was fair!   More than fair, he managed to do the job in less hours than the pay out estimate from the insurance company.  So our deductible was covered (big relief.)  In the end, we had to pay the mechanic $63.43!!! That's it!

Well now Heather has pantyhose filled with mothballs on both sides of the engine compartment to insure that the squirrels don't have a chance to try to make a new home, again.

I HATE those furry rats at this point.

You Have Got to be Kidding, Bath & Body Works!!!

Really, come on!!!

I placed a Bath & Body Works order online back on Black Friday.  Well it never arrived so I gave them I call last Friday to see where the order was.  Well low and behold the package was lost.  So they reordered the items, "many now out of stock or sold out."  The package arrived via UPS Overnight Shipping and this is what was in the Box!

Come on Bath & Body Works!!!!  My order was over $225.00 and you mail me a single bath ball that retails for $3.50!  Ugh!

Happy 9th Birthday, Danielle!!!

Happy 9th Birthday, Danielle!  We hope your having a Wonderful Day!  We miss you more than you will ever know.  You deserve the world and I hope someday you learn this.  We have a gift for you and I'll continue to hold on to your gifts until or if I have the chance to give you them in person.  

I am going to try to call you at 5:30pm EST.  I doubt your mom will let you talk to me...But, I have to try.  Always know that you can contact me anytime.  

Love,

Your Dad 

& 

Your Step-Mom Heather

*******

Update #1:  I tried calling at 5:30pm and I got your mom's voice mail.  I left a message.  I'll try again in a little while.  I Love You, Dad.

Update #2:  I tried calling again at 8:00pm and again I got you mom's voice mail.  I left a lengthy message asking her to PLEASE let me talk to you.  I pray she calls back.  Love, Dad

*** SURPRISE ***

Here is the details of my surprise to Dan!

DAY	PORT	ARRIVE	DEPART
Day 1	Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL		4:00 PM
Day 2	Freeport, the Bahamas	9:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 3	Nassau, the Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 4	Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas	8:00 AM	4:00 PM
Day 5	...   Fun Day At Sea	---	---
Day 6	Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL	8:00 AM

This trip was paid for by Candice Gold as a Wedding & Christmas Gift for Dan and I :)

What was this clever girl up to?

Here I am relaxing on the sofa watching TV and surfing the web when Heather asked me about some locations in the Caribbean.  More and More locations followed with one being in Mexico.

Okay so, I will admit it, I was only half paying attention to what she was saying. I had to many things going on at once. Suddenly my brain caught up. I'm thinking “what?” those are all locations for going on a cruise. What was this cleaver girl up to?

Soon enough it was made clear! She had decided we were going to take a last minute cruise for our honeymoon. We had delayed going on a Honeymoon trip after we were married back in March. Our money was and has been a bit tight. Plus, we really wanted to go somewhere fun and exotic. Looks like its not going to be Hawaii or Ireland, but that's completely fine with me. That just gives me places that I can plan surprise trips for our anniversary or such.

I'm taking a simple 5 day Carnival Cruise with the wife with no traffic, no stress, no dogs (I do love 'em but that will be a nice break).......I'm ready to go, now!!!

Everyone can expect lots of photos and an update, as soon as we return home.

I have another blog entry that I hope to write once the event is over. It's going to be a fun one to write about (kidding.) Let's just say, I'm no fan of squirrels...

Disney's Very Merry Christmas Party in Orlando, FL USA on December 9, 2014 (Picture Heavy Post!)

Happy Holidays!

Finally, it’s Christmastime at Walt Disney World! I have been wanting to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for about 14 years. I went many moons ago, well before I moved to Alaska in 2000. Life was crazy back then preparing for that move and once again we are crazy getting ready to move to Ecuador. There was NO WAY that I was going to miss the chance to go this time. My sister Amanda and I purchased tickets in the middle of November since its normally a completely sold out nightly event. And yes, it was sold out the night we were able to go.

The party starts at 7:00pm and ends at 12:00am.  However, Disney does allow people to enter the park at 4:00pm at no additional charge. 

 I was planning to head out from Hernando, FL at 1:00pm...That was the plan!!! Dan walked me out to our truck to kiss me goodbye. I turned on the truck and the dashboard looked like something out of Star Wars. Dan yelled turn the truck off after he saw the dash. He opened up the hood and we were shocked at what we saw. I'll let Dan fill in those details in as soon as we get the truck back from the shop!

At about 1:30pm, I was finally able to head out to meet up with Amanda.

*~*~*~*~*~*

First off, let me start by saying Disney World sets up the most beautiful decorations.

We went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on the 9th of December. 

Now, between the hours of 4:00pm-7:00pm, Disney allows early entry to all MVMCP ticket holders.  We got into the park at about 4:15pm and this allowed Amanda and I the chance to fit in all but one of the rides we wanting to do.  The lines were about 20 minutes or less.  Now, the signs out in front of most of all rides said 50 minutes or more.  I think they wanted the daytime people out of the park, so they left the signs with long times. That is my personal opinion!

How did We Decide to Move to Cuenca, Ecuador?

About four months ago, the subject came up about the family moving to Washington State or Oregon within a year.  We looked extensively at different towns, jobs, prices, and homes that fit us and the Furbabies needs.  The rental prices were very high and the pay didn't match up with costs.  We all knew we desired a rural area, with lots of trees, and a fenced yard yet we needed to be close to a small town for work and shopping.  This was extremely hard to find. 

Then a few days later Candy brought up the idea of moving to Malaysia and we debated the location with little sense of reality.  Then came Bosnia,  Thailand, Cambodia, Slovenia, and even Panama came up as well.   All with an overall theme.  Overseas!   Heather said Italy and I threw in Australia and Ireland.  Ireland used to be a cheap place to live but, it seems to have really changed.   I had previously spent a lot of time in the land of OZ but it was far to expensive to even consider.  

Then came Ecuador!  While I was in the Marines had served time in Central and South America and I had a small grasp on politics and how things were run there.  

Next, I looked at our current budget for our life here in Hernando, Florida.  While the home is in a beautiful "Old South" part of Florida and the size of the home fits our needs  it is so expensive and it allows us no money to travel and see the world.  All three of us have a Bucket List and we each have dreams of places we want to see in our lifetime.  

So, I compared the costs on over 20 different blogs on Ecuador.  We debated weather we wanted to live near the beach or in the mountains.  I was really fine with either as long as I didn't have to shovel snow or deal with ice.  Now, Heather and Candy knew that they really wanted a more stable and cooler type of weather that would be offered in the mountains.  Well we examined the cities of Quito and Cuenca.  There were other smaller towns  we could have pick from but there was a concern about us not having vehicle, doing shopping, and mostly would there be any other expats to socialize with.  Then there was Quito it has ACTIVE volcano's and the city is HUGE!  Cuenca is smaller, closer to Peru and more stable in our minds.

Our experience and the Steps to Take to Get a US Passport

Step #1:

Have all the necessary documentation. The major necessary documentation are Proof of Citizenship and Proof of Identity. There are a number of different documents that can be used, depending on if this is the first time apply or if the passport is for a minor.

Proof of citizenship includes a previous US passport or a birth certificate for those born inside the US. For those born outside the US, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Naturalization Certificate, or Certificate of Citizenship will be necessary.

Proof of identity includes items like a previous US passport, driver’s license, current government or military ID, or a Naturalization Certificate. These items should have your photo and your signature.

If you do not have one of those forms of ID, you will need two forms of what are called “secondary ID”. These include items like a social security card, credit card or library card. You can also appear with an identifying witness, who will need their own sufficient forms of ID.

Step #2:

Get a passport photo. You will need a passport photo. This is not just a normal photo: it must be a very particular size and you must be clearly visible with the required photo layout. The easiest way to get this photo is to go to a place which takes these photos. Dan & I had our photos taken at AAA for Free since we are plus-members. Candice had hers taken at the Court House office for about $10.60. Once we submitted Dan and I's photos we were told Dan's wasn't centered and he would need a new set of pics for another $10.60. Many large chain grocery and drug stores will do this if they have a photo lab.

Click the read more option to keep reading!

The 2nd Garage Sale We Will Be Having - December 19th & 20th

The 2nd Garage Sale We Will Be Having...If your in the area Please stop by!

Don't Miss This GARAGE SALE!

Friday, December 19th

&

Saturday, December 20th

8 am --> 1 pm

2108 N Essex Ave

Hernando, FL 34442

lots of Christmas items, household items, ladies clothes, mens  clothes, furniture, pet items, lamps, lines, tableware, video games, electronics, pots, pans, dishes, shoes, costume jewelry, fall items, DVDs, craft, CD's. and much much more!

Absolutely No Early Birds!

Rain or Shine!

Our Family Introduction :)

We have started a new Blog "The Bowen Knot!"  We thought it might be a fun way to write about our life's, our travels, and mostly about our upcoming move to Cuenca, Ecuador.  This is a little info about our family to get us started.  We hope you enjoy our blog.  Please comment and share your thoughts.  Enjoy :)

Introducing my family, there is Candice P. Gold (my wonderful mother-in-law), Heather Y. Bowen (my wonderful wife), and Dan H. Bowen (myself).  I expect that  I will be the main poster in this blog but, I know that Heather and maybe even Candy will blog some as well.  We also have our beautiful FurBabies:  Our big girl is Sasha, she is currently a 13.5 years old Siberian Husky and then there's Zoey Bear she is an energy filled 3.5 year old Shih-tzu.  We lost our big boy in October 2014, Nikita "Nick Nick" was 14.5 years old.  We all miss you something awful!     

  

Sasha 

Zoey Bear

RIP Nikita :(

Heather and I met on, June 6th 1987 "long time ago."  She was 15 and I was 16.  We had a family friend named Bonnie that set up a blind date for myself, my friend Granville, a girl named Missy, and Heather.  When Granville and I entered the home to meet the girls, I liked Heather quite a lot at first glance.  She was very cute and all I could think about was what it might be like to kiss her.  It was kind of funny, Bonnie meant for Heather and Granville to like each other and Missy and I were to be the other couple. I really don't think Bonnie had much thought about Missy or me, the real reason for the whole event was to hook up Granville with this great girl Bonnie knew.