Donuts are back. Surprise!

Friends,

Most of life is predictable. We gauge each situation and set expectations accordingly. Unsurprisingly, things often go as planned. Sometimes, though, the pattern is broken and something unexpected happens. Surprise! This week, my whimsy trip to Ecuador was jam packed with fun activities –and a few unplanned turns and twists I’d like to share with you.

1. While I had planned to attend my High School’s 80 year celebration, the camaraderie was well above expectations. I was also not expecting about half of my graduating class to attend (a couple of whom I had not seen since 1985).

2. How much I would enjoy spending time with my dad, who graduated from the same high school, class of ’63.

3. Finding a new horseback riding trail right next door to my dad’s ranch was a tad unexpected. Having a silver colored antimicotic inadvertently rubbed on my black jacket while holding my dad’s horse, total surprise!

4. Although I am admittedly somewhat of a pyromaniac, I was skeptical I’d still enjoy the traditional Corpus Christi castle burning. I should have known better. Fireworks attached to flimsy bamboo structures burning and whistling way-too-close to the audience… c’mon, exhilarating!

5. Watching my cousin Paco perform pregnancy checks on some cows. Don’t ask where that arm has been.

6. Flying in a large propeller plane on a route normally covered by Boeing 737s. Never mind having the wing above the frame gives the photos a cool effect.

7. When you end-up on the wrong side of the plane for the impressive Andean volcano photographs and you end-up with an unexpectedly good composition featuring mount Cotopaxi and a silhouetted random stranger.

8. Donuts at a Corpus Christi treat stand (bottom right of the photo). By the way, the “donuts” you see in the center are actually traditional “roscas” –which taste nothing like donuts.

While I didn’t have the forethought to get some roscas for y’all, I do have some donuts. So come and get some.

Happy Friday!

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