I couldn't decide which picture to use, so I'm using all three. I hope all you bloggers have a safe New Years Eve. If you're going to a party, please have a designated driver or a cab take you home. I'd like all of you to start off 2009 the right way.

I'm staying home tonight, but I did buy a bottle of champagne all for myself. I should be good and plastered by midnight!

I love using the special champagne glass my aunt gave me in 2000/2001 when we went on a trip together to The Galapagos Islands. We spent the night celebrating New Years Eve in a traditional Ecuadorian fashion.

The traditions in Ecuador are very similar to those in other South American countries. First, a life-size dummy is made to represent the "old" year. Then a man dresses up as a woman to represent the "new" year. She then takes the dummy it. In many neighborhoods they make piles of them and burn them like bonfires. I really wish I had written down everything we did that night, so I would remember it. As wonderful as the internet is, I can only find information on the burning dummies. But I will look fondly back on that night, as I sip champagne from my special glass. (Also, if you click on the third picture, the words Happy New Year are glittery.)