Safari

Traveling to Kenya was about working at Amani and our day with World Vision. The bulk of our time was spent in those endeavors and we were all truly blessed with our opportunities to serve. In the midst of that work God gave us the amazing experience of going on safari. Over the weekend we flew to the Masai Mara which is in the south west portion of Kenya right on the Tanzanian border. Our flight took about 45 minutes and was an experience in and of itself. The rather steep landing took us all by surprise. The hotel was wonderful and the food delicious. Even though we had only been working for a week at Amani, we were ready for a break and a chance to relax. Here we are at the Wilson airport outside of Nairobi with our laminated boarding cards waiting for our flight.

We are on safari!! Notice the giraffes in the background. This is our first day out and we are having a ball. Already we have seen elephants, zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, impalas, giraffe, and lions. It is so fun we can hardly contain ourselves. This lone female lion was on the hunt. Our vehicle parked in a great spot to observe her movements. She was searching in holes and looking for dinner. We quietly watched and snapped pictures as she came closer and closer to us. Ultimately she walked within feet of my spot in the vehicle creating some consternation with some in our car. It was awesome. Another of the big cats, this family of cheetahs posed for us. They are beautiful animals with the tear marks on their faces and grand posture. We also saw a leopard crouched in a tree. My pictures of it are terrible but I do have some just to prove I finally saw a leopard. Elephants are one of my favorite animals in Africa and I never tire of observing them in the wild. When we landed at the Masai Mara there was a small herd near the runway. We first spotted them before landing and then had a close up view as we drove to our hotel. The airport is visible in the background. It's a dirt runway with a covered area to wait for the plane. Giraffes are fascinating creatures to watch. They move with such fluidity and grace for a rather awkward animal. It was great fun to be able to pet and feed them at the Giraffe center. I'll include a picture of that on another blog. This crocodile was at least 12 feet long and we were standing not more than 10 feet away. Okay, we were on top of a steep bank so it felt safe. Pretty cool.

TODAY!!!!

Today at 5:30 P.M. we leave for the airport where we will board a British Airways plane and begin the trek to Kenya. It is weird to think the time has come. Time has moved quickly to this date and I know that it will seem no time at all when we are boarding that plane to come home. Pray for us.

More to come.....

Kenya

Today is Tuesday and Thursday evening I leave for Kenya along with three other women. I am both very excited and very nervous. The excited part is obvious. Going to Kenya is great fun, I will have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, serve the Lord as I serve the women of Amani, go on safari which is always fun and this trip is an adventure. The nervous part comes from being the 'in charge' person for our missions trip.

The other ladies going along (Nancy, Amber and Brianna) are not exactly babies that I need to care for but I am the go-to person. Doug is not coming and I've always traveled in Africa with him by my side. He is the one I normally consult with and share the experience. This is going to be so different. It is truly making me depend on the Lord in a whole new way. There is no one else to go to. That is a good thing. It is always a good thing to have my faith stretched. It is good to remember that no matter who is by my side, ultimately it is only God by my side that matters.

Be sure to check back in July for the pictures and updates from this exciting adventure.

Grandbabies

It has been quite a long time since I've bothered to blog about anything in my life. It's not as if nothing of significance has happened, I've just been too lazy to write about it. In the last couple of months I traveled to Kansas City, MO. to help Joan get settled into her new house. We had a blast shopping and decorating Jack and Joan's beautiful new house. The next week Joan came to S. Cal and my sisters and I celebrated by birthday. It was a great day all about me! Of course we had to stop at Jon and Julie's house to spend some time with them and Maddie.

May found Amy and I traveling to Washington to spend time with David and Rachel. Doug, Heidi and Josie came up a couple of days later and we had such a wonderful time all together. Washington provided us with some beautiful clear but cold days and some rain. We went for walks, shopped in the antique stores of Lynden, helped decorate David and Rachel's kitchen, played Wii, kayaked, ate out and just had lots of fun. Doug and I at The Woods coffee shop where Rachel is manager.

David taking care of a sick Josephine. She was sick with a fever for two days. Poor baby.

Rachel, Heidi and Amy enjoying bags of potato chips.

Doug, Heidi, Amy, David and Rachel went kayaking one day while I stayed to care for the sick baby. No kayaks in this picture but I thought you might want to see David and Rachel.

But what has finally made me take time to blog? Grandchildren, of course!! First let's take June 6 which happens to be Josie's first birthday party. That's right she is now 1 year old. She is a total joy in our lives and we get the added pleasure of having her and her parents live with us. That gives us lots of time to be with her and watch her grow and learn. Here are few pictures from the party. Heidi and Amy joining Josie in the pointing game. Josie likes to point at everything and then expects someone to get 'it' for her. Whatever the 'it' might be.

Heidi, Josie and Caleb looking very happy to celebrate her birthday. The other thing contributing to the smiles is finally announcing to everyone that Weston baby #2 is due in December. The family is growing. Josie, however, has no idea how her life will change. It's good to just let her enjoy being the center of attention for as long as possible.

The birthday girl and her cupcake. Turns out she didn't really like chocolate cake. I'm sure that will change in time.

Opening presents is always fun.

Great-grandparents are also fun.

The next morning, June 7, at 5:57 a.m. Henry Oliver Hammer joined the family. Julie had been in labor all day Sunday and we wondered if we would have two grandchildren with the same birthday. Henry decided to have his own day and arrived the day after Josie's birthday. Doug was in Cleveland for a business meeting so as soon as he arrived home on Tuesday we headed to San Diego to meet our newest grandchild. We spent the afternoon taking turns holding him and I think we could have continued for hours more if there wasn't a need to get home. After all, Doug was still on Cleveland time and had to work the next day.

The proud parents with their new son. We didn't get to see Maddie with her brother but look forward to seeing her next weekend when we again head to San Diego to get more grandchild time.

By the way, the quilt was my gift to Henry which I managed to finish the night before, just in time.

It's About Time

Okay, I get ragged on for not posting to my blog. Even though I'm often tempted to write, there are never any pictures to post and the pictures are the best part. Today I'm writing this to let anyone who actually attempts to read my blog know that I'm still around and able to write. Maybe after Easter I'll have some pictures and more to say. For now, just read old posts.

You have to agree, they are cute!!! -- Part Two

Christmas morning starts with a BIG breakfast. We had eggs, ebelskivers, sausages, fruit, sticky rolls and plenty of coffee, tea and juice. Once we finished filling up, it was time to open presents. There is no rush on Christmas morning so we thoroughly enjoy the process of sharing our gifts with each other. Since we didn't even start breakfast until around 9:30 a.m., then gifts beginning around 10:30, the morning was over before we finished. Then, it's a quite afternoon of playing with the gifts, taking naps, watching the game or whatever we choose before heading out to the Lindley family gathering. Here are some pictures from Christmas day.

The sign says "This is NOT a gift." Doug wrapped this gift, wrote the tag and can give you the whole story. It turned out that is actually was a gift and Jon loved it.

Presents are fun no matter if you really understand the whole concept or not.

Maddie was happy to share the doggy with Jo.

After gifts, Julie, Rachel and Amy talked Heidi into teaching them to knit. Heidi proved to be a good teacher and they all managed to knit the beginnings of a very short scarf. Rachel was getting the hang of it with just a little encouragement from Heidi. Hans had gone for a run and was now watching the game while Amy continued to practice knitting. A lull in the Christmas activites is the perfect opportunity for a nap and we now have the perfect couches for the above mentioned nap. Really, they are so CUTE!! Grandpa and Maddie Jo. I love the girls pigtails and applaud their mothers for getting those teeny tiny rubber bands into their hair. Second cousins Maddie and Sophie enjoying their gifts.

Christmas was SO fun!

You have to agree, they are cute!!!

Uncle David and Aunt Rachel finally get to meet Josephine. She is very happy to have more people to love her and think she is one of the cutest kids anywhere.

When we went to the park one day and tried to get some pictures of Jo and Maddie together. Josie has quite the lower lip pout which comes in very handy to express her displeasure at life. Maddie is definitely not responsible for the pout and disclaiming all knowledge of whatever it is that made Jo unhappy. Three of my girls with their babies at the park and looking so cute. First, here is Heidi and Josephine, and then Julie and Madeleine, and finally, Rachel and Timber.

2010 - A New Year, A New Decade

I love new beginnings. That means that I love mornings and Mondays and the first of the month and the first of the year. Each of these moments means that I can do better what I didn't do well yesterday or last week or last year. This is also the opportunity to continue and grow in those areas that are going well. This is the time for renewal.

One of my goals (I don't make New Year's resolutions because they just don't work) is to make this a year of renewal. The last couple of years have been filled with so much that my mind and emotions have been on overload. That has resulted in a dullness of spirit. I feel like there has been little that I have done to my best in the past couple of years. Mostly I've just been hanging on for the ride and dealing with what I could handle and letting everything else just percolate in the back of my mind. This year I want to move ahead with intention. I do have some plans such as reading through the Bible using my mom's favorite Bible filled with her notes and comments. I want to continue on my quest for better health and a lower weight. Family, church commitments and friends all are part of my intentionality. However, my goal is to keep a balance in my outside commitments. Enough to be involved and ministering but not so many that nothing is being done well. God has created me to be a creative person and I have learned that I need to be creating. This feeds my soul in a unique way so I plan to schedule time into my week to pursue my creative self.

When this year comes to a close and I look back I want to see renewal of spirit, soul, body, and mind. Although this is not a New Year's resolution, it is an intention that I plan to keep.