I know a guy....

My Pap is awesome.  He's a man of many talents.  When you need a good joke, he can tell you one.  If you are a stranger who needs a friend, he's your guy.  If you have a groundhog problem on your farm, he'll be there.  If you need some company, just sit down next to him.  If you like to laugh, you'll find he's a kindred spirit.  If you find your knowledge of the Wild, Wild West is lacking, well come on over for a movie.  Or, if you want to see boards of wood turned into something beautiful and creative, he's the carpenter you need.  

For a number of years now, my Pap and Nanny have come up with some great ideas for Christmas presents, which Pap has then spent hours in the wood shop fashioning for his grandchildren and now also great-grandchildren.  He's now working on a project for me, which makes me feel like just about the most loved girl in the entire world.  He's making a bed for me out of cherry wood.  I'm super excited for the end result, but I'm also intrigued by the process.  

Pap already had a pattern from an earlier project, so he picked the wood and got some from a local business.  Last Saturday, I was able to help him a little in the shop.  Tools are as unfamiliar to me as nail polish is to Pap, so I mainly contributed my muscles!  I helped to move boards around and measure them, while Pap did the final checking and the sawing, sanding, smoothing, and all that good stuff.  

I'm looking forward to more mornings spent in the wood shop with Pap.  This bed will be all the more special if I have the memories of working on it with my Pap.  I love you, Pap!

African Birds

I just started a lovely new book.  I'm preparing myself for a wonderful return to the continent of my childhood in July (most likely...no tickets booked yet), and I've been enjoying reading some wonderful memoirs from others who love Africa.

This book is called "Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide."  Peter is an Australian who went to Africa as a 19 year old and stayed, becoming a safari guide through the years.  His stories are hilarious, and his descriptions of the Okavango reaffirm my need to go there someday.

I started to laugh out loud when Peter began to explain his opinion of birdwatching.  He makes it clear that he came to Africa for the mammals.  After two years in the Okavango Delta, his interest in birds started to spike, despite his denial.

The following comment made me giggle uncontrollably, as he describes a group of birdwatchers who came on safari with his company:

One group traveled with a well-known ornithologist (okay, well-known if you are a bird nerd) who gave a little pep talk to his group before we set out on our first drive: "There are two types of people who start watching birds. Those who have a love of nature that extends to all living things, and those who like lists and feel the need to get a whole set. Enjoy the birds, but take the time to enjoy the elephants and the insects and everything in between as well."

Peter Allison. Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide (Kindle Locations 1186-1188). Kindle Edition.

I laughed so hard because I think my Mom is one of those two types, and my Dad may be the other!  If you know my parents, you know which is which!

The "So not a vacation" vacation.

Amy and I haven't vacationed together since 2005, when she went to Edisto Island with my family.  At the point, I was entering my senior year of university and Amy wasn't even engaged to Ron.

We decided to try a mini repeat, and booked a two day trip to National Harbor (Baltimore) together.  Words really aren't adequate to describe those two days.  It wasn't restful.  We did have fun, but it was not restful.  

Amy and Colin didn't feel well for most of the trip.  Edith (our GPS) had some difficulties at crucial moments during our navigating to find the resort.  I found out quickly that Gavin does NOT share his food, so if you try to steal a French Fry from him, he will let you know in no uncertain terms that those are HIS.  (Although to be fair, he took my fries!  I know...I'm 28 and he's 3.  I'll deal with it!)  

We were nearly ready to order in the busiest McDonald's ever, when Gavin announced, "Mommy, I have to go  potty!"  So, I told Amy to take him, and I'd keep Colin and order our food.  I don't have the experience that a mom does of balancing a kid and finding my wallet in my handbag and not dropping said kid and paying for the order.  After I managed to pay, I realize that Colin had a death grip on the neckline of my shirt and I'm not really sure how low he pulled it!  

Once we got to the hotel and settled in, we found the pool.  Gavin discovered a favorite toy as well.  He loves pushing the buttons on the "Alligator," which is what we grown ups call the elevator.  :)  

That evening, we took the boys for a walk down by the water and found an Italian place for dinner.  Colin wasn't very happy and only wanted to be held by Mommy, and both boys only wanted to eat the cheese off of their pizza.  When Gavin needed the bathroom, a sleeping Colin had to be shifted to Auntie Hope, which I didn't mind.  Gavin came back and announced loudly and proudly, "I pooped!"  The businessman next to us tried not to snort with laughter.  

We definitely have some fond memories of this trip, but we also have some not so fond memories!  Colin was sick on the way home, and it resulted in a total wardrobe change for him and me cleaning vomit out of a car seat.  The highlights of the trip were definitely the time spent catching up with Amy and the boys getting completely used to me.  At one point on Wednesday evening, Gavin was sitting next to me on my chair and Colin came over to crawl onto my lap.  That is definitely a fond memory that balances some of the more...malodorous memories!

Starbucks Moment

The anthropology student in me was having fun analyzing people at Starbucks.  I was a few people away from the register and I knew I would have a few minutes wait, so I was entertaining myself.

The woman in front of me was wearing a long tee shirt and fitness leggings.  I figured she must have come from the gym, and I peeked at her shoes.  She was wearing little slip-on shoes, rather than trainers, and she had a long white scarf wrapped around her neck.  As I looked more closely at the design, I realized the purple pattern also had the symbol for OM worked into it.  Between the shoes (not good for a high impact class) and the OM, I guessed that she must have been at a yoga class.  I started thinking about how effectively Starbucks does its advertising, and I thought, "OM...Yoga...She's going to order a chai tea."

She ordered a chai tea.  :)

Graduation!

This weekend, my cousin officially graduated from college!  It was so nice to be here to celebrate one cousin's birthday and another cousin's graduation with a family day!

There's our girl getting her diploma! 

It felt right to be able to be at a special family event like this.  I have not regretted my choice to be overseas the last three years, but the hardest part of being away has been missing family and especially at milestone days like this.  

Jane Howard (English novelist) wrote, "Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."  So very true.

Early Artists

My little adorable niece had her first art show a few weeks ago :)  Her "school" hosted a "Celebration of Early Artists."  It was by far the cutest art show I've ever been to!

Having breakfast at Tia Hope's before going to her art show!

Anna going to school :)

Later, Anna "helped" while we went shopping for some things for my parents.  :) The little monkey was so tired!

Wanderer Me

Sitting on a couch has never felt so good.  I just finished moving for the umpteenth time.  There are at least two more moves in this coming year, and right now, I'm not thinking about that detail.

Joy asked me how many times I've moved in the last three years.  Having no idea, I decided to start counting, starting further back.  Since high school graduation, which is now ten years ago, I've been on the move.  During university, it was the usual moves, once a year into a dorm room, and at the summer, moving home or into my summer housing.  My final semester was in the Middle East, and that involved a month of traveling, involving sleeping in about eight different places in five different countries during that one month.  After returning home, I moved in with my parents, and six months later, I started an internship that took me to Colorado, and then to three Asian countries.  That internship was also very transitory, and I think my colleagues and I counted that we slept in about fifteen different places from September to February.

Four days, after returning home to my parents', we left for a month in Zim.  Again, five months later, I moved to another city in PA for another internship.

Following that move, I started planning to head to London.  From 2008 until today, I have moved 13 times.

I think one of my strengths is my adaptability, but it has been sorely tested in the last few years.  However, at times when I feel most tired, I get encouragement from other places.

In response to my three presentations on Sunday, a committee member wrote to my HQ that he "Appreciated her uninhibited expressive personality.  From the moment I introduced her, she stole the hearts of everyone with her message of love and compassion."  When asked what could be done to improve my presentation, he wrote, "Just turn her loose! She's dynamite!"  How can one not get energy from feedback like that? :)  His comments made my day!

      

Past, Present, Future

Sunday was a blur.  I spoke at a church I've never been to before, in two services, and in a luncheon afterwards.  I think it went well.  I don't really get nervous about public speaking, even in front of large groups, but yesterday I did have some butterflies when I saw how large the church was.  I have a new respect for pastors who preach multiple sermons each Sunday.  Giving two sermons and then another hour long question and answer time after lunch, plus all of the conversations when people came up to me to talk....I was wiped out.  I also had a 40 minute drive home.  

Life doesn't always turn out how we expected it to, does it?  There were two sisters at my table for the luncheon, one a senior in high school and the other in university.  Talking with them reminded me of how I felt at those stages in my life...when my high school graduation was painful close, and when I was trying to decide what to study in college.  I felt those choices were the deciding elements of the rest of my life!  Ten years after my high school graduation, those moments of angst seems far away.  There are new decisions that feel huge, new paths that I didn't expect, new challenges to be faced.  

Five years ago, I starting taking steps to move to London.  Three years ago, I moved to London.  Three months ago, I moved from London.  My curious nature wants to know what the next step is...will it include moving to a new country? Or will I live in the USA for a little while? 

Sometimes I feel a little discouraged and I wonder what the last three years actually accomplished.  But I'm a hopeful person, and those sort of thoughts don't stay for long.  How can they when I start to remember all the challenges, accomplishments, and joys of those three years?  There were sad moments, painful moments, hurts I didn't expect.  But Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning."  And this is a new morning for me.  God knows his plans for me, and I take great comfort from that promise.  It calms my desire to plan, to know each step ahead.  I feel a peace that I can't explain when people ask me what my plans are.  Others seem to be more anxious for me than I feel for myself.  

I think this is for the best.  It's easy for me to always be looking forward, planning, going, preparing.  I struggle with the "now."  But I know this time is critical.  Counselors might call it closure.  In Christian circles, it often is called "finishing well."  For me, it is a time to process, to choose what I take with me and what I leave behind.  If I knew my next steps, I think I would be focused on preparing, packing, planning....you get the idea.   

The lyrics of the hymn "I know who holds tomorrow" are a comfort to me.  I love the words of the chorus: 

Many things about tomorrow,

I don't seem to understand;

But I know Who holds tomorrow,

And I know Who holds my hand.

Isn't that a great reminder?

This week, I had another familiar lesson to relearn.  I am very hard on myself!  I've been taking a distance learning course that included some video recorded sessions sent to the professor to mark.  After I sent my final DVD to the professor, I started to feel really terrible.  I misread the the directions for one part of the grading criteria, and I was afraid I would need to completely redo the DVD in order to pass the class.  I was really upset.  Because of my move, I had already asked for an extension on the class, which was another really difficult thing for me to do.  Now, if I needed a further extension to pass the class, I felt like that would be total failure!  The professor emailed me on Friday to let me know he had received my DVD but hadn't graded it yet. All weekend, I anxiously checked my email, hoping I would have an email from him and yet not wanting to read it.  I realized I was being ridiculous and that it wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to redo the taping.  But I still didn't want to have to do it. 

This morning there was an email. I opened it, and read his review.  He gave me full marks for the DVD and was very complimentary in his comments on my work.  

I had to have a little talk with myself.  Was it worth the stress I put on myself?  Nope.  Even if he deemed my DVD unacceptable and I had to resubmit it, would that have been so terrible? Nope.  In hindsight, it seems silly to have stressed out so much over one assignment.  It is one pattern of mine that I want to change.  

This leaves me with an sense of excitement and anticipation for the rest of this year.  As I wrote earlier, five years ago I started preparing to move to London.  But just six years ago, I didn't imagine I would live in London!  I've been really blessed.  I've seen some incredible parts of the world, met literally hundreds of people I wouldn't have encountered otherwise, and I've grown and changed a lot personally as well.  It is with a great sense of anticipation that I wonder...."What is next?"  :)  In my heart, I know I'll know at the right time.