another touch up on Pop Up

We added carpet to cover the old 80's vinyl flooring and what a difference! Now Claire would like to figure out how to replace the orange curtains and paint the cabinets and it will look like new!

Bulldog pot

Ok So most of you know we love Bulldogs and I found this unique pot out shopping one day and couldnt resist! I probably carried it around the store for 15 minutes just trying to figure out where it would look ok in the house so I could buy it :) At first it I thought it could go in our London themed bathroom but when I got home I saw my bamboo plant in the corner of our kitchen and thought that would be cute there! It was such a great find, that I just had to share!

Pop Up Update

Well, the last two days have been productive! In my opinion, this thing is ready to go camping! We should have time to get a few more things completed before we leave for our first outing. Yesterday I redid the water system from the ground up, new tank, new hoses, works perfect now. I also updated the propane tank, regulator and hoses. So we can cook and do dishes now.

Today we went out and purchased fabric...one of the things that was farther down the "to-do" list, but it go rushed to the front when we found a super cheap fabric store in Tempe. We went with a fabric that we thought was both exciting, but didn't kill the resale value if we decide to part with the trailer down the road. All we have done so far are the dinette sets. We bought a nice solid khaki color for the beds, but that fabric is being shipped to Idaho were my Grandpa is going to sew new bed panels for us. Here are some photos of the before and after photos over the last couple days.


note: I don't have before and after photos of everything, like the water and propane.

FOR MORE PHOTOS:
http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h279/Dirt4dinner/Saratoga/


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1980 Coleman Saratoga Limited

Claire and I decided that after several years of talking about it to pull the trigger, and buy our first RV. It's a 1980 Coleman Saratoga Limited. Amenities include a sink (hand pumped water), 3 burner propane stove, and interior and exterior lights. It sleeps 8 people! A king bed on one end, a queen on the other, and then there are two dinette tables that each fold down into a full/twin. It's not much to look at, but for $500 we didn't expect much! It needs a serious bath on the inside and outside, as well as new tires, new propane tank, and a little canvas work but nothing that we can't handle! It's perfect for us! We bought it from a family that had bought it in 1981 after the original owner only took it out a few times. It has been handed around their family and used on and off over the years, with the last outing being about 5 years ago. It's time to get it back out and in use. I will get some pictures of it set up tomorrow when we start cleaning. Here are some teaser photos from tonight. We take it out on it's maiden voyage May 17th. We have that long to get it road worthy.

Silver Dapple Jewelry on Etsy

Etsy Buy Handmade SilverDapple

They made it!

Well Tyler and Uncle Nelius made it home safe and sound Sunday night. Here is Tyler's narrative on his hiking experience...

I have been pondering the best way to share our experiences on this hike, and I figured an email with 150 photos attached would be boring. So I spent most of the day creating a blog. It's long, but hopefully entertaining and thorough. Feel free to pass it along to anyone that you would like to, hopefully next year we can add onto it with another hike!

Here is the website: http://hikingadventure.blogspot.com/

New Update on their Hiking Trip

I received another phone call today from Tyler. They were at an actual camp ground and they were thinking they might stay there tonight so they could have a fire for the first time. I believe Tyler said they hiked 16 miles today and a good portion of it had a view of a lake so it was nice. He said they weather couldn't have been better with blue skies. He said is it taking lots of photos so we will post those later. They only have 12 or 13 miles left until they get to the car so they will be home late Sunday. They both are healthy and doing fine and I'm sure we will hear more stories later, but I just wanted to let you all know they were doing ok. I will let you know when I hear from them tomorrow!

Update on Tyler and Nelius's Hiking trip!

Well I got a phone call today from Tyler saying they were having a great time! They hiked about 12 miles yesterday and were sitting near a water damn when he called. He said everything they brought it working out fine (except he brought my hiking pants instead of his) and that the weather was great so far!

From the map below they started at Van Dusen Canyon Rd and were at Deep Creek Hot Springs tonight. So far they are on track! I don't know if the picture below is 100% accurate but it looks as if they are already half way tonight! Good job guys!

Here is a picture I got on my phone today of Uncle Nelius...

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

At this very moment Tyler and my Uncle Nelius are hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail. They will be doing about 50 miles in 4 days, starting in Big Bear, CA and ending near Pasadena, CA. I believe it has been a dream to do the PCT of U. Nelius's and Tyler is excited about doing this big of a trip. I know they both bought and made new equipment that would be light weight enough and warm enough and are excited. They headed out this morning (Thursday, 4/2) and will hopefully be arriving either Sunday or Monday. I believe they spend on taking a half day to visit some hot springs sometime during their trip too. I assume Tyler will update this when he gets back with photos and more but wanted your prayer request for their safety! I believe this is a picture of the part of trail they will be hiking... If I hear any news I will be sure to post it too!

Easter!

This year for Easter my parents were able to join us in sunny Arizona!! We kept them busy by going to a local theater and saw Singing in the Rain, going to a Mariners Spring Training game on Easter day, hiked up Squaw Peak (The route is 1.25 miles one-way to the top, with about 1,200 feet of gain, for an overall consistent grade.) and much more. They even helped Tyler and I take a large (or Zoo like) family photo!

Back to the puppy store for Claire!

Well I have decided that I am going to go back to work at the puppy store (Animal Kingdom). At Protection One I had a commute of at least an hour each direction and that was tolling. I am happy to go back and work for Oscar once again and assume my old position of Assistant Manager. My last day at Protection One is March 4 and my first day at the store is March 6th. I decided to give myself a little break on my birthday :) Below is a picture of the hike Tinker and I did in celebration on my special day. I think I even got a little sun burnt, but luckily my Scandinavian skin was a nice tan the next day.

RIP Ryan Keith Jones

Ryan left this earth on February 26th, 2008 at the age of 27 in Tempe, AZ. Born May 12th, 1980 in Seattle, Ryan grew up in Bellevue attending Chinook Middle School and Bellevue High School. He attended college at Central Washington University and Arizona State University.

Ryan is survived by his parents Genie and Terry, sister Kylee, brother Dustin, "Brother" Uncle Shawn, niece Kavara, nephew Kovey and the absolute love of his life, his son Caiden. Ryan has extensive family and friends from Washington, British Columbia, Ellensburg, Arizona and Florida that are all incredibly important to Ryan and are all deeply saddened by his passing.

Ryan's main occupation in life was to make people have fun. He loved his family, the beach, the sun, mountain-boarding, music, a good party and animals of all types.

Ryan was our roommate since end of October 2007. Ryan decided to accepted the invitation to come live with us after a long year or two in WA. For some reason it seemed that Ryan always listened to what Tyler had to say so it seemed to be a good fit for him to join us. He was a great friend of Tyler's throughout college and afterwards as well. He was an usher at our wedding and also caught my garter at our wedding. The great memories are way to many to count and he always could put a smile on your face.

A note from Tyler to Ryan on his myspace...
Ryan,
Last night you were driven to an act that I will never understand, and I'm sorry it happened. I feel like I did every thing I could to help you better your situation, and get on a path to success. I hope you know that everything I did was just the surface of what I would have done for you. You have been a very close friend of mine, and I have always been here to support you, and motivate you. I will miss you, I will miss the good times, and I will always wonder what could have been. Wherever you are now, I hope you are happy, I hope you can see the love everyone has for you, I hope you can watch out for your son, I hope you can be stress free and not worry about some of the tough hands you have been dealt throughout life. You are missed my friend. And the song "Apologize" will forever have a different tone after today. Rest in peace my friend, I will see you someday...and we will mountain board the biggest mountain the heavens have to offer. -Tyler

Camelback Mtn

Well Claire, Candace and Tinker decided to explore Phoenix City park trails and did the summit trail on Camelback Mountain.

Camelback Mountain towers above Phoenix and Scottsdale, is a well-known and prominent landmark. The 2,704-foot peak, the highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, is a two-summited mountain that looks like a kneeling camel to the imaginative eye. The higher, eastern summit forms the camel’s hump, while the lower summit to the west is called The Head. The mountain and its hiking trails are easily accessible, offering a quick getaway that feels far from Phoenix’s teeming freeways. The 1.2-mile Summit Trail, one of the most popular hikes in the area, is a steep, well-maintained path that climbs to the summit of Camelback Mountain.

Tyler Matney is promoted to West Region Sales Trainer

To: West Region
From: Vice President Residential Sales

RE: Tyler Matney is promoted to West Region Sales Trainer

We are pleased to announce that Tyler Matney has been promoted to the position of Sales Trainer for the West Region.

Tyler has been with Protection One as an FCR in the Phoenix Branch since July of 2006. Prior to joining Protection One he spent almost four years with United Natural Foods in sales, sales management and national accounts. He graduated from Central Washington University in 2003 with a BA in Psychology.

Tyler lives in Phoenix with his wife Claire where they spend their spare time enjoying the outdoors by hiking and camping.

Tyler will report directly to Jim Boots, Vice President Residential Sales.

Please join us in congratulating Tyler on his promotion to the West Region Sales Trainer. We are very excited about the positive impact he has already had on his region and are confident that he will continue to be a great asset to the Protection One team.

Happy Birthday Tinker! She turned ONE

Rock N Roll Marathon

Nicole came out to AZ to run the Rock N Roll PF Chang's Marathon and Candace and I went to cheer her on. Nicole ran the 18+ miles in 3hrs and 45min. Go Nicole!
These races always amaze me how many people actually race and how many actually follow their friends/family and cheer them on. The picture below is a little pre-run celebration at Salty's Senoritas.

RIP Issy

Well this is definitely not a dog year for us! I am sadly posting to inform everyone how important Parvo shots are for puppy's! Unfortunately, Issy our Australian Shepherd passed away from Parvo. It was a scary couple of days trying to figure out what was wrong and then a few stressful days of up and downs while she was at the vet getting treated. It started off when we noticed her acting weird and throwing up in her kennel at night. Tyler took her to the vet and since we had just taken her hiking he thought she had Guardia. We gave her medicine for that and when I got home that same night I could tell she wasn't her normal happy self. So I called the vet and explained she was very tired and wasn't eating and so we made a vet appointment the next day. Guardia medicine shouldn't make a dog extremely tired, if it has any reaction the vet said it should make her more hyper. So I put her in our master bath room and separated her from our other 2 dogs not knowing what was going on or if it was contagious. I spent that whole night on the bathroom floor trying to comfort her and trying to get her to drink and or eat. I was making everything from boiled chicken and rice to giving her some baby food. I think what I made for her was nicer then what I made for myself that day and she still wouldn't eat it! So after a long night I stayed home from work and took her to the vet appointment later that afternoon. As soon as I got their and gave her what I could of a stool sample, they tested her for Parvo and she was strongly positive and was immediately taken in the back and was hospitalize. Parvo can be a fatal virus and we were hoping she would recover since she was an older dog. Everyone I talked to said this years Parvo virus was nastier then before and it was just getting puppies anymore. Issy was almost 2 and got it so I hope this inspires others to get the Parvo vaccine if they haven't already. Issy was there for 3 days and didnt make it through the last night. Tyler and I got a phone call early the following morning with the sad news.
Issy was a great hiking companion for Tyler and was a great lap dog as well. Even though we only had her for a few short months she was a very loving caring dog. She would smile at you and play none stop. She loved playing with her balls and getting attention. She is still missed greatly and will be remembered forever!

Silver Dapple is now in business!

Its official!
I am now the official owner and president of Silver Dapple Jewelry! Website should be up soon!
http://silverdapplejewelry.com/

Issy

Well, we just can't help ourselves. Apparently we are "dog people". Meet Issy, our new addition. She is an 11 month old Australian Shepard. I had contacted the family who owned her several months ago when I found her on Craigslist. We applied to be her new home, as did many families, and were offered the opportunity. The day we were planning to go meet her, her family had a change of heart and backed out on rehoming her. Their daughters had grown far more attached then they had originally realized. Well, a couple days ago, I got another call from the family and the time had come. They felt terrible but this dog was way more than they could handle, she constantly wants to play, and constantly needs attention! Thankfully for us, she is equally happy playing with Bentley as she is playing with us. So they can wear each other out. Hopefully Issy will become my new hiking and mountain biking companion, she already shows great potential for off leash walking and endless games of fetch! Here are some photos...and I am sure there will be MANY more to come!

http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h279/Dirt4dinner/Issy/

Thanksgiving in WA

Tyler and I spent Thanksgiving in WA this year and here are a few photos from our trip. I miss Pike Place...
Ruby Joy also ran in a kids marathon with Julianna as running partner. She did so good and ran the full length! Good job RubyJoy!

Labor day camping trip

We took the dogs and headed north over the long weekend to beat the heat! We traveled about 100 miles north to get up on top of the Mogollon Rim, north east of Payson. From there we navigated 20 miles of forest service roads to reach a remote high mountain lake called Chevelon Canyon Lake. It's in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Once we found the campground, as expected, we found LOTS of people camping, large families, motor homes and 4 wheelers all over the place. This isn't our idea of a quiet weekend camping, so we went exploring. We ended up finding a road (more like a wagon trail to be exact) that lead us down a steep rocky slopes and ended up popping out onto a bluff over looking the lake...without another sole around!! It was perfect. We spent Saturday night at this camp site. Sunday morning we got and packed all our gear and dogs back in the 4Runner and headed back to the boat launch area to do some Geocache and see if Tinker can swim....which she can...like a fish!

Before the trip I had spent a few hours using my TOPO map programs to locate what appeared to be a great spot to test out the 4Runner and it's new accessories....not to mention it's 4 wheel drive abilities! The road was obviously designed more for 4wheelers than for an SUV, but we negotiated the narrow spots, and the rock spots, and the muddy spots and ended up at Hamilton's Crossing. A peak off the plateau that over looks Clear Creek Canyon on three sides. There was a small camp fire pit that obviously hadn't been used in a long time. This was the perfect spot!!! However, at about 7pm we noticed a large thunderhead forming to the north, with MASSIVE lightening. I watched this approaching storm with concern until about 8am, when I decided that if it rained more than a little bit, we could potentially not be able to get the 4Runner back to civilization without the help of a wench and tow vehicle. So...with a sad face we packed up our perfect camping spot in the dark and worked our way back out the trail and ended up heading home. We were going to pitch camp again, but decided it was getting to dark, and it would be tough to get a good camp set up without light and the threat of rain.

Still a great weekend...and the 4Runner is covered in mud!

Ohio Vacation

Welcome home Tommy!

C.S.I. is still on the job, but nobody has seen Turbo since his mysterious disappearance from our backyard 4 weeks ago. We began the search for a new Tortoise about a week after Turbo vanished. That is when I came across a potential adoption from a family in Tucson. They have several of these gentle giants, however the two larger males she has had together for 7 years where starting to fight over her one female.

After a few days of emailing back and forth and her quizzing me on my knowledge of Sulcatas she agreed to let Claire and I take custody of Tommy.

Tommy is a 9 year old male African Sulcata Tortoise. Very heathly, and incredibly friendly! I drove the hour and half down to Tucson today and picked him up. The drive home was interesting, he spent the trip either trying to climb into the passanger seat or trying to pry my dash from the car.

He is now happily wandering his new home in the back yard. I spent the last three weeks (since Tommy's family agreed to let us have him) building a fence across the back yard and building a HUGE dog house for him to sleep in. He seems very happy in our yard, as soon as I sat him down he started eating the grass....which is a good sign!

Tommy weights somewhere around 40 lbs. I am hoping to get him on the scale in the next few days. He is incredibly tame, and doesn't mind having his head petted. Hopefully with a little more socialization he will come to know Claire and I better. I have heard from other Tort owners, including Tommy's old family, that they learn their names rather quickly and will come when called.

Here are some photos. Enjoy! There will be many more photos in the future as this new addition in to the family gets settled in.

My handy work. A special thanks to Home Depot for prefabricated fences (although I did have to build one section by hand!)

I can't even take credit for this. I had it built by a friend, but I did do the trim work, all painting and added the flaps on the door!
TOMMY!
Spying at me through the fence slats. Umm....Tommy....there's something stuck in your teeth.

D'Anns Baby Shower!

Here are some pictures from the baby shower I gave D'Ann!
Enjoy!
Homemade chocolate cake made by Oscars mom.

Frame signing / Guest Book

Guess what is in the diaper! :) ~ Dont worry they are all some sort of chocolate
Hand designed bibs for baby!
My first hand made Diaper cake!

Day with Karin & Addison!

Karin & Addison were in town for a couple of days so we decided to have breakfast together! Can you believe she used to be my Nanny when I was a little one? It was fun to get caught up and see each other again. Last time I saw here was when I was in London and we went to a dinner and a concert! Good times!

Meet Tinker!

Breed: Dachshund
Sex: Female
Born: Jan 28, 2007
Wieght: 2.6 lbs
Color: Black and Tan Dapple
Registered: AKC

Coming home was an experience in itself!

The bus ride back was definitely an adventure in itself. Normally to get back to Accra one would go threw Lome. Some other peace core volunteers said they went threw Ho and it doesn't take that much longer and you get to see more of the country side. So my mom and dad and 2 other volunteers decided to come with us and try going a different route. Well a taxi picked us up at the house to take us to a taxi station. At the taxi station we payed for a big bus costing only 2 dollars. They said they were leaving in an hour so we put our bags up and started to wait. One guy would tell us we are only waiting for 2 more people to come before we left. Well after we waited for 2 hours we decided we will pay for the 2 extra seats so we can go. When Dad went to pay they said it was 4 people we were waiting for. We then waited another hour and decided fine we will pay for 4. But by then, the guy said its 5. In the end they needed 8 more people to go! I don't know if they thought we were rich and would pay for them all but we waited it out and only payed for our seats. We waited I think for 4-5 hours just to get the bus going! The actual bus ride was cramped. They fit 5 people in a row of 5 seats that were half the normal seat size. I was pushed up against the window which we needed to leave open so we didn't feel cramped and the air was hot. Someone even sat in the isle so there was no extra room. It seemed about every 10 miles there were guards that checked out the bus. Some of them made us all get off show them some kind of ID and then get back on. We did this a numerous about of times. At first it was annoying but the last couple of times it was nice to stretch out :) The guards think they can do whatever they wanted. Some tried to make us pay and mostly I think wondered why white people are riding a local transit bus. The border actually went smoothly which was nice and we finally rolled into town around 8. We got up at 7am and should have arrive before dark. In the end it was a long day, and I think we all were excited to be in town and off of that bus!

It doesn't really end there though. We had made reservations at the womens my parents know (Chez?) hotel. My dad had confirmed them early that day and told them we would be in around 8-9. When we got there at 8:30 they had given our room away and had a room for us at their other hotel out of town. My dad and i blew up a little bit at the guys and finally gave into the other hotel. When we got into our room they had sprayed for bugs about 5 minutes before and we couldn't breath. All we wanted to do was shower and go to dinner. We tried to wash ourselves with a wet hand towel and we were covered in dirt. Then the place my mom and dad had talked about all day (Italian with a 5 cheese pizza) was closed. We finally ended up at Frankie's and got a pizza and a couple of beers. We went back to the hotel showered and went to bed. It was a long day and we all slept good.

Then we went to the airport. We went 2 hours ahead and as I was getting out of the car they told me to run because i was the last passenger on the plane! It wasn't quite as bad as I thought but i did have to hurry. Uffda! is all I can say about the last day and a half
when I was there.

It was sad saying good bye to my parents and I miss them already.

View my pictures from Togo!

For all my pictures, click me...

For a short photo book of my photos, click me...

Another update on my trip...

Day 7 - In the morning we tried to stay cool as the power has been off
and on again. In the afternoon we went to my parents Market woman's
saving and loans meeting (Kamoura). It was great to see them putting
money into their bank and seeing them interact. They also speak in the
native tongue so it was fun to hear that. In the beginning it sounded
like they relied a lot on my parents and now they run the meetings
almost by themselves! Its great to see them taking action for their
own good. From there we went to the Peace Corps house and meet more
volunteers and cooled off. Some other volunteers had just been to the
market so it was fun to see what they were buying for gifts and food.
We then went to Georgie's ( the Godfather of Atakpame) for a Coke/
beer. My parents seem like they have been able to make a great
impression on people and I believe they are really respected here.
George also set us up with a taxi to use the next day to take us to
the falls.

Day 8 - Before coming to Togo, I tried to find "tourist" things to do
and see. One of the few I found was a waterfall in Badou. The website
described it as a shampoo commercial with cascading falls and
butterflies everywhere! I was sold on the butterfly part so we decided
to hike and see the falls. I didn't know that would mean a 3 hour
cramped taxi ride on a pot hole road with 7 of us in a 5 person car
and a hike that was up steep stairs for an hour each way. I never
thought the trail could get more steep until I turned another corner.
Even at the end the when the rest of us got sodas to relax our driver
had a beer before heading back to town! A Togo beer is about 2+ beers
in the states so needless to say we were all a bit worried. In the end
the waterfalls were amazing and we got back safe and sound in 2 hours
(not like the 3 it took to get there). All in all it was a good time
and we are thankful we went.



For the next 2 days, I'm sorry for the short notes but we have been
out of power for the past 13 hours so we are short on batteries...

Day 9 - I built website for an NGO, Mom and I gave each other
pedicures and we headed to the group house to meet more volunteers.

Day 10 - Today we went to Akpene grandmothers house and was greeted
with all ages of kids wanting pictures taken. From there we again went
to the Peace corps house hoping the power would be on and we could
cool off under a fan. On the way back to my parents I helped pound
fufu, learned how to make Beignets (banana fritter), got a Bubu from
Mama downstairs, packed my parents things for me to take back, looked
at other volunteer pictures from the falls and created 2 more websites
for the AIDS offices here. I am about to teach mom how to make jewelry
with a head lamp on, praying the power will come back on so we can
sleep better and cooler.

Tomorrow we head to Accra as I leave early Tuesday morning and over
all this has been a fantastic trip!! Power is running low, got to
go... love Claire

Ghana, Benin and Togo! the first 6 days

I have seen and experienced so many things it is hard to write about
the trip so here is a very short overview from day 1...

day 1 - Im finally here and Africa welcomed me greatly to say the least!! I flew into the Ghana airport and not knowing any French smiled at the customs man and he waved me right through. A girl who I sat next to on the airplane had her bags checked and some items taken! My parents should be thankful that my bags weren't opened as one was all for them with US food, etc. From the airport we went to the hotel to drop off bags and then headed to the center of town. We ate at Frankies which had hamburgers, pizza, etc as my parents said it was a good way to slowly be introduced to Africa. From there we did some shopping and then went to Savannas hotel right on the beach out of town a ways. The owner Beth is from the US and is opened up an Inn in Ghana. It was a cute place but the mosquitoes got the best of me.

day 2 - We woke up early to see fisherman bringing in boats by hand. It was great to see as the rest of the family had said such great things about watching and some participating in pulling the boats in. From there we went to the Ghana border to meet a Peace Corps driver who took us to Grand Popo, Benin. Entering and leaving African countries is quite an experience in itself. Lots of people hustling around, some selling things on carrying on their heads, some grabbin at you trying to get you in their taxi and some looking at us weirdly and the rest I who knows if they were crossing borders or what. Grand Popo is an old French military base on the beach with a refreshing swimming pool and a relaxing restaurant.

day 3 - We found a ride to take us to Ganvie (a village on stilts). One of the few tourist attractions in this region. We had to take a boat to get there and on the way saw many women and children paddling their boats with items to sell. Each family has 3 boats - 1 for fishing, 1 for the children to get to school and 1 from getting around. We had a motorized boat which many locals looked down upon it
seemed. We were told the locals didn't like it becoming a tourist thing to do. So we respectfully took pictures and didn't say much when the kids begged for money. On the way home the taxi took us to Ouidah. There we drove down the last couple of miles of an old slave route which at the end had a big monument (the point of no return) on the beach. It was the last spot the slaves passed through before loading on a boat to other countries.It is also the heart of Voodou center. From there we went to the Temple of Pythons. They do religious sacrifices and worship the 40 pythons living inside. They took us inside the room which the pythons live and to say the least it was creepy. We were inside a small space with most of the snakes sleeping but my eyes followed every snake that moved and I am happy to get out of there. That night we stayed at the Grand Popo hotel again.

day 4 - We woke up and headed straight back to Togo. We stayed at the nicest hotel in Lome and it had great air conditioning and a great Olympic sized pool. This was my parents 30 wedding anniversary so we spent half the day by the pool and the other shopping in the big market there. We (or Mom and I) had fun bargaining on "rip off row" buying all sorts of fun souvenirs. Since I don't know any french it was fun seeing Mom and Dad in action. I also spent most of the evening and night on their fancy toliet trying to enjoy the joys of international travels. It only lasted a short time and knock on wood I wont get sick again.

day 5 - Mom and Dad had a great/huge breakfast at the hotel while I was still recovering. We did a little more shopping at Jackies and then we bargained for a taxi to take us to my parents house in Atakame at the local taxi gathering. It only took 2 hours which is about an hour faster then ever before. Once we got to my parents house the neighborhood kids came out and carried my luggage on their heads. I feel pretty weak when I see a 6 year old carrying my 60 pound bag on his head up a steep hill. They were more then happy to do this and fought over my bags. Once we were here Mama and Papa came and introduced themselves. (they are the land owners where my parents are staying). Mom and Dad opened all their anniversary cards and decorated the table. A few Lundring tears where shed but all in all it was great to see their excitement and fun reading the cards. (thanks for sending them!)

day 6 - I woke up to the roosters crowing early and headed for a walk around town. We pasted a few schools already in session and many women with their goods for sell. It was a great walk being able to see what my parents have talked about and meet the locals they know who have built them furniture, sold them fabric, etc. The windy season is now over and the weather has become hotter. Many other volunteers stopped by the house to visit and catch up on work. It is great to put names to faces. I also got my first french lesson! Learning another language was never my specialty but it was fun meeting Innocent (their teacher) and learning the basic greetings. Mom and I later today headed into town for some fabric and and for me to see the market and town. On the way back a soccer game had just gotten out so it kinda felt like we were fish headed up stream. Tonight we looked at my parents pictures from their trips and just trying to keep cool.

Overall the food isn't as bad as I expected, the people are great, the kids are very cute and it is great to be with my parents. Sorry this isn't as short as I meant it to be, but even this doesn't come close to all that we or I have experience so far on this trip and its only half over!

Until later...
Love you all, Claire