It's this weekend!
Tomorrow we'll caravan out to Mt. Kenya and beyond to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. By "we" I mean my traveling buddies: Phil and Linda and 2 of their kids, an extra tag-a-long kid, Todd and Allyson and their baby, and me. The other car contains one of my students and her family - her dad is running. So we are Team Kijabe. We're going to drive the 21K loop and get a feel for the "4 small hills and 1 big hill" we get to run . . . twice . . . during the course of the race. I'm excited for our mini-safari and hoping for some good animal sightings while I have my camera on me.
That night we'll camp out under the stars. Restful, for sure.
Saturday morning we'll hit the pavement . . .er . . . dirt track at 7:15. And sometime that afternoon we'll trickle in, flop into the car, and begin the 5 hour ride back to Kijabe.
Sound crazy? Oh, it gets better.
Celebrity sightings: hoping to see the recent Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru, who is running the race.
Last year's results: Linda noticed there were only 4 people in her age category. She could place! We're kind of counting on not having to stay for a medal ceremony, however.
Let's go back to the camping the night before: "The campsite is equipped with water points, cold showers, firewood and long drop loos," according to the official site. Did I mention the baby going with us?
Wildlife: Running through a conservancy. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Running buddies: Let's remember that during the half-marathon on PAVEMENT in lower-altitude Nairobi, a) Todd passed out and had to be hooked to an IV b) I got a stress-fracture and c) Linda carried me to the car.
PRAYER POINTS:
* safety and sanity all the way there and back
* health (so many fevers this week at RVA!) and safety and injury-free running
* that we could get back to Kijabe Saturday night
* for a FUN time!
I'm excited . . . too excited to want to sleep right now. I've been in prep-mode, making Team Kijabe t-shirts and homemade granola bars, guzzling fluids for days, reading new Runners World, fresh from America. And then when I get back, my girl Jenny arrives! Pray for HER and the others that are leaving the US this weekend for a new life in Africa!
So that's the update. More later, I hope, with happy pictures. The ladies of Kijabe had a shower for me last weekend, which deserves a marvelous blog tribute, for sure!
see you on the other side . . .
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Look what the rains have brought! Flowers, flowers, everywhere. As I was stretching after my run today, I decided to finally act on my constant desire to photograph everything around me. These flowers all grow within the hedged-in area my house shares with three other duplexes.
These mushrooms started it all:
They were just so BIG, I had to pull out my camera! Now, I know what most of these are, but not all. We have quite the variety! So if you are comment-happy, you can prove your gardening smarts by labeling them for me. It's like a GAME.
3.
5.
6.
8.
9.
(i don't know if you can see how big these are - they're on steriods. We get BUSHES around here.)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Obviously it's a good day if I can get 17 photos in one post. Whoa. Sorry, I went a little crazy. Guess those other pictures I took should just wait for another day.
These mushrooms started it all:
They were just so BIG, I had to pull out my camera! Now, I know what most of these are, but not all. We have quite the variety! So if you are comment-happy, you can prove your gardening smarts by labeling them for me. It's like a GAME.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
(i don't know if you can see how big these are - they're on steriods. We get BUSHES around here.)10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Obviously it's a good day if I can get 17 photos in one post. Whoa. Sorry, I went a little crazy. Guess those other pictures I took should just wait for another day.
Meanwhile . . .
. . . back in the United States . . .
* my fiance has moved to our HOUSE and is fixing up anything that needs fixing. What a handy guy.
* my sister has finished her first year of high school (and also got voted Student Council Rep for her class, the little overachiever.)
* my brother has neglected to email me recently so I'm not too sure what he's up to. He did make some (i'm told) impressive videos for Elyse's campaign. Check them out on facebook. Also, if you got to see the video of ME out here . . . he made that, too. Skillz . . .
* the whole family got together for my grandma's SURPRISE 80th birthday in Cinci. I got very jealous when I heard the sounds of cousins, aunts, and uncles all having a good time on the other end of the phone line!
* my dad continues to provide for our family and travel to random places like . . . the netherlands . . . and provide encouragement and organizational thoughts in the whole wedding planning sheme.
(can you tell I miss them?)
and finally, my MOM . . . my mom, between finishing school and caring for the family and being wedding planner extraordinaire . . . my mom managed to get on the evening news. Check it OUT, ladies and gentlemen . . .
http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_2521.shtml
Oh yes, "a match made in . . . Africa."
I hope it works for you . . . I'm actually unable to watch the whole thing but I thought it was worth sharing.
* my fiance has moved to our HOUSE and is fixing up anything that needs fixing. What a handy guy.
* my sister has finished her first year of high school (and also got voted Student Council Rep for her class, the little overachiever.)
* my brother has neglected to email me recently so I'm not too sure what he's up to. He did make some (i'm told) impressive videos for Elyse's campaign. Check them out on facebook. Also, if you got to see the video of ME out here . . . he made that, too. Skillz . . .
* the whole family got together for my grandma's SURPRISE 80th birthday in Cinci. I got very jealous when I heard the sounds of cousins, aunts, and uncles all having a good time on the other end of the phone line!
* my dad continues to provide for our family and travel to random places like . . . the netherlands . . . and provide encouragement and organizational thoughts in the whole wedding planning sheme.
(can you tell I miss them?)
and finally, my MOM . . . my mom, between finishing school and caring for the family and being wedding planner extraordinaire . . . my mom managed to get on the evening news. Check it OUT, ladies and gentlemen . . .
http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_2521.shtml
Oh yes, "a match made in . . . Africa."
I hope it works for you . . . I'm actually unable to watch the whole thing but I thought it was worth sharing.
Midterm and More
SORRY it has been so long since my last posts. There have been some challenges BESIDES being busy . . . like power surges and internet failures and I thought my modem was broken . . . turns out I had used up all the megabites and had to buy more credit. Simple solution, thankfully. So here I am, back at it.
Life has been interesting and crazy and we really appreciated our midterm break of 3 1/2 days with no students on campus! Ahh, silence . . . except for the local church filming a music video on the basketball court. Imagine the same song, ALL DAY LONG. Hilarious. But that was the day I was out tearing up 20 miles so I missed most of that. I might wax eloquently on running at a later time . . . it's kind of a big deal and it's while I'm running that I compose blogs in my head so I should do some sort of tribute. We'll see.
Anyway, midterm included my LAST trip to maasai market to get my African curios, a long long run, another trip to Kitengela, and some quality time with Chuck. No, not a new friend, the TV show that some of us like to watch. When the Nagles and Anita and I couldn't finish it Sunday night, we got together for a pancake breakfast and the last three episodes. =) So, a wonderful relaxing time. I am so thankful for these friends! I think I've scored a couple of life-long ones out here. Unfortunately I have no pictures of them at the moment. But here's a few boring shots from Kitengela . . . the glass place . . .
funky giraffe statue
bizarre and HUGE live pig.
the glassblower working his magic. Seriously, magical.
Life has been interesting and crazy and we really appreciated our midterm break of 3 1/2 days with no students on campus! Ahh, silence . . . except for the local church filming a music video on the basketball court. Imagine the same song, ALL DAY LONG. Hilarious. But that was the day I was out tearing up 20 miles so I missed most of that. I might wax eloquently on running at a later time . . . it's kind of a big deal and it's while I'm running that I compose blogs in my head so I should do some sort of tribute. We'll see.
Anyway, midterm included my LAST trip to maasai market to get my African curios, a long long run, another trip to Kitengela, and some quality time with Chuck. No, not a new friend, the TV show that some of us like to watch. When the Nagles and Anita and I couldn't finish it Sunday night, we got together for a pancake breakfast and the last three episodes. =) So, a wonderful relaxing time. I am so thankful for these friends! I think I've scored a couple of life-long ones out here. Unfortunately I have no pictures of them at the moment. But here's a few boring shots from Kitengela . . . the glass place . . .
funky giraffe statue
bizarre and HUGE live pig.
the glassblower working his magic. Seriously, magical. a class update
Here's what's going on in my 4th grade class!
Scientists: Dissecting a huge ox heart and 4 little sheep hearts was a highlight this month. It's evident who are the surgeons' kids. They were SO into it! This week we talked about smoking and actually lit up some cigarettes and "smoked" them with a bottle contraption to look at the tar that collects after just one smoke.
Historians: We've started studying the American Revolution, which is slightly odd since half my class isn't American and we live nowhere near there . . . so interesting frames of reference are used, such as the fact that Kenya used to be a British colony, just like the 13 Colonies. They wrote hilarious letters to the Queen yesterday petitioning for a right they thought was important. I was thinking they'd go for staying up later or extending Titchie bounds or something like that. I typed up their letters to read at the end of the post. Such darlings, they are.
Chicken pox: only 2 of my students have succumbed thus far. It's still trickling through the school, taking out teachers and students slowly . . . I'm expecting a couple more to fall prey to it as their siblings have gotten it. It's kind of old news now but it's still around. One of my boys has it. His mom came from TZ to stay with him and has taken on another girl. They have their own house - the "itchy Titchie" zone.
Party lovers: Last weekend was midterm, which means PARTY in Andersonville. What good is a half day if you're not eating popcorn? My kids always bring in the best snacks, and this time we took it a step further and had SOUP at 9am in honor of our novel, The Tale of Despereaux. Which is a wonderful book, and next Friday we get to watch the movie and have MORE soup (their idea, I promise I'm not trying to NOT be fun. They love it). Yet another wonderful use for the crockpot.
So that's a little fourth grade update. Still LOVING them to death, they constantly amaze me. Yes, they are normal kids, but I think they are so special. It is a priviledge to be their teacher.
And, to finish up, some letters to Queen Elizabeth:
I'm not saying anything for their grammar, just their dramatic flair and their little tender hearts. :)
Scientists: Dissecting a huge ox heart and 4 little sheep hearts was a highlight this month. It's evident who are the surgeons' kids. They were SO into it! This week we talked about smoking and actually lit up some cigarettes and "smoked" them with a bottle contraption to look at the tar that collects after just one smoke.
Historians: We've started studying the American Revolution, which is slightly odd since half my class isn't American and we live nowhere near there . . . so interesting frames of reference are used, such as the fact that Kenya used to be a British colony, just like the 13 Colonies. They wrote hilarious letters to the Queen yesterday petitioning for a right they thought was important. I was thinking they'd go for staying up later or extending Titchie bounds or something like that. I typed up their letters to read at the end of the post. Such darlings, they are.
Chicken pox: only 2 of my students have succumbed thus far. It's still trickling through the school, taking out teachers and students slowly . . . I'm expecting a couple more to fall prey to it as their siblings have gotten it. It's kind of old news now but it's still around. One of my boys has it. His mom came from TZ to stay with him and has taken on another girl. They have their own house - the "itchy Titchie" zone.
Party lovers: Last weekend was midterm, which means PARTY in Andersonville. What good is a half day if you're not eating popcorn? My kids always bring in the best snacks, and this time we took it a step further and had SOUP at 9am in honor of our novel, The Tale of Despereaux. Which is a wonderful book, and next Friday we get to watch the movie and have MORE soup (their idea, I promise I'm not trying to NOT be fun. They love it). Yet another wonderful use for the crockpot.
So that's a little fourth grade update. Still LOVING them to death, they constantly amaze me. Yes, they are normal kids, but I think they are so special. It is a priviledge to be their teacher.
And, to finish up, some letters to Queen Elizabeth:
Dear Queen,
Please let the people in Kenya have the right to shoot and ill game. We need the privilege to use the meat to feed our families and the poor. We also need the meat to help feed and save the orphans. Please let us have guns, too.
Sincerely,
Team One
Dear Queen,
We want the right to drive on Kenyan roads without getting stopped by the police because they stop us all the time for interesting reasons. It is really annoying if you are in a hurry and you get stopped for writing in red pen on your license. It is annoying to get stopped for the weirdest reasons.
Sincerely,
Team Four.
******
Dear trustworthy, wonderful, beautiful Queen Elizabeth,
Please allow us to cross through countries freely, so we can help people in need of help. And to give water and food, to make churches, houses, orphanages, hospitals, and farms. They are in desperate need of support.
Sincerely,
The Government of Titchies, Lead Judges
I'm not saying anything for their grammar, just their dramatic flair and their little tender hearts. :)
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