funny

This type of thing happens sometimes. It seems like it happens to US fairly frequently.

Last weekend my dad, mom, sister and I drove to Kentucky for the showers/family bonding. It was an uneventful drive there, through the wheat fields of Oklahoma, corn of Missouri, and tobacco of Kentucky. Flat. Sunny skies. An Amish buggy going through a McDonalds drive-thru.



The way back, however, was ill-fated from the start. We left about an hour later than we said we would. Not a big deal, nothing to rush home for. But then we got to the driveway to leave and . . . the car wouldn't start.

So after a family gathering to jump the car, we waved goodbye and drove to the Murray battery place to buy a new battery.

That taken care of, we jumped back into the trusty minivan and, singing family songs of road tripping lore, chugged south, towards home.

Suddenly . . .
phhhhht . . .
She ain't lookin too good.

But, don't worry, we were in Tennessee (a grand 20 minutes from our point of origin). We pulled into a local establishment and gave these southerners a chance to prove their famed hospitality.
They passed with flying colors.

An hour and a half later, after buying a new tire in Paris, we pointed the wheel south and didn't look back. And that, folks, is just how we roll.

in case you're keeping track

My schedule:

I leave for Charlotte on Tuesday to gather up some of my belongs and spend some time with precious friends. I'll be there until Friday, when Matt flies in, and we go to a wedding in SC together. I'll fly back to OK on Sunday. And here I will stay until September 5, when I fly to Beaufort to stay until our wedding on September 12th. Then it's honeymoon and off to our new home in Long Island!

Just in case you were wondering.

And now I'm going to edit all my Africa contact information because that's just not true anymore. We're moving on.

showers in murray

Not the rain kind of showers, the PRESENT kind of showers! Last weekend my family (minus Ryan) went up to stay with Matt's family (minus Adam). And we had some other family members grace us with their presence. Matt's Grandpa Yezerski and Aunt Diane and cousins Tyler and Mike stayed with us, as did my Grandma and cousin Heather. Matt's Aunt Bo and Aunt Doris and Uncle Bob came from Glasgow and my friend Kerry came in from Maryville, TN. Full house - what fun!

So, thus follows the typical set of cliche shower photos.

The lovely hostesses and their stunning array of food and flowers.

Mothers!

sister and ker
very cute
of course we did a lot of this . . .

and roped some relatives and kerry into tying ribbons on fans . . .

Important people:

Rhonda and the Parents

Aunt Bo and Mrs. Travis

Cousin Heather and Kerry

And there are many MORE important people that I don't have pictures of . . . but maybe I can get ahold of some soon. It was super fun to be with everyone and celebrating with the Murray crew. Can't wait to see many of them in September!

the view . . . of america

Soooo . . . I've been back almost 3 weeks. I've already been to New York and Kentucky and spent some lovely time in Oklahoma. In a couple days I'm off to Charlotte and then to a wedding in South Carolina. Then it's back to OK until my own wedding! (wow)

Since I've been back, I've been observing and absorbing America. I've left the U.S. and returned oodles of times, so culture shock is not really a part of my vocabulary at the moment. I like re-noticing things that I'd forgotten about. Smooth roads, for instance. Oh, thank you taxpayers for providing us with highways that have painted lines down the middle of them. Sidenote - I still have mini-freakouts about whether I'm turning into the correct lane. Even though I never drove in Kenya, I still second guess my driving abilities. With good reason . . . they're not that great.

Anyway, besides the recession, there have been some fun additions to our society. Since I've been gone, Skittles Crazy Cores have entered the candy scene. And Green Apple Mentos. I haven't had an opportunity to try these treats yet but I'll let you know how that goes. Also Wheat Thins and Walmart changed their logos. That's lovely of them, everything is so much more attractive.

It's been nice to revisit some of my old favorites . . . everything in the world of coffee has improved exponentially. Back to the world of coffee creamers . . . and our old favorite corporate giant, Starbucks. Did you know if you buy a coffee in the morning, you can come back and get a grande cold drink for only $2? It's called receipt treat or something like that. I haven't actually done that, either, but I get a kick out of knowing I can!

Oh, and let me not forget to mention technology . . . Matt tricked me into thinking we needed to go get a cell phone for me during the few days I was there . . . when really he had already taken care of it AND programmed in my friends and family, as an early birthday present. So now I can not only talk to everybody in the USA whenever I want, but I can also facebook and internet and youtube my life away. Oh, 3G. Also the zippy nature of our internet is a constant source of joy.

I do miss Kenya. It's not ALL fine and dandy here in the mother country. Maybe I'll get around to posting some of the negatives . . . but I thought, positives first. I learned that back in cross-cultural connections in college. And I am a lifelong learner, I tell ya . . .

only a week ago!

Only a week ago, I was spending my last night in Kijabe.
The last class taught.
Seniors graduated.

Last meeting of the dinner club.
Bags (mostly) packed.

As you can imagine, the last 10 days have been a whirlwind! A wonderful whirlwind of goodbyes and hellos. Goodbye to Kijabe, the view of the valley, the running at 7500 feet. Goodbye my students, my friends, my Bible study. Goodbye house, goodbye flowers, goodbye monkeys, goodbye trees. Goodbye sunbird.

I don't like goodbyes.

But this time, I was ok. I felt, and maybe this is mislead, but I really strongly felt like it wasn't goodbye forever, just . . . see you later. Later will be a long while from now, but how can I not be back?

and . . . so many hellos!

Hello fiance! Hello New York! Hello internet, cell phone, paved roads, grocery store! Hello Setauket, hello new house, hello Long Island Sound.


And then, after a couple days, hello Oklahoma, hello family, hello Tucker, hello wedding prep!

I love where I've been. I love where I'm at. I love where I'm going.

changes for erica

Kijabe, oh Kijabe. What a wonderful lessons I've learned here! Oh my goodness, seriously.

It's a very 'growing' type place. Move here and be changed!

At this particular post will skip over the spiritual insights, lessons in love, refining processes, friendships forged, selfishness revealed, pottery skills sharpened, revelations in teaching . . .

Right now we're going to focus on my growth in the culinary and creativity realm. You might remember that back in Charlotte I was the one who took the easy way out during my week of kitchen duty. I loved shortcuts and ready-made ingredients. Well, of course this was not an option out here, and after a few months of sauteed vegetables several days a week, I discovered a new addiction - searching the internet for recipes and inspiration, then making the necessary adaptations to make it work here in Kijabe.


Sometimes this works well. Butternut squash tastes just like pumpkin. Yogurt instead of sour cream. I haven't used real butter in ages. All of our ingredients are different in texture and quality - flour, sugar, cream cheese, etc. Not to mention the altitude thing. So every attempt is an experiment. Maybe that's why I like it so much, it's all new and novel. Sometimes - often - the substitutions flop . . . I went through a wacko healthy phase a month or so ago and started substituting whole wheat flour and knocking back the sugar, which sometimes creates disasters. These were a healthy success - whole wheat banana strawberry muffins.

But I'm learning. I've made my own cottage cheese a few times now, which is gross, I know. I'm not telling how I did it. :) But between that and the homemade yogurt, I should probably take up residence in Wisconsin. I puree stuff and use it for soup stock. I'm such a missionary!!! I made my own granola bars, but I already told you that. They were yummy marathon fuel and no hidden partially hydrogenated anything. :)


But sometimes I forget what I'm doing and things like THIS happen . . . which was so gross and disturbing I had to take a picture . . .


But anyway, it's mostly good. Whipped up some butternut squash soup for lunch one day, taco soup another day (it's cold, remember?), pumpkin pancakes for the dorm girls, and last week I made cinnamon rolls for their brunch party. Three hours of effort for a Cinnabon experience right here in Kijabe. It's weird, this new obsession, and I think it's partially a coping mechanism with the moving and the leaving. This is methodical, quiet, and yields immediate results, which is satisfying, and it gives me a way to bless my students/Sunday school class/dorm girls. It is also probably some sort of nesting instinct kicking in as I get ready to become a WIFE! (yippee!)

So if you ever want to talk food/recipe blogs, I'm your girl.

just imagine . . .

. . . that it's cold outside. (No, Erica, sorry, but it's the middle of July. July = H-O-T.) Oh I know, believe me . . . July still spells H-O-T even though I've spent the last 3 Julys here in Kenya. But you're supposed to imagine. Imagine it's cold. There's a brisk - almost violent - wind blowing around the sides of your house and through the cracks in the windows. Feet propped on the hearth with a fire cracking and popping cheerfully, providing a small radius of warmth and a welcoming glow.


Does that help with your imagining? Those are my cozy toes right now. So don't feel bad for me at all as I launch into my complaining about the weather. Right now, all is well.

But SERIOUSLY, I have been FREEZING this week. Gray skies and a damp, penetrating cold have settled in. My classroom temperature hoovers around 55F until about 1:30 in the afternoon (we have a classroom thermometer. I check it regularly.) Every day I bundle up in multiple layers, scarf, and coat, and stay that way ALL DAY. When I felt convicted that my sniffling and complaining was sufficiently interfering with my students' education, I sought to find a method to stay warm. First I tried an old Charlotte favorite - the rice sock. But my microwave here is not the same quality as my previous one . . . and after a couple days of smelling like burnt rice, I gave that one up. Now I bring a thermos of hot water and some tea bags and just fill up all morning long.

It made for an unsatisfying Fourth of July. We had our third annual Titchie skating party, which thankfully meant a barbeque . . . because I can't do the 4th without grills. But as soon as the sun went down, it was layer upon layer, huddled next to students and under a blanket. Matt calling to say he was watching the hot dog eating contest at Coney Island was awesome . . . but so 100% different from my current status! Thus passed my third 4th of July in a row in Kenya! Bring on the firewords, corn on the cob, and sparklers. It's been too long.
Kijabe's favorite babes in their Fourth of July bundling.