Monty and Emily in Nigeria

Final Days in Nigeria

2011-04-06T14:00:00.002+01:00

Our last weekend in Lagos was fantastic. I was blessed with a “Bye Bye Baby” Shower from her friend. Monty got to hang out with some of his guy friends during that time. PLUS, we got to have an amazing Sunday brunch with our dear friend Bill. Today was my last day of work (hopefully for a long time!! Going on a long sabbatical, yay!)

As I have told some of my friends, there are definitely things about Lagos I’m NOT going to miss:
• The unpaved roads. Especially Thompson Road in Ikoyi. I have literally been counting the times that I have left to travel this road!
• The fumes (exhaust, diesel, fumigation, paint, smoke)
• The noise (honking, sirens, etc.)

But there are more things and *people* that I WILL miss greatly:
• Our church family at New Beginnings International Church
• My precious Ladies Evening Bible Study group
• The tropical rain storms (well, Monty isn’t going to miss that one)
• All of our interesting/diverse friends from work
• The challenge of the project
• Working together—commuting together, lunch together…getting to look over at Monty in the middle of the day and give him a wink & a smile when he’s having a rough day.
• My Water Aerobics Class—Keep up the good work Chika!
• Our Driver Saidu and steward Jacquie
• The hard-working, devoted women of the American Women’s Club
• The freedom of a life without house/car maintenance, chores, etc.
• Funny enough…I will miss the airports. Okay, maybe not Murtala Mohammed, but the other international airports that we have been fortunate enough to visit. I love airports. Maybe even more than I love hotels.

So yes, we are headed back to the U.S. But this is not goodbye. It’s merely “see you later”, as one of my dear expat friends likes to say.

Home

2011-03-30T21:07:00.003+01:00

Home is...

...where you hang your hat

...where the heart is

I always tell my husband that he is my home, and I really do think that (at least here on earth--which is my temporary home!) Lately, the word has morphed to mean...

-Our apartment in Lagos...our home away from "home"

-Our parents' places..."homes" that holds our families and childhood

-The United States...the home we are moving to

-Our house in Texas...the home we are moving out of

This past Sunday, Saidu, our driver, shared with us his homes. First he took us to the home he is building, and then to his current home where we got to see his wife and two kids. It was a humbling experience, but also hopeful because I could see the excitement in his eyes about soon owning his own home.

So as we prepare to leave this home for another, temporary/earthly home, I am reminded of how human and basic a need it is to have a place to call home. And wherever home may be...It is true that...There's no place like HOME!

Nigerian Miracle!

2011-03-06T17:19:00.003+01:00

We are so excited that God chose to do a miracle in our lives...yes, we are pregnant!!! I am 14 weeks along, zipping right into the second trimester and feeling great Praise God! We have told many of you the story and want to give God all the glory for this precious gift. It is turning our world upside down and we are so excited and grateful!

Happy Birthday Melody!

2011-02-23T19:41:00.003+01:00

Our friend Melody (from my ladies evening Bible Study) had the great idea of getting some friends together to worship God to celebrate her birthday. It was such a simple idea...but ended up being a fantastic evening of fellowship, worship & encouragement. Even if it was on a "school night". Plus, some of our husbands got to meet each other!

Lena's Visit

2011-02-20T22:13:00.002+01:00

We had the pleasure of hosting our friend Lena (who also happens to be the sister of our dear friends living here in Lagos) this past week. Lena's sister & brother-in -law were out of town so we got to hang out with her (she practiced her English with me and Monty practiced his German with her!) It was so great to have another girl in the house, especially when Monty was away. We borrowed a soft mattress to put on the spare bedroom (to prevent her from sleeping on the rock hard thing that Nigerians call a "foam") On Sunday after church we were invited by Erica & Jason to a real American BBQ at their place. I was quite proud of the traditional potato salad, but it was nothing compared to the meat, homemade rolls, creamed corn, beans, and delicious danishes!

Erica, Emily, Amanda, Ursela, Lena

Coconut Day!

2011-02-19T21:28:00.004+01:00

Today the guys who care for our compound (with the help of a couple security guards) trimmed 9 coconut trees around our apartment complex. We saw them parading past dragging giant palm branches behind them. And then later...we peaked out over the balcony...And there they were...sitting with a giant machete amongst lots of coconuts!

They offered us some so we (my friends Rebecca, Lena and I) went down and watched them cut up one of the greener ones so I could try the coconut milk. Rebecca drank it a lot in PNG so she said we had to try it. It was delicious but kind of filling, so the three of us ended up sharing one coconut. The guys were so happy to share with us and talk for a minute.

This is Sunday who is the site manager of our compound.

Rebecca & Lena with the guys and the mountain of coconuts

Celebrating Valentines Day

2011-02-13T13:50:00.004+01:00

We celebrated Valentines a couple of days early so we could do something fun on the weekend. Monty bought me some beautiful exotic african flowers and a chocolate cake (that I have been CRAVING!) We had quesadillas (a first for Jacquie our cook...she tried out a new recipe I gave her).

Also, our church, New Beginning International Church has a new venue. We are so happy. It is even a little closer to us. This week I got to help lead worship with a lovely gentleman who is a visiting professor at the West African Theological Seminary. He played such lovely guitar...hymns in a kind of country/folk style. We also had "special music" from our Pastor & his wife, Gary & Emma Lou Maxey and a brother & sister who have been working with them. It was beautiful!

Beach in January

2011-02-13T13:28:00.005+01:00

A few weeks ago we got to go out to the Eleko Beach area with some friends and spend the afternoon soaking up the sun & relaxing (and cooking out!) Hard to believe this was January!

A West Texas Holiday

2011-01-15T13:36:00.002+01:00

Yes, that is a giant armadillo (I think?!) Perini Ranch is a local favorite that is actually known throughout the country. Tom was so sweet & took us to a special lunch out there for their Sunday buffet...sooo good!
Melinda & Tom
TomDaddy, Martha Kate, Zac, Mur, Emily & Monty at Perini's
No, I didn't kill anything. There wasn't anything to shoot the day I was with Grandmother in the stand. But it sure was a beautiful day.
Kim & Ricky & Monty opening gifts.
Grandmother & Me. She is so fun. I got to driver her in her big red truck out to the land that next morning and sit with her in her "delux deer stand" with swivel chairs and windows!

Fun Family Christmas!

2011-01-12T06:41:00.006+01:00

BB gun wars! Go girls!

Sara is the cookie queen. She is amazing and has kept the tradition alive!!

We had so much fun in Lawrence, Houston, Abilene and Dallas the past couple of weeks. Now we are back in Lagos recovering from jet lag :) Our internet has been giving us fits so I haven't really done much posting. Thanks to all our dear friends and family who lift us up in prayer for safety and health. We continue to need those prayers and God continues to answer prayers!

On the 5th Day of Christmas...

2010-12-18T08:44:00.005+01:00

Yes, the Christmas Season is upon us and excitement is in the air. Lagos is decked out with christmas lights, trees wrapped in red & white fabric, nativity scenes, Telitubbies (yes, Telitubbies!) and Santas and zebras. Our own home is graced with a tree and some decorations too, thanks to Monty's ingenuity and amazing packing skills on his recent trips to South Africa and the US. We got to spend last weekend with our friends the Tuitjers enjoying their kids and staying up late with them talking and playing their XBOX Kinects (truly an amazing thing, and I don't even like "video games"!)

Monty and I have started our traditional 12 days of Christmas and last night we decorated a gingerbread house as part of that!

Here's a few pictures from the past week.

We were so proud of this little house (but not so proud that we didn't promptly start eatting it!)
Monty's beautiful creation :)
My sweet friend Anna and her baby Emilie!
We gave the boys voovoozillas (sp?) for Christmas and quickly realized that might not have been very nice for our dear friends who now have to listen to their boys wailing away on these little noise makers.
Monty and Eric "Racing". We did an "olympic competition" where we all four competed and about 10 different events. A great workout and very funny!

Been Awhile...

2010-12-09T21:15:00.003+01:00

Well, it's been awhile...let's see lots has happened and in some ways...nothing has happened. We're working quite a bit (SURPRISE!) ...
What else. Well, we had a good Thanksgiving! Monty got to be home with his family and I made up for my quiet-regular-work-day-Thursday by eating two amazing Turkey dinners over the weekend (thanks to two very special hostesses and a couple of imported butterball turkeys! How much more blessed could a girl be?)

Monty really enjoyed his time in Abilene with his family. He was blessed to spend time with his mom, grandparents, siblings and dad, and he survived the whirlwind trip back and forth

I also got to experience some Christmas ministry to the beach community. I went with a group from church and, wow, it was everything I was afraid it might be...extremely chaotic and dangerously overwhelming, but also a time of blessing for some, I hope. I am trying to get my hands on some of the pictures taken from that day. The community is made up of many orphans, run aways, drug/alcohol abusers and disabled people. This was a rough crowd. And we came with a truck full of trash bags that were filled with zip lock bags of gifts/cloths. We (well, really one of the ladies) told the story of Jesus and shared what Christmas was about and then we tried to get the bags into the kids hands. Of course you can't expect that to go smoothly. But thankfully no one was hurt. And I was so thankful that Saidu was there with us. I have a new appreciation for him and I think I even surprised him a little that day! I put a picture up of us all in our long skirts (so as to not offend any muslims) looking like real missionaries!

30 Naira

2010-11-21T15:06:00.002+01:00

The other day a man shined my shoes and was going to charge me only 30 Naira…that’s the equivalent of about 20 cents. That got me thinking about the value of the naira here (which is sometimes lost on us expats because we choose to or have to shop in places with ridiculously inflated prices) It also made me think about how hard it must be to make a living here if you are walking the streets offering to shine people’s shoes for 20 cents a pop. So I wondered, what else could one buy for 30 Naira?? Of course I went first to my driver to ask him. He knows things :) After a very funny conversation with him, I discovered that for 30 Naira I could buy:

3 akara (fried bean balls) or;
3 bags of drinking water (the tiny kind that you bite a hole in & suck the water out of) or;
6 Tom Tom (licorice candies); or
Some small “biscuits” that are like a package of saltine crackers or cookies;

Or, a shoe shine. Hmm. Decide for yourself…is 30 Naira a little or a lot??

I hope that shoe shiner guys got a lot of business today so he can buy akara AND water tonight.

Great Day

2010-11-14T21:29:00.005+01:00

Peas and Carrots, Potatoes with Peanuts, and lamb/rice baked curry. (We used goat and did it in her pressure cooker...it was delicious!) So many good spices like cumin, coriander, curry, nutmeg, bay leaves, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, chili peppers...

This was the best "mise en place" that I have ever seen!

For those of you who are wondering what is "mise en place"??http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place

Yesterday (Saturday) was a fabulous, productive, enjoyable afternoon and evening. I got to spend it with my neighbor learning to cook some new Indian dishes (yes, my neighbor is South African and not Indian). We even made the homemade flat bread. We had such a good time cooking and talking and then we got to go look at plants around the compound and she helped me to pick a few to plant into pots for our balcony and our house (pictures later of the plants!!!)

2010-11-08T20:11:00.003+01:00

This Sunday was SUCH a relaxing and fun day, we got to spend with our neighbors relaxing by the pool and enjoying scrumptious food...finger-lickin' good chicken grilled by Sean, Potato Salad & warm home made bread by Sonja and then there was homemade chocolate pudding!!! All we brought was a salad! I'm telling you, we have such great friends and neighbors in this family. PLUS, they are so easy to be around.

Home & Hospitality

2010-11-07T16:22:00.005+01:00

Here's a few pictures of our house from Saturday night when we had some of our old friends over. These are some great folks that Monty used to work with who are still in Lagos. Randy, Ellen, Boris (and his wife Zino) came over after work and we had a lovely meal together and enjoyed visiting for hours. Such a fun group...they really keep us laughing! Anyway, I thought I'd put up these pictures because you can kind of get a feel for our living/dining room area. Lots of love to you all...

My neighbor loaned me place mats... You can sort of see the wall-decals I brought over from Target to spice up the white plaster walls.
Zino is expecting a beautiful Croatian/Nigerian baby girl!!!

ZUMBA!

2010-11-05T19:21:00.005+01:00

To think, I almost didn’t go to Zumba Tuesday night. My Bolivian friend Silvia invited me and so I decide to make the effort and go. I show up, an hour early (darn traffic is so hard to predict) every inch of my body covered against the mosquitos (thank you cool gear under armor) And it’s a good thing I did wear my permethrin coated under armor! The class was outside, after dark, under a few florescent lights, in a little kids "play park". I could hear the music pumping as I came around the back of the building and sure enough, there’s the class, our beautiful Columbian teacher up on a table workin’ it to a Latin groove.

This was like no aerobics class I’d ever taken. I mean you don’t ever see aerobics teacher in the US, their long wild hair down (no, no ponytail despite jungle humidity!) with an amazing body yelling, “Sexy!, Sexy!” “Try to look preeety!!” “Sexy!” With interjections of “Arriba!...Abajo!” This lady is sweating so much I have no idea how she manages to “look preeety” but she does! I mean, I can’t compare this to other Zumba classes, because I managed to somehow escape the trend in the US. But frankly I’m glad that this was my first experience of Zumba: outside in the African air, with Nigerian ladies on one side, dancing to their own tribal beats and hollerin’ about how much their legs hurt, and the Latina ladies tossing their manes on the other. I have to say, I think the guy’s soccer club playing next door was thanking their lucky stars that they got the field for Tuesday nights! And the street was right behind us so I saw lots of bewildered (or was it entranced?) Nigerians walking past.

Then there was me. A little too lanky (and let’s face it…white!) to look good doing the mambo, but nevertheless, I did my best and my driver (who incidently sat in the distance being entertained by all this and making me uncomfortable) said to me on the way home, “I never know you danced like that ma’am”. Well me neither! And I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.

But I thoroughly loved every minutes of it, and if anyone is interested in adding a little spice to their workout routine, I would definitely recommend it…Lagos style!

Still Pluggin'

2010-10-29T20:19:00.004+01:00

Happy Thought: Kansas in the Fall (Thanks Mom!!)

Well, what a way to spend Friday night...with a re-heated dinner in the office. You would think that I would be bummed beyond belief to get to spend tonight (the first night that Monty and I have gotten to hang out just us in almost a week) in the office. Yes, it's 8:15 and we are still here!! I quit working a while ago...and am now keeping him company while he chugs along. Anyway, my point is not to gripe about that; I say that because I am amazed at the grace God has given me to sustain in a way I never thought I could. Not just with stamina & patience but with a blissfully still mind, which is a rare occurance for me.

Last night a couple of ladies came over to pray and study the Bible. We are trying to start a group for working women expats. It was such a blessing to just visit with them, hear their stories, pray and saturate our minds with the truth of God. It is pretty impossible to find "real" balance in this place, but actually, I'm okay with that. God has a way of distilling our life sometimes and at this moment, it has become so narrowly focused...yes God has a way of centering me that is supernatural.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now my dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all that you have learned and received from me--then the God of peace will be with you." Paul's letter to the Philippians. Chapter 4, verses 6-9 (emphasis mine)

The LORD's Day

2010-10-24T19:39:00.003+01:00

I was going to label this post "Day of Rest" but actually that wasn't really true for Monty today, but it IS the Lord's Day :) What day isn't? We got to visit a great new church for the second time this week (New Beginnings International Church) and were encouraged by the people there...even had a good old fashioned potluck after service (yes, I did make deviled eggs...I wouldn't be Mary Beth's daughter if I didn't bring deviled eggs to potluck! Plus they were the easiest thing I could think of!) Monty had to work this afternoon and so his one day off turned into a 1/2 day off, but he is really keeping a good attitude and doing his best.

I enjoyed my afternoon at the house. I love that our "nest" feels homier and more settled now. Yesterday I got to piddle around and arrange things (so I will probably post a picture of our flat soon!) I also had coffee this afternoon with my favorite South African neighbor. And I made granola bars to share with her. She has shared so many delicious baked goodies with me, I wanted to share some American granola bars with her! The recipe is one I started making in Nigeria 3 years ago and have been making ever since (in America and now back in Lagos!) The other good news is...we figured out how to get a (longer) hot shower! For the past 3 weeks the hot water in the shower has run out after about 60 seconds. But we just discovered that the shower in the other bathroom doesn't have that problem! So I got to take a real hot shower!

Dear Jacqueline

2010-10-23T15:15:00.005+01:00

This is Jacqueline (Jacquie), she is the wife of Janvier--some of you may remember him as our steward/cook from the last time we lived in Nigeria. We are so blessed that she is working with us as our cook and steward. She is so kind, trustworthy, hardworking, and genuinely good at what she does! I think she is so beautiful inside and out (and I love that she always wears skirts or dresses to work) and is a joy to be around. She is the embodiment of Christ's calming presence in our lives. We love that she and Janvier and their kids continue to be in our lives.
This is Rafael, their youngest who was born just after we left Nigeria the last time. Janvier sent us a picture of Rafael last Christmas when we were in the US, but we had never met him. Last week, when I popped home for a few minutes over my lunch break, I got the joy of meeting this little cherub. He sure loves his mommy!

Port Harcourt

2010-10-20T20:52:00.003+01:00

We had a good trip to Port Harcourt...yes! We went to Port Harcourt! The great thing is we got to go together. And it really is different there...the sky is open and beautiful and things seem greener & junglier (if that is a word!) The "camp" there is really pretty good...basic, but clean and safe. We're not allowed to take pictures there for security reasons, but I did get my very own set of PPE so I now am the proud owner of a hard hat, some orthodic-looking steel-toed shoes, and two pairs of dickie's work pants and shirts. We eat every meal in their little cafeteria and work in the little portacabin offices. We had a lot of meetings and met some great people. The trip itself back and forth is a bit gruelling and we got to experience some flash flooding on our way out of town today to come back to Lagos, but we were safe and are very grateful!

2010-10-18T20:19:00.003+01:00

I forget that these always load from the last to the first...so here we are in Reverse Order...

Bangkok Thai! No "angry duck" this time, but we did have lots of delicious food and got to be with some of our dear friends from church and our new friends from New Zealand!
Watermelon Slushes...
Anna & I playing guitars...well, really she was playing and I was piddling...but it was fun.
Monty and the boys...they are so good with their English these days...I love that they will talk to me in English & then switch and talk to Monty in German. Amazing!

PICTURES! Our Flat & Office

2010-10-17T21:07:00.004+01:00

Our office, the inside...that's my cubicle with the calendar on the wall :)
Our office, the outside...It's a great facility. Small, but bright, clean, and nice.
Our bedroom...we finally got our mosquito net up! The rooms are large & bright. We finally got our suitcases all unpacked (although we don't have everything put where we want it, pictures up, etc...And when I say, "Pictures up" I mean, literally, photo prints stuck to the wall. I don't have frames, but I want some photos up!!
This is looking toward the gate of our compound (from the inside). From our balcony we can look down and see this nice landscaping. The parking is up under the building to the right on this picture. We are so grateful for our compound...it really is a gift from God.
The pool area (and Henry, the pool attendant). I got to spend a little time here on Saturday while Monty worked...I love having Saturday free! Our weekend was so great...a time for socializing, which was something we probably needed some of right now. I got to see my dear friend Silvia and her family. We also went out and saw the Tuitjers and visited their new church (I'll put more pictures up later). Then we got to go to LCF and have dinner with this great "new" couple afterwards. I'll put more pictures up tomorrow. We've got to head to bed! Lots of love to you. Thank you for your prayers for our health...this week has been much better. We are so keenly aware of the grace of God in every aspect of our daily life!

The Eraser

2010-10-13T19:08:00.002+01:00

Today, my entire job, the whole reason I made payroll today, was because of two things: the fact that I had requested white out today, and the teamwork involved in getting a proper eraser. Without that, we would have missed getting this invoice in, and our boss would have been furious, and we would have had no money.

I really “earned my deodorant” today. I get nervous when I have to do important things on a time crunch! Calling client top dogs on their cell phones while they are out of the office to ask them to help. There were only 4 of us left in the office by this point and we’re all pitching in…loaning cell phones, swapping numbers, sharing email addresses that we can’t find other places. Even down to locating an eraser. The last minute…down to the wire…everyone’s adrenaline is pumping…now THAT’s the beginning or a project for you.

Old Hymns

2010-10-12T19:15:00.002+01:00

I've had some really great hymns pop in to my head at appropriate times these last few days. Hymns with words like "count your many blessings" and "have a little talk with Jesus" and songs about prayer, even one song about pain. It's interesting how these songs lyrics, speak into my thoughts...they are hidden deep in my heart somewhere. And at when my life is compressed, often these hymns or certain scriptures (one in particular today actually AS a song) come to the surface. I am so grateful for these words of truth.

Today was a great day. Have I said we love our neighbors? We love our South African neighbors. They are fantastic: hospitable, approachable, helpful, funny, and very down to earth. In fact, I've just scarfed a piece of this beautiful dessert she brought over this weekend when I was sick that I've been saving in my fridge until I felt up to eating it.

Monty and I have had just enough encouragement and success at work to think that we might actually make it here! I got to take notes in a VIP meeting yesterday and learn so much about the project we are working on and the key players. It was kind of like being the ghost writer on a very interesting story...only I didn't know all the words and wasn't sure what the key points were of the plot I was supposed to be writing! But, I managed to weave it all together with gloriously interesting bits like, "Bill commented that the ABCXYG will be ready before creek-side piles are removed" and "Ray confirmed that the client would accept a PEP from LMNOP contingent on subcontractor negotiations." Don't worry, I have not leaked any confidential information here, and the names have been changed to protect the innocent. There are an awful lot of mysterious abbreviations though!

And we are very happy about our living situation and the fact that we have Internet and can communicate with everyone! I promise, I will put pictures up at LEAST by this weekend. We have not taken any yet and it's already dark again now. And Monty got to go see our friends the Tuitjer's this weekend! I will hopefully see them very very soon. But it was so good for him to be amongst friends after he worked nearly the entire weekend. He said it was great because that has been the one thing that still felt "the same" about Nigeria. Everything else is still a bit new, and probably will be for a while!

Arrival Adjustment

2010-10-08T08:03:00.000+01:00

My dear friends,
I wish I could email each of you separately and ask how you are doing, what you are up to and how your families are doing (or “How was your night?” a common question here in Nigeria). But with the internet & email so slow, and so much work to do, and so few brain cells firing, I thought it best to make another post, even though I do not have any good pictures…
We have hired a steward/cook part time. She is the wife of our former steward, so we trust her and are very happy to have someone helping us at the house so we can finally start to make it feel like home & get some well-rounded meals (instead of cereal bars & PBJ for every meal). I apologize in advance for sounding like a completely incapable woman, but over here, and with our jet-lag & work schedule, it is about all I can do to make coffee in the morning. At least so far…I keep telling myself that things will get better, we will get in our groove.
We went to dinner last night with a dear friend of ours who we have known since our first time around. So wonderful to see him, visit & enjoy a meal together. It seemed impossible that we hadn’t seen him in over 15 months. But that is part of my theory on/my our re-entry shock. It SEEMS like I should be able to slide right back in to where we were…everything and everyone seems very familiar. But my soul is having trouble catching up and I have to remind myself that at this stage of our first trip we were WAY behind where we are now, so I should give myself some time to adjust. Plus, I am not the same woman I was 15 months ago, and I should not feel as if I have to be! So that is my little psycho-analysis for the day.
I don’t want to bore you all, so I will save more for later  Love….

We're Here!

2010-10-05T21:29:00.003+01:00

We are here! Pretty tired, but happy, healthy, and so grateful for our apartment! We even were met at the airport by Saidu, our driver. We saw Janvier tonight as well, and although he's not going to be able to work with us, it looks like his wife will be working at least part time for us for a while, "so we can all stay together" he said. She is great and we trust her so I think that will be a great situation. Monty is doing great and working so hard, and I love that we are back in the same office again. Our project office is like a little renegade bunch of cowboys; we make the rules and we have to be scrappy and fend for ourselves. Okay, I'm tired so I should go while I'm still making a shred of sense. Love to you all...

Tomorrow We Fly!

2010-10-03T03:13:00.006+01:00

These past few weeks have been abundantly full with wonderful (although short) visits with our family and friends. I am so grateful to have the ability to spend time with some of these people before we head off to Nigeria. (Sorry I don't have pictures from all of these special moments!)

We have had some unexpected twists the last couple of days which means things have been a bit hectic. At least for me (which, by association, means it has been hectic for Monty who has been working his tail off to pick up the slack) I did have a little procedure/surgery on my jaw but seem to be no worse for wear apart from the shaved side burns I am now sporting. I would post a picture, but it is too humiliating. It looks like a cross between a Native warrior, a punk, and a botched home hair cut. I wasn't able to take my GMAT but hope to take it soon, even if that means taking it in Lagos.

Our 6 bags are packed & bursting at the seams, but within weight limits. We have been completely overwhelmed by the love, support, and encouragement we have received from our friends and church family. I'm putting a picture up of some of our dearest church friends...our family away from family...who prayed with us the other night in the home of one of our church shepherds. These men and women are a perfect picture of shepherds, and a personification of this quality of God. We pray God's rich blessing on them even as they have blessed our lives. This brings to mind the lyrics of a favorite song of mine...I have quoted this to special friends over the years, and I could not express my gratitude to our friends here better than through the words of this song by Watermark:

Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you
Something about just being with you
When I leave I feel like I've been near God
And that's the way it ought to be...

CHORUS:
'Cause you've been more than a friend to me
You fight off my enemies
'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
Just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah

You had faith, when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
And all the while I'm hoping that I'll
Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
And that's the way it ought to be...

You have carried me
You have taken upon a bruden that wasn't your own
And may the blessing return to you
A hundredfold, oh yeah...

Back to the Future!

2010-09-22T15:16:00.003+01:00

Wow! After lots of discussion, prayer, and changes of heart/plans...we have decided to return to Nigeria to take a new job assignment! We have absolutely LOVED our year of being in the US, and are having to wrap our brains around the reality of our return to Africa. But we are excited, hopeful, and anticipating great things! Thank you for joining us in mutual encouragement, friendship, and prayer. We look forward to hearing from you about how things are going with you while we are far apart.

Last Day at Work

2009-06-26T18:25:00.004+01:00

It went well...as far as "last days" go...We both had separate "Send Forth" parties. Nigerians are so great about giving words of affirmation. They are so bold about saying those kinds of things outloud...I think Americans are often hesitant to get "sentimental" but I have been shocked by how sweet and complimentary the Nigerians have been (to our faces too, not just in notes!)

No more City Express Bank Building...

The 8th floor organized a party for Monty and Ana, and Admin had a party in OAB with some of my other Nigerian work friends in attendance. Everyone dressed in their "native" outfits...it made for some very colorful pictures! We even had music and a slide show...it was so fun. We have felt very loved and appreciated as we leave. I'm so thankful...

My Admin Team

2009-06-25T07:11:00.004+01:00

At our departmental meeting on Tuesday they surprised me and all had something nice to say about me. They had written their notes on pretty paper and gave them to me at the end. They had a cake for me and also gave me some beautiful beaded jewelry (made by one of the girls in Admin) It was sweet to hear their memories. Some of the things that stuck out in their mind didn't seem like a big deal at the time and it was encouraging to hear that they appreciated those gestures or memories. As my Dad reminded me last night, the little things really do count!

Almost everyone in the Admin Department was there. From top left: Abba, Anthony, Kazeem, Esther, Kehinde, Nuru, Mary, Wunmi, Ethel, me, Hope, Ada, (Taiye is behind peaking over), Lucy, Awe, Lucky. In the ront squatting down from right to left: Busuyi, Yusuf, Kabiru, Hannah and Uchendu.
The Accommodations Team! Abba, Kehinde, Kazeem, Uchendu, me, Awe and Hannah. Adesola wasn't able to be there because she is on leave to have her baby.

The Travel Team! Ada, me, Wunmi, Busuyi. Bili is out on PTO so she wasn't able to be there.

Yesterday Monty and I had a going-away lunch with the Program Director and our Project Supervisors (Al, Larry, Randy, Boris) My team saw it on my calendar and presented me with this beautiful Nigerian outfit (with matching shirt for Monty!) and insisted we wear it to our lunch at the restaurant. Awe designed the dress herself. They are so thoughtful, and love to give native outfits...it's something unique that they can do and I think they really love to see us dressed in native.

Monty was a good sport. They roped him in to coming over to my building and putting his shirt on so we could take pictures :)

I was also given a copy of the book "Things Fall Apart" (Famous Nigerian novel) and the mini-series on DVD from Uchendu. Hannah gave me a necklace and earring set that I wore with my dress.

I really do have one of the best teams in all the company. I have loved getting to know each of them and they have taught me a lot about the culture.

Irresistable Iranian!

2009-06-24T08:59:00.005+01:00

Our friends Amy and Reza hosted a dinner party for us and our friend Ana.

It was a lovely evening, and we really enjoyed meeting another Iranian couple friend of theirs. Especially during this difficult time in Iran, it has been wonderful to be friends with these dear people and to hear their thoughts on what is going on in their home country. It makes me so thankful for friendship that can cross cultural and nationality boundaries. We truly have an amazing mixture of friends here in Lagos!

I wish I could remember the Iranian names for all these delicious dishes...One was the chickpea stew that I love (Amy taught me how to make it once too!), chicken that just fell off the bone, some greens, three different kinds of salads, 3 different kinds of rice (all with saphron and the special Zereshk that only grows in Iran!) plus separate platters of rice-crunchies!

The whole group: Ed, Bill, Monty, Troy/Bonnie, Dave/Suzanne, Masoud/Mastane, Mimi, Shahram, Ted, Reza, Amy, Ana and Emily.

Mimi and Suzanne

The Taheri's are such sweet and generous people...she started cooking at 7am that morning to make this delicious feast! We will miss their friendship and hospitality.

Digging in...

Reza is such a funny guy...

...and so is Monty!

Saturday's Pool Party

2009-06-22T18:02:00.002+01:00

Saturday Bill hosted us a going away party at the pool...It was so much fun! The weather was perfect--not too hot, and breezy.

Also, WE GOT A CAMERA! A guy at work had just bought one and then got buyer's remorse and wanted to sell it. Perfect timing! Thank you God.
Monty, Smatt, Me, Eric, and Ana. Enjoying some of the roast pig.

YES, we got a roast pig. It was entertaining, and tasty.

Speaking of ham...

Our friends the Taheri's and Lang's...we were just missing one couple! The Soliman's had left the day before. Turns out the Lang's are leaving in a month too!

The evening was so fun, we felt very blessed to have such great friends here.

7 Days Left in Nigeria

2009-06-22T07:16:00.002+01:00

A week from today Monty and I will be demobilising! After two and a half years on this project, it feels like we are walking away from a HUGE part of our life. We will miss so many of the people and the closeness we have found with other expats here. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to look for work. We know God is in control and we have nothing to be anxious about! Jesus said in Matthew 6:26
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
God has already provided some interesting leads. We are trying to be patient and remain flexible!

Christine and Moody Leaving

2009-06-18T17:42:00.004+01:00

Our friends Moody and Christine are flying out tomorrow. Moody came to Nigeria soon after we arrived, and Christine, his lovely bride, came a month or so later. They were newly weds like us, and some of our first Christian friends here (besides of course, Donna and Ed!). Moody and I teamed up to lead worship a few times for our church. He is an excellent piano/synthesizer player and brought all of his fun equipment with him to Lagos. Christine is one of the other "working wives" that has been a blessing to me as I try to keep some semblance of balance in life here. They are headed back to Houston, so hopefully we will be able to stay close with them there.

Lost my Camera!

2009-06-17T16:49:00.005+01:00

Yes, I have finally managed to lose our camera. We have drug that thing all over Kingdom Come and now I lost it somehow between Bill's house and our house down the street! But our friends have been generous enough to share a few pictures...

Party at Bill's house for Christine and Moody's going away.

It was a good mix of their DA and MPN (ExxonMobil) work friends

Sunday Brunch with Bill. Below: baked omelet and mango mimosas!

Sharing meals with friends--

We have been very blessed with interesting and loyal friends here in Lagos. We have friends of all nationalities, walks of life, and religious background (or non-religious background as the case may be). But something about sitting down with someone, especially at home, and sharing a meal, is an amazing gateway to conversation. Last night we spent the evening with a friend of ours from work, Stuart. Janvier cooked us a delicious curry. We really like getting to know some of these guys in a non-work context...to hear about how they fell in love with their wives, what it's like raising three boys, and all the places they have lived.

Bill, of course, is another person who we eat with pretty regularly. We had our "last Sunday Brunch" out on his Balcony this past weekend. A champagne brunch is something that we would never have had the privilege of participating in if it weren't for our late afternoon church. It's so nice to get to relax in the morning and have a gigantic breakfast, sit outside and watch the traffic, and visit. This time Randy came too, which was a great addition.

We see God in other people here in so many ways. Through their devotion to their friends/their company/their spouse, in the way they sacrifice so much for their families, in a co-worker making a bet with his friend to stop smoking, in people who are bending over backward to try to help Monty get work, in people's openness and willingness to discuss spiritual things, in the way the community of Nigerians come around a person who is hurting and lift them up, in the way they share even a small gift of food with their friends, in the way they look after each other and "run interference" for each other while they are out on the town (keeping the girls off each other!) ...Some of these guys I have gotten to work with are incredibly gifted in what they do and are still humble and kind, and treat me (me?!) with dignity. I am always impressed by that, especially in these expat guys who know a thousand times more than I ever will!

Remember and Behold

2009-06-15T16:34:00.002+01:00

Picture courtesy of Chris Paulissen

I have some regrets regarding this blog. Contrary to the Title headliner, (“Two American kids learning about life, business, and faith…”) my writing hasn’t been much about what we have learned in business and faith. Much of this is for security/privacy reasons. I purposefully created this blog to be found on Google, to serve as a resource to other people who may be moving to Lagos or looking for information on an expat church in Lagos, etc. However, that means that anyone can stumble across this blog and read it, and because of that, I have tried to be careful about the opinions and personal details I divulge, especially when it comes to my reflections on the people and culture of Nigeria.

My vision for the blog was to document our journey, not so much facts and friends, as lessons and reflections (now, I can’t speak for Monty here. This is purely my own thoughts on what I wanted it to be.) It has been great for our families and friends to keep up with what is going on with us and see pictures of where we are and who our friends in Lagos are. BUT I’m afraid this blog has turned into an extension of my own shortcomings…a tendency to become wrapped up in myself and my life, and the “fun” happening around me. The risk in that is leaving God out, or not bringing glory to Him where glory is due. In reality, God has become more real to us than ever before during our time in Lagos, and we have seen and been part of great things happening in God’s Kingdom here.

I have kept copies of my own personal writings, so maybe someday I will just have to write a book :) But in the meantime, I hope to reflect on a few things that God has done in us and through us in our time here…not to pat ourselves on the back, but to be a witness to everyone who may read this, of God’s power, sovereignty, and action in our world. I will try to write in subsequent posts to talk a little bit about this.
Hope this doesn’t bore those of you who like pictures! I will try to always attach a nice pic.

Happy Birthday Amy

2009-06-12T07:31:00.004+01:00

The night that I landed in Lagos (landed in the morning) was Amy's surprise birthday celebration. We got to go to the Skye restaurant with our friends and surprise Amy who thought she was coming for a romantic dinner with Reza. Poor girl, she got us instead! :) We had fun and the food was great!

After the "Surprise!"

Bill & Monty

Emily with the Birthday girl!

What a view! This makes the Skye Restaurant worth the prices!

Christine and Ana.

Amy and Reza

Water, Water Everywhere!

2009-06-12T07:00:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, the heavens decided to open up and dump their contents on Lagos. It makes sense because this IS the rainy season here, but yesterday was an unusual downpour. It started by 7:30 am and, apart from maybe 30 minutes here and there, didn’t stop ALL day! The thunder rumbled and lightening flashed, throughout the day, but at least the guys next door stopped work on demolishing the building for the better part of the day. Later in the afternoon, they did come around while the rain lightened up, and continued work (again, standing in piles of wet rubble in their flip flops) with their sledge hammers. This morning work has resumed in full force. They are making good progress--the only remaining structure is part of the ground floor.

Drainage is a problem here in Lagos, so there was serious flooding. Cars were stalling, water was up to the middle of the car door in some places, and trash from the gutters just floated along in the murky water. Some people did brave the wet, and rolled up their pants to wade through (I of course was too concerned with hidden holes, ditches, trash, sharp objects, etc!) but mostly my Accommodations team ended up sitting in traffic and then finally giving up and coming back to the office. Janvier, our steward, said he did wade out to get light bulbs and pears (necessities for the day) No one went anywhere for lunch, appointments were cancelled, and it would have been a great day to be home on the couch with a book!

This morning I asked my team if they all got home okay, and they said they did, but it was very very late. Nigerians do not like the “cold” that comes with the rain. We even saw a guy yesterday in a parka with the hood cinched (keep in mind it was still probably in the high 70’s!) This morning Hannah is wearing 3 shirts, and Abba joked, “Now there is so much cold, everyone needs more tea!”

Trevor (a.k.a. Dr. Vaughn!)

2009-06-09T11:02:00.004+01:00

I realized that I somehow failed to include any pictures of the wonderful Dr. Vaughn in my pictures from Kansas! So here he is...we really like him! He is funny, and tells great stories, and is so sweet to Hannah (that's the main thing!) Plus, he's such a trooper with our family and jumps right in to whatever craziness is going on at the time. And this is a great quality with the Petr Family (one that Monty possess too!)

Building Demolition

2009-06-09T10:47:00.005+01:00

"Welcome back to Africa," I thought when I saw the work that had begun on the building next door while I was away. This two story building (which here, that means, ground floor+1st+2nd floor) next to my office was being demolished, stone by stone, by 5 or 6 guys with sledge hammers!

The next day, when I brought my camera, it was too early in the morning and they hadn't really begun work yet (and all still had their shirts on!) It has been interesting seeing them progress, and watching them stand on the ledge in flip flops while smashing the sledge hammer into the very part of the building supporting where they stand!

Here you can see the growing pile of rubble in the front of the building. I guess it was cheaper for this property owner to hire casual labor than to get a wrecking ball and bulldozer. Hopefully no one loses a toe or worse!

Emily in Kansas

2009-06-02T01:56:00.004+01:00

Above: All the family who came...

Back Left: Don, Dave, MB, Emily, Todd, Michael, Ed, Jesse, Wes, Jeff, Samuel

Front Left: Jerry, Doris, Jo, Peggy, Hannah, Allie, Donna, Mollie, Megan, Martha, Celia, and Junior

The Cousins! And their spouses. We really missed Monty.

Samuel, Brandon, Michael, Jesse, Wes

Hannah, Allie, Mollie, Me, Megan, and Martha.

I'm in Kansas now (unfortunately without Monty!) just for a few more days. I got to come home to be with my family for my grandfather's funeral. I was a huge blessing to get to be part of that time, and I also got to spend an extra day with my sister and now a few days with just my mom and dad.

The service was very nice and many people came. There was a time for sharing memories that was open mike. I enjoyed hearing from other people, some of whom told stories I had never heard about Grandpa! There was a delicious lunch afterward that was cooked by the church ladies.

Happy Birthday Monty!

2009-05-25T10:48:00.002+01:00

We celebrated Monty's B-day this weekend while we were out at the Tuitjer's. I baked him a "giant cookie" cake (well, actually two because I didn't have a pizza pan so I used two pie pans!) The Tuitjer's invited some families from church who live at Chevron over for lunch on Sunday for Monty's birthday lunch.
Anna, me and Stacey

Monty's loved his chocolate chip cookie cakes! And so did the boys. They "helped" Monty blow out his candles.

Phil, Eric, and Monty

Visit from Missionary Friends

2009-05-22T11:23:00.004+01:00

We were blessed to have our first true "house guests" last month when some family friends of ours (missionaries who I knew from my childhood when they came to stay with my parents) were passing through Lagos. Janet and Fielden Allison have spent most of their lives living and working in Africa (in Kenya for many years and now in Tanzania, moving to Swaziland this month!) teaching people about Christ with a focus on Christian marriage. They came to Nigeria as part of their "West Africa Tour" to do marriage enrichment workshops and counseling. It was SUCH a blessing to see them after more than 15 years, and to get the chance to play a tiny part in the work that they are doing. Their ministry is so important and they are such wise, spiritual people. I loved just being around them and visiting for the short time that we had. I also got to see pictures of their kids (who I remember as being "the big kids" who told us bed time stories when they were visiting our house on Indiana Street in Old West Lawrence). They are now grown, many of them married with children. It shocked me to realize that, well, I am getting grown up too! I was very encouraged by their visit.

42 Goin' on 55

2009-05-20T13:26:00.005+01:00

Actually, I don't really know how old Ed is...but for his birthday we celebrated with a "42" party (the domino game!) I hadn't played that since my freshman year of college sitting in the lobby of the girls dorm! So, I had forgotten everything. Monty hadn't ever played, but he picked it up fast. It was Donna, Mimi and I who were a little slower to learn. There's really a lot to the game and it was very fun!

Timothy made cheese quesadillas and shrimp cocktail at Ed's request. And Donna basked a pecan pie...tastes like home! She didn't have a candle so she made him one out of a craft stick and construction paper flame. And get this...there was BLUE BELL ice cream! Yep, they were selling it in our grocery store (for a mere $20/half gallon) the other day. There was a rush...we got an email from a friend within hours of it landing at the store! Now who can say that we don't have everything you could need here in Lagos?!

Gene Shnell July 31, 1927 - May 15, 2009

2009-05-18T20:30:00.002+01:00

We are so thankful that Grandpa has gone home now...mom got to be there with him and he was peaceful at the end. Praise God for his life, and his legacy.

I love this one. That's Martha on the left and me on the right.

Grammy and Grandpa. Sorry these pictures aren't very good, I had to try to take a picture of the picture that I have here in Nigeria and it wasn't focusing properly.

4 Year Anniversary

2009-05-16T10:34:00.003+01:00

Monty planned a really special evening for us to celebrate 4 years of marriage! We have a friend who is the Assistant Food & Bev manager at the Eko hotel. Monty got him to help him with a reservation at a great table at the Sky Restaurant (the new restaurant on top of their hotel). It was excellent! So neat to see the city and the beach and sky from that vantage point.

Out in front of our flat

Ocho de Mayo!

2009-05-09T11:15:00.003+01:00

Donna had made these tissue paper flowers for her Cinco de Mayo party earlier in the week, so we borrowed them.

Last night the Soliman's hosted a belated "Cinco de Mayo" party at their flat. We had some delicious food and drinks and even had BLUE BELL ice cream!!! I couldn't believe it earlier this week when they emailed us and said that Goodies supermarket had Blue Bell! There were lots of flavors (although the price was about $20 for a half gallon, despit a really good exchange rate right now) Moody suprirsed Bill and played a trick on him by telling him he had made it himself! Bill totally believed him, although he later admitted he had never eaten Blue Bell ice cream before so he couldn't really identify the taste. Anyway, it was great to get together with friends. Monty was so sweet to cover for me at Youth Group while I went to the get together. He stopped by after youth group to say hello and have some ice cream!

Run with Perserverance

2009-05-05T11:34:00.005+01:00

"...and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

For those of you who read my post about running back in January, here’s a little update.
Although I may have “become a runner” on that momentous day in January, I am still trying to live up to that name.

It reminds me how, as a Christian, God has called me to “live worthy of my calling”(Eph 4:1). There’s actually a lot of running metaphor in scripture “Let us throw off everything that hinders and run with perseverance the race marked out for us”(Heb 12:1) God tells us that “by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever, those who are being made holy”(Heb 10:14). It’s a process. But it’s also a finished work. A very confusing oxymoron. God has already done it-- I am redeemed by Christ’s blood and perfect now in God’s sight--but I am still struggling with my earthly nature, to LIVE like the child of God that I AM…until I am complete on the day of His return. It requires a lot of faith to claim that promise everyday and walk in it.

On a much, much smaller scale, running is teaching me the same lesson. I might “be” a runner, but unless I actually get out there and run, no one will really believe me, and what good is it? J I’m free to run, and to enjoy it, and I should claim that and take advantage of it!

So, I have found my pace. I gave up on running with my iPod because when the songs switched it mixed up my mind and pace too much (I guess that comes from loving the rhythm and the music a little too much!)
And I now have to remember to push myself enough and not get settled into too comfortable a place. I have scaled back my jogging to about 2-3 jogs a week. I don’t want to be a “weekend warrior” but some weeks my routine looks more like that than a regular schedule.

However, I am happy to say that I have continued to progress in my fitness, which is the ultimate goal for me. When I started jogging back in Nov/Dec I didn’t think I could jog for 10 minutes straight (I could…but barely!) Now I can “comfortably” jog for 50 minutes without walking. A HUGE improvement! (Although usually I can only squeeze in time for a 30 minute jog) I feel more at ease in the actual running (it feels more familiar now to my body) and can even enjoy it and let my mind wander a bit. I know I could do more if I pushed myself more, but for right now, enjoyment and fitness are my main goals and since I have struggled a little with joint/knee pain, I don’t want to ruin it for myself. I have also added a *small* amount of strength training to prevent injury and to achieve my overall goal. I hope to increase this some in the future too.

Armin's Birthday

2009-05-04T09:53:00.004+01:00

Now Armin is "freeeee" (3).

This was Rowan (Ro Ro)'s cake. The two boys had a joint birthday party since they turned 3 within a week of each other.

Both of the moms did a fantastic job on the cakes!

Armin got the honor of eating the "pick-up" truck part of the cake. Anna did an amazing job with the cake. She fashioned little cars out of cake and adorned them with gummies for wheels, and even gummy bears as the driver and passengers!

Marlyssa was eating the green frosting off the cake, but not the cake itself! You can't really see in this picture, but she had green frosting all over her mouth!

Me and Abril had "matching" dresses :)

Armin swam and swam showing off the skills he has learned in swim lessons! His goggles left little red marks on his cheeks he swam so much!

Abril, from church.

Ruthie, one of the kids from church.

The boys helped their papa hang the "Cars" pinata.

Eric added to the fun by swinging the pinata a little when the kids would try to hit it.

Aaron had as much fun in the spicket as he did in the pool!

The kids all sat in a circle patiently waiting their turn to whack the pinata. They went in age order...1 year olds first, then 2 year olds, then 3 years olds...

Even Aaron took a shot at it...

And when it finally busted, it was a mad rush for all candy! 25 pre-K kids!

Game Night

2009-04-29T12:03:00.004+01:00

Above: Dan gets into Catch Phrase.

Ed and Donna hosted a game night at their place Saturday night. It was 6 hours of fun, food, and GAMES!
Shahram was surprisingly good!

Catch Phrase--The music version. We could never find the perfect "genre" for the group--Oldies, Country, or Pop Mix

The mahjong masters! Mimi, Dave, and Randy were showing Amy how it's done.

Moody and Reza played some Backgammon (is that how you spell that?)

The final game of Mad Gab.

Pantry Sale

2009-04-27T10:09:00.001+01:00

This morning I went to a pantry sale of a lady whose husband works for one of the BIG oil companies. These sales happen about once a month or so-maybe more frequently around this time of the year (end of the school year when people are transferring out). I find out about them through the American Women’s Club (AWC) emails. Sometimes there are full-blown “everything” sale which includes furniture, clothes, food, and odds and ends (I once went to a sale where the lady was selling a basket full of Glade Plug-In refills amongst other things).

So today, since I was in need of a few “only-in-America” items like chocolate chips, I thought I would pop by. Turns out, I was not disappointed. This woman turned out to have a full-blown case of “Expat Woman Syndrome”(EWS*). This is a very serious condition that afflicts American women of the larger oil companies (those that get yearly shipments). Symptoms include:
· Unexplainable desire to buy everything from SAM’s for their shipments
· Excessive amounts of canned goods and non-perishable pre-packaged foods (box mixes, hamburger helper and other foods that don’t end up getting used because lets face it…everyone has a cook that can make these things from scratch!)
· Holding a vast number of expired goods in the pantry (we’re talking 2007 expiration dates!)
· General Hoarding and stockpiling
· Fear of purchasing things in Nigeria
· Using rooms in the house that should be bedrooms or studies as “food storage closets”

*Disclaimer: For any of you expat ladies out there suffering from EWS…just know that I am kidding (kind of). I understand that things are VERY expensive here. And I am thankful that when these ladies leave, they have the generosity to sell these “economy sized” pieces of home to us less-fortunate. And I admit that my eyes light up when I see a 24 pack of Bounty paper towels (unfortunately today, those were already spoken for!)

On a more serious note, we Americans should never complain about the price of food in America. We have some of the most reasonably priced food on earth. We have unending variety, the ability to keep foods fresh for a very long time, and surprisingly low prices considering that our food comes to us from literally every corner of the globe. I used to complain about a box of cereal costing $3…until I came to Lagos where a similar box costs about $12 (and doesn’t taste as good!) THIS is the main cause of EWS. I can see how it happens. And I think it might be contagious. Just being inside a house full of the familiar labels, brands, and packaging brought me a strange sense of happiness and peace. I have to be very careful not to go CRAZY and buy everything, expired or not!

Small Enough

2009-04-25T10:06:00.004+01:00

These are iris from my mom's garden in Lawrence, KS

Nichole Nordeman's Song from her album "This Mystery"

Oh Great God
Be small enough to hear me now
There were times when I was crying from the dark of Daniel's den
And I have asked you once or twice if you would part the sea again.
Tonight I do not need a fiery pillar in the sky
Just wanna know you're gonna hold me if I start to cry.
Oh Great God
Be small enough to hear me now.

Oh Great God
Be close enough to feel you now
There have been moments when I could not face Goliath on my own
And how could I forget we marched around our share of Jerichos
But I will not be setting out a fleece for you tonight
Just wanna know that everything will be alright.
Oh Great God
Be close enough to feel you now.

All praise and all the honor be
To the God of ancienty mysteries
Whose every sign and wonder turned the pages of our history
But tonight, my heart is heavy
And I cannot keep from whispering this prayer
Are you there?

And I know you could leave writing on the wall that's just for me
Or send wisdom while I'm sleeping like in Solomon's sweet dreams
But I don't need the strength of Samson
Or a chariot in the end.
Just wanna know that you still know how many hairs are on my head
Oh Great God
Be small enough to hear me now.

Nichole Nordeman is absolutely brilliant with her lyrics and melodies. What I love most about her writing is she's very real; unafraid to say the things we all think from time to time. She finds a way to put our hearts' secret prayers into words. This song has been my prayer many times over the past few years; it has encouraged me with the realization that God IS small enough, while also BIG enough to sustain the burdens of billions of his fragile people. It just blows my mind.

Belated Easter Pictures

2009-04-21T16:57:00.004+01:00

Anna admitted she *might* have gotten a little carried away on buying Easter candy in Germany to bring to Nigeria...especially since her kids are really too young to eat much candy! But we adults sure loved it. And we had fun putting together the baskets on Saturday night.

Easter breakfast on Sunday morning. With special Easter napkins and placemats!

We "hid" eggs in the living room to keep the boys from poking around in the yard where there could be snakes. Both Armin and Aaron really enjoyed it and wanted to play again after they found all the eggs!

We went for a walk to the playground and hid a bunch of the eggs again. It didn't even matter that most of them didn't have candy inside anymore. The boys still loved finding them!

Monty and Eric caught a tiny baby gheko and showed it to Armin and Aaron.

Aaron nearly (accidentally) squeezed him to death so we had to let him go.

The helipad at the beautiful Chevron compound makes for a fun bicycle "track"

Vacuum adVenture-Part II

2009-04-20T11:04:00.007+01:00

The day I got the vacuum, I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at one of our apartment complexes going from flat to flat showing the stewards how to use it, and vacuuming the excess fumigation chemicals from off the couches and rugs. It was really fun watching these ladies (and guys) get into it with the vacuum. One guy in particular turned his vacuuming in to a performance almost. He had his own style and did it with such enthusiasm--I will probably think of him everytime I vacuum for the rest of my life! Some of the girls were so funny...they would watch and soon be begging to try it for themselves. They all wanted to know when they could use it again.

I liked to show them the dust tank after they had vacuumed...they couldn't believe it! I was met there by one of my team members, a very pregnant Accommodation Assistant. So I didn't want her carrying the vacuum at all. The result was a great work out for me while I lugged that thing up and down 3 flights of stairs multiple times (trying to coordinate when the stewards and occupants were home and get access via the front or back staircases) I was exhausted by that night and slept WELL!

Vacuum adVenture

2009-04-17T17:27:00.003+01:00

Today I had a “Vacuum adVenture”. I purchased the first vacuum our department has ever had (which is crazy considering we handle accommodations!) I love it and wish I had bought one sooner!

It took me 30 minutes to even find the vacuum cleaners in MegaPlaza. After walking around all 4 floors I finally asked :)
When I had a question about one of the vacuums, I got 4 sales people, none of whom could answer my question, all of whom told me I would need to check the booklet which was in the box, and NONE of whom could find the box in the store room.
It took another 30 minutes of them coming back one by one to check the model number.... Hem and Haw a little and go back to the store room, before I was finally told they didn’t have any in stock.
I asked to speak to the manager.
A very kind, nicely dressed Indian manager assisted me and was able to get those guys to find the box in 5 minutes flat.
What I really enjoyed was watching these guys (who had obviously never used a vacuum cleaner) try to “test” it for me. It took two of them and in the end I had to help. The female security guard came over to find out what the thing was and what it was used for. Then the original man helping me said, “Let me go get you a discount”. All he had to do was walk over to the manager and I got N5,000 off! Wow, I need to remember that for the future. Then the four guys proceeded to unpack the entire box so they could fit the demo part back inside. I went over to pay at the counter while they did this, which is customary.
There was no one at the counter although there were 6 store attendants in the vicinity of the counter but none seemed to be interested in what I was standing there waiting for. Suddenly, a girl pops up from under the desk behind the window. I count out the N63,000 Naira (remember, N1,000 is the largest denomination note)

I go back to see how the guys have fared. They got it all in nicely and even finagled a reluctant cleaner into helping me carry it down to the car.

An hour and a half after entering the store…I have a vacuum for our department!

More tomorrow on the rest of the Vacuum adVenture!

Trash Bins

2009-04-14T17:38:00.003+01:00

Governor Fashola is credited with bringing many improvements to Lagos State. It is rumored that he traveled to Singapore and has been inspired by their cleanliness and aesthetic beauty and is trying to instill some of that into Lagos (And believe me, Lagos, could use a good dose of cleanliness and beautification) The most recent noticeable change is sturdy trash bins which are bolted into the cement/ground. They are bright and cheery and echo of other, more orderly worlds. Since there is no government trash collection (or maybe there is, but it is not mandatory?) I don’t know when or who comes to dump the bins and carry away the waste. But seeing all the rubbish laying about in every direction except the bin, I wonder what would happen if someone actually PUT all that trash INTO the bin? The tiny bin could never hold it all! Maybe that is not their purpose. Maybe they are there to prevent further, future littering, while we rely on “Sanitation Saturdays” to slowly remove of the waste in the gutters and channels and streets. Turns out, Lagos State is making provisions to transport much larger quantities of waste to proper waste sites! (Find out more at http://allafrica.com/stories/200903250441.html)
Either way, the bins are definitely an improvement. I remember when we first arrived I got so upset (in my head) with somebody walking on the road in front of me who just dropped their trash down by their foot, like it was nothing! I was indignant. Then I realized…where was he supposed to put that trash? There are no trash cans. Even in side it’s sometimes hard to find one that is for “public use”. The alternative would be for him to put it in it’s “proper place” which in this case would have been…the gutter? I didn’t see that as a healthy alternative either, and I came to realize how the littering mentality perpetuates itself. So, NO MORE! Now there are waste bins all over Lagos. They have put in more than 2000 waste bins! (http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/powergame/2007/sept/16/powergame-16-09-2007-004.htm). They are also going to start prosecuting “offenders”. I have heard they are even on the mainland. Go Gov. Fashola! He really is doing a lot to work toward a "Greener Lagos" http://www.equatorialpress.com/falltoruins.html

Sorry I couldn't find a good picture of one of the bins, but I will try to take one and post it. (Edited 17 April 09...I got some pictures today while I was out and about)

"Same To You!"

2009-04-09T07:32:00.007+01:00

Today, being the last day before the official "Easter Holidays" (Good Friday and Easter Monday), I brought the Easter candy to share at the office that I bought in the US. I got to go around and wish everyone in my area a Happy Easter and give them a package of Skittles, Starburst, or M&M's. It got to be kind of funny how everytime I would tell someone "Happy Easter" they would reply "Same to you!"or "I wish you the same!". This is a common phrase in the Nigerian language, which is more formal than American English. In the US, we would probably say, "You too!" or simply, "Thanks!". But here, every morning when we leave the house, I tell Janvier to have a good day and he replies as I walk out the front door, "Same to you Madame!". It is our little ritual, and I have gotten used to the formality of it.

So here's wishing all of you a blessed Easter Weekend! I pray that you can come to know better this weekend how long and how wide and how deep Christ's love is for YOU!

Street Sweepers and Garbage Pickers

2009-04-03T19:54:00.002+01:00

Most of you probably hear "street sweeper" and think about a giant Zamboni-like machine that brushes the street with its giant circular underbelly. Well, here on Victoria Island, the street sweepers are ladies with short native brooms who stand in the street and, well...sweep it. Every morning, we drive to work in the dark, and see two or three ladies on the main street near our house, bent over at the waist in the midst of insane traffic, sweeping. I am grateful that they wear some kind of vest (presumably reflective) and have a small wooden A-frame sign that they move along with them that warns drivers that someone is working. I actually know what the sign says because it is unreadable in the dark.

I also want to tell you about the boys who scour our dumpsters. After work, when the side streets of our business district are a little more quiet, I often notice some pre-teen boys picking through the giant dumpsters outside the gate between our buildings. My heart just hurts for them. We have asked Saidu about these boys. Sometimes the drivers will pool their spare change and give the boys N70 or so to get something to eat. I questioned Saidu about what they could be looking for in those dumpsters...was it something to eat or something to sell? He said they are looking for food. Unbelieveable. That kind of poverty right under our noses. I know that I have to be so careful about offering money or assistance, especially in view of others. I have been wanting to find a good opportunity. I put together a bag of odd things from our cupboards and had it by the door for days trying to figure out how/who to give it to. Finally, today I took it with me to the office in hopes that the boys would be at the dumpster this evening.

As I walked to the car after closing time, I didn't see them. But peering closer at the dumpster I saw a head, barely poking up out of the top of the garbage bin. I slowly approached, not wanting to scare the boy. "Hello!" I greeted him with the typical way of getting someone's attention. But he didn't move. Saidu saw me, and thinking I was trying to throw something away came over to assist. When I explained what I had, he instructed the boy to get down from there.

This skinny boy, no more than 10 or 12 climbed slowly out of the dumpster clutching a plastic container with a few pieces of left-over fruit in it. Saidu handed him the bag and told him to "make good use of it". That beautiful boy smiled so wide. As we drove away I saw him across the street with his friend or brother excitedly rifling through the contents of the bag. Things so insignificant to me, yet so exciting for them. Lord, forgive me for my discontent.

More Fun Pics from US...

2009-04-01T06:53:00.004+01:00

Payton watching TV with her bunnies. Happy Easter!

Payton and Parker loved being spun again and again by Monty.

Breakfast in Richmond @ Bob's Tacos (same place the whole family went to eat the morning Monty asked me to marry him!) Ricky drove us back down to Houston to catch our flight out.

The "Echo Spot" at ACU. Martha Kate really wanted to check it out.

BBQ #2 at Melinda's...we got to have the newly weds (just returned from their honeymoon) over with Allie and Caleb. Tommy, Russell, and MK were all there for their Spring Break!

BBQ#1 We got to have fajitas on the grill with the Harrell's and the Sittons. Some of Melinda's best friends, their husbands and kids.

The DuBose/Felts family Spring Break Camp Out! Monty, Ricky and I only went out for one night, although the rest of the gang had braved the weather for 5 days (through rain and cold!)

Grandmother, Beth, me, and Nadia (Cliff's girlfriend)

When Melinda came to pick us up from Houston after the wedding we got to stop off in College Station to take MK and Russell to dinner and the next day we went to Midlothian and hung out with Tommy. We got to stop by the Clark's (and I finally got to officially meet the famous Coach Clark!) and meet their boys Chaden, Connley, and Cagen.

On the road from Houston to College Station there were so many beautiful Texas Bluebonnets! Melinda and Monty were nice to stop for me to take pictures.

Parker was in "little boy heaven" at the Houston Rodeo (They only went to the Livestock Show, but they went twice in one weekend!)

Jordan and Parker. It was so great that Jordan came down from Boston for the wedding and we got to hang out!

Miss Payton and her "Cat Hat" that aunt Mary Beth gave her.

Parker definitely has a knack for baseball already!

A Dirty Business

2009-03-30T07:34:00.004+01:00

Office cleaners are the lowest rung of office society. They are young, mostly uneducated, sometimes socially or physically challenged, working poor.
It is easy to be frustrated at these young people, who have the idea that a grubby rag and some air freshener are good cleaning supplies. They often have a bad body odor. They are disruptive (coming in to your office in the morning as you are trying to settle in for the day and sweeping under your feet and touching all of your things as they try to wipe off your desk) and generally pitiful.

Our company recently decided not to renew the contract we had with its cleaning company and instead, morphed our “tea ladies” into a cleaning crew. But in my building, the contract has not yet expired, so we are still with the original cleaning contractor. They are managed by a well-dressed, flirty woman who breezes in and out of the Procurement office at certain key times of the month. I never see her speak to the cleaning staff or check their work or speak to anyone about their work quality. In fact, the actual quality of the cleaning seems like the least important. They ensure the cleaners have on the proper uniform shirt (which, since they most likely do not have running water at home, usually is the same dirty shirt all week) even if it means the guys change when they get here in the mornings and again in the afternoons before leaving home.

There is no equipment or cleaning products supplied that I can see (only the air freshener, a rotten mop, and a short-handled small kitchen broom). The larger industrial-style broom apparently broke a while back because it has not been used in a few weeks and the tiny kitchen broom has replaced it. They dump the trash twice a day (although usually they forget the bathroom trash which is the most full one) and they always come sweep and wipe our desks with a filthy rag each morning. After years of putting up with it, I finally got the gumption to tell whomever was cleaning my office that they should not wipe my desktop (I prefer to do it myself periodically with a clean rag, although I didn’t tell them that) nor should they spray that horrible air spray that smells like old-folks home and makes everyone sneeze. I have never seen them use any abrasive cleaner, bathroom cleaner, bleach, sponges, scrub brushes, glass cleaner or floor buffers. It is no surprise that these young folks are under-performing.

When they are not doing their morning sweep or their afternoon trash-collection, cleaners are often asked by office staff to run their personal errands or pick them up food from the street vendors. Otherwise, the cleaners are crowded into a tiny, rank storage closet, sitting on the floor lined with cardboard box material. They usually sleep although I sometimes hear soft music being played from their cell phones (the same song or two over and over throughout the weeks) These people are paid approximately N13,000 a month (just under $87).

When I arrived back from R&R, the guy who usually cleans on our floor, Justin, was no where around. Someone else was cleaning our floor in his place. I had always made an effort to speak to Justin and to find out more about him and try to be good to him, so naturally I wondered what had happened. The new cleaner told me he had been transferred to another location. When I asked someone in my group I found out the truth. Justin, the sweet stuttering 21 year old had been chosen to be the spokesperson for the team of cleaners in our location. Apparently they had not been paid in over a month, whereas usually they are paid twice a month. I am confident these people do not have savings accounts and are living hand to mouth, so missing even one pay day could be catastrophic for their school fees, food, housing, etc. Management took offense and had to squash the “organized uprising” and so had him transferred. (I imagine this contractor is not the only one who does business this way). I realize that as appalled as I am at the treatment of these people, they are probably considered the “lucky few” in some circles to work in an office for a “real” company and have a steady job. It makes me think twice before griping at one of them for never cleaning the sticky goo off the refrigerator handle.

Dead in the Street

2009-03-28T11:09:00.002+01:00

Okay, I need to take a quick detour...because, well...There was a dead man on the road to work this morning. He was just laying there in the street. It was a strange thing to see on a normal Saturday morning. There have been times when we saw someone along the side of the road that we thought might be dead, but could have just been passed out in a really awkward position from the night before… we weren’t sure. Today, we were sure. I am so thankful Saidu noticed him in time so we could drive around him. We were going faster than usual because today is “Environmental Day” and there are to be no cars on the road by 7am (so everyone can “clean up their area”). So at 6:50 no one is on the road and we were hurrying to work. I am so glad we didn’t run over him. I am glad today is Environmental Saturday so hopefully someone will dispose of his body.

Here we go with some more wedding photos...

2009-03-27T19:07:00.005+01:00

Red Light!

2009-03-25T13:45:00.003+01:00

This is a picture of Monty with our driver Saidu. I didn't have any photographs of traffic lights.

Yes! New traffic lights have been installed around Victoria Island in Lagos! Actually, many of the lights have been installed for a long time, they just haven't been working or weren't being utilized. When we returned from our R&R it was a big shock to see stop lights at many intersections. The other morning on our way to work, we were sitting at a red light (stopped, as we should be) when two vehicles came screaming past us and drove straight through the light. I really shouldn't be surprised but I was! I don't know what kind of enforcement would have to be in place for people to get the idea, but I realized that stop lights are really not a magic fix...if no one complies, then everyone loses their faith in the system and we're back to square one. I haven't seen too many renegade drivers, though, so hopefully the system will catch on and begin to work.

Texas Bluebonnets!

2009-03-17T05:04:00.003+01:00

On the drive from Houston to College Station (where we went before heading to Midlothian and then Abilene) there were tons of beautiful Texas Bluebonnets! Monty was a good sport when I asked to pull the car over for photos ;)

Jesse and Megan's Wedding

2009-03-17T04:58:00.006+01:00

We'll put more pictures up later, but here's a taste:

It was awesome...touching...beautiful...fun...all the adjectives that should be used for a wedding!

A Running Detour

2009-03-04T08:14:00.001+01:00

Something amazing happened last night. I became a runner. I have been running for almost 3 months now, and I was wanting to be a runner, and even enjoying the jog sometimes. I had worried that I would never break past the 25-30 minute mark. But recently had been hitting 30 and was pretty proud of myself. But last night, I broke through the 30/35 minute barrier and just kept going. And I felt great!

I think I can attribute part of it to this new technique that I have used on my last 2 runs—mid foot running. I discovered it in an article of Runner Magazine this month. It involves landing on the middle of your foot, taking smaller & quicker strides, and lifting your foot instead of pushing off with your toe. It feels pretty awkward in the beginning, but the first time I used it, I ran longer and faster than I had before. And last night’s run was the same…I didn’t feel fatigued or have pain in my knees/ankles even after 40 minutes of running.

I had read this article on RunningInjuryFree.com about the basics of jogging. It was an excerpt from Dr. George Sheehan who talked about how 30 minutes of running is really all you need for getting and staying fit. However, the author mentioned how, after 30 minutes you must “proceed with caution” because once you get your “3rd wind” around the 30-40 minute mark, the feeling is amazing and some runners tend to get carried away with actually running too much instead of not enough.

I wanted to find my 3rd wind so badly. When, at my 30 minute mark, I still had energy and the desire to continue, I decided to run on, and see if I could discover my 3rd wind.
I kept waiting for it, looking for that feeling where I might “happen upon anything I had ever read or saw or experienced”.

“The next 30 minutes is for my soul. If I come upon the third wind, which is psychological (unlike the second wind which is physiological). And then see myself not as an individual but a part of the universe. In it, I can happen upon anything I ever read or saw or experienced. Every fact and instinct and emotion is unlocked and made available to me through some mysterious operation in my brain.

Recently, I came upon that feeling about 35 minutes out. I had just attacked a long hill on the river road and had been reduced to a slow trot. Then it happened. The feeling of wholeness and peace and contentment came over me. I loved myself and the world and everyone in it. I had no longer to will what I was doing. The road seemed to be running me. I was in a place and time I never wanted to leave.
To achieve fitness, there is no need to do more than 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. Past that, you must proceed with caution. Fitness can change your body. But the third wind can change your life.”
—Dr. George Sheehan

I do not think that I came upon my third wind last night. Although I enjoyed the extra 15 minutes, and I would agree that it was less for my body than “for my soul,” I did not reach that point where I no longer had to will what I was doing—where the road seemed to be running me. But I did discover something wonderful; I discovered that I AM a runner, that I am athletic, that I do enjoy running, and even look forward to it. I discovered that my body can perform as an athlete’s body might, and that I LOVE the feeling when my body is at full throttle and then the feeling after the run that I am strong, fit, capable, and healthy. I know now that I will enjoy the benefits of running as well as the running itself, for many, many more miles.

Small World-BIG PARTY!

2009-02-24T16:38:00.004+01:00

SMALL WORLD is a yearly extravaganza put on by all the International Women's Clubs in Lagos. It is a special event where all the clubs collaborate to raise money for their charities. It is the highlight of the year in the expat community and the tickets ALWAYS sell out! It is held at on the British American School grounds, and the first part of the evening is spent visiting each club's booth and sampling their delicious ethnic foods. The second half of the evening is a big-time production where each club presents a dance.

Emily, Amy, and Suzanne (she was one of the dancers for our USA group) waiting outside the gate to be let in. It was a gorgeous evening...the breeze was light and cool and the clouds lifted later in the evening.
The theme for this year's Small World was "Small World-BIG PARTY!" Each country chose a party or festival to represent at their booth and in their dance.

Here's a picture of some of the booths. There was room in the center of all the booths to sit and eat and visit.

The USA's theme was "Superbowl"...what more original American party could there be?! Our booth was so cute (although I was told that the stuffed "dolls" used as props really freaked out the security guards at the organizer's house when she tried to bring them in her car. The guards didn't want to let her in because they didn't like the "juju" of the dolls!)

Monty and I served food at the USA booth for one shift. Our aprons even fit the them with football numbers! We served chili with fritos, American chocolate chip cookies, and Budweiser (all imported!)

This is my friend Silvia who we know from church. She is from Bolivia and is a member of the Ibero-America Women's club. It's for all the Spanish-speaking countries. She was one of the dancers in their act.

Eric got to come (although Anna was out of the country and couldn't make it!) He and Monty really enjoyed walking around and sampling all the food. Here they are in front of the Netherlands booth.

Our boss Al came. I think he had a pretty good time and it was nice to get to visit a little more with him.

This was the opening act. Each country had a representative carrying a yellow pot with the countries name written on it in pink sparkles. There were fireworks and matching costumes and everything! I almost felt like I was at a Miss Universe pageant or something!

Here the Russians perform their act. The whole evening was a giant success and they raised more than 30 Million naira (about $200,000) for various Nigerian charities, schools, and clinics.

LCF--Pot Luck

2009-02-18T17:49:00.003+01:00

Our church, LCF, is an inter-denominational fellowship of people from lots of different cultures and countries. We primarily minister to expatriates, but have quite a few Nigerian members and leaders as well. This Sunday we had a potluck dinner after our service (we meet in the afternoon, which is great for getting to sleep in since Sunday is our only day we don't have to get up for work!) It was so neat getting to visit more with some of the newer members and seeing all the different kinds of food people brought. We had all different ethnic foods--not like the basic deviled eggs and lasagne in the US (although we did have quite a few lasagnes!) We are very blessed to be a part of LCF. When we first arrived in Nigeria we didn't really get plugged in to a church, but in the past year and a half, the relationships and growth we have experienced from being a part of this body of Christ has been such a gift from God!

More Valentines Weekend

2009-02-17T17:26:00.000+01:00

Sunday morning was our typical (well, typical when we're with the Tuitjer's) German breakfast of bread with various spreads--Nutella, Jam, cream cheese, ham, cheese, butter--and tea. The kids and Eric always have oats too, cooked the old fashioned way on the stove with milk and raisins!

Armin with the "houses of books" he made.

Aaron is already able to walk...but he doesn't like too without at least holding onto someone's finger. He does this funny thing where he sqats/bounces up and down...such great balance and control!

A "house" made from couch cushions. Brought back memories of my childhood and the long living room where the back end was completely empty except for the keyboard, book shelves, and some old couch cushions stacked in a corner for playing.

A little "Salsa Sauce"...we had fun messing around and trying to remember our Salsa steps!

Monty's going to be a great dad someday!

Valentine Weekend

2009-02-16T14:17:00.001+01:00

The Tuitjer's came over to our house this weekend! It was the first time they spent the night at our place. We got to celebrate Valentines together too which was special. I was worried that the kids might not have fun, but Monty downloaded neat little German cartoon clips for Armin to watch (above) and they really entertained themselves. Plus it didn't hurt that Eric and Anna brought a suitcase full of toys! We did our best to baby-proof the house, and they are such great kids. We didn't have any problems.

Anna and Eric. Happy Val! (That's what they say here in Nigeria instead of Happy Valentines Day)

Eric kept the boys entertained for awhile using the toy suitcase as a cart. Fun for all!
Puzzles and books and games kept the boys busy.

Armin pushes Aaron in the suitcase "cart".

The "boys" (Monty and Eric) had a little something up their sleeve for us girls on Valentines. We had a little champagne, a little dessert, and played a funny game--a variation on charades where we acted out stories as a couple that the other couple had told us about their life/married years. It was really funny seeing the things that they remembered that we had told them!

Part 3-Houston

2009-02-04T15:40:00.000+01:00

We got to drive with Melinda (on her Birthday!) from Abilene to Houston to catch our plane back to Nigeria. We traveled with Martha Kate and Russell for logistical reasons, which was an extra blessing. We all went to Lupe Tortilla's for lunch (favorite TexMex in Houston!) and gorged ourselves on the Fajitas. We had dinner that night at Martha's with her family and Donna. Then we stayed the night there and enjoyed so much being with her kids as always. Such cuties!

Parker and Peyton

Monty played outside with them for hours! We took them to the school park together and enjoyed the swings. Greatwood has so many outdoor facilities close by.

We got to eat lunch with one of our former bosses, Chris, who we hope to work with again sometime! He is back in Houston. We got to meet his wife Sally which was neat since we had heard so much about her from Chris.

Monty, Chris, and Emily in his office in Bellaire.

We also got to eat dinner one night with Ray, another one of Monty's bosses who had worked in Nigeria. They took us to this amazing place down by the Galleria. We got to meet his wife Debbie too. Both couples are such a perfect match. It was great getting to be around these guys with their "other halves". And always wonderful to keep in touch with people who have shared in the Nigerian Experience.

Part II--Kansas!

2009-01-30T09:01:00.000+01:00

We really enjoyed our time in Kansas (especially getting to meet Trevor!) even the cold weather. We were grateful that the roads were clear since we did a lot of driving. On our last two days we drove to St. Louis to take Hannah to an interview with a law firm there and to celebrate Trevor's birthday and visit with the Hopes! I hadn't seen Michael, Todd, Mollie and Samuel for a year!

Part 1-Texas

2009-01-26T17:15:00.001+01:00

At Donna's house when we first arrived. I think she looks like such a Native American in this picture! With her little blond papoose grand baby!

"Christmas" at Melinda's house. Tommy and Russell had fun with the hats we brought them from Thailand! Melinda made green chili enchiladas, one of our favorites! You will see food was a highlight on our trip home :) We love the good ol' American (and TexMex) meals!

Out at "Deer Camp" as Grandmother calls it. She taught me how to shoot a rifle using her mother-in-laws (Monty's great grandmother's) gun. She said I was "a natural hunter" even though we never even saw an animal! She's so encouraging! Grandmother and Ricky cooked chicken-friend venison...mmm mmm good!

Gymnastics Sports Center--A VERY FUN tradition!

This year Mur gave me her recipe for "Cowboy Caviar" (a dip we always eat for New Year's day!) and even sent me back to Nigeria with the ingredients.

Texas was where we landed first. Houston to Abilene to Dallas. Just a night in Houston, a few nights in Abilene for hunting and New Year's Day celebration with the Morris family, and then a drive up to KS to catch Hannah before she went back to California (Thanks Ricky for letting us borrow your car and put so many miles on it!) We are so blessed with great family all over the place that cares about us and wants to see us. It was a blast getting to "road trip" it all around the mid/south west. I have to say I REALLY like "On the Run" and "QT" I think they are my favorite convenient stores!

Our first Christmas away from the US

2009-01-23T17:30:00.001+01:00

It was a very different Christmas this year, but a lovely one surrounded by friends and 'family'. A Christmas in shorts and tank tops! A Christmas tree of palm trees and walks outside. We were so blessed to get to spend 4 days with the Tuitjer's!

Note: these pictures are in reverse order so start at the bottom.

Monty and Eric spent a few hours putting together the park 'n' wash set.

Christmas Day we ate dinner with our friends from work. We all brought a dish and had a White Elephant gift exchange.

Christine surprised Moody with a cake for his birthday!

Skype is an amazing thing! The kids got to see and talk to their grandparents on Christmas and we even sang Christmas hymns (yes, in German!) with them. They got to see their grandkids open their gifts...see the computer screen on the ground in front of the kids in this picture.

Inscense warmers that Anna brought back from Egypt!

Aaron liked Armin's toy fire truck as much as Armin did!

Armin go a Doctor's Kit!

Merry Christmas! All four of the Advent candles are lit. The German tradition is to open gifts on Christmas Eve. So we started, but the boys were so tired they didn't get finished!

Christmas Eve dinner was fondue with shrimp, beef, and pork that we dipped in hot oil. It was a fun, different tradition from our usual paella (although nothing can be as good as paella!) on Christmas Eve.

Christmas "Eve" with Janvier's Family

2009-01-20T17:37:00.000+01:00

We had a Christmas celebration with Janvier's family. It felt a little like Christmas Eve although it wasn't. Janvier cooked and we all sat down and ate together and the kids were all dressed in pretty matching outfits. We had gifts for them under the tree, and they even brought Monty and I these beautifully colored shirts! It was really fun. Olivier, the oldest, is starting to speak a little English, so we could talk to him more than the girls. And Jackie is pregnant again! Merry Christmas!

Why Mom is Always Right

2009-01-20T17:32:00.000+01:00

Here's the baby lizard we found in our bed two nights ago! Another good reason to make your bed. Our sheets were not pulled up and when Monty lifted the blanket, there was this little beauty scampering around! We caught him and let him go outside (well, outside our door. We're pretty close to the front door of the apartment complex!)

Around the World & Back Again

2009-01-16T16:54:00.000+01:00

Hi Friends and Family! We're back safe and sound in Nigeria after a whirlwind of a trip to the U.S. I guess the trips always feel like whirlwinds because we never have enough time to see everyone or visit as much as we'd like. But we did get to talk to and see many of you, and thanks to those of you who encouraged us in our blogging! It's always fun to hear that people are reading (although I admit most times I am writing more for my own documentation for the future!)
We will post up some pictures from our visits to Houston-Abilene-Dallas-Lawrence-St. Louis-Abilene-College Station & Houston later on!
Monty and I wish you all a very blessed 2009!

2008-12-23T13:43:00.000+01:00

One of our greatest blessing here in Nigeria are our friends from work. We work with some really fun people from all parts of the globe. I have truly enjoyed getting to know Dao better since we moved into this building. She is so sweet and works so hard cooking and freezing food for her husband, his back-to-back, and everyone else who orders her Thai take-away frozen masterpieces! She and Stewart invited us, Ana, and Bill over on Sunday night. We love visiting with them and eating such delicious authentic Thai food!

Dao, Me, Ana, Bill, Monty (Stewart is taking the picture)
Bill's a huge fan of everything Thai.

Masman Curry, Pinapple/Calamari, Red Curry, Sweet & Sour (and the green curry was unpictured at the end of the table)

Weekend before Christmas!

2008-12-22T13:35:00.000+01:00

We got to spend Saturday night and Sunday with the Tuitjer's preparing for CHRISTMAS! We decorated the tree, baked and decorated cookies, and listened to Christmas music (plus drank plenty of tea!) It is so great that we get to look forward to sharing the holidays with them since we will not get to be withour families on the actual day. But we are looking forward to our time back in the US very soon!

Armin & Aaron are such good brothers. They play together and love each other!

Eric demonstrates the proper way to slice bread. Apparently it is an art!

Armin decorates the tree. Monty helps feed Aaron after his nap. Emily & Armin on the couch.

Armin helps the guys put up the lights

Aaron's first Christmas! A beautiful tree...

We cut out cookie dough and then decorated the baked cookies in the style that my family does every year...with all different colors of powdered sugar icing (painted on with brushes) and different sprinkels and toppings to creat artistic masterpieces. I was so happy that we got to do that even though I was missing out on decorating with the rest of the Petr/Hupp family in Lawrence! Too bad our icing tasted like SOAP! Yes, here's a tip: don't wash out paint brushes with soap before using them in the icing. The cookies looked pretty but tasted like dish detergent!

Ancient And Modern--Benefit Ball

2008-12-17T07:04:00.000+01:00

We were invited by Tobi (our Nigerian friend from ACU who has since moved back to Lagos) to the Redeemed Christian Church (City of David) benefit ball on Saturday night. The theme was ancient and modern. She came dressed as Cleopatra and we were ancient Greeks. Many people dressed up, but we were some of the few white people there so everyone loved that we dressed up. It was fun and Monty was a good sport to play along! I used left over Christmas tree branches for our wreaths and glued flowers/plants from the garden on them. Saidu bought us 8 yards of cheap white fabric and we were done! My friend Dao who lives upstairs braided my hair for me. Some other friends were there (Amelia who has been volunteering with Tobi's organization and Debbie, also from our Bible Study)

The evening lasted until almost midnight. It was at the Eko hotel and they had the ballroom decked out to look like a castle, complete with a draw bridge and guards. It was really cool to see the displays they had of "ancient" Lagos from the '50s. The idea was that Jesus is the Ancient of Days, he is unchanging yet ever-relevant.

Ladies Evening Bible Study

2008-12-13T11:06:00.000+01:00

The whole group...from top left: Beverly, Emily, Donna, Silvia (and Abril!)
From bottom left: May, Amelia, Christine, Debbie, and Abi. We are from all over the world! The US, Bolivia, South Africa, Indonesia, and Ireland!

We have finished out the semester's study with the Ladies Bible Study that meets at our house on Wednesday nights. We studied Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me" study about Samuel and preparing yourself to hear from God. These precious ladies are such an encouragement to me. Most of them work also, and some have small kids, but yet they turn up week after week from 7pm to 9pm to fellowship, pray, and study God's word. Without this time together it would be much harder to be motivated to study the Bible during the week, plus it really helps us get to know each other and make friends which is hard to do if you only see each other on Sunday's. Plus I have gotten to know a really neat lady from the Elim church (sister congregation).
We had a little Christmas tea party so that we could get together one last time before everyone heads their separate ways for the holidays.
I just love and appreciate this group and look forward to when we start again in January with the next study!

Ojude Oba Festival

2008-12-11T17:54:00.000+01:00

We had the great honor of being invited by the Awujale of Ijebuland himself to observe the festivities of the Ojude Oba Festival this year in Ijebu-Ode (http://www.ojudeobafestival.org/ is a great site for more information) . Al, Kehinde, Donna, Me and another co-worker named Yinka, all got to attend. This kind if the "Paramount Ruler" of all the Ijebu people (which is a tribal distinction, not linked to govornment state divisions). Most of Ijebuland is in Ogun state although some is in Lagos state. The king (Oba) of Ijebuland is called the Awujale. He happens to own the property that Monty and I used to live at (leased by our company) and he invited us to his village as his personal guests for this festival in his honor!

We traveled by bus in the morning to Ijebu-Ode, about two hours north east (with our QRF escort of course!) We wandered around town for a little bit trying to get in touch with our host (the maintenane manager of the property). Once we connected with him, we entered the Palace complex on foot (surrounded by the masses, who were all touching and talking to us) I think everyone was surprised to see Owinbo's (white people) in native attire. I did not wear a "gele" (the bit hat wrap) but other than that we were decked out for the occasions.

The whole premise of the event is that groups (divide into men/women and then by age group) come to pay homage to the king and sing/dance/bless and celebrate him while wearing colorful matching outfits. The masses of people were unbelievable. And the "ordered chaos" defied reason. About two hours into the ceremony the churning mass of colorful clusters rehearsing and singing began to flow in it's own way, from one side of the grand stand up the stairs (a few delegate members from each group would come up, bow, speak/sing into the microphone) and back down and away to their respective...well...areas.

The sponsors (Glow, Maltina, and a couple of banks) had covered every square inch in their colors, banners, floats, signs, etc. Bright green, (the Glo color) banners stretched across the VIP seating area where we were. The king was front and center with all the sub-kings and important people sitting behind him. We were treated very well...ushered into our seats, given bottles of water, there were fans blowing on us, and there were even flush toilets for us to use in the Annex. It was very hot (think synthetic fabric stuck to your whole body with sweat) but after a while you got adjusted and didn't mind it so much. Plus we were in the shade and we had a seat (well, we had 4 seats to share amongst the 5 of us) and we had a great view!

It seemed that every second person in the audience had a drum and was beating it to his own rhythm. If you didn't have a drum, you had a trumpet and were wailing on it at the top of your lungs. Intermittently they would fire muskets (so loud that one blast even shattered the light fixture above the king's head!) The spirit of Jubilation was so great...everyone was smiling and laughing, singing and dancing, and having a fantastic time!

Near the end of the ceremony, the Baloguns (great warriors, and their families & descendants) came in group by group with their banners and representatives on horse back. These horses were decked out! We couldn't believe that they could maneuver through the crowd (and even buck on their hind legs) without stepping on some people! It was very impressive how used to the noise & action the horses seemed to be.

We did have a chance to briefly pay our respects to the king (although not on the stage, but from behind from the grand stands) and he was so gracious and insisted we stay. He had something more for us. So we waited inside for a bit until someone came and ushered us into a great dining hall (complete with paintings of the king and a lion skin with head!) were we were served traditional Yoruba/Nigerian food.

In order to get back out, our QRF command came to retrieve us and guide us to our vehicle. He was a great body guard (although we had some guys on stilts following us) and by the time we got to our van we had our own parade it seemed! It was neat just to be able to walk the street a little and see everyone with their families, tent set up, eating and enjoying their time together.

What an experience! So glad we were able to go.

First Sunday of Advent

2008-12-01T17:21:00.001+01:00

"Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt. Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier - dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür. Und wenn das fünfte Lichtlein brennt, dann hast du Weihnachten verpennt."

That is a German rhyme Monty learned from Eric about Advent. The translation is "Advent, Advent, a candle burns. First one, then two, then three, then four - then Jesus is standing in front of your door. And if the fifth candle burns, then you have overslept Christmas." We got to spend the first Sunday of Advent with them (we just stayed at Chevron after the lock-in so we wouldn't have to drive all the way back for church later that afternoon). They lit the first candle of advent (see it in the wreath on the table!)

Anna also showed me her advent calendar that she made for Armin (that is it hanging on the wall behind her) made of little stockings with presents inside. Such a great idea! I want to do that for our kids someday.

And speaking of advent calendars...Dad, Mom...I guess you will recognize these calendars in the picture! They had Anna's parents bring us real chocolate advent calendars from Germany! It really reminds me of my childhood and having to split the days with Hannah (and arguing over who would get the odd days and who would get the even days!)

Youth Group Lock-In

2008-12-01T17:15:00.001+01:00

The Lock-In this past Saturday night was a great success! We had 20 kids there, mostly from the younger grades, from both Exxon and Chevron. For the most part they were great--participating, interacting, and following the rules. We had tons of great food, played lots of games, watched movies, gave away prizes, and stayed up WAY too late. We had a short devo/discussion on Saturday night and then another one on Sunday morning. Both guys doing the discussion (Jim and Eric) did a great job of keeping it focused and relevant. Many of the kids had never attended youth group before, and it was great to get to know everyone better! We pray that the kids felt the love of Jesus through us and that next time they will bring their friends. They all seemed pretty keen to have another lock-in in the future.

We are THANKFUL!

2008-11-29T09:35:00.000+01:00

We celebrated our second Thanksgiving in Lagos this week. The Goforth's hosted again this year and everyone pitched in to bring ingredients and cook the traditional dishes! Burt brought a Butterball back from the US (it was so delicious!) and we had a guy from work's daughter bring us some other ingredients like pumpkin and stuffing mix. We had a delicious feast after work and enjoyed visiting. Ed even did a Thanksgiving trivia quiz with prizes (Dad, I got the question right about Abraham Lincoln!)
From back left: Reza, Monty, David, Ed, Lee, Travis, Bill

Everyone had fall colors..almost like we had all tried to coordinate!

Emily, Donna, Amy and Suzanne.

I had fun baking the pumpking and pecan pies with Janvier on Wednesday night after work. It was especially nice (and easy!) because he made the crusts ahead of time for me and "assisted" me in the kitchen. Actually he was the key player because he lit the oven and made sure they didn't burn. PLUS he wouldn't let me clean up. Now THAT's what I call fun.

Ted, Smatt, and Ted's wife Mimi.

Phi Phi Island Thailand-Diving with Mom

2008-11-28T18:04:00.000+01:00

It was so special getting to dive with Mom. Unfortunately she has a lot of trouble with her ears and was only able to make it down one time. Our dive master Dave (ironic considering mom always dives with Dave!) was so relaxed and patient. It was great diving with someone like that because it was easier to relax and you didn't have to worry about getting lost under there.

Mom doing her dive review with Dave. Since none of us had been diving in almost 2 years we needed to do a PADI review.

Dinners out on the water front were so enjoyable. Mom was a real trooper the whole trip...anyone who knows her knows she can adapt to anything, pack for everything (in a carry on!), and never get tired! We made some great memories that we will always cherish!

Traditional Thai fishing boats. We even saw some guys eating dinner on them late at night. I think for some of the fisherman that is their home.

Monty suited up and ready to go!

Emily enjoying the sun and breeze. That's the Thai flag...

The boats and equipment with this company (Phi Phi SCUBA) were excellent. We would highly recommend them. They were relaxed, experience, all the instructors and dive masters were really cool, and they even served lunch and had a professional underwater videographer there with us one day. We got to buy a fantastic DVD of ourselves underwater and some of the interesting wildlife we saw.

We were sad to leave this unbelieveable island and have to say goodbye to mom as well. She returned back to the US and Monty and I flew over to Seoul, South Korea to surprised Monty's Dad who was there for his wedding to Kim.

Jumping back to Thailand--Phi Phi Island

2008-11-26T17:45:00.000+01:00

This remote island was a diver's paradise. No roads, only 2 streets (pedestrians only) that connect the village and resorts. Gorgeous blue clear water, nice hotels (miraculously restored after Tsunami!) and lots of young, laid back people keen on SCUBA! We stayed at the Phi Phi Island Cabana hotel which was about 20 yards from the ferry dock.
Monty and I hooked up with a dive shop and went out every morning on the dive boat for a couple dives. Lunch was served and all tanks/air/equipment included. We got two dives a day (and Monty got 3 dives on one day!) Monty also got his Advanced certificate, including underwater photography, and a wreck dive! I will try to put some of his underwater pictures up later when I get them.
Diving is so incredible because you are like a fish out of water (only the opposite!)...in a beautiful, quiet, colorful, foreign world. It is so incredible to look up 40 feet and see the surface! It's so peaceful underwater and there are so many wild and extravagant creatures God has made!

This was the view from our balcony.

The cove on the window-side of our hotel room. The other side of the hotel looked out across the other side of the ocean...the hotel was situated on the tiny strip of land with ocean on both sides!

This is the otherside of our hotel...the lobby overlooks the other side of the ocean. (Mom pretending to push our luggage cart...getting our luggage on/off the ferry was NOT fun!)

After a great morning/afternoon of scuba diving...we were wind blown and sun-kissed and happy!

Later that night...walking the beach as the tide went out.

US Marine Corps Ball

2008-11-24T20:17:00.001+01:00

For those of you who read Suzanne's blog...yeah, what she said! We got to go to the Marine Corps ball (they do it every year all over the world where marines are stationed). Although the fanfare wasn't quite what Donna anticipated, it was still really cool seeing all the marines in their "dress blues". There are only like 6 in the Lagos detachment and 2 are women. They had a giant cake, delicious dinner, a great band (Nigerians playing "Know When To Hold 'em" and "Country Roads" and "Dancing Queen"!) We got to go with the Goforths, the Langs and the Sandersons, but we also saw other people from work there (the Hemmings and Ethel and her husband). Monty and I danced and danced...so much fun! Although it was a bit strange gettin' down on the dance floor with the company CFO and some big shots from our client :)

I borrowed a dress from Anna and even did my hair in an "updo" all by myself!

Voting Day (Belated Post)

2008-11-24T09:43:00.000+01:00

I forgot to put these pictures in of the cupcakes I baked to take to work on November 4th (Voting Day). They were Red Velvet cake with white frosting and little flags stuck in them. Monty and I did get to vote absentee ballot (although Texas is pretty much already decided!).

Phuket and Ferry to Phi Phi Island

2008-11-22T11:42:00.001+01:00

We flew to Phuket and spent the night there to catch the ferry to Phi Phi the next morning. Unfortunately we got to Phuket (Patong Beach) after dark, so we didn't have much time to explore. But we did walk down the main street and saw some cross dressers and prostitues so we felt like we had really experience it :) And we got a delicious seafood dinner, where Monty got to pick his lobster fresh, and we ate sitting on the beach. It was probably the best dinner we had the whole time we were in Thailand!

Check out the fresh fish (and short shorts!) We knew we must be in Phuket.

Mom and me with fun fruity drinks...always a favorite at every restaurant!

The food was not only delicious but beautifully displayed!

On the ferry boat. It was about a 2 hour ride.

Gorgeous blue water and remote islands...we couldn't wait to start scuba diving!

Chiang Mai/Chian Rai/Golden Triangle

2008-11-20T13:13:00.000+01:00

NOTE: These pictures are in reverse order from the day.

Really creepy "White Temple" that we did not want to go inside!

I admit I'm a little tired of posting about this trip because now it was over a month ago and we are STILL posting about it. So maybe I will try to cut to the chase a little bit more. Or just put a few pictures and write less. I'm sure not many people are really very interested in the blow-by-blow (and believe it or not, I have been trying to give you the succinct version!)

This day was a huge road trip! We drove from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai and the northern border of Thailand (Golden Triangle) and back in one day! (about 10 hours in the van). Poon was great. She got her van and driver and even packed us snacks (like sticky rice and mango with pork skewers!) We visited the Opium museum and these beautiful botanic gardens. A day of great scenery.

Chiang Mai 2

2008-11-19T14:05:00.001+01:00

We had a BIG day of going to hand craft places. Including the famous green ceramic "Celadon", silk, and umbrella making factories.

Elephant Statues at Baan Celadon. Silk Worms at the Silk factory. Umbrella Making Factory.

See the stripes are even on the skin too! It's not just the fur that is striped. Emily played with the "young" ones, and Monty even got to be in with the "babies" (3 month olds!)

Monty with the BIG cats at the Tiger place. Even these are only 2/3 the size that they will be once full grown!

The King has set up this small village which is a mixture of all the hilltribes of Northern Thailand. It's also been made to be tourist friendly, almost like a living museum. The structures are all made from hand with leaf roofs and the people still live traditionally, growing their own food and making their own clothing etc. See the rice fields in the back of this photo.

Woman from the Christian tribe (disks in her ears). Old woman thrashing rice (chewing on bitter root that makes teeth black). Woman from Long neck tribe. The only tribe there that is Christian are the ones with disks in their ears. This woman was so sweet and showed us how to shoot a dart gun.

A woman in her "shop" that is up on stilts like most of the structures.

A girl from the long neck tribe already has coils on her neck (and wrists and knees) for decoration. An elephan walking home from work with one of the tribesmen.

Mom and I got our hair braided (like Poon's) at her little hair shop. We asked her if she could take us to where she had it done. It was so cheap and they even washed and dried it for us before braiding. They shampooed my hair 4 times! And conditioned 2! This is one of the corners of the wall around the "Old City" of Ciang Mai.

At the Cultural Center that night. We ate dinner there (northern Thai style) with pork rinds, sticky rice, and other yummy food on a low table while we sat on the ground.

Then after dinner there was an hour of Thai cultural dances. Thai dance includes a lot of wrist and finger movement. Apparently they have to stretch and "work out" their hands every day to get to flexible!

Chiang Mai 1

2008-11-18T11:53:00.001+01:00

After we left the train station with Poon, she took us to our hotel and we freshened up to go greet the day. She took us to eat lunch at "The Boat Restaurant" which was incredibly delicious and cheap ($1 per person about!)
Then we drove up and up the hillside to Bhubing Palace (also called Puping Palace) and go the "golf cart tour" where our guide tried to take a picture of us in front of every tree and building.

GIANT bamboo on the palace grounds!

Bhu bing palace was a project of the Queen mother and was summer homes of the King and royal family or something. Beautiful gardens, and each member of the family had their own "house" or cottage.

Orchids...in the gardens on the grounds.

It really was a beautiful place. But we found out that the royal family never even really comes to stay there anymore. Yet they employ lots of people and have a pretty strong tourism business of people going to look around it.

Next we drove up the road and visited a hill tribe village. It was an actual village where many people lived. There was a school, and lots and lots of kids, and people selling things. There was also a little rudimentary museum that talked about the hill tribe traditions, opium usage, hunting, worship, etc.

In the hilltribe village we saw their tribal medicine cooking. Poon heard from one of the locals that there was a British man in one of the rooms next to this fire, who was visiting to take the medicine.

This sweet old lady was drawing with wax very intricate geometric designs on yards and yards of fabric. She then dyes the fabric and the design shows up white. The whole process takes her weeks. And she sells it for such an inexpensive price.

The view on the road from the hilltribe village to the Chiang Mai Temple on the mountain.

Poon was so cute to show us all the little traditions or superstitions at the Temple. There are bells everywhere that people who want good luck (for themselves or their business) will buy and you can ring it as you walk by to get the attention of the gods.

There is a huge gold "Chedi" that Poon told me had a Budda inside, but I'm not sure if she understood my question. She also kept trying to get us to participate in the little superstitious/astrologic games (fortune telling, good luck if you put money here if you were born on such and such a day...)

The temple on the mountain-Chiang Mai. Over 300 steps leading up to it. We took the lift up and walked on the stairs down!

This was such a cool restaurant...an old teakwood house turned into a restaurant. To eat in the house or on the porch you have to take off your shoes. The front lawn is also covered with tables and they have live Thai music.

Bangkok--Day 4

2008-11-18T11:43:00.001+01:00

We took the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It was the "smart" way to go because it was cheaper than a plane ticket, plus it saved us having to pay for a hotel and also wasting a whole day of travel. However...it was not our most favorite mode of transportation. As you probably know, trains tend to be full of hippies, backpackers and people trying to pinch pennies...so the service lives up to the expectations. We had two adjoining rooms, but since there were only three of us, the fourth bed was taken by a strange old white guy, who creeped us all out. Monty gallantly volunteered to be the one to sleep with him, but we all sat up in our room on the unmade bed for as long as possible so we could be together. We saw two roaches crawling out from under bed cushions. The toilet at the end of the car was revolting. Plus, the trip was just too long...14 hours. We ended up taking sleeping pills so we were just fine. The next morning, we were glad to be off the train and greeted by Poon (sister of Ratt from Bangkok), our guide for the next few days in the northern part of the country.

I was standing in our "room" to take this picture of Monty. The bed he is on folds down to be the back of the "bench" for when we are awake (see below)

Another Aside--Lagos Christian Fellowship Church

2008-11-03T08:14:00.000+01:00

We met a man this Sunday at church who had an incredible story to tell about how he found LCF, our church. It involved encountering some information on our blog and then digging around until he finally contacted one of our elders who gave him information on how to get there etc. I was so amazed at how determined he was to find our church! And it made me want to make it easier on others who may be interested in an expatriate church in the Lagos area. I was unable to load a map, but here's more information.

Additional information:
Worship time: 4:00 Sunday afternoons

Location: Currently meeting in Victoria Fellowship Church’s building, Alpha Beach, Lekki Expressway

Directions: Go East on Lekki Expressway (heading toward Chevron). The turn-off is about 500 meters past the second round about on the right, the second right just after a metal fence ends. You can see a sign on a large building that says “Meadow Hall” about 100 meters off the road at the turn-off…you can also see the reddish/brown, triangular sloped roof of VFC from the road. Entrance is on the East side of the building.

Other Info: We have a nursery and kids classes during the sermon. For information on other Bible studies and mid-week gatherings, come on by this Sunday and pick up a bulletin!

Bangkok--Day 3

2008-10-31T12:01:00.001+01:00

Our "shopping day" started at Siam Paragon (to pick up phone cards and eat in the enormous food court). This mall is so ritzy it has a Lamborghini dealer INSIDE the mall.
Eating Lunch at the food court. there were tons of restaurants, and even a supermarket!
The mall is not as wide as American malls, but very tall. It has an aquarium on the bottom floor, food court on the 3rd floor, and the IMAX is on the top floor (you take an elevator to your theatre!)

This is the front of the mall as you walk inside.

Colorful taxis!

We proceeded to the real destination for the day--MBK. MBK is a huge (mega huge) indoor market type place where vendors sell knock off items (everything from watches to make-up) and real items, as well as souvenirs and clothes. It was overwhelming! We only did one floor and we spent 4 hours!

That night we got a taxi to take us to a restauraunt on the water which had good food and a nice atmosphere.

A Quick Jump to the Present...

2008-10-29T16:32:00.001+01:00

Before I proceed with the rest of the Thailand pictures, I wanted to post a couple from the event on Monday. Our company hit 1 Million Manhours without an injury which is a really big deal, especially in this industry. So we had a huge luncheon for our project staff, client, subcontractors, and some key govornment officials, which I was tasked to put on. I was so glad when it was done and all 500 people had gotten something to eat! Monty was on his feet the whole day too, taking photographs for Ed. He got some great ones (some of these posted are his!)

Bangkok--Day 2

2008-10-28T06:48:00.000+01:00

Our second full day in Thailand we had a private tour with our guide Ratt (above). She was great! She came highly recommended from various websites/blogs/message boards and was very flexible with how much we wanted to see. She had endless energy, was friendly and funny and was always taking care of us. She even brought cokes and water along in the car for us! We had day full of many adventures riding around in her taxi cab! May I mention the price was very reasonable. Although her website isn't the best you can contact her on www.ratservice.com (FYI we used her sister, Poon, later in the trip as our guide in Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai) Poon was fantastic as well.

Sea salt for sale by the side of the highway. Our day with Ratt (tour guide) started out with an early morning drive out of the city to a town where the Train Market was.

The salt fields. They harvest sea salt by flooding shallow fields.

Mom really loved all the different types of flowers in Thailand.

The "Train Market" gets its name for obvious reasons. The train comes through the market (literally) every morning at 8 am.

Notice how close to the tracks all the veggies and things are. When the time comes for the train to come, everyone just lifts up their shade coverings and let the train go over the top of their goods.

We came upon a parade with a small marching band and some wild dancers (check out the kids hair!)

Yes, Emily actually joined in the dancing in the streets (at the urging of the dancers and the TV camera man) We found out later it was a parade in celebration of National Vegetarian Week.

The Royal Porcelin Factory is where all the porcelin for the king is hand crafted. He makes special orders (specific designs) for various parties and special occassions. We got to see the young people listening to their music and etching/painting/glazing the most beautiful delicate pieces.

They insisted we try some of the local "desserts"...egg yolk mixed with various flavours and sugars. Not bad but kind of the consistency of cookie dough.

We got a lot of beautiful things from the shop that was full of things the King/Prince didn't want or need. We were not allowed to buy things that were specifically created for the royal family.

On our way to the floating market, Ratt stopped to buy us a warm coconut which she insisted was better than the cold raw ones they sell in town. The lady roasting them on an outdoor fire looked about 100 years old but she was strong with the machete. They the warm milk and coconut meat WAS very good!

The floating market was very interesting. Everyone selling and buying anything and everything...from boats. The fuzzy red/green fruit in this woman's boat is called Mangusteen.

Vendors selling food in the floating market.

A really old Thai guy who let us take our picture with him (we tipped him). The hat he is wearing is what the people in the floating market wear to keep the sun off their faces and allow the air to get up and around their heads.
Along the side of the road we came upon some wild monkeys who Ratt really wanted us to feed. Of course, Monty was happy to oblige but Mom wasn't so keen. We gave them banana's but the little bitty babies who looked so hungry never got any because the big mean males kept stealing all of the food.

We went to a museum and cemetery for the "Death Railroad". If anyone has ever seen the movie or read the book "Bridge over the River Kwai" this is the actual story of what happened and how so many Aussies, Americans, Thai, Laotian, and Burmese prisoners of war died successfully completing this nearly impossible task given to them by the Japanese (and Koreans).

This is the "Bridge over the River Kwai" which was rebuilt after it's destruction during American bombings in WWII. If you look closely at the foundation of the bridge you can see markings from bomb damage.

Part of the railroad we walked along. We also went inside a cave in the rock wall next to the track where there was a shrine set up.

This is Singh City...The Ruins of a city almost 2 thousand years old (I think, I have to check my notes). I was restored to this good condition by the royal family. It used to be hidden in jungle and overgrowth...they say there are many cities like this around the countryside.

By time we drove back to Bangkok we were exhausted. Bill and Monty went out and brought some good Thai food back to the hotel and we had a picnic in Bill's room. It was delicious!

Bangkok--Day 1

2008-10-25T11:42:00.001+01:00

Note, these pictures are in somewhat of a reverse order...
One of the exhibits in Siam Paragon.

This is us in front of the "Chedi" which our guide told us is where the word "Jedi" comes from in the Star Wars films. They have lots of "perfect" numbers (99 being one of them) so there are 99 Chedi's on the property.

This a view of the backside of the Reclining Buddha from his feet looking up (his feet were inlaid with mother-of-pearl scenes).

For the record, Monty did NOT want to take this picture...but everyone else was doing it!!

Taxis in Bangkok were brightly colored Red, Pink, Yellow, Green, or Purple (more pictures on a nother day) and everyone had these flowers hanging from their rear view mirrors. These are the type of flowers that they put on the alters and shrines.

Bill recommended we experience the delicious breakfast buffet from our hotel, which we did and it was definitely as good as he said it would be! Then we were off for a day of exploring the city with Bill in the lead. We quickly learned that pictures of the King (and Queen) were everywhere, and that there could never be too much gold at a temple or a palace. We saw Wat Pho (Wat means "temple" and Pho is said like Poe) with the famous gigantic reclining Buddha and also the Royal Palace. At Wat Pho we got a "guide" who was a funny, stereotypical Thai man who was so proud of his faith and very energetic in sharing his beliefs and the stories behind them. He wanted to take lots of pictures of us in specific place, and after snapping the picture he would shout with glee, "Perfect!"

We ended the evening by stopping by Siam Paragon...the most amazing mall I have ever seen! In fact, it is said to be Paris Hilton's favorite mall in the world. It is full of the most ritzy shops, an IMAX theatre, a HUGE food court including a grocery store, and there is always some kind of promotion or fashion show or TV program going on.