the best day

Stephen came to visit me this past weekend and we had the most fun day on Saturday! After a awesomeness-trifecta of a morning filled with Frisbee, taco bell, and chillin by the pool, we headed on down to Tampa for an adventure! We decided it would be an adventure because we didn't really have plans, and let me tell you it was just about the most fun adventure I've had! Good times with a great man! : )

Here is our before shot, taken in the car as we head off to see what we can find. Yay!



Our final destination was Raymond James Stadium (for reasons that will be explained later) and we needed to get food. So, after a bit of searching, we ended up here. Now, for those of you who may not be aware, Sweet Bay supermarkets are the re-vamped, better-looking version of what was formerly Kash-n-Karry. Neither of us had ever been in a Sweet Bay, so it fit with our adventure-themed evening...

The supermarket was actually quite fun, and we enjoyed picking out all kinds of tasty treats. We meant to have a picnic somewhere en route to the stadium, but because of traffic, we went straight to the stadium and had an AWESOME tailgate party in the back of my car. CAR PICNIC!

Our adventure took a turn towards the crazy when we realized we forgot to get a corkscrew! good thing my boyfriend can open wine bottles with his teeth! Hahahaha. Actually, it was good that cork was one of those plastic ones or I'm sure we would've have a bottle full of cork pieces!

Stephen worked on the bottle with a car key, his teeth (see above) and the screw for the front tire of my bicycle that happened to be in my car. It took some time, and a bit of sticktoitiveness, but with only a few chips in the bottle...

Stephen did it!!! He opened a wine bottle without a corkscrew. I was impressed, and it was definitely an adventure! Woo hoo!

Then we partook of our feast. And we were very refined. OH yes.

More refined elegance, right here. Cleopatra-style. : )

Then we went into the stadium to enjoy the lovely sounds of the Florida Orchestra and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay (the choir I sing with). They were performing at a private event in the Stadium for the friends and family of the Raymond James financial group. Because of my affiliation with the choir, we were able to get in free!

We sat on the grass in the very front and it was fun! Although we have been having a lot of trouble with smoke these days (because of all the fires) it wasn't too smelly and the temperature actually cooled off really nicely. Here is a look at everyone behind us, so you won't think this is someone's backyard. With a really nice lawn.

Yeah, we're cute and we know it. Hehehehe. We had a really nice time!



Here is a look at the pretty jumbotron... ooooooh....

After it got dark, we looked up at the stars and saw... well, not much. Because of the smoke and smog, there weren't really any visible stars... except this one. Stephen was pretty sure it was a planet and not even a star, but I chose to call it a star so we could joke about our adventure as we traveled to the Symphony Under the StaR.

I don't know what got us started doing this, but on our way out of the stadium we decided to have a "see how long you can walk with your water bottle on your head" competition. Needless to say, I employed my African skillz and won easily. Hahaha. The fun part was that all the people walking and driving by thought it was really funny and were cheering us on and laughing and honking their horns trying to make us drop the bottles. Seriously funny.

All in all, it was a spectacular day. I am one lucky woman, fo sho!

i'm not dead

So, the title for this post definitely refers to my little friend here. I saw this gator for the first time Sunday as he was floating near the shore of our lake as I walked to the pool. Then, this morning I noticed on my way to work that he had climbed on the old fountain base that the birds usually hang out on- and to my surprise he was still there when I came home! Good thing reptiles don't get sunburned! Special thanks goes to TLC for making me go and take a picture of him... he's about 4 feet long and I was actually kinda worried he might have died or something because he had been there all day, but about 90 minutes after I took this photo, I passed by again and he was gone. Since I took all the time to post this, I'm including some other fun pictures as well!


My sweet Stephen brought me flowers when he came to collect me at the airport upon my return from Uganda. They are the first flowers he has given me, and they are STILL alive more than one week later. Yay. : )

This past weekend, Stephen and I had dinner with my life-long friend Sam, and her husband Chris and daughter Emily. Good times. Seriously, this chick is the cutest. kid. ever. (Emily, not me! hehehe.)

And if I do say so... Seriously, this fella is the cutest. man. ever. (I think it's really funny that Emily, even at the tender age of two, is distracted by a good sale.) Hahahaha.

Okay, well I hope you are all well! And just in case you are wondering, Mr. Gator would like to let everyone know: "I'm not dead." (and I must add, he only says that to lure you over so he can bite your pinkie off later... so watch out!)

true colors

Okay, so these pictures aren't necessarily representative of everything we did, and they definitely aren't the last you'll see. But, these are the photos that I was especially proud of from a photographic standpoint... or at least I thought they were interesting... or I just liked to look at them- hey, there's a monkey! Now, I don't claim to be a photography genius- heck, I didn't even get to take the class in college like my sister did!- but I do like to take pictures. And occasionally I find few I really like. I think these are not only good photos, but also capture Uganda and our experiences in a true light. Enjoy!

TLC likes it when I put the captions on top, so here I go:

Cool dead tree. Pretty blue sky.



Our second night in town we lost power. Normally this is not so bad, except that we had lost water earlier that day. So this lovely picture is in tribute to my new best friend: the gas lantern. We used them (and a few candles) to provide light as we took bucket baths and washed each other's hair in said bucket. Good times.

Pretty sunrise. I took this picture out of our bedroom window. I think these colors lasted maybe 5 minutes. When I looked back again, it was like it had never been there at all. So, I was really glad to have capture it on film... er, microchip.

This is a jackfruit tree. Yes, it really grows like that. No, I don't think it knows how ridiculous it looks. It is too busy being chased by Ugandans everywhere who are seriously devoted to eating its supersweet fruit. PS- the jackfruit in this picture was at least as long as my forearm.

When we arrived in Jinja to visit Auntie Holly, we noticed immediately how quiet it was compared to Kampala and her suburbs. We did a lot of walking... mainly cause there was no one else around to transport us.

Except when we found boda-bodas (motorcycle or bicycle taxis). It was difficult to find enough boda-bodas for 5 of us though! Here Jamie is demonstrating how to ride- see how happy she looks! Can you imagine this was only her first time! By the look on her face, you can be sure it was not her last. : )

I think the best way to enjoy the wonderful day is on the back of a boda. Please keep in mind I took these pictures while riding on the back of one myself. I love riding on them because it is the only time you have air conditioning when you are in Uganda! Ugandan ladies (who almost always wear skirts) ride side-saddle (see Holly below for perfect Muganda imitation). Actually, Holly is probably now more Muganda than she is Muzungu (white person).

This is us (well, not me but everyone else) at Bujagali Falls. I know, I know... you want to see the falls. But I took this picture with my new incognito method (I turned off the sound and flash and I just hold it nonchalantly and take pictures while no one is paying attention!) and it came out cool! And yes, Jamie is from Canada.

Here are my toes and the blazing sun in the Nile.


Beautiful hibiscus. I so like flowers.

Okay, so this picture is nothing special to look at EXCEPT that it proves we saw a monkey. Do you see him???

Noah at the Amani baby cottage in Jinja (where Holly now works).


Viani is just the latest in a long line of victims of my new incognito picture-taking method!

Yes, but we all have red feet.

Okay, so her aim is not the best... but that's really not a bad throw for a little girl who has probably never thrown a Frisbee before. We enjoyed our playtime with the newest African Children's Choir- #30!!! They just began training the day before we came home.

I think this little girl's name is Enid. She was super cute and affectionate. I tell you what, the are few things better than a cute kid holding your hand.

The END! I hope you enjoyed my somewhat random and somewhat not photojournal. I will post more pictures later... but I hope this will hold you who have been waiting over until I get some more time. Now, I am off to Deland to hang with family and celebrate Stephen's graduation! Woo hoo!!!

long ago and far away

okay, so not long ago... (the pictures are only from yesterday...) but i am definitly far away...
anyways, here are some fun pictures!


reunion at the airport!


nice lunch at nando's... i finally had my beloved samosas!

Looking out of the school windows... super cute kids!

Mark was very sick with Malaria in Febraury... but Praise God now he is better!

Kids from choir #24 ready for the big football match!

This is Amos Emenu, from choir #24, we are so proud of him! He went straight to the senior boy's team!

Derick and some other boys watching the game African style... : )

Solange and Gratienne cheering on the sidelines!

Ugandans have very strong necks. Seriously!!!

Okay, hopefully I will be able to post some more pictures in a few days!

leaving on a jet plane...

actually, I'll be leaving on several jet planes in just a few hours: Orlando to Detroit to Amersterdam to Entebbe, Uganda! Woo Hoo! i'll be gone for 10 days to visit these people:

I'll be traveling (once I reach Amsterdam) with three former Aunties (such as myself)- Jamie (center) and Kelly (right) and we will get to visit with Florence (back) while we are in Uganda! Also, another Auntie (who I don't have a picture of), Melissa, will be making the trip as well! How very exciting! I must say, I am super excited to be an auntie again! Prepare your self for a very large number of awesome pictures!!! Woo hoo! I heart UGANDA!

Oh yeah, and hopefully there will be none of this once we get there! Hahaha, no.... this only happens ON TOUR. good times. : )

dem bones, dem bones... (Gonna Rise Again)

So last night as I was flipping through the channels trying to find MTV to watch a show TLC told me about (which I never found btw) I got distracted by Anderson Cooper. Now, normally news show people do not appeal to me AT ALL, but this time something caught my eye before I could move on. Right there, on the side of the screen, was a big fancy logo with the title of his current discussion series: "What is a Christian?" "HOLY COW!" I thought. Is this really on CNN? And then my second thought, "dear goodness, I hope they don't make us look like idiots." So I listened for a little while and made sure to look up the transcripts for the whole series later. Here is a link to the info page:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/14/acd.02.html

Now, I haven't read everything on the transcript- nor do I anticipate agreeing with every view presented. However, I did get a chance to read this article (copied below) which was excellent. I'm even thinking of reading this guy's book. So, for once, and I really can't believe I'm about to type this, I was encouraged by something on CNN. (Many of you might have been previously subjected to one of my tirades against the American news media and all it's deception.) So, in the spirit of equal opportunity, I hope this post will give me a chance to prove that, at least as far as CNN is concerned, I don't hate the player, I just hate the game. Hahahaha. Enjoy!


By Dr. Francis Collins
Special to CNN

Editor's note: Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the Human Genome Project. His most recent book is "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief."

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- I am a scientist and a believer, and I find no conflict between those world views.

As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God's plan.

I did not always embrace these perspectives. As a graduate student in physical chemistry in the 1970s, I was an atheist, finding no reason to postulate the existence of any truths outside of mathematics, physics and chemistry. But then I went to medical school, and encountered life and death issues at the bedsides of my patients. Challenged by one of those patients, who asked "What do you believe, doctor?", I began searching for answers.

I had to admit that the science I loved so much was powerless to answer questions such as "What is the meaning of life?" "Why am I here?" "Why does mathematics work, anyway?" "If the universe had a beginning, who created it?" "Why are the physical constants in the universe so finely tuned to allow the possibility of complex life forms?" "Why do humans have a moral sense?" "What happens after we die?"
(Watch Francis Collins discuss how he came to believe in God )

I had always assumed that faith was based on purely emotional and irrational arguments, and was astounded to discover, initially in the writings of the Oxford scholar C.S. Lewis and subsequently from many other sources, that one could build a very strong case for the plausibility of the existence of God on purely rational grounds. My earlier atheist's assertion that "I know there is no God" emerged as the least defensible. As the British writer G.K. Chesterton famously remarked, "Atheism is the most daring of all dogmas, for it is the assertion of a universal negative."

But reason alone cannot prove the existence of God. Faith is reason plus revelation, and the revelation part requires one to think with the spirit as well as with the mind. You have to hear the music, not just read the notes on the page. Ultimately, a leap of faith is required.
For me, that leap came in my 27th year, after a search to learn more about God's character led me to the person of Jesus Christ. Here was a person with remarkably strong historical evidence of his life, who made astounding statements about loving your neighbor, and whose claims about being God's son seemed to demand a decision about whether he was deluded or the real thing. After resisting for nearly two years, I found it impossible to go on living in such a state of uncertainty, and I became a follower of Jesus.

So, some have asked, doesn't your brain explode? Can you both pursue an understanding of how life works using the tools of genetics and molecular biology, and worship a creator God? Aren't evolution and faith in God incompatible? Can a scientist believe in miracles like the resurrection?
Actually, I find no conflict here, and neither apparently do the 40 percent of working scientists who claim to be believers. Yes, evolution by descent from a common ancestor is clearly true. If there was any lingering doubt about the evidence from the fossil record, the study of DNA provides the strongest possible proof of our relatedness to all other living things.

But why couldn't this be God's plan for creation? True, this is incompatible with an ultra-literal interpretation of Genesis, but long before Darwin, there were many thoughtful interpreters like St. Augustine, who found it impossible to be exactly sure what the meaning of that amazing creation story was supposed to be. So attaching oneself to such literal interpretations in the face of compelling scientific evidence pointing to the ancient age of Earth and the relatedness of living things by evolution seems neither wise nor necessary for the believer.

I have found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. God can be found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God's majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.



AND- in the spirit of Christians and their namesake, Christ and Easter and prettiness... I'll leave you with these two fun things:

1. a fun game for wikipedia-
click "random article" (on the left side bar) and then you have 5 clicks to get to Jesus Christ. It's pretty fun! (Oh yes, and clicks that redirect you to another section of the same article don't count.) But anyways, it's fun to think that pretty much everything can be brought back to JC in 5 or less moves- take that Kevin Bacon!

2. Easter Lilies, just for you. Happy EASTER!

don't you think?

have you ever noticed that jelly beans are like candy grapes?