This Weird, Wacky and Wonderful World

Day Eight: Excursion Day

2009-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

After all our hard work, we were anxious to spend our Saturday seeing the sites of Zambia!

Our first stop was the "Cultural Village," with hut after hut filled with African handy crafts. Carvings, cloth and baskets abound under these thatched roofs. The whole team buys much more than any of us expected and we leave with bowls and purses, statues and paintings. I can't help but laugh at American consumerism run rampant in an African village. What can I say . . . we love our stuff!

Our next stop is a botanical garden and zoo. We all enjoyed some quite time sitting under shady trees surrounded by bright flowers. It's funny how so many plants here look like they came out of Dr. Seuss book.

The highlight of the day was the zoo's "Feeding Tour." The sign at the beginning of the tour said "Watch Lions Leap for Meat!" and they weren't lyin' . . . . ha ha ha! We all stood outside this enclosure with hunks of meat strewn about. Then the tour guide said, "Release the lions!" and out bounded 5 or 6 lions. And when I say bounded, I mean ran straight for us, grabbed the meat and sat down for lunch. Even though there was a big fence between us and the lions, it was very unsettling.

Day Seven: The Path

2009-05-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it amazes me how things come full circle. Amongst all our school touring and social work visiting we have also been working diligently on the school. All the walls are as high as the door jams and the Zambians don't trust us to help with the final tricky step so we are leaving it to them.

This morning, we were looking around the House of Martha attempting to find another project to occupy our time. As we stood in the dirt and mud out back, the obvious solution comes to us. We ought to use the brick we just tore out of the school to make a path to the school to help cut back on all the dirt and mud tracked into the buildings during the raining season. There is something so fulfilling about reusing the brick we've demolished to make something new and beautiful and there are few things as beautiful as a worn, brick path.

The kids decide to join in on the work. They scramble around the pile of rubble in their bare feet looking for usable brick. We attempt to stop them, we don't want them to cut their feet on the metal and rock in the pile but we eventually admit defeat and let them join in. As we load bricks carefully into a wheel barrow, they pile them 3 or 4 high on top of their heads and scurry over to the construction site. It amazes me out these kids know how to work. They are able to watch a task for 2 or 3 minutes and then hop in and do it better than the person who was doing it first.

We end up with kids sorting brick, moving brick on their heads, laying the brick alongside the path in easy reach of the brick layers and laying the base layer of sand that the path is on. I asked Nixon, one of the Zambian workers, if the kids help him with other chores around the house. He laughs and says he is not as exciting to work with as a bunch of white people.

Once we finish laying the brick, we distribute a layer of damp sand across the top and use our fingers to push the sand down between the bricks. Gradually, I feel a presence growing around me and I look up. Every kid in the yard has stopped what they were doing - playing, braiding hair, hanging clothes up to dry - and every kid is around the edge of this path, quietly and intently pushing sand into the cracks between the brick. What a perfect job for such little fingers. As they intently focus on the task in front of them, I wonder what lessons we Americans should be taking home from these very special kids.

Day Six: Social Work Visits

2009-05-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Today was my lucky day! Becky (one of my other teammates and I) were selected to follow along with the organizations social workers, Lucky and Gertrude, on a tracking visit. As I mentioned in a previous post, the main goal of ACE in Zambia is to reconnect these abandoned children with extended family here in country. On a tracking trip, we load up a jeep full of 6 kids and take off to the compounds in hopes of finding their families. But, our first stop is the Department of Social Welfare. One little girl, Esnade found her family the day before on a tracking trip. We are going to meet the family at the office and get a letter of release so she can return with them. Lucky and Gertrude will follow up with them over the next few months to ensure that she has landed in a healthy living situation. Esnade walks away flanked by her father, her aunt and her cousin. I think that both Becky and I through up a little prayer as we watched her walk away.

The rest of the day is tracking with the remaining kids. The first girl, Averess, we take to a police station in Kanyama. There is a rumor that there was a man searching for a girl her age a few months ago. We are hoping to access police records to find out who he is and see if Averess is the girl he is looking for. Unfortunately, even though it is only 10am, the commanding officer has left for the day and all the files are locked in his office. We pile Averess in the back with the rest of the kids and move on to the next one.

Marsupa is a boy about 9 years old. He leads us through the streets of a different compound. He points left here and right there. Finally, we reach an impasse. He's gotten lost, he can't remember the rest of the way home. This is common. Families move frequently, roads are convuluted and some of these kids have been away from home for a long time. Dejected, Marsupa climbs back in the back of the jeep. Now, the only option for him is to run his picture and story on a local TV show focused on connecting lost children with their families.

Next is Josephine who is 8 years old. Josephine, quickly guides us through the winding roads to a small but well-cared for home. Several women on the front porch cry, "Josephine!" as we approach and she is greeted with hugs all around. One of the women invite us inside and we sit on torn, stained and mismatched chairs in their "living room." Becky and I have know idea what is being said but after about 20 minutes we leave. Lucky explains that the child had been living there and the woman was her aunt. Unfortunately, she had been being abused by her uncle and it was not a safe home for her to return to. In follow-up visits, Lucky and Gertrude will try to determine if there is another family member who would be willing to take Josephine.

The next child is Joyce, who is 9 years old. She also leads us directly to her home in Kanyama but there are no cries of recognition and hugs. Joyce politely greets the women on the front stoop and after a few minutes of conversation sadly walks back to the jeep with Luckys hand on her shoulder. Lucky explains that the family has "shifted" (moved away) and that a new family occupies the house. Once again, the only chance for Joyce now is the TV show for missing children.

Our last child is probably the saddest story. Fatima led us around in circles for several minutes in a new compound we hadn't visited before. Eventually, she and Lucky get out and stand in the intersection for a long time. Uncle G, our driver, explains that the child is intentially leading us in circles . . . most likely because she doesn't want to go home to her family. She is pretending she is lost but that is very unlikely. She is 11 years old and has only been away from home for a month. I asked Uncle G what will happen now and he says that they will continue to bring her out on tracking trips and hope that she will eventually show them where she lives. He reminds Becky and I that they would never put her into a bad situation so if they find the home and there is abuse, it just gives them the documation they need to pursue another option for her.

Day 5: The Helen DeVoss School

2009-05-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Today we took a little field trip to the Helen DeVoss School which is another ministry of the Alliance for Children Everywhere. The school is located in Kanyama which is one of the poorest compounds in the city and is also the one with the most kids. A compound is roughly equivalent to a neighborhood but is much more like a slum. The houses are small - usually only one or two rooms made out of cinder blocks with a tin roof. The women sit on the front step cooking over a small outdoor fire while laundry hangs on a clothesline nearby. Most of the roads are barely passable by jeep which is understandable when you consider that no one owns a car. Kids of all sizes run along side our jeep without shoes shouting "Muzungu, muzungu!" (the Zambian word for "Gringo") and garbage and mud litter the street. Zambia does have public schooling but the costs inhibit most kids from attending. Here you have to be able to pay for a uniform, pay for a notebook and you have to bath everyday. Sometimes just the cost of soap is all that keeps these kids from attending school.

The Helen DeVoss school is free to the children. Many kids are sponsored by individuals back in the US - the cost of a sponsorship is $200/year. The kids who are not sponsored are covered out of ACE's general fund until a sponsor can be established. The principal, Robby, is a distinguished looking man with gray hair who is anxious to tell us and show us everything about his school. He is a man who takes pride in his work and recognizes that what he is doing changes the lives of these kids forever. The kids well behaved, sharply dressed in their blue uniforms and intent on their studies. They greet us in unison with "Hello, how are you today?" We stopped in on 4 different classes who told us about what they are studying and why they liked going to the DeVoss school. They were representative of the 260 students who attend regularly (Grades 8-12). Our team laughed when we heard that attendance was low today because it was cold and many of the students didn't have warm enough clothes to wear - the temperature was around 75 degrees! It just shows how you become accustomed to where you live.

There are two things that the DeVoss school is most proud of - one is there computer lab which boasts 7 operating computers although Internet access is not available in the compounds. The other is their wet bench laboratory. I was so pleased to see the lab benches, sinks and test tubes. It's unusual to have a science lab in even the nicest private school so this is a real treat for the students. I hope many great scientists are born in that laboratory. Unfortunately, lab time is rare because they don't have enough glassware and other laboratory apparatus to perform many of the experiments. Hmmmmmmm . . . we'll have to see what we can do about that!

Day 4: Bricks, Bricks and More Bricks

2009-05-18T04:57:00.001-07:00

Today was focused on the construction of the school addition. We completed knocking down all the interior walls. The Zambians have an excellent motivational technique. They tell us to knock down these two walls - then, once we finish and celebrate reaching our goal, they say, "Great! Now walk down these two walls!" So, we knock down two more walls, celebrate and then they say, "Knock down these two walls!" It reminds me of this backpacking trip I took in college. We took a wrong turn and ended up having to hike twice as far as expected. When our leader realized what had happened, he didn't let on that a mistake had been made but whenever we got restless, he would run ahead and then run back and say just one more mile - 7 miles later, we reached a campsite!

Since I'm pretty useless when it comes to knocking down walls, I spent most of the days moving cinder blocks from the front of the home to the back with a rickety old wheelbarrow. The girls and I got a pretty good system going of loading, pushing and unloading and switching off jobs every 10 minutes. I think this day is definitely going to count toward my fitness challenge at work!

Today was also bitter sweet because my favorite little baby - Brian - went home with his uncle and mother today. From the minute I met Brian - I loved him! If you are an "Office" fan, you will appreciate that this baby looked exactly like Stanley - right down to the skeptical looks up from his lab. Seriously, give this kid a crossword puzzle and he could fill in when the real guy is on vacation. Brian has always been a very sad baby - cries a lot - but has the cutest little smile when you can wrangle one out of him. I asked Sandra why Brian was always so sad and she said even when you are that small you can still feel sad about being abandoned by your mother. Brian's mother became pregnant with him when she was only 11 years old after being taken advantage of by an uncle. She delivered Brian at the age of 12 at a local hospital. Scared and unsure of the future in front of her, she complained of stomach pains and was taken down to the x-ray department. When she was left alone in the hallway, she jumped off her gurney and left the hospital, abandoning Brian at only a day old. The Department of Social Welfare then delivered Brian here to House of Moses and he has been here for almost 18 months.

A few weeks ago, a man arrived with a letter from the DSW stating that he was Brian's uncle and was free to take Brian home with him. Brian would have none of his uncle. He cried, then he screamed, then he kicked and threw a genuine temper tantrum. Sandra (the head of the House of Moses) convinced the uncle to leave Brian here for a few weeks and stop by for regular visits so that Brian would get used to him. The uncle agreed this was the best plan.

The next Sunday, the uncle came again but this time he brought a young girl with him. The young girl picked up Brian and cried almost as much as he did when he would not let her hold him. After a few minutes, they left again. Sandra asked the Zambian caretakers who the girl was. "That was his mother," they said. The girl wasn't much older than 13. Sandra explained that she had seen this before - although the babies are small they remember more than you would believe, inside they know that this woman has abandoned them and left them in this awful situation. Additionally, seeing the baby raises all sorts of feelings in the mother of failure and understanding of the implications of her decisions. "God is the only one who can mend these broken hearts," says Sandra.

The next Sunday (the day after we arrived), the uncle and the mother come again and Brian screams. This time Sandra is waiting for their arrival. She brings the uncle, the mother and the baby together and prays, "Dear Lord, you are the healer of all. Please mend this relationship between Brian and his mother. Give Brian the understanding to forgive his mother and embrace her in his life and give Brian's mother the ability to forgive herself as you have forgiven her. Amen." Then . . . Brian stopped crying.

He went home with his family for the first time every today, as he should have 18 months ago.

Day Three: Demolition

2009-05-11T08:08:00.001-07:00

We began our day with devotions with the Zambian staff. I enjoy so much worshiping the Lord with our African brothers and sisters. We sing, chant and dance - I don't understand what they are saying but I know the spirit behind their songs.

Today, we finally headed over to the House of Martha which houses the older children (4-14 years old). The kids who are 18 months to 4 years are housed at the Bill and Betty Bryant Nursery at another location. Our job today is to knock down 3 brick walls on the out-building they use as a school in preparation for expanding the building to include an additional classroom. We had a few too many "cooks in the kitchen," so to speak, so I made friends with some of the kids once they got back from school. Half the kids go to a private school next door and were very cute coming home for lunch in their plaid skirts and sweater vests.

We played an African version of pictionary in the dirt with a stick. The biggest challenge was to think of things that they would recognize since their world is filled with things very different from mine. I learned quickly that nature transcends culture boundaries - trees, the sun, flowers, a river - are all things to which they can relate.

The kids are also fascinated by my blond hair and fair skin. I got a new hair-do courtesy of 6 year old Joyce and spent much of the afternoon explaining what freckles were - needless to say, African children don't have freckles.

We were having quite a lovely time when the house mother came out calling with a loud African cry. The kids hopped up and ran around the side of the house. I had to follow to see what the commotion was. What I found was a mess of children, mud, hoses, buckets and water everywhere. One by one, the kids would emerge from the melee much cleaner then they entered it - which I still don't understand because of all the dirt and mud - and head into the house for supper - as always, with a big smile one each face!

Points for Prayer -
- One of our teammates had a little diabetic emergency last night. The staff accidentally froze his insulin. Luckily, we were able to find some insulin last night that should last him for the trip. Please pray that this is our only medical emergency this trip!

Day Two: The Zambian Experience

2009-05-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

This morning started out with church. We were supposed to leave promptly at 9:30 but the driver hadn't shown up yet and we couldn't get the vans started. After about an hour and several Zambian and American men all standing around the vans, they manage to get them to start. Sandra - the head of the organization - shrugs, laughs and says "TIA!" (This is Africa!) I'm learning that you have to expect nothing hear because nothing goes as planned.

The church has expansive grounds and is also completely walled. There are several small groups having study sessions under the trees and traditional African Christian music floats out of the cinder block building in the center of the grounds. After church, the guests stand at the back door with the Pastor and greet each of the regular attenders as they leave. The Zambians dress to the nines for church but the dress varies. Some are in traditional African garb with head dresses and brightly colored skirts. Others are in suits and shiney black shoes. They are so excited to meet their Christian brothers and sisters from Ameria and we stay for about an hour after church to visit with the people.

The afternoon was spent milling around the local craft market. The vendors lay out cloth on which they display bowls, pottery, carvings, paintings and brightly colored fabrics. They are not shy about selling their wares and are consistantly in your face convicing you that they have the one item you cannot leave Africa with out. I laughed when one vendor persistantly attempted to sell me a carving of two giraffes not knowing that my friend, Melissa (who invited me on this trip) brought me the exact same one on her last visit. "I already have this one, my friend gave it to me as a gift!" - "That's okay! You need two!" he replied. Like I said - persistant!

Points for Prayer -

- Jetlag, Headaches and Dehydration - I'm feeling the affects of traveling for over 24 hours.

Day One: Warm Welcomes

2009-05-11T07:42:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned, we arrived very early on Saturday morning, so our goal for the day was to stay awake as long as we could to help with adjusting to the schedule here.

The House of Moses - where we are staying - is an orphanage for children from birth to 18 months. The grounds are surrounded with a tall, thick cement wall with shards of glass protruding from the top. The whole picture would be rather imposing if it wasn't for the colorful mural covering the front gate. It depicts an African woman carrying her baby in a sling across her back. In the background there is a little church and many different African animals. Once inside the compound, it looks very much like a preschool in the states. Little Tykes playground equipment and a see-saw scatter across the yard. The lawn and driveway are shady and cool. The house is a very large two story structure made out of brick and cinder blocks. We are immediately greeted by the staff who are so excited to meet us and learn all our names.

Our rooms are dormitory style - one for the men and one for the women - with bunkbeds and mosquito nets hanging from the ceiling. The food is delicous but very American. It's obvious that the staff is used to having teams of Americans come for a visit.

The babies are adorable! Some are orphaned but many have been removed from their families by the Zambian version of child protective services. The goal of the Alliance for Children in Zambia is to help these kids find homes preferably with their own extended family but also in other Zambian families and occasionally adoption into other countries. There are about 30 babies living at this house.

Points for Prayer -

Malaria - The unusual weather has made the mosquitos more of a problem then they ususally are at this time of year. I'm using a lot of bug spray but its still more of a risk than expected.

We've Arrived

2009-05-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

I arrived safe and sound in Lusaka, Zambia in the wee hours of Saturday morning after two very long flights and a quick stop over in London for gyros. Its very hot and actually very humid here - which is unusual for this time of year. More to come soon!

Zambia - The Pre-Trip

2009-05-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Tomorrow I wing my way to Lusaka, Zambia!

With me is coming a TON of kids underwear! Thanks to my extremely generous coworkers, these kids are going to be the proud recieptants of 346 pairs of underwear. For kids who share everything, having their own pair will be a huge treat for them! In case your curious, here are some pictures of what that looks like. I can tell you it weighs about 41 lbs.

For those of you who are praying for me while I'm on my trip, I greatly appreciate it. Here are some points for prayer at this stage:

- Traveling Mercies: Pray that my flights go well, no luggage is lost and I don't get sick (no swine flu please!).

- Team Unity: The group I'm traveling with has had limited interaction at this point and we are all arriving separately. Pray that we will establish trust and rapport quickly so that we can have maximum impact.

- Culture Shock: This is not my first third world experience but traveling to a new country always brings its own set of challenges. For me, it is almost always the food - I'm a terribly picky eater. Prayer that I'll find a dish I like and can rely on for the trip.

Just Grillin'!

2009-04-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

I bought a grill today - figured it would be a good use of a portion of my tax refund and a good way to eat fast and healthy this summer.

My new neighbor Darrell helped me carry it to the backyard and set it up. Darrell also gave me some tomato plants for my back yard. And helped me figure out how to turn on my sprinklers. Darrell is very helpful - too bad he's forty plus and a smoker. ;)

Anyway, back to the grillin' . . .

So, I grilled myself up some chicken and I made a little foil packet of peppers, onions, carrots and garlic (Thanks for the idea Meredith!) and it was delicious!

I sat in the sun on my back patio and enjoyed my meal while reading a book and watching my cats frolic through the grass chasing bugs.

I think I'm going to really like this summer!

Things I'm into today . . . .

2009-03-29T15:51:00.001-07:00

Whoa! Long blogging hiatus! Sorry for that. I've had tons of things to blog about but just couldn't find the time to sit down and write! So, I thought a good way to get back into the swing of things would be to highlight some things that I've been really into lately.

Finding Financial Peace - In January, I decided it was time to take control of my money and not let my money control me. I'd been feeling a little overwhelmed and frustrated with managing my finances. So, I began taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University at a local church. For those of you who aren't familiar with Dave or his program I highly, highly recommend it! Dave presents a straight-forward and Biblicaly based system for managing your finances. I am not good or interested in financial stuff but Dave is really funny and his program has me on a budget and with a plan . . . . pretty amazing for me!

Tap Dancing - I've been taking Tap Dancing lessons since September and I'm loving it!!! I have a recital in June and we're dancing to Chicago's version of "In the Mood." (For those of you who are familiar with both Chicago and the song "In the Mood" you are not going crazy, I guess Chicago has a big band album.) I'm sure I'll be Ginger Rogers by then.

Africa Trip - In case you didn't know, I'm headed to Africa in May for two weeks with my ex-roommate Melissa and her church from Seattle. We'll be working at an orphanage in the Zambian capitol of Lusaka. I'm so excited for this trip!!! My team is awesome and I think it will be a great opportunity to see God's work in this African country. We are taking each child in the orphanage a backpack with socks, flip-flops, school supplies, a treat and underwear. I'm responsible for getting underwear donations and my non-Christian co-workers are all over that! It's hilarious, all they talk about is getting underwear for this trip. Its amazing to see God work in progress!

My New Church - I've finally found a church in the Tri-Cities that's a fit for me! It's actually a church plant of a bigger church I tried and decided wasn't for me. It's kinda funny because it meets in a movie theater so church always smells like popcorn. But the fellowship is amazing and I'm finally feeling at home. I also just started going to a small group and I think this is going to be a great place for me!
Contra Dancing - This is a form of folk dancing that sort of a blend of square dancing and line dancing. If you've ever seen the new Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightly, they do it in the first dance scene where Elizabeth Bennett meets Mr. Darcy. I know it's kind of hoaky but I used to do this every now and then when I lived in Seattle but its so much fun and such a good work out, I decided to make it a more regular event. They have a group here in the TC that dances once a month and there is another one in Walla Walla that meets once a month. It should be great fun!

Summertime - I'm so ready for it! Gardening, hiking, camping, canoeing, eating out-side, BBQ's, Boccie Ball, Goof Ball, chores, farmer's market, craft fairs, wine tasting, evening walks, star gazing, playing with dogs, sun-tans, tubing, croquet, swimming, Miller Island, Mt. Rainier . . . . . and so much more!!!

So that's what's keeping me occupied right now! Here's to much more frequent blogging!

Princeton!

2009-02-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

Hello Folks!

I've arrived safely in Princeton, NJ for my big trip! I'm visiting my dear friend Meghan who was my best friend in middle school and is one of my oldest friends! She's a smart-one and is currently getting her PhD in French Lit here at Princeton. Today is all about seeing her world and meeting her friends. Tomorrow we'll head into the Big Apple for our grand adventure! More to come soon!

Speed Dating!!!

2009-01-21T21:23:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus guys! With the holidays and work finally picking up again, I've been pretty busy. But I finally had such a life event I had to blog about it!

After much begging, pleading and down right coercion. I gave into my coworker's request to try the speed dating event she'd heard about on the radio. Most people heard that ad and thought "That sounds like fun, I should go to that!" She heard it and thought, "That sounds like fun, Jessica should try it!" What can I say, my married coworkers live vicariously through my singleness.

Well, despite my best intentions to have a HORRIBLE time, it was actually pretty fun. Most of the guys were very nice - old and divorced - but nice. Filling up the three minutes wasn't too much trouble - although some of them were pretty quite. It was too bad that most of them had been married before and most who had been married before had kids - a couple had high school age kids! NO THANK YOU!!!

Now, it would be very lax of me to not share about the two creepy guys who you knew had to be there. One was in his fifties and we discussed his plans for retirement. He said he would note me by my pink shirt because it would be inappropriate to use other aspects of my appearance to jog his memory . . . . he said this while staring at my chest. Yes, the conversation just got worse from there!

The worst one though was actually a host at the radio station - and I'm really hoping he doesn't get my name and number through some tricky way because he works there. He was over the top! "Do you like to hike? Great! I love to hike! Ever hiked Badger Mountain? No, well we can go together!" "Oh, you grew up in Walla Walla. I love Walla Walla! We should go there, we can go visit your parents and then I'll take you to all the wineries I love!" "Do you like good food! Let's go to lunch! You just say when and where!" When I asked him how long he'd been in radio, he said longer than I'd been alive. Now, why does a guy easily old enough to be my dad want to show me the town?! Cause he's a creep! That's why!

Anyway, they've been doing this for a while and I guess it's pretty successful but they took a break over the holidays so things were a little slow today. There were about 6 guys to visit with. They also said that crowd usually has guys more my age. I think I'll give it another try. I gave the go ahead on 2 different guys who were normal and nice - we'll see what they think tomorrow!

If nothing else, most of the guys were engineers so I might get some good candidates out of my dating endeavours!

TTFN!

Snow . . . . Snow . . . . Snow!!!!!

2008-12-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

So, lately my life has been revolving around the snow. Mainly because work has been really slow and I've been bored and also because almost everything about snow is fun. Seeing my new house covered in snow - fun . . . . getting to wear jeans and snow boots to work - fun . . . . getting snowed in and having to miss work - really fun. Now, I would be lying if I didn't admit there were some un-fun things about snow. Shoveling the driveway of my new house - un-fun . . . . long car trips over mountain passes in snow - un-fun . . . . making a trip to Seattle for the annual "Tacky Christmas Sweater Party" only to have it cancelled - really un-fun! But all these un-fun things can be redeemed. I had my friend Meredith come over and help me shovel my driveway. I listened to a slightly scandalous book on tape during my snowy drive which kept me entertained. I hung out with my good friends, Becca and Keisha, and ate all our yummy party food while we sat snowed in and partyless on Saturday night.

Speaking of party food! I created the most amazing cheese-ball in the shape of a snowman! It was sort of an accident. I scooping out my cheese ball and it lumped into a rough snowman shape and my slightly unconventional imagination went wild. My sister, Nancy, helped me make the face out of pepper corns and a cheddar cheese nose and we added a wrapping ribbon scarf as a final touch!

Of course, this little guy was going to be the hit of the party . . . too bad we got a call a half hour before the party from the host letting us know that most people were sliding down the steep hill to the house and suggesting we should just stay home! Darn it! Oh well, Becca and Keisha and I devoured my little friend!

As I mentioned, I got a ton of snow at my little house over the past couple of weeks. I was all excited about shoveling snow - I thought it would be great exercise - well, it is good exercise but totally boring! Plus I couldn't even buy a shovel, they were out everywhere, so I have to keep borrowing my neighbor's shovel. Luckily, my hand-me-down friend, Meredith, had a shovel too so she came over and together we made a good dent in the 14 inches of snow at my house.

I know you are probably wondering why Meredith is my "hand-me-down" friend. Well, Meredith is a super-close friend of my cousin Kristy in Tacoma. Meredith got recruited to work at the lab about a month before me so when I arrived I had a little email in my inbox asking if I was "Kristine's Cousin" - we've been fast friends ever since. Together, we have decorated our houses, redecorated our houses for Christmas, discovered the joys of the Columbia Valley wine country, carpooled to Bible Study, and spent countless hours watching way too much junk TV.

I am consistently amazed at how God provides for us before we even have a chance know what we need!

So, what I'm really pondering on this Christmas-eve-eve . . . . why did I find a shoe shoveling off the sidewalk in front of my house?

Somewhere, someone has a very cold foot!

Christmas is Here!

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

I spent this weekend couped up inside as snow came down and down and down. So, I made good use of my time and decorated for Christmas. Here is my beautiful tree!

But wait . . . . What's that under my tree? Did Santa already bring me a present?

Nope. That's my little Miss Lemon hanging out under the Christmas Tree.

BTW - Thanks for all the suggestions about my office door decorating project. Here is the final product! I'm pretty excited with the results.

It's an airstream trailer decorated for Christmas!!!

The tires are my favorite part!!!

You gotta love the holidays!!!!!!!

Door Decorating

2008-12-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

They are having a door decorating contest at work! I'm really excited . . . it takes me back to the days of dorm life at GFU. I was talking to a lady down the hall and she says the doors are pretty amazing and pretty competitive. She's seen doors that look like a fireplace with pictures on the mantle and a roaring fire. One year she did "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and had grandma's feet sticking out from under the door. Now I'm trying to decide how to decorate my door. For some reason, I've got frogs in my head - "Hoppy Holidays" - really cheesy. I thought of "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" with a winter scene. Or maybe a 3 dimensional tree, fully decorated with presents underneath.

Anybody have any good ideas?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T19:08:00.002-08:00

Lee, Mom, Dad, Kevin and Nancy

The Woes of the Computer World and The Female Condition

2008-11-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

So, I hate my computer. It's official. The new thing is pretending that it doesn't have any power. It just keeps saying, "Battery Critical - Plug in to avoid losing all your work." The only catch . . . the computer is plugged in! Yes, I hate my computer. My sister is going to fix it for me over Thanksgiving - if that doesn't work, I'm trashing it and buying a new one. On top of that, work has totally cracked down on cyber security and they are monitoring our computers 24 hours a day and we can't even check our personal email (Gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) on our lunch hour anymore. So, for blogging, I'm forced to attempt to capture the complexities of my life in between plug in issues.

That being said, it's been an eventful week. My grandmother's funeral was Saturday and I spent 4 days in Portland to help my Aunt prep and attend the funeral. Our sadness was sweetened by the arrival of my cousin's first baby the day before the funeral. It was really awesome to see the power of God in this completed circle - the death of one and the birth of another. ***Pictures to come soon!***

This brings me to the question of the hour - or really the eternal question of the female condition. I have a fabulous job, I own my own home, I'm self sufficient and have a great life. So, why is it all I can think about is finding that special someone and settling down to start my own family? Then I visit with my friends who have families and they always say that I'm so professional, or I have such an exciting life. The truth is that it's great but it's also a little lonely. I was at a baby shower recently and I overheard one woman wishing she had a little boy in addition to her little girl. Another girl wishing she owned her home so that she could paint her child's bedroom. And another girl wishing she could pull off the tights and boots look. Why do we always want whats on the other side? Why do I long for a family despite my great situation, while others envy my Mary Tyler Moore-esk existence? What should we want?

I recently heard an eye-opening story about a man who was a missionary in the deepest depths of Africa. The tribes he ministered to where the poorest of the poor, living in huts often without enough food. The missionary asked the head of the tribe what the biggest challenge was for his people. He responded without even thinking . . . materialism. Even with so little, his people had a distinct desire for what they perceived to be better - a straw and mud roof rather than a roof made of leaves. Two goats rather than one. The income to support two wives rather than one. ;)

The desire to have what you perceive to be better is innate in our sinful nature regardless of our circumstances. I haven't had much interaction with the filthy rich but in TV and movies, they are often portrayed to be the most jealous with a distinct desire to "keep up with the Joneses" and then some. All of this begs the bigger question for Christians, how do we know whether or not our wants are the God given "desires of our hearts" or our sinful nature getting the best of us? My gut reaction is that covet-ness is defined by your relationship to people who have what you desire. Do you resent them for their position in life or are you truly happy for them and their situation? Or do you allow resentment to grow and define your relationship . . . become the elephant in the room so to speak. What are your thoughts?

To cover or not to cover . . .

2008-11-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

First off, I would like thank all of you for your condolences regarding my grandmother. I am feeling much better.

Now, I have a pressing matter to discuss. My coworker came charging into my office early this week to vent about her big pet peeve. "While I was in the bathroom, two women came in and used the bathroom and they didn't use toilet seat covers! How gross is that?!!!" Well, I had to admit that I was not a toilet seat cover user - never have been. I just don't see it to be necessary.

Sure, if I'm at a truck stop or a particularly gross bathroom, I'll use one. I've even been known to lay out toilet paper on the seat if no toilet seat covers are provided and the bathroom warrants some extra protection. But, at work or a restaurant, I never use them. It seems pointless. How much can this little piece of tissue paper really protect you from? Lets be honest, I interact a whole lot more with the toilet seat when using a seat cover than I do when I just plop down.

Not to mention the hassle of the seat cover. At work, we have automatic flushing toilets. Half the time, it flushes while I'm positioning the seat cover and I have to start all over with a new cover. Or when I do flush, I have to flush two or three times to get it to go down properly. And, for those environmentalists out there, think of all the trees we are killing to give us the piece of mind that toilet seat covers provide. So what are your thoughts? To cover or not to cover?

Grandma Betty

2008-11-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Betty passed away today at the ripe old age of 90 something. As I mentioned in a previous post, this was very much anticipated but it still is sad to see her coming to an end. This last season of her life has not had the quality of life I would have wanted for her but she had a wonderful life for her first 80 years. Here are some photos of my grandma and somethings I will always remember about her.

Here's my Grandma on her wedding day. My grandparents managed to celebrate over 65 years together before she passed:

Here's one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents. I snapped it as they were leaving my Uncle Ron's wedding. I remember my mom and my aunt saying "Hurry, hurry, get that shot, we'll probably never get her in a dress again."

Here is a lovely needlework she did for my when I was very small. It looks like one of those little wooden boxes you can hang on the wall with all sorts of little nooks to set your knick-knacks. It also includes a great picture of my grandpa out in their cherry orchard in Cove, OR.

Some things I'll always remember:

- Grandma was born on the "Ides of March." She used to always say that's why you need to beware of them!

- Grandma LOVED Lawrence Welk, I bet I could recite every episode just from watching it with her on Saturday evenings growing up.

- Grandma made great pickles! Unfortunately, we didn't get all the details of the recipe before her mind started to slip. My cousin Jana and my Aunt Carol have spent countless hours trying to recreate "Grandma's Pickles".

- Grandma loved musicals! I think she owned everyone ever made.

My Aunt Carol has been living with my Grandma fulltime since I graduated from college and moved away . . . almost 4 years, now! It's been such a blessing that she was willing to take on that challenge. I know this transition will be the most difficult for her. As I was thinking of my Grandma and my Aunt Carol, a song from My Fair Lady came to mind. I think this is a very fitting tribute to my grandma who loved music and my aunt who cared for her for so long.

I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face

I've grown accustomed to her face,

She almost makes the day begin.

I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon.

Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs

Are second nature to me now;

Like breathing out and breathing in.

I was serenely independent and content before we met;

Surely I could always be that way again and yet -

I've grown accustomed to her looks,

Accustomed to her voice,

Accustomed to her face.

I've grown accustomed to her face,

She almost makes the day begin.

I've gotten used to hear her say "Good Morning" everyday.

Her joys, her woes, her highs, her lows

Are second nature to me now.

Like breathing out and breathing in.

I'm very glad that she's a woman and so easy to forget,

Rather like a habit one can always break and yet -

I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air -

Accustomed to her face.

The House

2008-11-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

So, I started a blog about my house a few days ago but managed to finish it last night. Blogger still posted it under the date I started it, so you will have to scroll back before the blog about my weekend to see the new blog entry and the tour.

Photos from this Weekend

2008-11-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun photos from this weekend!

My dad hard at work or hardly working!:

My grandma pretending to party it up with a glass of wine . . . don't worry, she actually didn't have anything to drink! ;)

My mom was so excited about her birthday present! She has been using the same crockpot that she received as a wedding present and is always complaining that the crock doesn't come out. So, I got her a new one and she was so confused she wore it as a hat. Well, I guess it's multifunctional.

A Fabulous Weekend!!!

2008-11-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a little sojourn over to Walla Walla for the weekend! Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE being this close to my home town!!! The only thing better would be to actually live there but, alas, that is not my lot in life yet. This was quite a "happening" weekend with bunches of people in town and lots of visiting.

THE SOCCER GAME

My first stop for the weekend was the George Fox girl's soccer game against Whitman College. Now, I know that some of you are completely flabbergasted and have fallen off the chair. It's true, voluntary attendance of a sporting match is usually unheard of in the life of Jessica. But, if you are going to find me at one, it will probably be GFU soccer. My good friend Andrew is now the assistant coach for the girls team. Andrew and I went to high school and college together so we have a lot of history and I attended many a men's soccer game in college when Andrew was playing for the Bruins.

Here are some pics of Andrew and I through the years:

Here's a picture of Andrew eating a chandelier - yeah, he's a little strange. (Don't hate me for posting this picture!!!)

It was an unfortunate game, the girls lost by one goal mainly due to a terrible ref! The really sad part is that they will now be fifth in the league rather than forth, at least that's what Andrew's dad, Ken says. Don't be too shocked - it's pretty impressive that I was able to determine who won the game on my own, don't for a minute think that I understand what that means for the teams rankings on my own!

After the game I helped Andrew's mom, Joyce, put together a delicious meal for the team - soup, chowder, sandwiches, cobbler - she really went all out! My help was minimal and consisted of arranging spoons and napkins on the table but Joyce said it was helpful. It was awfully cold and rainy so the girls were really grateful for some hot food!

THE BROTHER:

After the game, I rushed home to visit with my little brother Kevin who was visiting for the weekend from the University of Idaho. Kevin's studying Political Science and still isn't sure how he feels about being at the same school and in the same program as the one that Sarah Palin graduated from. I think it's cool! We had a great little visit, watched some James Bond - a Nims kids classic activity. Then he rushed off for an engagement party for one of his high school friends . . . lets not delve into Jessica's feelings about another 20 year old beating her down the aisle. Lets just trust that my romance at 30,000 feet with Airplane Man will put all there love stories to shame! Of course, this will only shame them if Airplane Man and I ever manage to reconnect, sigh.

So, the most recent picture I happen to have of Kevin is from the time he was playing Cogsworth the Clock in the high school's presentation of Beauty and the Beast - take a look -

THE GRANDMA:

I am very blessed, I still have all four of my grandparents - although two of them are hanging on by a thread now. This weekend my mom brought my grandma down from Spokane for a visit (this isn't the grandma who is really sick right now). She was sad to leave my grandpa who is too ill to travel but enjoyed her little trip. We had a good visit and she got to swing by and see my house today as my mom drove her back up to Spokane. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to spend some quality time with all my extended family but especially my Grandparents. This past summer has definitely shown me that no one will be around for forever. I've been watching my parents struggle with their ailing parents and it's made me wonder what it will be like for Nancy, Kevin and I to take care our our folks. Luckily, my parents have announced that they plan to take up hang-gliding, rock climbing and sail around the world when they are 65 so that it will be highly unlikely we will have to take care of them when they are infirm. I don't know if I approve of this method but I do appreciate the intent. ;)

Here are my grandparents a couple of years ago at Bloomsday. This is probably the way I will always remember them:

THE CHURCH:

So, the last stop of the weekend was church this morning. My dad has been on the building committee for a huge remodel of my home church and has been working diligently since summer 2007 on the project - and before that with all the planning, fundraising, etc. Today, I got to see the finished product in action - kids in classrooms, high school kids rocking out in their new auditorium, and a beautiful new office for the administrative team. It's great to see all his hard work paid off! I'm very proud of him and all he's done for this project.

Here's a picture from the ground breaking ceremony:

My House!

2008-11-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

A lot of you have been asking about my new house! A big part of the reason I wanted to move here to Eastern Washington is that I would be able to afford my own home. Here's a little tour of my humble abode:

You enter into my little family room:

From the living room you can see all the way through the kitchen into the dining room:

Here is my kitchen. It's a really nice size and I can look out the window from the sink:

Here's the dining room, featuring the bright green table!:

Yes, I do have a life sized cardboard cut out of Elvis in my dining room. Every girl needs a man around the house to take care of the little things too gross for her to do. I grew up on a farm so I have a very limited amount of things I won't do for myself, so a cardboard man is sufficient.

Here's the hall bathroom:

The Office:

My Room and Bathroom:

AND the Guest Room! Always available for weary travelers to visit whenever you are in Eastern Washington:

So that's mi casa! Stop by next time you're in town!

The Past Few Weeks (Part II)

2008-11-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

THE PARTY

Okay, so I arrived back from Columbus just in time to throw my first big get together at my new house! Wahoo! I live about 2 miles from a big corn maze/pumpkin patch. So, I invited a bunch of coworkers over for dinner. Those with little ones hit the pumpkin patch before dinner and us twenty and thirty somethings headed over after dinner for the haunted corn maze. The party was a huge success! I had somewhere between 10 and 15 people. I made some very spicy chili, apple pie, pumpkin pie and spiced cider then everyone else supplied the rest.

The Corn Maze was a ton of fun but very scary! They had these guys with either fake chainsaws or chainsaw motors without the blade and they would hop out of the corn and chase you down the aisle. Then another one would hop out and chase you back the other direction. They also had these really creepy tunnels with things hanging from the ceiling and fog and black lights. Its the kind of thing that I'll need to take a year to recover from before I am ready to return.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

Well, the real fun began on Sunday morning. I woke up with my back all tweaked out from running through the corn maze in my cowboy boots. Finally, I felt good enough to get up and out of bed and I had plenty of delicious food to graze upon that was left over from the party. Someone brought this great olive bread which sounded yummy! So I began cutting, I cut one slice . . . two slices . . . then . . . I cut my finger! With this massive serrated bread knife! I attempted to stop the bleeding and bandage appropriately but it just wouldn't stop bleeding! So, one trip to the urgent care and four stitches later, I was on my way to recovery.

Close your eyes if your squeamish . . . here's my stitched up finger:

Well, typing, hairstyling and showering were severely impacted by this injury but a week later I am stitch free and I'm hoping to get a scar!

THE BRIGHT GREEN TABLE:

Thanksgiving is going to be at my house this year . . . that's what I found out a couple of weeks ago. My sister and her husband live in the Seattle area and my folks live about an hour the other direction. So, since B-i-L has to work early on Friday morning, we are having Thanksgiving at my house to shave a couple hours off their trip. Now, most girls would freak out about having to cook a turkey or how to get all the food ready at the same time or how much money is this going to cost . . . I began freaking out about where we were all going to sit and my cute little 4-seater round table was not going to do the trick for my family of six.

Therefore, I am pleased to introduce my totally "Trading Spaces" worthy table!:

$30 bucks off of Craigslist and a couple coats of bright green paint and I have a very cute addition to my dining room! I think it will fit all of us nicely. Now the big question that remains is what to do for two additional chairs . . . the cheaper the better! We have some options - thrift store chairs painted, thrift store chairs stained (as close to the color of the other chairs as possible) or thrift store chairs slip-covered. I'm open to suggestions and opinions!

The Past Few Weeks (Part 1): Including a trip through time, a trip to Ohio and the airplane man

2008-11-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

So, already I am a blogger failure! I start up this blog and then don't write anything on it for weeks! Well, my excuse is that I had a lot of things going on. So I'm going to try and hit the highlights of my exciting life for the past few weeks.

TIME TRAVEL:

First, I got the opportunity to take a little trip back to the Portland area to see old friends and visit my family. For those of you who have known me for awhile, you know that I have very elderly grandparents living in Sherwood. I love them dearly but it's been hard to watch them as they slowly decline in health. My grandmother has been especially sick for ages. Well, the doctors tell us that things are truly coming to an end. She stopped eating and rarely gets out of bed. With my move, I haven't had a chance to get over to see her since January. I was glad to get to see her once more and spend a little bit of time with her even though there isn't much of her personality left (she has severe dementia).

On a much happier note, I was able to connect with my old friend/roommate KT. One thing I love about KT is how we are able to just pick up as if no time has past at all! Fifteen minutes into the visit we were thumbing through an IKEA catalogue pointing out the things we loved. KT has an amazingly devoted husband and two beautiful daughters. I love spending time with them and seeing how much the girls have grown.

Here's KT and I at graduation:

COLUMBUS, HERE I COME!

So, after my little nostalgic visit. I took a week long business trip to Columbus, OH to help man a booth and do a little recruiting for the lab at the IEEE Visualization Conference. Many of you have been asking about what exactly my new job is, so here is the run down. I work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory which is a Department of Energy laboratory as a recruiter. Now, this particular national lab happens to be run by a company called Battelle. Battelle is the largest not for profit research organization in the world and, conveniently, it happens to also be headquartered in Columbus, OH.

Here's a shot of the corporate HQ:

My first day in town, I got a little tour of the corporate office and I also got to pay homage to the first xerox copy machine, developed by Battelle scientists, which is a must for any Battelle employee (http://www.battelle.org/timeline/index.html).

The rest of the week, I learned a lot about visual analytics and the research going on at the lab. It was a very productive week and I made some great connections in and out of the lab. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Columbus! Especially the area near Ohio State University was so cute!

The little down town area:

Some cute houses near campus:

Hanging out at the Schmidt's Sausage House - John McCain has eaten here! (This of course would be a lot more significant if he were our future President, sigh.):

So, the only thing I was not so crazy about was the stupid Buckeyes! OMG, I have never see a town so obsessed with a stupid football team. Absolutely every store, every restaurant, every hotel, every gas station had a little shrine to OSU! It was completely ridiculous!

ENTER AIRPLANE MAN - THE MAN OF MY DREAMS? MAYBE

Later that week, I prepared myself for a long flight home full of trashy gossip magazines and Sudoku puzzles. As I was sitting in my seat waiting for the rest of the passengers to load, I began playing that game where you guess who is going to sit next to you. First, a lady with a screaming baby comes down the aisle . . . . whew, she takes a seat a few rows up next to a very nervous looking business man in a nice suit. Second comes the man who should have selected to have two seats, you hope and pray that you are not going to be crowded between him and the lethal drink cart the whole trip but luckily he passes you by. Then the clouds part and a ray of light illuminates potentially the perfect man. He's cute, but not too cute. Definitely around the right age. Blond . . . . always a must. Dressed well, clean cut. Of course, after your moment of awe, you completely disregard him because that sort of guy never actually ends up sitting next to you. Wait a minute! I believe he is the 7A to my 7B! A match made in heaven.

Alas, the tail ends poorly. After an amazing flight, 4 hours of conversation, the realization that he is single, probably a Christian, has strong family values, a good job, hates sports and the Buckeyes . . . I flake out and don't give him my number. I just got so flustered when we deplaned I didn't have the guts to hand him my card and I didn't fully catch his name so I can really hunt him down. So here are the spec of my airplane man:

- Fair hair

- Medium build

- 6'1"

- Works for an architectural firm in Columbus OH that happens to design new GAP stores

- Went to Kent State

- Hates the Buckeyes (potentially his most enduring quality)

If you spot him, please tell him that his destiny is waiting in Pasco WA!

Well, that's Part I, more to come soon!

Welcome to My World!

2008-10-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

I'm so glad you've taken the time to scope out my new project. Having just made the big switch moving from Seattle to Eastern Washington for a new job and a new chapter of my life, I thought it was only appropriate to begin chronicling my new adventures in a blog. I hope to be a regular blogger full of wit and wisdom like my favorite bloggers but I have big shoes to fill so I appreciate your patience as I figure this all out!