Out of Africa

This morning, the 6th grader and I returned from our week long trip to Kenya. There is a pile of dirty clothes rivaling Kilimanjaro in the laundry room and (thankfully) our new washing machine will be installed later today.  We had an amazing time and I hope to get busy editing pics and blogging about our adventures as soon as I get things settled here at home, fun things like unpacking and washing and getting back into the groove of school.

Until then, here is one of my favorite pics from our photo safari.  This was taken in the Maasai Mara on one of our early morning game drives as the sun was rising.  The hot air balloons were unexpected, but it seems they're very popular as evidenced by the 6-7 we saw rising in the early morning light for those folks who wanted a different perspective of the local scenery and critters.

Growing Up

I'm really beginning to feel all of my 45 years these days.  The teen will graduate in June and become a college co-ed this fall.  I will officially become closer to 50 than 40.  And the 6th grader turns 13 later this year.

There's no denying that the 6th grader is maturing. It's an insidious creep of concern about clothes and hair and wanting to wear makeup.  And asking for a "real bra" instead of the stretchy sports sort, not that she really needs the former since the latter is still sufficient. Hope springs eternal, though.  Plus I finally caved and let her start shaving her legs last summer.  Only a prepubescent girls get excited about this sort of chore. In a few years she'll be begging me for laser treatments or waxing.

This year, in 6th grade, she's now old enough to attend the middle school dances that are hosted once per quarter. Each of the houses - Saxons, Normans, Romans and Vikings (not as catchy as Slytherin or Hufflepuff, but whatever) - takes turns hosting a dance with a theme, decorations, snacks and DJ.  She and her friends have really gotten a kick out of boogeying down on the dancefloor, aka cafeteria.

The latest dance, held on Friday, was the winter semi-formal, and the teen helped her little sister get all beautified by curling her hair and putting on some light makeup. Ollie, her furry little brother, was photo bombing... just like a real human one would do, though he can't put bunny ears behind her head since he lacks the height.  And opposable thumbs.

Maybe this is a second child phenomenon, but it just seems like she's growing up a zillion times faster than her older sister.  She's it, the kid caboose since we stopped with two.  Not that I long for a larger family because I don't.  Sometimes I just wish I could push pause on the clock's tick tock of time and really enjoy the ages and stages where they are. Because in the blink of an eye it will be just me and the husband (and dog) staring at the TV on a Thursday night, wondering what the girls are up to out there in the world leading their own lives.  

Traveling Hither and Yon

The clock is ticking on our final months living in Europe, so we're using this as a travel springboard to hit some faraway places that won't be on the horizon once I return to teaching in Texas.

This month we leave for our photo safari in Kenya over the week of winter break.  Due to work commitments back at headquarters, the husband won't be able to break away and join us.  Therefore, the 6th grader and I will sally forth and have a good time, even though we'll miss him.  The teen is headed out on her service trip to a Romanian orphanage.  Her school requires all juniors and seniors to complete 20 volunteer hours during the school year and this allows her to get them all in one fell swoop.  She had volunteered at a Mexican orphanage back in her freshman year and now she does love her some orphans.  She'll get to see a country she has never visited, take them some much needed supplies we've purchased and hopefully return home ringworm and lice-free!

I've been dragging my feet regarding our spring break travel because the teen is supposed to go with some friends to another friend's house in Dubai for the first four days of spring break. However, we haven't purchased the tickets yet because the hostess' grandmother is seriously ill and could pass away around the time of their trip. Or a couple weeks before. Or maybe a month after.  And since the girl hosting the teen and friends for her birthday is footing the bill for everything except their plane tickets - accommodations, meals, camel riding, etc on them - then I can't really say much about having to pay a bit more for a last minute plane ride when everything else has been taken care of for us.  

However, I decided to go ahead, bite the bullet and plan our week long trip to China for the second week of spring break, far enough removed from the supposed-to-be Dubai trip so as not to overlap.  I knew it wouldn't be cheap, but it's still giving me a bit of sticker shock.  And I still have to purchase our planet tickets.  

The teen has had me check multiple times to make sure our chosen itinerary would include a side trip to Chengdu so we could visit the Panda Breeding and Research Centre.  Not only can you view these cuties in natural surroundings, but you can also pay a fee to hold them briefly and have a picture made with them.  It seems panda holding is on the teen's bucket list and no trip to China would be complete without this experience.  

So long as they don't mistake my fingers for bamboo and take a bite, or try to climb me like a tree in their enclosure, I think it sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

20K miles in one month

For the second time in a month, we've traveled back across the Atlantic to England.  We returned to wet weather, but that's no big surprise.  I must admit I like the January appropriate temps over here rather than the upper 70s we were unprepared for while in Texas for three days.  

The girls have returned to school this morning and I will head into London in about 30 minutes to go visit the Kenya Embassy.  Their tourist visa application is a brief one page.  All I have to do is show up in person between 9:30 and noon to pony up the completed form, a visa photo, our passports, copies of our travel itinerary/confirmed flights to Nairobi and £30 each for the younger daughter and I. Then I just return a mere 72 hours later to pick up the Kenyan travel visa they've attached in our passports.  Easy peasy!

We're almost unpacked from yesterday.  A mere six loads of clothes later, I'm more or less caught up with the dirty laundry.  About all that remains are the two carry on pieces of luggage with the important stuff.

The teen is a member of Operation Smile at her high school, a group that fundraises to help support doctors who perform cleft palate surgery on children in third world countries.  Her group is holding a valentine themed fundraiser and so we hit the stores in Texas to gather up some highly prized American candy to be sold next week along with the baked goods.

Texas Tornado

We hit the ground running yesterday afternoon when our plane landed in Houston. Within 24 hours, we had enjoyed meals at Cheesecake Factory and Pappasito's. For me, the best part is always the bottomless iced tea. We also got passports renewed for both girls and the teen bought a prom dress at the Galleria.

This afternoon, we drove up to College Station and checked out some off campus housing options for the teen to consider. Tomorrow morning, the vet school student son of a guy who works with my husband will give the (hopefully) Aggie-to-be a campus tour. And then we'll head back to Houston for a bit more shopping before flying back to England Sunday afternoon.

You can't visit Texas, even for just three days, without hitting Wal-Mart. As luck would have it, these sweet little girls were peddling Girl Scout cookies and so we had to help out the cause. Not that my ever expanding gut needs any Thin Mints... but they're just so darned tasty.

Shillionaire

Realizing that we needed local currency in Kenya for tipping purposes during February's photo safari, I went online and ordered some for our trip during the upcoming winter break.  Figuring £750 would be sufficient for a week long visit to Africa, I dropped by to pick up the Kenyan shillings this morning.  

Accustomed to the crappy exchange rate from American dollars to British pounds every time we move over some of the husband's salary for living expenses, I was a bit shocked to receive a mafia-sized wad of cash.  While £750 will get me $1200 to spend in the US, that same amount of pounds translates to 96,000 Kenyan shillings.  

I was afraid my purse wouldn't be big enough to hold the huge envelope of Kenyan cash I was given.  I made it home with my 96 one thousand shilling bills.  I must admit, they are rather attractive... especially the wildlife on the back.

Snow Storm, Jan 2013

Oh sure, I'll admit snow storm is a bit of an exaggeration.  However, it's the most snow we've seen since moving to England.  Plus the girls got a day off from school yesterday, so we're gonna go with storm.

Above is what it looked like Friday morning around 9:00 am when the snow started falling.  Below is what it looked like by the time it all ended late Sunday afternoon.  

We had a break in the snowfall Saturday, thank heavens, since that's when we had to get into London for our appointment at the travel clinic.

On Friday it was really coming down and getting swirled all around by the wind.

On Sunday, tiny little flakes fell for several hours, which is why school was cancelled yesterday.  The girls didn't enjoy it as much as I thought they would. However, the dog was thrilled with this chance to play in it.

The one above is typical of Ollie.  Whenever he hears suspicious sounds in the back garden's shrubbery perimeter, he balances on his hind legs like a meerkat.  The better to see you, my dear.  

There are several rose bushes around the back patio and this one unopened bloom was the only bit of color in our green and white back yard over the weekend.  

I was at the kitchen sink and looked out the window to see this little bird hopping along on the snow covered front drive, looking for something to eat.  

Saturday morning I had to go fetch the 6th grade daughter from a sleepover at a friend's house.  It was only a mile from where we live, but still nerve wracking since they never plow or toss road grit in gated developments with private roads. 

Yesterday we stayed indoors like hibernating bears and I made some chicken taco soup in the crock pot, which really hits the spot on a cold day.