It Begins

Today we fly to Seattle from Pasco, WA where we will spend the night AND have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory with a cousin we've never met.  Tomorrow morning we depart from Sea-Tac for Dulles International, and then in the evening on to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Countdown Begins

One week from today our journey towards Botswana will begin.  It will begin with a short flight to Seattle where we will spend the night and a cousin whom we have never met will take us to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  I hope they have something besides cheesecake, although I'm sure a small piece will find its way into my stomach.

I am diligently working on my Keynote (Powerpoint) presentation for the music class I'll be teaching.  I'm about 2/3 of the way done but the going is a little slow right now.  If I'm not finished up before we leave I can finish in Botswana.

The suitcases are on the guest room bed and a few things have been moved to that area.  We are taking tape, bar code labels, and spine labels with us for the almost 600 books I'll be cataloging.  No, our trips to Africa are not just fun and games.  We go to work for Jesus Christ, for the missionaries, and for the Assemblies of God.

People have asked me if "the church" pays our way.  The answer is "No."  We pay our own way.  We do have friends and relatives and our church who give us donations.  Any money donated will be used to further the work there.  Our daughter gave us money to buy shoes for children and so we will help our minister friend's family and bless the children with new school shoes.  The other monies given to us will be given to the missionary to help fund the new kitchen in the Bible School.

My Granddaughter--the next Top Chef

Here is a recipe that Karen (age 10) came up with on her own.  Her mother was somewhat dubious over a couple of the ingredients but she said it tasted very good.  Yesterday Karen gave me the recipe and I have purchased the necessary items to make it this week.

HAM AND VEGGIE STEW

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 pinches of Curry-Powder

3 Full sized carrots

3 Whole Potatoes

2-3 Cups of Ham (leftovers or preheated, or turkey)

1-2 Pinches of Rosemary

3 cubes of Chicken Broth

My daughter says to add about 6 cups of water or it'll be very thick.

Skin the carrots and potatoes completely.  Chop into bite sized pieces.  Put into boiling water until the carrots are soft enough a baby can chew it, but not too mush.  Make the meat into pieces like the veggies, then add.  Let it stew for a bit.  Add the cubes of chicken broth and pinch in the curry.  Stir, then add the rosemary.  Let it stew some more, and when done, and serve immediately, but it needs to chill or your mouth will burn!  I hope you enjoy this recipe, because I did!

Made up by a ten year old all by herself, her mother didn't help her at all!

It's All Lining Up

Our electronic ticket information arrived yesterday for our flight from Seattle to Johannesburg, overnighting there, then on to our final destination:  Gabarone, Botswana.  Then last night I went on-line and got our tickets on Horizon (Alaska Airlines) from Pasco, WA to Seattle where we will spend the night of May 14.  

I checked on united.com to see how much it would cost to fly to Seattle.  Would you believe it was $1100 for the 2 of us.  For a trip that is 171 miles by air!!  I was truly shocked.  On Horizon it was $478 for the 2 of us.  Now that is a big difference.  I think it is partly because Horizon is a smaller airline that flies these shorter distance shuttles several times a day.

I did splurge a little on our motel--The Raddison.  It is very close to the airport and has sleep-number beds.  I've never slept on one of those so this might just be a treat.  We have to be at the airport the next morning by 5:30 so a closer motel is a bonus.  Plus, last year we stayed at one that was decidedly not to our taste.

Spring in My Step

Okay...So I'm a little down this morning. I'm working so hard on this weight loss thing and I cannot get things moving down. I've exercised much more than I ever have since I was a young thing, I'm eating the right away and my scale is stuck, stuck, stuck. I can't even seem to lose .2 of a pound. Now I ask you.....is that too much to ask for? Just .2 of a pound. Today I'm not even going to exercise although I will wear my pedometer when I go shopping with my friend and keep track of my steps and calories burned.

I can't seem to get my act together and get some house work done. The ironing is stacking up. Laundry needs to be folded. The carpet desperately needs to be vacuumed. I really want to see my granddaughters in Texas.

I need to work on getting that spring in my step. I need to get up from this computer and just get moving. Where is my motivation? I feel like it is there and yet I'm having trouble finding it. I know I cannot give up. I cannot give up. I cannot give up.

We leave for Africa in 7 weeks and 2 days. I had such high hopes for weighing 230 or less by then and now that is looking further and further away although in all actuality it is only 8.2 pounds away. ONLY 8.2 pounds. Get your rear out of the chair, Margaret, and start moving.

Pants Problem--the zipper goes WHERE?

Sunday after church and lunch we came home and I got comfortable. That means I got out of my church clothes and into my bathrobe ready to begin the serious work of my parents' taxes. I'm in the middle of entering words and figures when I hear a timid knock at the door. None of our friends come to the front door as a general rule so I opened the door just a tiny bit, saw who it was and said, "Just a minute."

I shut the door and went to the bedroom where I pulled a pair of pants out of the closet and put them on. They had been given to me some time back and they didn't fit. The next time I tried them on they fit but were tight in the legs. This time they went on easily and I zipped them up, got a blouse and went out to let my guest in. We talked about what he'd come over for (I'm accompanying him at a talent show this Saturday evening) and I casually reached to put my hands into my pockets but the pockets weren't where they were supposed to be. As I continued talking I reached around my backside and there were the pockets facing the wrong direction.

After my guest left I took off the pants and realized that the zipper went in the back not in the front. I also discovered that fastening them by myself is virtually impossible so have decided that I'll never be able to wear them unless Aaron is with me to fasten them. Inconvenient, huh!

My Father

Today my dad is 88. He is an amazing man, full of vitality and life. My dad has never been overweight in his life and still works at maintaining around 150 pounds.

My dad takes care of my mom who is pretty much an invalid. She needs help getting dressed, using the restroom, getting into and out of her wheelchair and the car. Dad does it all. He cooks, cleans, does the laundry, pays the bills and gets up with my mom several times a night. Like I said, my dad is amazing.

At the end of this month they will celebrate 67 years of marriage. 67 years of being faithful to one another. 67 years of loving one another. 67 years of what marriage is all about.

My dad is my example. He is my hero. I love my dad.