Queen of Clean

As a little break in my otherwise serious blog, I would like to take a moment to award this year's Queen of Clean medal to my friend Sarah*!

I thought I was thorough when it came to cleaning my house. I vacuum, dust, swiffer, and windex things often...but little did I know I was only in the junior league.

I have, for the past hour, watched my friend clean her bathroom, including vacuuming the toilet seat cover and wiping down every cabinet door and closet door. I have watched her use Windex on every mirror in the house, and every framed picture. I have watched her dust. Currently, she is vacuuming around me.

One thing is alarmingly clear: I am no longer holding the title of Queen of Clean.

My mother will be pleased that I have a new, clean friend. I think even she could walk through this house right now with a white glove and find absolutely nothing.

Wow. I think I have to go home and do dusting or something...

*Name has been changed to protect the innocent/embarassed.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro, arguably the tallest mountain in the world, is definitely the tallest peak on the entire continent of Africa. It's located in a small corner of Tanzania, but is visible from Kenya. Only three weeks from yesterday I will be boarding the first of two flights totaling over 17 hours to set foot on the soil of this beautiful continent. But it's not really about the mountain that I may see from a distance. It's really about something far more personal. Something more like this:Need I say more?

Cardboard Testimony

Seriously, check out this video on YouTube. It's really moving. I know it moved me. I decided mine would read:

"Perfect Prideful Life...Proud of My Perfect Savior."

What would your Cardboard Testimony be? Leave me a comment if you'd like to share...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

Backsplash!!!

Kathy and I spent 6 hours doing this yesterday, and it looks AWESOME! Of course we still need to grout, but you have to let it sit 24-48 hours, so maybe we'll get to that one day next week! Then David has the trim to finish up and the kitchen will be DONE!!! I will save for appliances later...next projects will be the sliding glass door in the kitchen, venting the dryer and the upstairs bathroom. Yay!!!

The Kite Runner

Every so often, I see a film that changes me inside. Something happens to me as I watch it, and I consider things I have not considered before. Suddenly, my picture-perfect image of the world disappears and I am not the same. It happened to me when I watched Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond.

Tonight the film was The Kite Runner. It is based on the book of the same name by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan-American author based in California. I hear the book is even more amazing, and plan to now read the follow-up novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, now being adapted to film as well.

If you'd like to read a non-spoiler synopsis of the story, click here http://www.khaledhosseini.com/hosseini-books-kiterunner.html

Otherwise, run, don't walk to your nearest Blockbuster and get this film. Seriously. Check it out.

Pastimes...

Once again, I am intrigued by the social graces of Jane Austen. Tonight, as I was watching Emma, with my cousin and another friend, I couldn't help but marvel at the supreme politeness with which everyone treated one another. See examples below:

Mr. Knightley: Emma, you didn't ask me to contribute a riddle.
Emma: Your entire personality is a riddle, Mr. Knightley. I thought you overqualified.

~~~

Emma: Was he handsome?
Jane: Many say he is.
Emma: Was he agreeable?
Jane: He was in no way disagreeable.
Emma: Was he a man of information?
Jane: All his statements seem correct.
~~~
Emma Woodhouse: One does not like to generalize about so many people all at once, Mr. Knightley, but you may be sure that men know nothing about their hearts, whether they be six-and-twenty, or six-and-eighty.
~~~
Mr. Knightley: Marry me. Marry me, my wonderful, darling friend.

Man, gotta love you some Jane Austen.

Diagnosis!

Would you believe that I am SOOO special that I am one in 130,000 people who have this particular adverse reaction to the Yellow Fever immunization? Oh yes! Lucky me!

After seeing my allergist again today, and later spending over an hour and a half with the infectious disease specialist, we have pretty much determined with 99% certainty that my rash/hives is an allergic reaction to the shot I got last Wednesday for yellow fever.

I am on four different antihistimines and anti-itch meds and have been advised to NEVER under any circumstance get this vaccination ever again. Or the flu shot.

Lovely!

Praise God that we figured it out. Now I have to sit and wait. And sadly, I will not be traveling with People to People to the UK & Ireland this year. I'm really disappointed about that, but I know it's best for my delegation and also best for my health. Learning to relax and rest are things I need to work on, so God will be giving me lessons in patience over the next few weeks. The great news is that I will be able to spend quality time with friends and family, and for the first time in 3 summers, I'll be able to celebrate both my Dad's birthday and Father's Day here in the states. This is a great thing!

The other positive is that it's highly likely that I'll be well by the time I'm to travel to Kenya in 6 weeks time. I will now have more time to get to know my team better and prepare for that 17-hour long journey to Nairobi. Had I gotten the vaccination after my People to People trip, it would surely have disabled me from participating in this trip, which is ultimately serving God's people and purpose in Africa, something I've longed to do for a long time.

Praise God for amazing doctors and modern medicine! I'm so thankful for my clever nurse friends and my caring friends who keep checking in on me. For now, I'm awaiting the arrival of my cousin who has offered to bring me dinner from Doc Chey's (sans the eggs!) and looking forward to some chill time with her!

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7 (New International Version)