Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!!! Wahoo!

Gotta love that t-shirt!

Both GA and NC kids enjoyed Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island,
the 3rd largest sand island in the world!

Ferris Wheel at Sydney Harbor

Beautiful Opera House and Harbor Bridge view at dusk

Harbor Bridge, night fall.

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Getting ready to go on the boat out to the Great Barrier Reef!
We loved Reef Magic tours...what a great company! And thanks to
the medication Kytril, no sea sickness for Autumn! Yay!!!

Inside Capricorn Caves

One of my koala friends at RainForeStation!

Some typical currency

One of many "big" icons in Oz...the Big Banana!
(There is also the Big Prawn, the Big Mango, etc).

With our homestay family, Shiloh, Wendy and Mark Quill.

Sampling sugar cane cut right from the stalk!

In certain areas of Australia, frogs really enjoy hiding in the
toilets and coming up when you flush! Ahh!!!

Hanging up our laundry to dry at our home stay. I mean,
should I point out that they have a perfectly working dryer? Nah!

Me with Amanda getting ready for sand tabogganing...probably
my least favorite activity on the trip. AHHH! Bleh!

Squinting at Byron Bay. Gorgeous day and views!

Trying our hand at cricket at the Sydney Cricket Grounds...

or just faking it with the equipment that was laying around!

Snapshots of Kenya

Ngaamba is green! There were many more green plants
this year as a result of the water project!

My little girl I sponsor, Mumbua Muuo, showing me her desk and
notebook in Class 2. She's only six years old! Isn't she adorable?

This little friend was playing in a rain barrel!

Drinking water at the tank. Everyone shares this common mug. Ahh! Germs!

This little friend entertained us all at church for 3 hours! She's a mess!

With new friends after church in Ngaamba.

Reunion with Phoebe Maina, our leader from last year. Now Phoebe is on
staff with BrightPoint, helping determine needs and carry out sponsorship
program benefits for kids who have an American spnosor.

This is the kitchen built as a result of BrightPoint sponsor funds. Now, at Itumbule Primary, each day a hot meal is cooked in this kitchen and served to every student at the school. Enrollment has risen by over 60 children in the last 6 months due to the feeding program. They are also able to pay the cook, Yacinda, which helps her family to have more earning power as well!

Two little pre-schooler friends at Itumbule.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos at Tsavo National Park.

Me with Mumbua on our first meeting. Very exciting!!!

Traffic Jam! Goat and cow crossing!

Me, attempting to lift a 25 liter water jug. Women carry these multiple times per day and let me tell you, they are HEAVY! Gosh! I watched the owner of this one strap it to her head with a rope and RUN up the hill to her house. What?! Guess I need to lift more weights at the gym. What, what?!

Class 4 after doing an art lesson, creating nametage necklaces.
They were honestly more excited about the markers than
the necklaces, but very proud in this picture! What a treat!

Dusty, bare feet. But they can still play a mean game of soccer!

Kenya Bound

Here's a map of Kenya. To give you an idea, we are going to start in Nairobi, then stay in the town called Machakos which is about 2 hours southeast of Nairobi. From Machakos, we'll be driving an hour and a half each way into the village of Ngaamba to work each day at the school. We finally got our first flight settled tonight at about 11:00 PM. We leave for Paris tomorrow at 4:30 PM and are unsure about our next flight after that...but God is good and we're learning that we can make all the plans in the world but His way prevails! I heard someone this week say, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." Well He must be laughing now! Please keep us in your prayers! More updates here as soon as we have computer access again!

Bach Duo

Because I'm a music nerd, and because this is both amazing and entertaining all in one!

And PS: To those in the video who are clapping to the steady beat halfway through, you don't clap the steady beat to Bach. It's silly. Please get a new hobby. Thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZD8W2nO1lY

Biltmore Trip

On a bench in the gardens

Mandy on the bench

Side view of the house

Me next to the rose bushes

In the rose garden

On the back terrace...it was a bit windy!

Beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Who really needs this much space? 250 rooms...ahh!

The Countdown Begins...

One week from today, providing our flights are booked... here I come! Aren't they magnificent little creatures? God really outdid Himself in Ngaamba!

Grammar Police!

Maybe it's because my parents were journalists, but I have declared myself the Grammar Police and I'm currently issuing citations:

1) I frequently correct my students who wish to, axe a question. It's ask guys. Just don't ask R. Kelly in his song, "The World's Greatest," because he'll encourage you to axe him. Such violence.

2) Seen today at L.A. Fitness in the Spin Room, a sign that reads: Locker are available. Ok, several ways we could approach a correction...either Lockers are available or A locker is available would be great alternatives. And the worst part? This sign is printed and hung in several places around the gym, not just the spin room. Sigh.

3) I've saved my favorite for last. I saw this on the clearance rack at American Eagle last weekend. Check out the inscription on the t-shirt (enlarged for better viewing):

Really? I mean, editors didn't see this? It actually went to print and teen girls all across the USA are wearing a grammatically incorrect t-shirt that proclaims you should Love the one your with. Wow. No wonder our society is lost in abbreviations like LOL, BFF, and TTYL. We can't speak in complete sentences, so why not just misuse the English language while we're at it?

Just to clarify on that last one: Your is a posessive pronoun, you're is the contraction that they meant to use, meaning "you are."

Shame on you guys, R. Kelly, L.A. Fitness and American Eagle. You really ought to know better...or at least your agents, editors or designers should!