January, 2015

Happy New Year everyone!

The flight from Rochester this morning was good.  Knowing that there was a frigid storm approaching Monroe County, I should say that it was a GREAT flight!  The sky was beautiful as the sun came up over the horizon... it was a good sign for the upcoming week. 

Sadly, I'm traveling alone on this trip.  It's been quite some time since I've made this trek solo and to be quite honest, it was very easy to get used to traveling with Andrea, Katie, Kevin and Karen.  Each summer, Kevin was usually my travel companion and the stories that his presence made possible were wonderful (speaking of which, I think I saw the bomb dog that said "hello" to Kevin during the last trip... he looked like a jilted lover).

Each of our children are so different that it makes each trip incredibly special and I can't leave out Andrea, either.  When in Kenya it's as if there personalities are magnified - Karen is gregarious and playful, Katie is curious and fearless, Kevin is confident and comical, and Andrea is warm and caring.  Seeing things through their eyes is always invaluable and I am blessed with the opportunity to watch each of them as they navigate the Kenyan countryside unencumbered by the "necessities" (iPhones, computers, video games, movies... comic books...) that we shackle ourselves to back in the US.  

Although they're not here with me physically, they reside comfortably in my heart and are always tickling my mind.  I rarely return to them as soon as I'd like, but the returning is always the best part of the trip.

For those newcomers to this blog, here are some pointers:

1.  I write when I can which means late at night after long days.  

2.  I try to write as much as I can about each day, which means I'm up very late (see #1)

3.  I post as many pictures as possible.  It takes a long time to upload them so be patient - there's an 8 hour difference, so that means I'm loading new posts at about 9:30pm EST

4.  I'm usually exhausted by the time I finish typing, so that means I don't re-read my posts and there's no editing.  If typos and bad grammar drive you crazy, keep the Xanex close.

5.  I don't know if anyone reads these unless they comment, so I normally think that 2 people read my stuff, and Andrea's one of them.  Still, I'm undaunted and will post something everyday... provided I've got internet access... and electricity.

I'll see you all in Dubai in another 13 hours... relax, only 12 1/2 of them are in the air.