The Sidebar and Some Other Stuff

1. My husband works hard to keep our websites updated. I finally have links up in the sidebar on this blog. So if you are wondering what in the world we do in this far-off land, click on a link under “How We Serve”.

2. Subscriptions—I’ve added gadgets to the sidebar to help you subscribe to these posts and/or receive them in your email inbox. HANDY!

3. The Agriculture/Small Industries fair has come to our quaint little town. What this means, among many other things, is the thumping rap music can be expected at all hours of the day and night. With increasing volume as the sun goes down. We are just BESIDE ourselves with happiness. (not exactly)

4. I enjoyed the most amazing cappuccino while in Kampala last week.  At Dormans coffee shop in Garden City Mall. (Okay. I enjoyed two.) Dorman’s location is far from peaceful (in the parking garage, overlooking the traffic jams in front of Garden City) but the cappuccino is tops, in my humble opinion.

5. I accompanied my dear friend on a wedding dress shopping excursion in Kampala. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was a remarkably wonderful experience. We even found some definite contenders in the wedding attire line-up. (clarification: dresses were for her, not me. I’m already married.)

6. I found Dr Pepper in Kampala and bought 12 cans. We are rationing them carefully. When we drink them, we feel like we are in Texas. This makes us happy. And makes us want to eat fajitas.

7. I don’t remember preferring Dr Pepper when I lived on American soil. But now that it is not readily available to me, I find it delightful. Interesting.

8. Dear, sweet friends (hey Mark and Jamie!!!) left us a wonderful CD called Seeds of Courage when they visited recently. The CD has scriptures set to music and we are loving it. The package comes with two CD’s (identical). The idea being that you keep one and share one, like planting seeds. Highly recommended! www.seedsfamilyworship.com

9. Hand-washing laundry in the rainy season seems futile. Mildew adds stink to clothes so the process of ‘cleansing’ and ‘refreshing’ is a no-go. But we continue to try anyway.

10. Along the same lines:  Hand washing and line-drying towels is ridiculous. The end.

This has been a public service announcement.

Mojo Magic

I went to a wonderful high school some years ago.

20 years ago.

I know! I can’t believe that either. ☺

But nevertheless, the time, it passes.

As I perused FB photos from the reunion this last week, I remembered many things about high school. The memories are random and in no particular order. Which is pretty much life for me these days.

So. High school.

1. My graduating class had @650 graduates. I can’t remember the exact number.
2. At graduation I did not know either of the people sitting next to me. (I had to count down the row 10 people before I came to someone I knew.)
3. My sophomore year of school I never saw my best friend at school, ever. We had different lunches and class schedules and so had to meet up on the weekends.
4. I was in band and choir.
5. I loved band. They were like family during those years and some of my best memories are with those funny, funny folks.
6. Our band was really great!
7. It took 6 buses to transport our band and equipment to games and contests.
8. MA was always my seatmate on band bus trips. Unless she had a boyfriend.
9. I had a boyfriend every year of high school but rarely had a date on the weekends. Unless it was a holiday. (it’s like a riddle)
10. I did not go to prom and I’m still okay with that.
11. My dad heard about more of my friend’s parties than I did. (clarification: he was never invited. He just always heard about them.)
12. I was only offered drugs once. (I stared at the young man in shocked silence and he immediately shoved the goods back in his pocket and sulked in the back of our chemistry class. I never saw him in class again.)
13. I cannot stand KFC because of a very ill-fated meal on a cross country band trip at a Moose Lodge in Arizona. Yucky.
14. I loved football season.
15. I was a Pepette my senior year.
16. My track runner was Shane, my basketball player was ?, and my football player was Tag. (why can’t I remember my basketball player? Shawn Almond? Did he play basketball?)
17. I first got to know Tag in 8th grade. In junior high, the football players joined home economics class for laughs and Tag was placed in my cooking group. I cooked. He made jokes. We got an A.
18. An author followed our football team around all year and told our student body at a pep rally that he was going to write a book about Permian like the story “Hoosiers”.
19. He did write a book.
20. It is nothing like Hoosiers.
21. The book made me sad. The movie was weird to watch. The TV show is one of my favorites. Go figure.
22. The first time I took a computer class was my junior year.
23. We learned MSDOS code. We thought we were so advanced.
24. We often wrote words and messages on each other’s car windows with white shoe polish.
25. I remember the first time I heard the brass section play in a rehearsal at the band hall. It was impressive.
26. Mr Nail called me a slug once over his bullhorn.
27. I remember all the girls curling our bangs in the dressing room after early morning marching. And the smell of hairspray that permeated the air. Bangs were so important then. (Okay. Bangs are still important. We just don’t make them so big.)
28. The invention of the butane curling iron revolutionized life for the band girls.
29. The last time I ever marched, it was rainy and cold.
30. My dad always played Santa Claus at our half time show at Christmas.
31. Hawai 50!
32. I can still play part of the Mojo fight song on the flute. (powerful ☺)
33. Arlington High vs Permian was the best high school football game I have ever seen. Maybe that was ever played?
34. The Arlington High band got aggressive during our pre-game march around the track thing. The band. They marched into our band and hit us. Meanies. I thought we were really going to see Mr Nail’s head explode.
35. My friends gave me a surprise party for my 18th birthday.
36. I made a bet with my BFF that whoever married first had to buy dinner for the other at a very expensive restaurant when we turned 40. We got married within a month of each other. (after college, not in high school) I owe her dinner. Soon.
37. I loved sitting next to Karina in band. We were funny. (even if no one else appreciated the humor)
38. There was this one intersection of halls at Permian where you could barely move through between classes. You just sort of smooshed into an obscure sort of “lane” and inched your way in the direction of your next class. It was noisy and crowded and always made me nervous.
39. I think of that every time I drive in Kampala traffic.
40. I made first chair in the PHS band flute section exactly one time.
41. I never sat first chair because, well, Denise and Stephanie…but I told my dear friend Mary and she celebrated with me.
42. TACO VILLA!!!!
43. Before I got my car I rode to school in a white mustang with Jill. We were always running a wee bit late, so Jill had to drive fast. It broke her heart to do so because she was such a safe and conscientious driver. ☺
44. Open-campus meant we got to eat out for lunch. I thought this was so cool but it was also the most stressful time of day. Drive somewhere. Eat. Drive back. In 25 minutes.
45. Eating at Wendy’s always makes me think of Danny, Mary and a brown Honda.
46. I was president of the National Honor Society.
47. I was chaplain of band and choir.
48. I led a lot of prayers.
49. I had a Physics teacher named Mr. Hare who was completely bald. And he was a contortionist.
50. I started and ended every school day in the band hall. It was home away from home.



Our class became somewhat famous. We are the class from Friday Night Lights.

It was exciting to think of someone writing a book about our school. Until it was published. And then most folks were underwhelmed or irate. It is difficult to be scrutinized publicly.

I never played football. (shocker) But I was an active part of many other aspects of Permian High School. So, for me, the very public analysis of our football program, school and town never felt complete. Did Mr. Bissinger really do all his homework?

He never interviewed me.

Smile

Go MOJO! Keep supporting your kids.

I loved being a part of your tradition and memories!

And Then There Was April...

Isaac sighs with a glance at the calendar.

“April has been a long year.”

(Smile)

Some months feel that way don’t they?

We’ve had much to celebrate and rejoice over this month. So much activity, in fact, that sitting to write about it has been impossible. Too busy living it. There is much good in that too.

So now, on this last day of a “long year”, here are the bullet points of the Cash family April.

1. Easter—What a week we had. So busy. So full of good things. Family from America and Rwanda arrived midweek and spent the holiday weekend with us. We dyed eggs, decorated cupcakes, perused old pictures, talked late into the night, enjoyed Starbucks (!), celebrated a Seder meal, hunted Easter eggs and shared dinner on the grounds with our town church. We even managed to give Evan Martin his Empako (nickname and important ceremonial “welcoming” of babies in the Tooro culture).

2. We all awoke early on the day after Easter to depart in different directions. Our Rwanda visitors headed home by bus. Our American visitors rode to Kampala to fly out (to Rwanda) for more time with their kids. And Aimee Jo, Cheryl and baby Evan driving to Kenya for the East Africa Women’s retreat in Kakamega rainforest.

3. Driving in Africa—by leaps and bounds THE most dangerous thing we do. I do not like driving here and thank God daily for Jeff’s proficiency and willingness to shoulder this task. But among the girls, I was the most experienced so climbed behind the wheel with constant prayers for God’s mercies and protection.
We had two close calls. Two young girls walked in front of our vehicle sending me skidding and drifting into the other lane. And a dying lorry (semi truck) blocking traffic on a hill locked us into oncoming traffic.
We were carried through the incidents successfully, but their memory robbed me of sleep. And flooded my heart with thankfulness. We had one flat tire. Which was discovered while still in a major town. We were directed to a terrific gas station and with the help of able men, our tire was repaired and we were on our way.

4. We didn’t get lost. We went a new way (for me) to cross the border between Kenya and Uganda. Which means new roads and new turns. All of which had been described to me by my husband, but a bit of risk, nonetheless. I was so thrilled to make the trek with no missed turns at all. A miracle to be sure!

5. Ladies Retreat. Wonderful. There is a camaraderie among women who share this type of life. Shared struggle. Understanding hearts. Much laughing and always some tears. How sweet the fellowship.

6. The delight of home. I love hugging my kids. Hearing their fun memories with Dad (hide and seek in the night time!) Sleeping in my own bed. I’m thankful that coming home is such a wonderful feeling.

7. Back to it. There are meetings, school lessons, Bible studies, goodbyes, a little thing we call Faith Quest….all around the corner. So I breathe deep, cling to His hand and forward we go.

Hope your April has been blessed!

Early Furlough Impressions

This is an excerpt from my musings during our first weeks of furlough travel. Enjoy!

"Mom, Have You Seen My...?"

Our vagabond days have begun. We missionaries pack up a four bags of clothes and African do-dads, secure tickets and visas and passports and the appropriate immigration stamps. And we fly.

Then we land and can’t sleep well. Children who normally sleep for hours through the night wake up at odd times. And ask for food.

We haul our bodies and bags over time zones and through airports. We hug necks and eat yummy, yummy food. We re-establish connections, hear news we’ve missed, listen with astonishment as newscasters talk and talk and talk and talk and talk…about nothing and everything and opinions and elections…

We are at once blessed and overwhelmed by choices and options. We fight the battle within us that Ice Cream is just there on the corner in that 7 Eleven so why aren’t we eating as much as possible right now. Because it will be there tomorrow. It will be there tomorrow. It will be there tomorrow.

We rejoice at ever Target and savor our first sips of Starbucks. We giggle through chips and queso and delight in daily phone calls to family and friends with good connections.

Jeff says the soft carpet hugs our feet. Water can be taken straight from the tap. Power supply is sure and food is easy.

Time is important. Church is fast. Freeways are huge, well lit and signs direct you everywhere.

People smile when they serve you food. Everyone is doing something most of the time.

Commercials are funny.

And no one in my family can find their underwear without asking Mom first.

I know Mom is the Great Holder of Knowledge. But this is amplified when we start living out of bags.

Vagabonds. And loving most of it.

It's a Snazzy New Do!

Check it out guys! Finally, after a long design journey I found Lara and she made my blog beautiful! I love the design and hope you do to.

Thanks Lara! I loved working with you and appreciate your persistence even through the midst of a hurricane.

Blessings everyone!

(To see Lara's other work and check out her site click on her button in my side bar.)

An Update of Mammoth Proportions

Well, it IS high time.

I know.

I am about to inundate you with information. I am posting my thoughts and reflections on the happenings of the past few months. There is much to tell. I've broken it down into several posts. My reflecting goes back to Christmas time. I will not linger there long as we are already at Easter. But there are some noteworthy events that I need to ruminate in writing.

Thanks for checking back in. I pray all is well with you and yours.

Happy Reading!

(Please scroll down to see the posts.)

Crashin'

Hello friends and family.

My, how I have missed you.

It feels like it has been years. Though in reality, it has been two weeks. Two. Whole. Weeks.

Our computer crashed. There was an interesting little message that referred to a "potential hard drive failure" which kept popping up on our screen. Aparently, the message meant what it said. If only we had listened AND acted hastily. Then, our hard drive would have been backed up and all real tragedy avoided.

But no. We, in the frenzy of Faith Quest prep assumed we had more time.

Not so.

Our sad, dark screened computer sits beside me now. I offer a prayer every now and again, hoping for one more succesful re-boot so we can reclaim the archives of info locked into its system. (cue Taps...)

Remarkably, our new computer has been set up and configured (Thank you Doug!) to connect to the internet. So, we are back in business.

Or partially. Four adults are now sharing this one computer for all our internet needs...instead of using the wireless system that was set up through our now crashed computer.

Ah, wireless. That sweet, sweet system that allows all adults in one room to type happily away on their own computer, in their own space, at their own leisure...

My determined husband assures me that wireless will once again be ours. And I believe him because he made it happen once. I feel confident, he will make it so again.

Meanwhile, many, many exciting things have been taking place in our Ft Portal land. Christmas celebrations, birthdays, Faith Quest, visitors, Smore Fests, new teammates and Anaiah's laugh...

I have much to tell and even a photo or two to share. So, when my turn comes around again to peruse and enjoy the goodness that is the internet...I'll check back in.

May your day be blessed and computer-problem free!

At the Same Time

Incongruity. “Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something. “

The past week seems full of that word.

Jeff and I began the week with a much anticipated over night trip without our kiddos to a nearby game park. The trip was a wonderful blessing. We did rest and were blessed by delightful meals alone, completed conversations and even some blissful silence. Our time was marvelous.

We arrived back home to Warden duties. (Jeff acts as the Warden for the US Embassy, which means he facilitates communication to the Americans living around Uganda.) At the same time as we were resting as a couple, much Ebola information was circulating and perculating. When we reached home, Jeff called a meeting of the ex-pats in Ft Portal to verify facts and allow for discussion and questions.
The meeting filled our living room. Jeff shared information given to us by the head of the CDC in Uganda. There seemed to be relief in receiving credible information. At the same time we are all coping with the unsettling feelings brought on by discussion of the sickness.

We provided Christmas cookies and drinks during the meeting. Most of those gathered do not meet on a regular basis. There was an odd inconsistency of festive gathering with people of like culture amidst the intensity brought on by the concerns of a serious disease.

The next morning, after several days of upheaval in the scheduling, the children and I finally set our hands and minds to school. We tackled the study of France, division, multiplication, the letter “C” , the physiology of cows and an overview of some endangered species. Isaac started reading sentences and Kinley and Alex wrote wonderful two-point paragraphs. Interspersed in the schooling, I rearranged and cleaned the guest room, worked on Christmas gifts for stateside family and moved the stack of Christmas card supplies from table to desk to kitchen counter...
School was completed. The guestroom is not. Gifts are completed. Cards are not.
The joy of a task marked off the list, accompanied by sighs over the items still remaining on the list.

There is great joy in our home with Christmas décor and lights. At the same time, there is a somber cloud pervading our thoughts as our friends in Bundibugyo battle against a terrible disease and our Ugandan friends struggle through fear and feelings of panic.

We rejoiced over the new life growing inside of a dear friend. (It’s a girl!!!) At the same time, we’ve shared in the grief of the passing of a doctor and hero (Dr. Jonah in Bundibugyo).

We’ve empathized with the intense and painful experience of the last weeks for Andrew, Aimee Jo and their families and friends as they’ve said goodbye and packed up to move their lives across an ocean.

At the same time, we’ve counted the days with joyful anticipation to welcome them here.

Incongruity. Contradictions.

Life.

So many things happening at exactly the same time…

Ants Be Gone

The last few days I’ve been humming a silly song from Laverne and Shirley. (It was a television show for all you youngsters who read---aka Destiny)

Remember the song that Shirley would sing to Laverne about ants?

“Just what makes that little 'ole ant,
Think he can move a rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant.
But he’s got HIGH hopes.
He’s got HIGH hopes.
He’s got high apple pie in the sky hopes…”

And then I can’t remember the rest…but the song always made me feel happy about ants. Little ants working hard against the odds…
Moving rubber tree plants hither and yon…

And, you know, if I had to PICK a pest to invade my home…I guess ants would be my choice. I much prefer The Ants to say…cockroaches or big hairy spiders.

But, for the love of all that is good…I’m about to go crazy with all the ants.

Since moving into our home we have had all various sizes of ants to invade. We’ve had big fat crunchy black ones. We’ve had teeennnnnyyyyy tiny black and red ones. And we’ve had every size in between. I have stomped, sprayed and even sprinkled baby powder everywhere because a “Heloise” help tip suggested I do so.

Nothing has really worked.

In the last year the tiniest of black ants have taken up residence and won’t…I repeat WILL NOT go away.

Of course, you can find them in the kitchen where all ant enticing items abide. But, then they made themselves at home in the guest bedroom with ½ inch trails of them marching from the window to the floor. They have pioneered new trails through the living room and have found their little ant smorgasbord of delight under the dining table.

But explain to me the colony setting up residence in the tank of our toilet. Or the complete NATION that overtook our medicine cupboards.

The last week of school was the clincher. I sent the boys up to the schoolroom ahead of me…but heard them return before I could get out the door.

“Mom, there are a WHOLE lot of ants on the school door. I think we should spray ‘em!”

I headed up to the classroom with “I don’t even WANT to know what’s in this” Spray Poison in my hands….

The door of our schoolroom was covered in two, one and half inch lines of ants. They went from ground to door jam and then branched off into the room vent, and across the wall in three directions. I began to spray and cough, cough and spray. Grumbling under my breath…about the dear little creatures and why they were here…

Then I opened the door…and stepped in…

To have CLUMPS OF ANTS fall on my head.

Oh my goodness…

Clumps of ants… The ants COVERED the ceiling of the entry to the school. There were so many ants trying to walk across the top of the door, they were falling off in clumps. The over the door shoe bag that holds various school supplies was now full of ants. There were hordes of the little beasts mounding on every wall hanging and poster.
They were everywhere. I sprayed two whole cans of the poison and vacated the premises. Two hours later as I swept up mounds of ants…dead ants were still falling from the ceiling.

I logically know the next step is extermination. But exterminators in third world Africa are scary. Really scary.

So for now. I’ll keep spraying and mumbling…praying the little darlings don’t completely overtake my house. I am a human, after all, with bug spray at my disposal, brains that function (most of the time) and feet ten times the size of their miniscule little invading bodies.

Of course, they can’t overtake my house…

But they have high hopes.

“Oops there goes another rubber tree….oops there goes another rubber tree…oops there goes another rubber tree plant!"

The Wilds of Africa

Ever had one of those days...

...when you take your kids for a picnic at a nearby lake, and as you are walking up a well marked trail, you get head-butted in the derriere by a COW...

ripping your apparel in a rather embarrassing way, hurting your hind regions and forever ruining your favorite pair of comfy jeans?

Just wondering.

The Infirmary

IT got us.

You know.

Fever. Chills. Stomach...ahem...issues...

IT started with Silas and has worked its way up through our family chronologically.

We have been dealing with IT for about 7 days.

We're drinking Sprite. We are on our last few Saltine crackers from the States. And we are taking turns on the couches as we rest and recuperate.

We are very hopeful that IT will be gone from our home soon.

Thankfully (?) the youngest two are back to full strength. They are currently "discussing" some very important issue in the other room. Loudly.

The older two are still dragging and Mom and Dad are beat.

Remarkably, the internet is the best functioning thing in our home today.

Which is pretty sad.

Hope your home is healthy and happy!

We Interrupt This "Blog Fast"...

Yes indeedy.

Every once in awhile...the otherwise obstinate internet system...works....

And the otherwise dejected missionaries...actually accomplish a portion of their internet to-do list...

And many happy hearts rejoice!

I Can't Believe I Did That

So.

After realizing that yesterday was Superbowl Sunday, Jeff and I looked up the time ESPN would run the game on the Satellite stations.

3AM. Oh my.

Of course, it will be replayed in its entirety on Monday at a reasonable hour.

But.

My hubby and I discussed how COOL it would be to actually watch the Superbowl AT THE SAME TIME as all of you dear American loved ones.

Think of it.

While you are eating some wonderful Super Bowlish snacks and dinner...sitting in living rooms watching the action...

We MISSIONARIES....in a FOREIGN LAND....could be bleary eyed...watching the action at the very moment you are.

Which would mean that on the day following the SuperBowl we could freely read the news on the internet...open emails with abandon having no fear that someone would inadvertently give the score away...before we saw the game.

Here's how it all went down.

We drank alot of caffeine around 10:30pm.

The caffeine kept Jeff buzzing until about 3:25am. He saw the kickoff and the first three scores...but couldn't keep his eyes open beyond that.

I, completely unaffected by the caffeine, fell dead asleep about 11:30pm....but woke up about 3:25am when Jeff was searching for the remote control to switch the TV off...

I forced myself awake for "just a few minutes" so I could see some of the gaming live. But, of course, found myself drawn into the terrific game and ended up staying awake longer than I expected. Sometime around the end of the second quarter, I dozed off and woke up to Prince with a head scarf (?) and two women in black dancing madly around him, flinging their very wet hair in all directions. I pulled myself away from the Artist Now Again Known as Prince, and I slept some more, but woke up after about two minutes of the third quarter...and stayed awake to the end.

Jeff slept like an angel beside me.

So I saw it all. The interceptions. The touchdowns. The field goals. The very wet spectators. (I didn't see any commercials. We wouldn't be missionaries if we weren't deprived of something!)

As it became obvious who the winner would be, I had to stay awake for the players to pour liquids on their already drenched coach.

It was delightful. I was thrilled. The SuperBowl live.

Then I realized it was 6AM. Yep. 6AM.

I began feeling the pain at that moment of stunning recognition. I had VOLUNTARILY sat up most of the night. No sick kids. No bad dreams.

Just the Superbowl. And a missionary missing her home culture so much that she would sit up all night to share in one super sports moment with her family and friends in America.

I can't believe I did it. Except that it really feels like I did. My brain is dead tired. And the coffee hasn't yet worked its magic.

Thankfully today is our day off. On the agenda....

More coffee....and the replay of the Superbowl with my husband and kids.

I'll probably sleep through the whole thing....:-)

You Know You're In Uganda When...

...It’s 5PM on Sunday afternoon, the FIRST time you realize it is Superbowl Sunday!

So who are you rooting for?

Wishin'

A white Christmas.

An electrician that can repair one thing without breaking another.

A bowl of Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Cheese.

A Barn Door Prime Rib.

Birthday gathering at Granddaddy's for cake and presents.

MANY,MANY more years for Mom.


Happiest of birthdays Mom! WISH we could be together! So THANKFUL for every year He's given you so far. I love you!

Taco Villa

Bean b-e-a-n burrito. Nachos--no peppers. Medium coke with a shot of cherry flavor.

Delicious.

I have had so many meals at Taco Villa in my life. I can't even count them. It was the regular for our youth group. If I thought long enough I could even think of what everyone else used to order.

I love to go there.

I shared alot of secrets, dreams, laughs, moments over beans and nacho cheese.

The arched entry ways. The red bricked countertops. The unmistakeable scent of refried beans, nacho cheese and jalapeno peppers.

Crushes, first love, warm summer nights, dollar movies...

Friends.

It's funny how a place and its scents can take you back.

Home...Again

The hot wind hits my face as I go out the door. The heat is dry and heavy as I walk to the car.

The sky stretches around me dramatically and definitively reaching and touching the dry ground in every direction. The immensity engulfs me. I feel I can breathe deeply. Unencumbered. Open. Free.

The West Texas Sky.

In this vast desert land our treasure on the ground is the sky that touches it. In every direction. Deep. Blue. Lavender. The spectrum of oranges as the sun rises and sets.

Sigh.

God's artistry knows no bounds. His hand is evident everywhere. And I see Him here. Met Him here.

And for that this desert will forever be, for me, Holy Ground.

Where I learned His Name. Where I heard His Voice. Where I met His people.

The beginning for me. And thus always a part of who I am.

The memories. The smells. The sky.

All a part of yet another place I call home.

Chats on the Driveway

Why is it that the VERY best conversations take place in the driveway. As you are getting in the car. Or as your walking out the door. Or trying to go to sleep.

What is it about those moments that open us up so much? What makes those moments so rich?

Well, whatever IT is--I LOVE IT!!

Life on the Island

Perspectives. Preferences. Opinions.

Everybody has them.

Pepsi or Coke?

Hershey's or Cadbury's?

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Red or Pink?

Tea or Coffee?

Original or extra crispy?

Mayo or Mustard?

Scrambled or Fried?

and on a more serious note--ahem--

Mac or PC? (the most recent addition to my own "choice repertoire" and a discussion that reveals strong conviction on either side, in case you didn't know. I was previously unaware.)

Some choices merit almost flippant response.

Others require more research, consideration and processing.

But eventually we pick.

And funny enough, we are defined but our selection.

For me...

Coke. Hershey's. Chocolate. Red. Coffee. Original. Mustard. Fried.

And, after much deliberation, Mac.

A wise man (you're welcome) said that buying a Mac would make me an island to myself.

But here are my thoughts on that:

1. Mac's rock!

2. Island living...not really so bad. (especially if you bring a friend!)

So I am the official owner of my very own iBook. MY VERY OWN!!!!

And my dear husband owns a MacBook Pro.

We have indeed passed to the Other Side. And I have to say, out here on the island the views are splendid and there are more folks to keep us company than I expected!

Aloha!

Shoes

Some of you smiled when you read the title. You are my soul mates. Shoes are good. Buying new ones, unbelievable.

We've been in the States for 4 1/2 weeks. I have purchased 11 pairs of shoes.

My husband thinks I may be insane. Honestly, that could go either way, depending on the day and at least I'm happy. A happy insane person is manageable. :-)

And speaking of manageable--I'm not sure how to stop. I enter Target, I head for the shoes. K-Mart--shoes. Outlet malls, department stores, you guessed it...

In order to assuage a mild guilt complex I took back two pairs of shoes this week. Returned. Got the money back. Reported in to my husband. :-)

But he knows me well. And he understands.

I'm not turning back.

I'm only making room for the shoes I'll buy in Texas.

:-)

(PS I hear they let you where those cute plastic Croc shoes in mental institutions...)