Off to see the wizard

This morning we leave home to pick up our nanny (B's aunt Gail) and stay the night near LAX, flying to JFK early Thursday morning, then on to Accra, Ghana (arriving Friday.)

Ghana is in West Africa, located between Cote D'ivoire (Ivory Coast), Burkina Faso and Togo, in the Gulf of Guinea (part of the Atlantic Ocean.) It's a 5 hour flight to New York and then about a 10 hour flight to Accra.



Accra (pronounced uh-CRAW) is the capital city, where we'll be staying for just a few days before heading North. As seen on the map of Ghana (below), Accra is located on the Southern coast. It's a bustling African town modern and prosperous by developing country standards.



Then, after a few days in Accra, we'll be taking a 2 hour flight north to Tamale (pronounced TAH-muh-lee), where we will be for several weeks. Tamale is a VERY different place than Accra. Mostly Muslim and already extremely poverty-stricken, the conditions were recently made much worse by disastrous flooding in that part of the country. Further, this Northern region has been the site of much religious and political tension (warring tribes.) The last time we went, this was all an exciting adventure. This time, with our baby, it is an exciting and terrifying adventure. Pray, please. Thank you.

P.S. If you are interested in reading more about our trip, from a more professional & vision perspective, check out our Amani Global blog.

With you
Thinking of you especially today, friends.

Major Milestone

Audrey has achieved a major marker in a Californian child's life: her first In-N-Out meal. Although her parents eat here frequently, she has been deprived until today.



It was actually an In-N-Out grilled cheese with tomato and light spread, but she loved it.



Daily, this little girl cracks us up with her funny sense of humor, smarts and crushingly sweet heart. She's actually started teasing (which she comes by honestly on both sides); yesterday she offered Mike a blueberry, brought it up to his mouth and then yanked it away, popping it into her own!

Countdown


This is Audrey and her dog, Obi.
Obi is the perfect dog: he never sheds, poops or pees in the house, barks only when we press his paw (plus we can always take the batteries out) and needs no care when we leave for days or weeks.

On that note...only a few days until we leave for Ghana. In addition to the last things that need to be done, the main thing on my heart is Audrey's health and safety. Man, danger and disease were something else back when it was 'just' us traveling. Now, the risks of malaria, meningitis, etc. seem very real.

Knowing that our calling is to help bring more awareness and funding for poverty and fairness in trade, we must heed wisdom, and trust God with even our most precious.

Since we are told to ask, would you please join us in covering, especially Audrey, with prayer for health and safety? Pray also for peace and joy during this journey--that especially her mommy will remember that every day of her life is in the hands of the one who made her. Thank you.

P.S. Matt B: please leave your email address on a comment.

Lares and Penates



No such thing as traveling light to a developing country with 15-month old baby.

We are taking all of her food and a million other paraphernalia such as PeaPod, travel-sized white noise machine, travel baby monitor, travel car seat, travel stroller, travel high chair, Ergo Baby and enough medicine, first aid and insect repellent to treat all of the deployed troops in Iraq.



(By the way, we own several slings and baby carriers and this one is BY FAR the best. Unless you are going to hike the Himalaya's, this thing is ideal for any situation-- from day hikes to mall runs. What's more, you can use it for a tiny infant to a heavy toddler and it's comfortable for both of you. It's ingeniously designed, affordable and very compact (as opposed to bulky aluminum frame packs. We've been wearing it around the house just to get Audrey used to it and she LOOOVES it and doesn't want to get out.)

Phrase of the day: lares and penates (pronounced: LAIR-eez-end-puh-NAY-teez). noun.
1. Roman gods, once worshiped as guardians of the household.
2. personal or household effects.


Example sentence: Far from packing 'just the bare necessities,' the Morris family traveled to Ghana together with the whole of their lares and penates.

O Tannenbaum


We love our Christmas tree. We like to get it as soon as possible and keep it up until it is a fire hazard (usually primo February.) Since we won't be around for most of the season, it was paramount to get out there the minute the lots opened. We got to take Faith home with us from Thanksgiving, so she helped find the perfect specimen.


Faith is an amazing young girl and has a special gift with children. She is Audrey's 'Godsister' and the reason we chose her middle name.






Yes, we all love Faith and her entire family. Jez, Dina and Scott. Since moving back from Australia 2 years ago, they've been on the road in full-time ministry. Very selfishly, we are glad that our friends are back in town for a while.

As requested

Here, Gitts--a pic of my newly shorn hair.

It's a very Mullet Thanksgiving

Does this look like Thanksgiving in California, or what?




Audrey and her beloved, Faith
It felt very strange to see our little baby driving around in a Barbie jeep with the 'big kids'


Scottie, Mike and a beer


Uncle Eddie Foy, looking every bit the part of a Hollywood casting director
(For those who watch old Bob Hope movies--yes, he's part of the 'Eddie Foy and the 7 Little Foys' clan. His dad was the youngest of the 7 little Foys.)


Audrey and Dina (Mike's cousin and our close friend)



Dina looking adorable while eating (a difficult feat for most people)

And then, somehow, a Mullet showed up.


Grandma's lookin sa-weet.

For those who aren't familiar with the Mullet phenomenon, click here to read more about it. As someone once put it: "The Mullet is business up front and a party in the back." Or as Mike calls it, "7". In this case, everyone had to try it on for size.


Mom looks very contrite, almost little-bo-peepish.


...the color match is uncanny!


Dad looks like he's really 'feelin' it.'


Dina can't quite look the camera in the eye. Understandable, given the circumstances.


Scott feels hot in the look and really gets into it.


Me, not so much.


Jessie rocks the house.


Laura pulls it off stunningly!


And last, but not least, Audrey models the baby-mullet complete with pacifier. For more pictures of Mullets, check out the ultimate resource: Mullet Junky. These guys have any mullet you can think of.

This was a fun day full of great food, good company and so much to be thankful for.

Bugger.



I just felt like saying that because I am celebrating my 200th time watching a cheesy, Christian, early-90's children's video (literally VHS) by Karen Henley. We inherited this and several other similar ones (5 little ladybugs, I feel like a giggle, Noahs Zoo, Tiny Treasures) from Kirsten and wouldn't you know it: Audrey LOOOOVES them. They blow right past Baby Einstein, Nemo, etc. etc.

M and I mock them mercilessly and feel like jumping off a bridge every time we watch. They even haunt us while we sleep and we find ourselves singing these laaame tunes.
Gee, thanks Kir.

A thought

"Paul, as you may remember, urges us to offer our bodies--our very selves--as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1). This offering cannot be made in some abstract way with pious words or religious acts. No, it must be rooted in the acceptance of the concrete details of who we are and the way we live....

And who we are--not who we want to be--is the only offering we have to give.

We give God therefore not just our strengths but also our weaknesses, not just our giftedness but also our brokenness. Our duplicity, our lust, our narcissism, our sloth--all are laid on the alter of sacrifice...

Even the truth about our shadow side sets us free (John 8:32)."

From Chapter 2, 'The Prayer of Examen," in Prayer: finding the hearts true home (Foster).

Book Review: The Bible

Just kidding. It would be a bit ambitious to review the Holy Scriptures, assigning a certain number of stars or thumbs up/down.

It took me a long time to decide whether I was ok with the idea of replacing my beloved but falling-apart Bible with a new one. Actually, I've acquired other copies here and there, but always end up reaching for the familiar one with the worn pages and excessive highlighting. Until earlier this year, when I finally felt, for many reasons, that it was time to start afresh. So, uncomfortable as it was, I began the search for my new Bible. Deciding on which version to choose was very difficult, but I felt that something different than NIV would be good for a new perspective. Also, my former Bible was quite large and heavy which (realistically) has implications for how often you carry it with you, as realized after I splurged for a laptop in the ultra-light category 4 years ago (the thing goes everywhere.) At the same time, let's be honest: if the print is too small, headaches will also put a limit on reading.

My final choice: large print compact Holman CSB. And I am loooving it! The print, while not huge, is decent and the largest font size available in a compact sized Bible. It weighs only 13 oz. and is 6 1/2" x 4.7". After much deliberation, I decided on the Holman version for it's nice balance in literal versus thought-for-thought translation.

Dr. No Leak's Journey



Stop the presses. Call off the dogs. KS has started his very own blog!

Perhaps most amazing and glorious, the journey starts with a well-deserved 2-week vacation. In my entire life, I cannot recall Dad taking a trip that lasted more than a few days. What must he have thought, all these years, of daughters who take month-long trips to hither and yon?

We love you and are excited to follow your journey...

These.




These don't look good on anyone who weighs more than 82 pounds.

No, they do not.

They may be comfortable, warm, cozy and relaxing. And, any of the aforementioned is a legitimate reason to sport this footwear if you are not:
a.) anorexic
b.) wearing them with your nightgown in the privacy of your own home.

In Mike's opinion, you should not be wearing this shoe unless you are an Eskimo killing whales for blubber.

Here's the thing: from a purely functional standpoint (read: comfort), I see the appeal and have myself, seriously wondered whether such footwear could be for me. But there is no way around the fact that they look ridiculous, as already stated, on anyone who doesn't have legs as long and thin as spaghetti.

Yes, this applies to the real Uggs and any other version you might own. If you don't believe me, ask one of your true friends how flattering they are. TRUE FRIENDS. And hey, no one says that you have to stop wearing them. Lucky for us all, comfortable and ridiculous is (apparently) in style.

Just don't fool yourself into thinking that you're 'pulling them off.'
You're just saying 'screw it.'

As my pastor and friend in Denmark once told an American friend, "Joan, you look like you're wearing two puffy loaves of bread on your feet." Bread on your feet may be comfy but sister-- it ain't flattering.

Deckin' our halls


(i am in love with this magnolia wreath, stand and garland.)

Call us crazy, but we're decorating for Christmas already. Used to be--not more than 4 or 5 years ago--that nothing bugged me more than how retailers rolled out Christmas earlier and earlier every year. But last year it took weeks to actually get the tree decorated and the season just seemed to pass so quickly. This year, we'll be passing 3 weeks of yuletide in Sub-Saharan Africa. As in 95 degree weather and 1,000% humidity. Praying to God that our baby doesn't get malaria (please pray with us).

So on that note, we decided to get the season rolling early and enjoy the coziness now, since we won't be back until a few days before Christmas.


i am also very much in love with the paper stars shown here.

Just plain cool.

Denise and Matt are so wonderful and the 3 of us love them so much. They're just so easy to be with and, selfishly, we hope they move to Portland too. (Heck, we hope that we move to Portland.)

By the way: did you know that they're having a baby?



...Someday. No, they are not pregnant. Do you really think that I would be announcing such priviliged information, for them, on my blog? I just wanted to see how many of our friends 1.) actually read what I write. 2.) read fine print and 3.) are so impulsive that they will call Denise or Matt after reading the above lines, without reading these lines. P.S. This was a test of the emergency broadcast system. And if you called Denise without reading ahead, you failed and are now considered an unreliable source for future information.

On another note, my precious Gitte is, actually prego--with #3. But that's no secret!

Basil and Barn Floors
Because regular donkeys just aren't cute enough.



Wouldn't you know it: all of the death, illness and worry in the past few weeks have put me in a funk. Luckily, our basil is growing like a madman and a pot of garlic-laden pomodoro sauce is simmering on the stove for dinner. What else...? Still a wee-bit early for the 'chard 'chilling in the fridge--considering that I 1.) Am not currently in Europe and 2.) Have not yet fed our toddler her afternoon snack. Alas, I turn to laughter for her soothing balm...

If you, yourself, are currently in need a good belly-laugh, visit my new heart-friend-that-I've-never-met
-but-she's-still-my-new-heart-friend-Kim's blog (AKA The Yummy Mummy.) Entries 'The reason there's not much in the fridge,' 'Martha Stewart's Barn Floor,' and 'Baby Watermelon' literally had me laughing out loud. It felt SO good. (In 'older posts' check out her take on Jerry's Seinfeld's wife's new cookbook.)



Picture courtesy of The Yummy Mummy, who stole it from the New York Magazine. Personally, I love Martha's awkwardly sinister stance--she looks about as natural as a men's underwear model in a Sear's catalog.

Lordie, Kim, you are a hoot. Basil, Garlic and Martha Stewart's Barn Floors are chicken soup for the soul on a day like today.

D: are you in a funk too? It has not escaped my notice that you have not posted since 'Farewell, Beloved Modoc Lane'? If you are up for the drive, there's enough pasta to go round.

Vi ses, Johannes

Psalm 116:15:
"Precious in the eyes of Yaweh,
is the death of his saints."

"Kostbar i Herrens oejne, er hans froemmes doed."

It's been a while...Audrey is recuperating and now there are many things on our heart with regard to her health, vaccines and our trip. Any prayers, for wisdom & discernment on our behalf will be greatly appreciated.

More importantly, one of my best friends, Marian, lost her dad Sunday night. Our hearts join hers in mourning his passing. I had the privilege of knowing Johannes, and held him in high esteem. His smile, fiery spirit, determination and faithfulness in the midst of great trials, are to be greatly admired. Even greater, his earthly body gave my beloved friend a soul.

This is an English translation in of something she wrote to her friends (in Danish).

***
Dear friends!

I write to you because my father, and hero, has just died after a brief illness, 79 years old, on November 3rd, at 4:10am.

He was probably the toughest human that I have ever known, probably ever will know, and it is a huge loss to lose him as a father, an example, and an intercessor. I am certain, however, that he is is much better off where he is now and, that he, himself, is satisfied.

Despite a life-long battle with Multiple Sclerosis, which tied him to a wheelchair, paralized in all extremities except his right arm (which was his lifeline), he continued to live in his own home, with very little help. Only a few months ago, he cut his own grass, planted potatoes, weeded under his hedges, grocery shopped and simply could not imagine living at a convalescent home because, 'then you were really handicapped!' Moreover, he had a great sense of humor and was, in general, just always ready to fight for life.

Quite suddenly, however, he had serious pain in his right shoulder, which was difficult to diagnose and treat, and eventually, brought him to his knees. He didn't do well with the high doses of morphine prescribed, nor did it always help relieve the pain. Last weekend he suddenly took a turn for the worse, experienced chronic itching and swelling, and was clearly 'disappearing' from us. Friday, he would no longer receive food or water and, in the middle of the night, he suddenly exhaled one last time while the nurse was in his room.

An incredible person has left us, but he has lit a fire in my own heart--as well as that of many others', which will continue to burn, long after his death.

***
Vi ses, Johannes. You are surely one of the few to whom God will say, 'Well done, my good and faithful son!'
On a side note, you're making we-fainthearted, look really, really bad.