Sarah: Mornings

image from here

One of my favorite things to do is to wake up, grab a cup o' tea, and sit down to read some of my favorite blogs. It's one of my favorite times of the day. So peaceful. So quiet. So full of hope--I have the whole day ahead of me. It's usually how I spend the hour after I first wake up (when I'm not at work).

Our van is currently at the shop being fixed and I'll have to pick it up later. There is a pile of dishes in the sink that need to be done. We have just enough food in the house for me to make dinner (I hate going grocery shopping by myself). But I need to go grocery shopping so that we can eat tomorrow. And I have some letters to stick in the mail.

Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

p.s. Am I the only who, still, when I type out the word "Wednesday", I think "wed" "nes" "day"?

Kelsey: A week in instagram

Really its more like a couple weeks. So we arrived and we were all yay America! And then I got malaria. And then I got better and then we got engaged, yay engaged, and then I got bronchitis. Denis has been extremely patient with me being sick for like 3 weeks straight. He has been busy learning to drive on the right side of the road. Tonight we cooked Ugandan food for American family, made me so homesick for Uganda.

Flowers are still in bloom! We arrived early enough in the fall to see the colors. I love the colors! When we first arrived and were landing in Newark the forests were completely red. It was beautiful.

Hello beautiful backyard. Do you want us to play soccer on you?

Family photo fun.

There we go, everyone looking the right way except for Will.

We made a spur of the moment one day road trip to Michigan and got to see Stef!

Guys. You might think that you have had good waffles. But you have not. These waffles are a Todd Little specialty and I do not think I am exaggerating when I say they are the greatest thing in the world.

Obviously only to be enjoyed with real maple syrup. If you have fake maple syrup in your fridge you walk over there and throw that in the garbage right now. Then you hang your head in shame. Only real maple syrup is acceptable!

Gordon's name means handsome, but we should have named him "looks sweet but is actually pure evil." This cat has been terrorizing large dogs, including Becky's adorable puppy!

I pretty much love all large bodies of water, but there is a special place in my heart for Lake Michigan. 

Denis and Santa have really gotten close lately.

Becky's super sweet puppy Daisy! She is very excited!

Grammy and Pop-pop. I found this old picture of my Dad's mom and dad. They were pretty amazing. 

Why do people drink real champagne? After Welch's invented fake champagne I see no reason to ever suffer through the real stuff. I love me some sparkling grape juice. 

Thanksgiving! My aunt and cousin set a beautiful table. So warm and cozy and thanksgivingy.

I might be taking a lot of pictures of my ring. I keep thinking I will not be that girl... and then I am. I have been engaged for a week and a half and I have so far gotten chocolate and paint all over my ring.

There he is. :)

Sarah: Pretty Little Tops

One: I love the pale grey & peter pan collar on this little number.

Two: Do you see this blouse? Mint green, a collar, & a bow. I think I'm in love.

Three: I tried this one on at anthro last week, & it was super cute. The sleeves rock.

Four: Is it just me, or is burnt orange a really flattering color? 'Cause I love it.

Five: Simple. Pretty. Classy.

Six: I currently love the baggier, bohemian style blouses going around. They're [usually] flattering & they make your style look effortless. I especially like the neck of this blouse.

Seven: Mustard & Floral pattern. Delicate & feminine.

Eight: I also tried this shirt on at anthro & I adored the fit & embroidered details.

Nine: I love the neckline, small key hole, & bow in this pretty little top. 

Ten: I own nothing with polka dots. Can you believe that? How pretty would this dotted blouse be with a simple necklace?

On a completely unrelated note: This morning when I went to work, I accidentally took both sets of keys, so Husband didn't have car keys to get to work. I left work 3 hours early to get them to him (his new job is super strict on being late). As I was driving, the van overheated three times & I had to call a tow truck. I left work at 7:15 am & reached home at 10:50am. Husband had to take a cab to work. Good job, Me.

Kelsey: Announcement

I have some news...

Denis asked me to marry him!


And I said, Yes.


:)

Enjoy the Day!

Sarah: Fear & Loathing

image from here

This is the scariest animal alive. A couple years ago, I ran across a photo of this disgusting thing, also called a pangolin, in National Geographic and I googled it. And I immediately regretted it. I have never had such a powerful physical reaction to an animal before. When I saw it, I became nauseous. I mean, aren't you nauseated by the sight of it's creepiness?

image from here

image from here

When I started researching it, I discovered that it's the cousin to armadillos. Which, I also find gross (not as gross as these bad boys, though). Their scales are rock hard--creating a super strong defense against predators. While I was reading up on pangolins, I thought to myself, "As long as they don't live near me, it doesn't matter." Guess what. They're native to Uganda. What. the. heck.

Ancient people groups made armor out of them.
image from here

image from here

Even now when I see them, I get shaky and kind of start to panic. Denis agrees with me. He told me once that I should get a BIG stick and hit it. Kelsey thinks they're cute. I suspect she only said it because of her love of arguing. One of Kelsey's FAVORITE stories to tell me is how her friend Becky told her how rocks last a super long time. Kelsey decided it would be fun to rile Becky up by arguing that plants last longer. Apparently, it was a heated argument--that should not have happened! Only because Kelsey loves to argue.

Back to the point: pangolins. They are the only animal I fear. Some people fear snakes or spiders--animals that can actually harm you. Not me. I pick the seemingly harmless ant eater.

image from here

They are gross. They are vile. They make me want to cry.  And if you don't feel the same, you will after this video:

Read more about these nasty little creatures, here.

Kelsey: How to Friday! How to have malaria gracefully.

*Disclaimer*  Please never follow any advice that you read on this blog. If you suspect you have malaria, ebola, or plague please seek medical attention. Also malaria is very serious. You should really not joke about it.


So I have malaria for the second time this year and while I am the last person who should ever instruct anyone on anything to do with grace, I am the first person you should consult if you get malaria, I am basically a pro at having malaria. Also I am pretty good at getting malaria so I can help you out with that too. But this is my guide on how to have malaria gracefully.


First:

Try not to poop your pants.

If I could give one piece of advice in all life situations. It would be that. Like if I get really famous (probably for most times a person has ever got malaria in America) and the people (you know, the people) they want me to write a book. But I am still not that important so I only get a really short book or something and it can only have one topic. I would write about not pooping your pants.

But it is way more important when you have malaria because if you poop your pants you have to shower. And you are way too tired to shower. Literally too tired to take like a 4 minute shower. So try very hard to control your bodily functions. Do whatever you have to do to avoid standing up for 4 full minutes in the shower. Standing upright is torture. When are they going to invent that shower-bed?

Second:

Do not tell the government.

Also some great general life advice right there. But if the US government finds out you have malaria they  will track your every move and ask you like a hundred questions to verify that you did not in fact contract the malaria in the USA. I wonder what would happen if you did? I bet they would bring you in for top secret government malaria testing and probing.


Third:

If you must get malaria then get it often. Seems like this thing is getting easier each time. I predict like 4 more times and I wouldn't even notice.


Fourth:

Get malaria in America. People will feel very bad for you and worry. If you get malaria in Africa no one will care. Malaria in Africa is like a head cold. You get to be sick with it for maybe one day and then you are expected to be fine. Its just malaria, don't be a baby about it. Get out of bed and go back to work.

In America your friends and family will literally worry that you are dying (which actually is not out of the question). And they will be very nice to you for at least one whole week.

This only works the first time you get it. The second time no one thinks you will die. That sympathy factor really goes away. And obviously sympathy is the best part about getting sick!



Thanks for reading. Good luck with your malaria.

Sarah: Saturday Plans

The sky is grey and bright all at the same time--the

perfect fall weather to drive around some neat little neighborhoods

and look for a new place to live with my love.

Later I might sew up some Christmas gifts & indulge myself & watch

some kind of foreign film. Any suggestions?

What are you up to on this lovely Saturday?

Kelsey: A walk around Mpumudde

I miss Africa. These are pictures from around my neighborhood.

Tryin to hide.

This foundation has been dug for a while now.  Long enough for corn to grow.

The worlds tiniest market. But its ours.

Empty house = sweet digs for the crazy man.

Our house is in there somewhere.

The main road. You will notice the small strip of pavement in the center of the road.

I love babies with tons of hair. Like how old are you? How did you grow so much hair in such a short time?

The sun on the cliff.

Fifteen minutes into our walk this was the group of kids that was following us.

Helping some dude stack his sacks of grass.

Miss it.

Sarah: Christmas Wish List

I haven't made one of these suckers in a while and I've been asked by relatives what I want for Christmas, so here is my holiday wish list! Feel free to buy me any and all of the items on the list!

You should know though, there were a lot more clothes on here, but I went and sifted through to get the top picks.

1. Francis & I are getting iPhone's for Christmas (yay!)--but I'm huge klutz. I drop my phone weekly. I don't really care now, because my phone is crap. But when I get that iPhone, it's going to need some protection. And this my protection of choice.
2. I love the way this raw & natural diamond ring looks so rough & organic, yet completely feminine.
3. Such a cute & classic bag (that can, in the future, double as a diaper bag).
4. What a lovely, chic, printed blouse. I need more staples like this one in my closet.
5. I saw this movie a couple of months ago & it was so So SO good. I can only imagine how the novel originally set out the plot. I want to read it so badly.
6. Do you have eyes? Can you see these shoes? If you answered "yes" to both of those questions, then you understand why I want these.
7. I have become a sucker for peter pan collars & sparkly things. I don't know when it happened, but those preferences force me to like this sweater.
8. I love maps. I love typography. I love this map. I want it on my wall.
9. This coat makes me swoon. It's so simple & so lovely.
10. Oh my word. Pretty.
11. These sheets would coordinate with my bed sheet perfectly. And I like orange.
12. I have wanted these boots for over a year. One day...
13. A simple wishbone necklace. Something to wear everyday with anything & everything.

What do you want for Christmas?

Sarah: Week in Instagram

tree

a section of our dresser

Frock You vintage store

vintage earrings

mad men

salsa chicken & black bean soup

husband hard at work

i love me some mindy kaling

Life is really good. Yesterday, I heard a great message on judgment at church that was challenging and refreshing. I hate cooking, but I've been doing it a lot more lately--which is a big change for me. Let me clarify: I've been dumping things in my crockpot, leaving it for 5-8 hours, and then I marvel at the delicious food that comes out. I got a new moleskine journal--which makes me very happy. I love moleskines. Francis and I went out to a bar on Thursday night with a couple of people and it was super fun. Like I said, life is good.

Sarah: Good News

I have some good news:

1). I am now an official resident of California! Woo! Now all we have to do is change our license plates.

2). Husband got a job! We're so thankful and in awe of God's timing.

3). We found a church. I feel so motivated and excited to get involved in this community. This past Sunday we heard an awesome message from the humorous and charismatic Donald Miller.

4). We are now members of the YMCA and I can't wait to start swimming laps again.

5). I got my new glasses! I decided on the Sinclairs [number two]. They rock. They came in a nice little box and the case is so sleek and colorful. The glasses are such good quality, I feel good when I wear them, and it's super nice to take a break from my contacts!

aren't they pretty?

6). I [finally] started decorating our apartment. It feels good to have our space, beginning to look like our space.