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Blog About Fall 2020

The week after the hurricane, we headed the other direction to Brownwood, Texas.

The house where we stayed had a lot of dress-up clothes for grandchildren, and Keira modeled no less than 7 outfits one night.

October 17, 2020

When we returned to College Station, we took Karis out to celebrate her becoming a member of the National Honor Society.

Since she attends an online school, there was no ceremony or acknowledgement. I thought back to my own induction, and told her to hold up a steak knife while she said the "pledge" (that we looked up online).

I would say this generally is not what you want to see your 16-year old daughter doing.

October 19, 2020

Two days later, my friend Shelley invited me to go antique/vintage shopping with her. I don't often get to do "girl trips," so it was so fun to spend the day with her.

One crazy thing about the day was so many reminders of Africa.

For example, this mannequin head is a similar replica of one in Kampala, Uganda, that we used to pass often and note how out-of-place it was there. I found a picture of another laughing one in Uganda that I posted way back in 2011

Also, these wood crafts, which were shipped in from Ghana, reminded me so much of all the times we went to craft markets anywhere in East Africa.

And this speaks for itself.  (the link is from Tanzania in 2010).

 

October 21, 2020

And this became our new normal in communicating with Kylie while she was at school.

What a blessing instant communication with video is!

October 20, 2020

Being a Tourist

Since we had traveled all the way to Thailand, we decided to experience a little bit of the country before returning to the desert.

Keira and I tried out the fish tank.

Unfortunately for Keira, my feet had a lot more dead skin than hers, so they basically ignored Keira's feet.
.

We saw some beautiful things

and some interesting things

We took an ATV tour into the mountains.

We got a chance to look for shells.  

It was Keira's very first time, and she loved it! 

The other three have only had two other opportunities 

(South Padre in 2009 and the Indian Ocean in 2010)

It was like treasure hunting for all of them.

No segregated pools here.  All of our kids got to swim together for the first time in a while.

Sunsets are something to treasure, no matter where we are.

This was what a taxi looked like in Thailand.

Caleb, Keira, and I got up at 4:30 one morning to ride in one of these to an elephant sanctuary an hour and a half away.

We had a good time, but on the way home, I could tell some people had had a long day and were exhausted.

Keira was born in Africa, but she doesn't remember any safaris we went on, so she was very excited to go on this night safari.  She loved seeing the giraffes and zebras the most.

Maybe one day she'll get to return to Africa and see some of those animals on the savannah during the daylight hours.

Mikumi morning

Aren't you glad my safari lasted only two days? Because this will be my last post on the subject, and you won't have to hear about it again, but I stood in awe of my God the following morning, too.

We woke up at 5, so we could get an early start. The mountains that had shown so brightly the night before at sunset, were now a dismal gray.

With the sun rising, everywhere I looked, something was changing. Colors would be dull one moment and then bright the next.

Grass was brown in one area and green in another. It was picturesque.


“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” - Ps 103:11

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” - Ps 18:30

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” - Ps 84:11

“In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” - Ps 19:4b-6

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirst for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water.” - Ps 63:1

This is my favorite of the morning. The three colors of nature make it so beautiful to me.
































Of course, the animals were amazing, too.
























I loved getting pictures where two or more types of animals were together.




























































The wildebeest are a bit skiddish.























Isn't it amazing that each one is so different, like a fingerprint?

























This was my favorite animal shot. From this angle, it looks like the giraffe is the actual trunk of this tree.
























The End



















The whole crew -


















Ready to go get some breakfast and hit the road back to Dar!

God's Amazing Beauty

God's beauty is astounding.

We went on an afternoon safari drive at Mikumi National Park while we were in Tanzania, and we loved seeing the beautiful animals.

We saw giraffes, cape buffalo, elephant, zebras, jackals, lots of birds, and even a tree in the shape of Africa,

but I couldn't get over the painting that God was working on in the sky.

I started hearing scriptures in my heart.

"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created." - Rev 4:11

NOTE: Before I continue this post, I will apologize in advance for all the pictures (because I know they are hard to load). I had the hardest time picking and choosing which ones to show you, and there are still hundreds more on my computer.

I kept snapping trying to capture this moment in time so I wouldn't forget the conversation God and I had together.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and those who dwell in it."
- Ps 24:1









I don't have a special, fancy camera, and I don't know a lot about framing a shot like my brilliant sister-in-law, Jen, but I didn't need either of those things to capture God's beauty.

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”


I know mountains like the Rockies or Alps tower over these small ones, and I also know that skies painted like this occur daily all over the world.

They might even occur in Arua, but I rarely see them.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.” - Ps 73:25

This day, I stood in awe of His beauty.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

“From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord’s name is to be praised.” - Ps 113:3

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” - Heb 4:13a

(Can you see the giraffes the the left below the sun?)

I had my own little worship service right there in the safari truck.

I love how we can worship God anywhere.

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” - Ps 16:11

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." - James 1:17

You are so good to us, Abba.