Adventures of Amy

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Roadtrip to Cali . . . Thursday

Adventures to Fresno California from San Antonio Texas with Julie (Andrew's mom). After returning from Kenya I knew I only had a limited number of days in Texas before moving and with Andrew not able to drive with me to Cali I just figured I would be on my own. Yeah, sure my friends wanted to come with me and travel the country but they have jobs, responsibilities at home, and limited budgets. So after talking with Julie over hot tea she asked if she could join me. At first I was shocked and then excited to have a driving partner. Everything worked out perfectly and within 4 days we were off for our journey!

THURSDAY

Goal- drive towards the Grand Canyon

Lots of driving towards the West. We departed San Antonio at 5am through the fog until the sun came out. Stopped for breakfast in San Angelo at McDonalds (not my fav place) but I had a McGriddle and it was pretty tasty. Then we kept driving and stopped in Roswell for lunch at Wendys (not my fav place either) and happy to report we were not attacked by aliens :)

Then we made our way to Santa Fe!

Population 62,203 Elevation 6,989 feet
fun fact- Oldest capital in North America and the second oldest city in the US
--Loretto Chapel is home to the "miraculous staircase" which has two-360 degree turns and no visible means of support.
--Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was founded in 1610.
--State Capitol building is designed in the shape of the Zia sun symbol, the state's official emblem.

Dinner in Albuquerque!!

Population 448,607 Elevation 4,957 feet
fun fact- Dried chili peppers called ristras are hung for good luck and to welcome guests
-- Old Town is the city's original settlement and was founded in 1706. Also here is San Felipe de Neri Church which was founded in 1793.
-- Little Anitas has awesome Mexican food and that is really hard for me to say being from Texas but its true. If you are ever there I would recommend this place!!

Sleep in Holbrook, Arizona.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Amazing SPURS game with Mrs. Garcia

Manu signed my Jersey :)

I love Manu

MANU GINOBILI

Amazing Mrs. Garcia & I

I'm Lovin it!

Go Spurs Go!

Player of the Game
Roger Mason

MANU!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Hair!!

new hair cut!!
donated 9 inches to Locks of Love

Braids out- Thanks Megan, Vickie, & Emily

time for braids to come down :(
-took 2.5 hours

mom and me

Braids from Kenya
- took 4 hours to complete
I LOVED EM!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Reflections of Africa

Here are some memories I will always cherish from my time in Kenya . . .

-- Visiting my WV children in their village in Lokori. It was a priceless moment that will stay in my heart forever. Touring the village, talking with the families, reading a story together, sharing a meal, and seeing their faces smile was just absolutely amazing and wonderful!!!!

Even though the sisters father was persistent about needing my address I didn't let the ruin my time or my view of him and his family. I hope that one day he will realize that I am not the answer to all their problems and he & his family will be able to overcome their poverty.

Being able to see Kailale face to face and eye to eye was a dream come true. Having sponsored him the longest I was most excited to see him and his family!!! For being 14 years old he is not taller than me and has such a beaming smile!!! His mother was wonderful and loving and soft spoken and a woman of God.

-- Safari!! DUH! I love to travel around the states to zoo, aquariums and other exhibits with animals and to have the opportunity to see them in the wild and up close was AWESOME! Driving through the Mara (game park) and seeing the many many animals just going about their day was amazing. Since there is not hunting in Kenya most of the animals were not afraid of the safari vans but we did not venture outside the van for safety. I mean, they are still wild animals! We were fortunate to see baby animals of almost every kind . . . elephant, zebra, giraffe, impala, lion, warthog, buffalo, hippo, meerkat, and more. Watching an African sunset, hearing a lion chew on a dead cow, getting sunburned, trying new foods, sleeping in tented camps, and just experiencing the safari and soaking up each moment made it soo amazing.

Sidenote-- the tented camps. . . well totally not like I had imagined. Think of a large canvas tent with a hardwood floor and a concrete foundation, big enough to hold a king size bed, a little desk off to one side with a coffee pot, electricity, and they even put warm water bottles in your bed each night. Oh and the bathroom- toilet, sink, and shower- in each tent with hot water that is heated by solar power. And each tent came with a dudu (bug) zapper!!!

-- Before going on this adventure I talked with Emily and told her that 2 things I really wanted to do were the safari (and she said we were doing that already) and to visit my WV children (all the details put together by World Vision). After doing those things so early on in the trip I was able to just relax and enjoy African life! Some days we would just stay home spending time with Emily's family and one another. In the moments where nothing was on the calendar I learned the African way of life.

Spending quality time with people is far more important the money in your bank account. Going to some one's house for coffee and tea is their way of serving you and your presence is a blessing to them. And showing up not on time is not a big deal. Its not the quantity but the quality!!!