Matt and Lana crouched under a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

I am very excited about Lana being married.
Especially because it is to Matt.

When we found out they were talking marriage Travis said, "Well, she'd be a freaking idiot not to marry him, since they're clearly awesome together."

Good thing Lana is not a freaking idiot.

Today I got to take their engagement photos, which was aaawesome! They are a really fun and super attractive couple, which made today work out, despite all the mishaps.
Mishap example: A perfect dusky cloudy day went from perfect to raining to REALLY harsh sunlight in about a half hour and remained really harsh until we were pretty much done.
It is possible that I made them huddle under a tree in the semi-shade.
I think that really annoyed poor Matthew.
Mishap example 2: We had planned on doing the photos in a canoe, but the canoe rentals were closed because it was so very windy.
Mishap example 3: I had an allergic reaction to all the plant life surrounding Utah Lake.

We seriously finished these photos less than an hour ago, but I already want to share a few of my favorites.
I can't wait any longer!
Aren't they a good-looking pair?

28 days in Africa

A picture for every day?

And maybe a story for each one.

Oh, blast. You know I've just realized that I have at least one CF Card at home with morepictures on it. Things like giant anthills, and Freddy the Boda-Boda driver, our cook Edith, and pregnant Aberforth, and Travis trying to eat sugar cane and feed Nutella to the goats (which they didn't like at all.)

So here are 25 pictures for now, and nope, they are no longer in order:

aaaand, I still can't crop. So if they look like they ought to be horizontal then click for the full picture.

It would seem wrong to start this photo flood with a picture of someone besides Osito. Unfortunately, you can't see him unless you click on the picture.

So Osito was one of our drivers. He told us he was 26, but he also said he thought he was born in 1987. So we don't know how old he is.

Osito has, as he mournfully told me the first time we met, "never even touched an aeroplane," yet his greatest ambition is to be a famous singer in America. If he becomes a famous singer in America then he will send his giant fortune to a Kilifi orphanage.

This is a picture he asked me to take to go on the cover of his Demo Cd.

If you are wondering, Osito's "band" is really a small gospel choir.

He is not the main singer, but intends to be the only one photographed for their cover.

Oh Osito, I love you. But you also drove me nearly crazy.
This is Squeegee, our favorite wiggly skinny little puppy. He did have fleas, but we still let him in our room and I carried him around quite a bit.

I couldn't help it. Have you ever seen such a cute little guy? He is also the puppy that I mentioned being harassed by monkeys in Kilifi. I'm glad to say that he is still alive and well.
This is my cute husband filming a burning pile of trash.

First, imagine the worst smell you have ever smelled.

Now set it on fire.

There isn't a garbage system in Kenya (or most of Africa, I think.) So people throw their garbage in the woods, or if that's too big of a pain, they burn it.
This is Kilifi! Doesn't it look just perfect?

Yes, the picture below is also Kilifi, combine them into a rural and gorgeous town and you got Kilifi.

This picture was taken from the BoatYard, a little tourist restaurant that served absurdly delicious crab samosas, while you sat with your feet in perfect white sand, shaded by palm trees, and looked out at the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.

Can we talk about ideal? This was our special treat for our last day in Kenya.

We went with our friends Leah and Rajiv, our personal Kenyan tour guides, they introduced us to our favorite parts of Kilifi, like the people, and the alleyway market, and --of course-- crab samosas.
This is Osito again, in front of his Tuk Tuk. It's basically a motorized rig-shaw. He would drive us around town in it for super cheap.

I said to him, "Osito, can I take your picture in the Tuk Tuk so my family can see what it looks like?"

"Of course, of course!" he said

So I took a picture of him sitting in the Tuk Tuk seat.

"One more," he said, and he got out and crouched down next to the front.

"Another?" he asked, posing in the above position.

"Would it trouble you to take just one more?" he asked.

A dozen photos later and I am confident that I have pictures of both Osito and the Tuk Tuk from nearly every angle.

We had a bonfire on the beach one night and it was a blast. Luckily Rajiv and Travis were both boy scouts or we never would have gotten the fire started it was so windy! We ended up all crouched and huddled around it, holding a blanket over our heads to block the wind. When the papers and sticks finally caught fire my eyebrows (and everyone else's) were nearly burned off.

Lots of teeny tiny crabs (think nickel-sized) would venture near to see the fire, but become frightened and try to scurry away.

But the boys kept herding the scuttling little guys into the fire where they would scream, start to bubble, and then die.

Then the boys would pull the crab out and eat it! they said it was pretty good, but I was too squeamish to have a bite.

I think this monkey is in the Nairobi airport, although I assure you they were everywhere.

The guards in the airport absolutely hated them, but they kept sneaking in somehow.

This is Osito's band. Can you see him back there?

We have his cd if you would like a copy, and if you are feeling generous I think Osito would love to get a few US dollars in the mail.

He might even donate it to a near-by orphanage.

This picture was taken in Uganda at one of HELP Internationals Eye Camps. HELP pays for doctors and nurses who come to very rural places and give out free eye glasses and perform dozens of cataract surgeries.

Travis made good friends with the man above and followed him through the whole procedure.

He spoke very good English for living somewhere so rural.

This is us at the NILE river. We were right near the head of it, visiting some pretty little falls.

I have never been anywhere that is mentioned in the Bible, and I know it was silly, and we were very far from Egypt, but it was a very neat experience to see the Nile.

I just kept thinking about Moses, and after I thought of that (of course) I felt the need to take off my shoes.

And then I finally understood (I think) how sweet it was for Christ to wash the apostles feet. Since every day we came home and our feet were dirty and sweaty and aching, but mostly dirty, and I would have to sit down in our disgusting cold shower and try to rub my feet semi-clean.

And sitting there at the Nile with water washing over my feet just felt so heavenly.
This man is at another Eye Camp.

Travis took this picture.

Isn't it gorgeous?

This is me.

This is our driver Peter, who, if you've read other posts in Africa you will know was a very good friend.

When we were in Uganda he actually called us and once I was on the phone said "Becky, please. I miss you so much. Please, please return to Kenya."

"I would like to," I said.

"Then please come back. Come back now if you can."

It's nice to have friends who want you to visit.
Remember when we broke down in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Kenya.

We took some pretty long-exposure shots.

You seriously wouldn't believe the stars you can see in Africa.
Remember when the Kenyan women couldn't stop laughing at me? They helped me tie my skirt and then babbled on in Swahili and then laughed until they cried?

These are a few from the group. The girl in the black and green is the one who finally helped me.
This is a photo from when Rajiv and Leah and Travis and I had dinner with Kadzo and Bahati and they gave me my Kenyan name and then showed us their farm --which we would have destroyed if they let us keep working on it.

These are the mud huts they live in and you can see their make-shift tables and communal plates.

It was perfect. I want to do it again.

Today.
This is Elvis, Bahati's baby. All of the babies (and I even saw children who were at least three r four) are carried around like this. The fabric used is the same fabric they use as skirts (Kangas) and often the woman will wear a skirt that matches her baby-carrier.

This is Kadzo and Bahati laughing at someone (I think Leah) trying to hoe.

Don't be fooled though, they laughed much harder when I tried to hoe.

Repeatedly they took the hoe away from me and tried to reshow me how it's done.

And repeatedly I failed.

This is just a little baby tree.

And little baby me.

Some Children

I have separated photos out into several categories the first category is African Children, aka the cutest human beings on the planet.

You know those ads of crying skinny little Africans with big dark watery eyes?

They've all got big eyes, and unlike American kids they often look solemnly at the camera rather than grinning.

And if you happen to catch one of them falling down, or stubbing their toes then BAM! a sad watery eyed face that you can use in your ad about donating money. (Other than shots and one time when Monica fell down, I never saw a single child cry [Monica is the last photo, isn't she sweet?])

Anyway, I love these little guys.

Here are some of my favorite children/pictures:

hmmm, I'm having a hard time cropping things, so some of these are very goofy. But you get the gist.

African Boy Travis

If Travis were littler and browner it would be easy to mistake him for a little African boy. He spends a great deal of time barefooted, running around, and playing football (you know... soccer).
All this might not convince you, if he wasn't also almost always surrounded by a dozen or more children.
They LOVE him.
The picture above was taken by Matt, another Komaza employee, at a school we were filming at. Travis spent almost the whole time filming the kids, and then replaying the footage for them to see.
And, exactly like the American children who we know love to see themselves on film, these kids couldn't get enough of it.
Remember this picture from Trav's blog? He would run, and they would follow.

Then, of course, they wanted to watch themselves running.

He's reading over my shoulder and I'm going to make him leave so I can talk more about him.
Good, now it's just us... you and me, blog world.

I am reminded every day how absolutely crazy madly in love with Travis I am. He is so good and patient and kind, and smart, and unbelievably hard working. (I notice that the most in Africa. Take a break! I actually have to beg him to stop overworking himself.)
Our driver Peter has noted many, many times to how humble Travis is. "You are not like other Americans," Peter said.
"They are so rich and prideful and they think they can have whatever they want here. They use harsh and vulgar language, but your husband is so humble. He is a real Christian man, always trying to do so much good to everyone he meets."

Everyday that we go out into the field to work Peter drives us and he always says, "Please do not work so hard as yesterday. You will be too tired. You are overworking."
And when I give up and sit in the car to rest he says, "You are a lucky woman, he will always take care of you. He works so hard. As long as he has time for you, and not just work, you will always be happy."

And let me assure you, Travis has time for me. He makes time for me. He is so unbelievably good to me.
The people here at Komaza are all Americans, most older than me, close to Trav's age. For the most part I think they don't want to be married, at least for a long time.

And I think, You fools.
Being married is awesome. You have someone to take care of you, and for you to take care of. You have someone to love for the rest of forever. You have someone to go with you when you go on an adventure into Africa so you aren't alone.
And when you shimmy down under the sheets and say you cannot fall asleep for fear of the devil's evil monster mosquitoes which you hate (grrrr!) you can have a husband who will cover you and the bed in bug spray and then carefully pin every hole in the netting close and then kill all the mosquitoes who come near you.
Even though its a pain.

And even though you now taste disgusting to kiss, because of the bug spray, he'll probably still kiss you goodnight.

And then he'll let you sleep by the fan.
And he'll let you sleep on his half of the bed, snuggled up despite the heat.
And he'll let you sleep in and then get up and make you breakfast in bed.

And because its meager, he'll probably sprinkle sugar ON your peanut butter toast.
Which is divine and unhealthy.

But let me restate: It is only great to have a husband if he is amazingly fantastic and perfect.

Which Travis is.

Travis got stung by a bee

On his eye!

My Weekend

was a very good weekend.
I will tell you all about it.
It began with going to the farmers market on Saturday with Travis and Lauren and a boy named John. There were hardly any veggies, since it's only May. But we did buy two dozen beautiful eggs and some fresh meat. Also radishes, but we ate them all before I could photograph them.
Mmmmmm.
The egg yolks are so ORANGE! They're crazy.
Don't they look pretty? Like they're already painted for Easter, especially the green ones.

Then we went to Travis's parents and picked all the rhubarb out of their garden (Thank you very much!) Then Lauren and Suzie and Emma and I canned some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.
Delicious!
It was the first time any of us had canned something and we were very successful!

We went to see Babies that evening with Travis's parents and I LOVED it. It was exactly like the preview. Short clips, back and forth between babies.
There was no dialogue and if there were parents talking in the background it was not translated or important.
I don't think Trav's parents liked it very much because there were lots of boobies. The African women never wore tops and we saw all of the women breast-feeding. But it was pretty tasteful, so Travis and I didn't really mind.
On Sunday I used my new jam and new eggs and made Swedish Pancakes. We went through an entire jar of jam the first day.

For church I dressed like a forties reporter... kind of. I wore a white button up shirt and a grey high-waisted pencil skirt and I wore a skinny little tie tucked into my skirt.
I wish I had a picture. I had many compliments, on account of, I looked adorable.
Sunday night we had Cole and Suzie over for hamburgers, using the meat we got at the Farmer's Market. (The cattle was slaughtered just three weeks ago. It was so terribly fresh, and it was free-range and it was local.) And we ate it with homemade spelt-flour buns.
Then the left-over strawberries and rhubarb went into my first ever Lattice-Top pie.
YUM!

What a successful and delicious weekend.
We spent the evening watching Charlie and Lola on Youtube, which is a past time I would highly recommend.


p.s. Listen to Travis talk on the radio here.
He thinks he sounds dumb, but I do not. Lets take a poll. Do you think Travis sounds stupid? Yes or No?