facts

Fact: I open birthday presents early. I was a good girl when it came to Christmas presents, but with birthday presents, not so much. As they come in, I'm opening them right up, primarily because I will actually be in Uganda on my birthday and I don't want to wait until I get back to open them. So here is where I say I have received the most thoughtful, considerate gifts ever! I am so thankful for my friends and for the reminder that people are thinking of us back home. The formal thank you's will be dropped in the mail ASAP, but the formal shout-out was definitely in order for one of the best care packages I have received yet.

Fact: I am now 28 (according to my WiiFit). Heck yes for losing 14 years off my age and being what I'm supposed to be!

Fact: Will said my mac & cheese is gourmet. Coming from my husband, this is a HUGE deal, as I believe him to be one of the best cooks ever. We had our Southern BBQ on Saturday and it was an absolute success. We introduced 20 people to the beauty of fried okra and oh man, did it taste like home. The corn souffle recipe (I didn't use cheese in mine) was an absolute hit - it was the first thing to be entirely eaten up. The recipe was easy to prepare and bake - I highly suggest it! I did my macaroni and cheese differently this time as I made more of a roux for the noodles and then used goat milk pecorino cheese, white cheddar cheese, white gouda, and a liberal amount of white pepper. I was absolutely delish and I was very happy.

Fact: I need a shot to go to Zambia and Uganda. Apparently there is a meningitis outbreak in both Zambia and Uganda and I have to get a big ol' shot before I leave. Most of you know that I have every other vaccine possible so this shot will mean that I have all the shots needed for traveling. Crazy huh?

Fact: I finally got to Jo'burg. Yes, I've lived here for almost 6 months and just made it to Jo'burg last weekend. Beth and I visited the Apartheid Museum. The museum was very information and similar to the kind of experience you would receive from visiting the Holocaust museum. You feel terrible afterwards knowing that people suffered and died unnecessarily in this world. I'm glad I went as I think its helpful to understand the history of the country I live in and would recommend it to future visitors. When I return, I think I'll get a tour guide to help me understand things even better. Jo'burg on the whole was not what I expected. It looks a lot like Pretoria - I'm not really sure what I was expecting. The downtown doesn't appear to be as modern as I thought that it was, but it is quite large.

Fact: I like The Sopranos. So I was one of those people who missed out on the Sopranos hype when it was on air, primarily because I haven't had HBO since I lived at home. It just never seemed to be the type of show I would be interested in. As I have fallen in love watching TV shows on DVD, I wonder what else I've missed (Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, etc.)... suggestions?

Fact: Muddy can retrieve things off the bottom of the pool. Have I ever mentioned that Muddy is part submarine? He loves to spend hours retrieving his red ball off the bottom of the pool. Its great exercise for him and its really cute too. One day I will take a picture...

Fact: I'll be out of town for two weeks starting Sunday. I'll be in Zambia for a week and then Uganda for a week. Expect more posts while I'm away! I'm excited to return to Zambia as I haven't been back in 3.5 years. I know some of the staff is the same so I am really looking forward to the familiar faces. Will is joining me in Uganda and we are planning to raft the Nile. Wish me luck!