And a very happy birthday to my dear Chicas Elia and Amber!

Shout Outs

Hey, here's just a few shout outs to some important people in my life. I'll be gone most of August, but I'm thinking of my loved ones on their special days!

Happy birthday to my Good Sistah!! Hoo-hoo, I love you Cathie Jo!

Happy birthdays and anniversary to my teammates Byron and Annette!

Congrats on your engagement, Amber! Friends that I made in first grade just aren't supposed to be getting married! Oh wait, somewhere along the line I guess we got old. Weird.

Happy forty-stinkin'-third anniversary Mom and Dad!

This white chick just got hip

I came home tonight with that alive feeling. Like I'm actually present in this place and a part of life here. It came over me as I was getting on a bus (that broke down 2 blocks later) on my way home from Charisma Gospel. That's right folks, this white chick has joined a really popular Congolese choir. Whoa, my life is way cooler than I am! Oh wait, it gets better...The director of the choir has another little combo group and it's really that group that he wants me to be a part of. He wants to teach me all about African music! I'm like, "Duh...OK." These groups travel and constantly get invitations to perform. So yeah, I can just see the headlines now: Random white girl tops African music charts. Yeah right, but it's seriously an amazing opportunity! Besides the music part, I'm super thankful for the chance to meet and mingle with local people who are around my age and share common interests. Thanks God! Just be in prayer for me that I'll get some rhythm and not make a total dork of myself :o)

Can you find Freckie? I have a cat! Well, she's just on loan for a year. Her owners are back home in Europe on furlough. She's a very pretty fluffy grey cat with green eyes. She's actually the mother of Fiver (the Psycho Terrorist black kitten I used to live with). She's not crazy like him but she sure does know how to meow.

It's kind of nice always having someone around. She kind of participates in whatever I do (except for when she sleeps in the closet!). I was cleaning house the other day and when I swept the living room, she sat on a chair; when I swept the bedroom, she sat on my bed; when I swept the bathroom, she watched from outside the door. She's just always there. It's cute. And sometimes annoying. When she's on the outside of the mosquito night she wants to be inside with me, but when she's inside awhile then she wants to get out. I'm like, do whatever, just stop meowing!!!