Dedicated to K

Happy Birthday to K! Though this is a day late, I definitely wanted to honor one of the best friends I've ever had as she turned 25 yesterday. Here's to you, Kari!


One of our first outings in Senegal together, to Goree Island


Nice glasses...


Patricia, Kari & Diami


What K and I do best...EAT Senegalese!


K's favorite (I think) birthday was when all our American men dressed as Kari...I don't really know why that's her favorite. It was actually pretty scary. Can you find K in the picture? (Hint: Lower right corner)


K eats the fish eye...she says it tastes like popcorn


K with Cire & newest addition to the Niangs, Mame Yacine


St. Louis, then-Trey-now Jonathan's village...if this is how Les Massons fought before they were married, imagine how the quarrels go down now!


Kari and her favorite baby at the orphanage, Absa


The last time I saw J&K before arriving in Georgia for their wedding 16 months later. I can't remember if at this point, K was still saying, "I can't stand him!" everyday or if we were beyond that to being friends...

Camping

The average temperature for our camping adventure was upper-30s with a lower 30s wind chill. Yikes.

By the time that Josh, Amy & I arrived, Christine already had the tent up for us girls and dinner mostly finished. That's my kind of camping! I definitely win the "Most Useless" award for the weekend since this was the second time camping in my life. Christine won the "Camp Expert" award and the others fell somewhere in between. :) Here are some highlights:

Making a decision

My friend, Sallie, is a genius.

I have come to this conclusion because I have been trying to find direction in making a major decision lately, and Sallie pointed the way. She told me to write out my values. Simple.

So I did, and lo & behold, it worked! A clear decision hasn't exactly been made, but I definitely found out what NOT to do. Which is still extremely helpful.

Then, God in his graciousness, spoke to my concrete-oriented mind in a concrete way. The conviction that one of my choices was extremely selfish and worldly was confirmed through his Word. "For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

I am just grateful today for the obvious work of God in my life and wanted to share it. :)
Have a God-filled day!

Great Reasons

"Great Reasons" experienced this week:

A great reason to be single on Valentine's Day:
Everyone thinks you won't get anything, so you get something from everyone! (My desk is covered in flowers!)

A great reason to live with Grandma:
A homemade cookie in the cookie jar everyday.

A great reason to get up on Thursdays:
My Favorite "Cinnamon Coffee" Muffin and great conversation with KatyO.

A great reason to have a weekend:
Camping in Goliad, TX with friends. (Pictures forthcoming next week.)

A great reason to work out at Reaction Fitness:
If you have your own headphones, you just plug in and run to Seinfeld reruns.

A great reason to study:
You don't look like an idiot...hopefully.

A great reason to check your pockets before sticking something in the washer:
You don't end up with pink underwear and socks (never happened).

A great reason to have a cat:
It wakes you up for work when you woke up in the middle of the night and subconsciously turned off your alarm.

And a serious one to end the schpeel...
A great reason to be honest:
People trust you.

Tag...you're it!

I got this thing from Kari (see blog link to right) and decided to participate:

4 Jobs I've had:
1. Waitress
2. Volunteer coordinator in Mali & Cote d'Ivoire
3. Media strategist in Senegal
4. Higher education administrator in Texas

4 Songs I'd listen to on repeat:
1. "Redeemer" by Nicole C. Mullen
2. "Beautiful" One by By the Tree
3. "Magnificent Obsession" by who knows?
4. anything Britney Spears...just kidding...anything Sara Evans

4 Languages I'd like to speak:
1. Spanish
2. French (speak well)
3. Italian (how hot would that be?)
4. Chinese
Note: I'd also like a cool accent...maybe British or Canadian?

4 Vacation spots we'd like to hit:
Well I hit 2 in the last 2 months (France & Seattle), but...
1. Australia
2. Senegal
3. New Zealand
4. England (I need more than a 6 hour layover)

4 Websites I visit daily:
1. Masson blog (no, I'm not kissing up)
2. My online class
3. Yahoo mail
4. Used to do CNN...should start that again

4 Foods I lust after:
1. That molten lava cake at Chili's
2. French fries
3. Everything but the... ice cream from Ben & Jerry's
4. Dipping #2 into #3

4 Changes I'd make to the apartment:
Note: I live at my grandmother's house right now, so...
1. New furniture
2. New wallpaper
3. New carpet
4. Throw out anything over 5 years old, and start from scratch.
5. (Yes, I'm allowing a #5) New apartment

4 Tags:
1. Marcy, who I've never actually met but seems we should have by now
2. Angie, who was in Peru but is now settling into life in America
3. Maggie, friend in Senegal
4. Anyone who's reading this and hasn't done it (then let me know you did)