My Mom!

My mother is one amazing woman! Here she is with Jeri -- two beautiful women! She's in that age bracket when a woman begins to tell her age -- she's 74. She lives with constant pain from a blend of diseases and injuries. She had a shot to reduce some pain in her back before she flew to Thailand for Jeri's wedding.

Actually, she and my sister, Kathleen, were quite the pair. Kath has put up with amazing pain from a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis and requires regular injections to slow the pace of the damage. But, they both stepped off the plane in Ubon and hobbled towards us with huge smiles and no complaints!

So, more on Mom... She counts three consecutive hours of sleep during one night as a good night! Truly, it's God's strength that carries her along and allows her to have such a great attitude! Her great attitude includes being able to laugh at herself and join in when her grandkids are teasing her!

She was a huge help with the wedding -- 'took over the entire cake decorating project and all. 'helped with many other projects as well.

But, above all, I want to tell you about her spirit of adventure. She's always willing to try new things. With her age and her valid excuses, she could easily decide to take up residence in one of her many rockers and just skip anything new. But, we're all so blessed because she doesn't!

On this trip, she faced the culture shock of a developing country head on and enjoyed getting to know the people even while she was taken aback by their poverty. She tried new foods (the food the local Thais eat is quite different from that in western Thai restaurants!! -- that's for certain!). And, after the wedding, her adventures really took off!

I only have pictures of one of her adventures. But her adventures included elephant rides, sitting on an elephant's trunk, paddle boating in a river, sea kayaking in and out of caves and coves (and getting stuck in one until the guide let some air out of the kayak -- must have been a very low tide!), snorkeling with the fishes, and ... getting jabbed about 10 times by one fish that caused her to come out of the water with both legs bleeding! (The guide said it could have been some unknown black fish or, more than likely, a baby shark!)

You go, Momma! We love you and we're proud of you!

Wedding Report!

Greetings from Thailand!

These photos were taken by Kara Pennington -- a long-time friend from AK who now is a wedding photographer in Florida. If anyone wants information on her availability for weddings, let me know -- she did fabulous work!

We are rejoicing over a terrific wedding experience for Boy and Jeri! It was beautiful!














The few days since the wedding have brought us opportunities to hang out with our family -- my mom, my sister, and our kids. Things are now winding down and Jim and I will soon leave for a couple of days of vacation on the beach before heading back to Nigeria.

We've had a great time in Thailand -- visiting with Boy's family (the term "visiting" is used lightly as we usually just sat and smiled at each other due to language barriers!) and doing a few tourist things, too!

It has been a blessed time to see Mom and Kathleen, Brad and Karissa, Joey, and Boy and Jeri!

Christmas Greetings!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas ...
white sands would do fine, too ...
but both snow and sands will have to wait.

I'm dreaming of a CHRISTmas ...
here in Thailand -- a land of Buddhists
the only Christmas is more of a Santamas or Bellmas ...
God cannot be mentioned.

Even in the Starbucks, when a song was played that contained the words "holy" and "Christ" (and they weren't used as exclamatory comments) the song was immediately turned off.

But, we are so looking forward to attending a church service this Sunday! There will be a few words we'll recognize!!!

No matter where this Christmas finds you (physically and spiritually!) ... may your Christmas be blessed because of Jesus Christ -- who is worthy of all of our celebrations!

Little Lives with Big Needs

So, I promised I'd blog about a couple of dear boys who live near our beach hut.

Firstly, let me explain the big picture. Our beach hut is about 1 1/2 hours from the island areas of Lagos. (If there weren't "go slows" then we'd get there in about 40 minutes!) We travel with armed escorts because anything out of our little island area is off limits to ex pats without escorts (and even WITH escorts for some of the areas!)

Our drive takes us past hundreds of thousands of places where people live -- the "big man's" houses/villas that look opulent but upon closer view really aren't much; the shanties that are shelters made of corrugated metal; the squatters who are making a home out of one area of an unfinished building while the owner scrambles for another ten years to try to get the funds to get the place finished. (Vines and squatters grow in these situations at about the same rate -- overnight!)

Our hut is along a row of beach huts that are generally leased to people such as us. To reach it, we go through 4 villages -- an experience in itself. See a few photos:










Some of the villagers are wealthy and just maintain a little place in their home village. Generally, though, most of those who have obtained some level of wealth have moved away and have quickly forgotten the family they have left behind. Stories abound of fathers who have sacrificed in order to send one son to school in order to gain a better standard of living. Generally, the son gains his education (notice I didn't say a "quality education!"), gains a fairly decent job, and abandons the father and family who've made the sacrifices.

So, we always assume that the people we meet in the villages are desperate for anything. The children are adorable and always tug at our hearts. From our first visit there, we began the custom of handing out sweets (lollies, candies) to the kids when we are ready to leave.

The first time we tried this it was quite chaotic and the kids dropped the candy wrappers all over the ground as they ran off giggling with delight. After that, our driver, Jide, had a chat with the kids and since then they always form a nice queue and keep their trash (at least until they're beyond our sight!). Each visit, when the day is growing long and we are thinking about needing to pack up the car, we begin to hear the laughter of children as they gather outside the fence. They know what's coming. And the stragglers rush down the path to get to us before the treats run out.

We try to find little jobs for the kids to do. 'Gbenga is the 12 year old that we've gotten to know a bit. He always shinnies up the coconut palm trees with a machete in his mouth in order to get us some fresh coconuts. On a good day, when we have guests with us, he can make even N1,000 (almost $7). That's a huge profit even after he has paid the owner of the trees!










Ishak is a little guy, a 7 year old who has become the official "fanner" for Martin when Martin is grilling the food for lunch. Martin is our friend from Austria who absolutely loves to cook and considers it restful to slave over a hot grill for the day! So, I bought a fan from a vendor so that Martin can at least be cooled.

Well, the last time we were there with a bunch of friends, a friend found out that I was paying Ishak to fan Martin and she wanted to contribute. We gathered all of our small bills and I gave him a little pile of money. He and I counted it together and I fought back tears as I watched his eyes get wider as we approached the total. It was N320 -- a little over $2. After he stopped saying "tank you, Mudduh!" I asked him what he was going to do with the money. Without hesitation he said, "buy school sandals, Mudduh." OK, I held the tears off just long enough to get into the "toilet" and have a good, though silent, cry.

That's what lead us to finding out more about these two guys -- 'Gbenga and Ishak. Ishak's mother died when he was young and his father's second wife took him in. But when his father died and the step-mom remarried, he became less valued. The woman now has other children. He has a roof over his head but that's about it. It's better than 'Gbenga's situation, though. 'Gbenga has no one. He's lived on his own for quite a few years. He tries to earn food or money by helping where ever he can. And he lives wherever he can find a place to lay his head. He seems to enjoy the freedom this affords him, though.

Amazingly, both boys are in school. Even the public schools cost money for "fees," dashes (bribes) to the teachers, books, uniforms, ...

So, with the advise from our driver (who, out of his own poverty, gave 'Gbenga N500 on a previous visit to help with some school fees ... and, quite to Jide's credit, never told us about it!) we decided to give each of the two boys some money as Christmas gifts. Jide will oversee the use and check in with the boys during the time we are on vacation (Jide's family lives 6 villages down and grew up in the area and will be there for two weeks during our/his vacation). Depending upon how they have managed by the time we return in January, we hope to give them additional money. They plan on keeping the money a secret. Jide was getting word to Ishak's "guardians" so that they would not think Ishak had stolen the money. 'Gbenga told Jide that the only person he was going to tell was his big brother who lives in a village in the area. 'Gbenga was soooooo excited that as soon as we left he planned on running to the brother's village to share his good news (and probably to share the money, too!)

The corruption and the poverty can be so overwhelming that you just close your eyes to it all. We pray that we will never close our eyes but that we will be able to see ways that we can, just as little people ourselves, make some kind of long-term impact.

We'll keep you posted (pun intended!).

There are things about this place ...

that we really, really like!

Jim took me out for a lovely dinner (our 27th anniversary) at a restaurant that was actually quite lovely. We tend to be excited about most restaurants here but then we always have to ask ourselves, "would we ever step foot in here if this was in the U.S.?" and the answer is usually "no way!" But, this restaurant was actually one we'd go to in the U.S. In fact, it reminded us of our favorite Italian restaurant in Denver "Three Sons" -- in the Highland area. The service was exceptional, the food had excellent flavors, the decor was quite lovely ... OK, we'd die at the price in the U.S. but the phrase "you get what you pay for" has new meaning here because you really, really have to pay bunches to get even a little!

And we sooooooo enjoy our beach hut. We went there alone yesterday -- see a few photos.


























That's our driver, Jide, playing Petanque with Jim! We are so very blessed to have Jide in our lives. He's much more than a driver. He's my own personal assistant. He helps provide directions to other drivers. He advises drivers based upon my feedback to him about what works and doesn't work for drivers of expats. He thinks of us as another mother and father and he said that he doesn't feel like he's going to work every morning but rather going off to visit his parents. (Now, for most folks this would just entirely be "a line!" but for Jide, it's truth!)

I'll have to blog more about Jide sometime. We've learned a lot from him!



And I'll give you some interesting information on a couple of young kids we've helped a bit who live near our beach hut. They're orphans and amazing survivors! I'll put that in another blog.

Busyness as a Survival Skill and What it is We're Surviving

Crazy busy is the best description for how life has been of late. The benefit is that it helps us not notice how crazy life is in general around here! I recorded a figure skating competition a couple of weeks ago and have tried to watch it, oh, at least 5 times. It's only two hours and when you fast forward through the commercials that brings the total time down considerably. But ... alas ... I still haven't watched the last portion.

Jim had to leave early this a.m. for Port Harcourt so I'm staying awake and trying to get caught up on a few things! It's his first time back since we both had to leave very quickly in early June when our co-workers were kidnapped. He'll check on the progress of the banana tree that we planted last year!

Back to the topic of busyness --

Putting a westernized work ethic in the midst of a land of "go slows!" (the name for the traffic congestion) is a dangerous combination. It's because it makes it difficult for the ex pats to ever stop working. We are so determined to reach our goals, to make a difference, to accomplish something! But we lose time in traffic, we lose time because we're waiting on some local to do his job, we lose time because the job wasn't done properly, we lose time when we're waiting for a delivery or a food order or a meeting to begin or a driver to meet us or ... You get the picture. For the majority of Nigerians the response is "no wahala" -- "no problem!" For the majority of ex pats it just makes us work harder and smarter. But sometimes maybe smarter involves just giving in to the general "go slow" mentality! It's tempting to just sit back and say "whatevuh!"

Deadlines aren't really meant as a date the work should be completed. It's more or less a time to start shouting at someone to get started on the work. If it's before the deadline and they haven't even begun they always say "no problem, we're starting it tomorrow and we'll bring on a double crew to meet the deadline." Silly me ... sometimes I still believe the promises.

So today I'm meeting with a vendor who was supposed to deliver household items to 8 flats in August. And he's mad at us because we have the audacity to complain to him about his lack of service delivery when it's the end of November. He points out the items that he has delivered (which amounts to a little more than half of the list) and thinks we're unappreciative! And of the items he has delivered, we are expecting too much because we think the irons should heat evenly and the electrical kettles actually heat at all ... And, this vendor is one of the best! He is constantly putting down Nigerians because he's only half Nigerian. He laughs at the excuses other gives but he doesn't hear his own voice.

There are lessons to be learned here, as always. The education we are receiving is at least double the value of a university classroom, I'm sure.

One lesson is -- integrity does matter and we should still honor our promises and accept responsibility for our errors. Even when no one else does.

Another lesson is -- pray without ceasing! Praying about attitudes has to be as common as breathing. Attitudes can get corrupted so slowly by the corruption around us. It's subtle.

Which leads to another lesson -- racist statements and generalized statements about a pattern that is evident in a group of people are very similar. We constantly ask God to help us love each individual and not start to lump all faces into one group that we label as "them." I've had quite a bit of heated discussions with folks of late -- as I try to defend a Nigerian that I respect and as more and more seemingly racist comments are made. I typically say, "Would you agree that a racist is someone who makes a generalized statement about a group of people and then makes a statement about an individual based upon the fact the s/he is in the people group?" "Well, I suppose so," someone answers. "So, then, what you've just said is a racist comment." "No, it's not. I'm just stating a fact." And so the discussion goes on ...

Subtleties -- "Never trust a Nigerian." vs "Be cautious about trusting people."
"There's not a single Nigerian in this whole _________ ( insert: "country," "company," "world") that is honest." vs "He's a very honest Nigerian." (I hesitate to use the label Nigerian at all but I want to point out that this person is honest and is Nigerian -- together in one person.)

Anyway, you can see the struggle. And the busyness helps us to not over-analyze the whole thing!

I've learned a lot of other lessons lately. I only hope I'll have time to write about them soon.

Title, Honor, Shame, and how it all works

I met with a chief, yesterday, in his home. Now, the home was not what I expected -- picture clutter and then triple it! 50 framed pieces of "art," piles of stuff on every table and every chair, papers and glasses mixed together ... but amidst it all ... obvious signs of wealth. The 50+inch plasma TV and surround sound speakers, the gold plated Motorola mobile phone, the "keepsakes" from China, the portraits of each child graduating from a UK university. Wealth mixed with a lack of "class" ... a strange combination. Class without class, so to speak.

The reason three of us from the company met with him was that he totally and completely has failed as a landlord for a property we've been renting. But he didn't know that. One of his sons is in charge. And the son dares not tell his father anything negative. So, for almost one year the old man has been told that everything is fine when, in reality, our people who are tenants there have been suffering to the point of asking for early transfers out of country.

So, imagine this --- we needed armed escorts following our vehicle because I'm white and, therefore, I couldn't travel to the area on the mainland where the man lives.

We arrived, unannounced, because a source told us he was in country and available -- like so many successful Nigerians, he lives out of country more than in.

A man who appeared to be house staff met our car after we passed security at the gate to his villa. He was not staff; he was the chief, himself. The escort alarmed him so he decided not to send anyone else out to investigate, he sent himself.

We were warmly welcomed into his home. He served us lovely tea with honey in beautiful cups and saucers from China.

I opened with words of appreciation for the lovely first impression one receives when approaching the rental property followed by words regarding the potential the property has as a lovely landmark in the area, a place we would long appreciate leasing.

He was charmingly gracious and warm and courteous.

He was shocked (but didn't reveal it!) about our concerns and immediately jumped into action -- calling various staff and contractors on his gold plated flip phone. He was shamed by the failings of his people and, not admitting to the shame, went about immediately trying to impress us with his power to fix things. Indeed, he has the power. I was impressed.

Within a short time, every one of our major issues had been addressed and he'd made the appropriate calls to take care of the problem.

When referring to his photos of his children who each graduated from various UK universities, a co-worker asked him how many children he has. The chief smiled and calmly said, "Sir, I am a traditional chief. Do not ask me the number of my children. I cannot answer." To which I responded, "Chief, I believe you have answered." He laughed.

I received yet another education and a glimpse into the "class" society of Nigeria.

More scenes from Thailand

Still shocked by NGA sometimes!

We had an interesting conversation with our driver on the way into the office this morning. In a nutshell, he believes that he and about 70% of all Nigerians would VOTE for a return to military rule if allowed to do so!

For the average Nigerian, this pretend democracy is a failure and has negatively impacted their lifestyle options considerably! Jide was quick to clarify that they would prefer democracy because they know that it works in other countries but because the civilian government has only meant an increase in corruption at every level of power, he says that this is not really a democracy. In the absence of a real democracy, military rule is better than a corrupt civilian government, it appears.

Under military rule the streets were clean, traffic flowed properly, people obeyed the laws. The schools were high quality and there were public schools that were actually public, with no charges other than minimal fees to the families. The government subsidized many items and there was free trade from the neighboring countries and beyond so prices were affordable on clothing, food, and even non-necessities.

The only negatives that Jide could think of if there was a return to military rule were -- loss of free speech to some extent and the presence of soldiers to keep order.

However, it's interesting that the loss of free speech must not be too severe because he also said that the military government listened to the people better than do the elected officials and responded to their concerns. His examples -- adjusting the prices of bags of cement, fuel, etc. when the people complained -- seemed valid.

Here's a practical way for you to see the differences. This is what began our discussion this morning:

As we ventured out into the jungle of traffic yet again, I was asking Jide how drivers obtain their licenses in the first place (if they even have one!).

Here's the deal -- for N3,500 they can fill out a form, provide a passport photo, sign the form, and the license will be processed. This could take up to 9 months. No driving test. No written test.

However, if they don't want to wait so long ... They can pay N6,000 ($42ish), turn in a photo and a signed form and they'll have the license in 3-4 days! The N3,500 goes to the government (or the gov't leaders) and the rest goes to the people processing the request.

He went even further with his explanation -- Jim and I could each sign an empty piece of paper. Jide could take our signatures and our photos to the office. He could fill in the form and provide our signatures and photos and we'd have licenses by next Monday!

And, a little further. We could get licenses in the same manner for Jeri, who has visited NGA once. And ... for Brad and Joey ... who have never set a foot in this country.

And a 6 year old child could have a license if the person put age 18 on the application.

And ... Jide knows of men who have licenses, get them renewed every 6 years, and have never sat in a driver's seat of a car, don't know how to put a key in the ignition, don't know anything about a gas pedal, ... you get the picture!

What a place is this Nigeria!

Photos from Phuket, Thailand

It's taking many days to get any photos uploaded -- SLOW NETWORKS. Please be patient. I'll try to post more that we took from other locations in Thailand.

Vacation has ended ...

So, we're back in NGA. Blogging from various hotel rooms and internet cafes did not prove to be possible and now I'm so behind, I don't know when I can share thoughts from our trip.

Briefly -- UAE was a disappointment. Due to Ramadan, most stores and all restaurants were closed during the day. Strangely, the fasting causes most people in the area (who seem to be quite secularized) to just re-arrange their schedule. They sleep a lot of the day and then feast and party until 1 or 2 a.m. The malls were actually open until 1 a.m. each night! The average person actually GAINS weight during this month of fasting because they eat so much after sundown! I realize now, duh ..., how much history adds to the charm of a place. So, I really didn't appreciate much of UAE because most construction that's more than 10 years old is being demolished and everything seems to be a sea of concrete, high-rises, etc. and the skyline is dotted with cranes for new construction. It's a booming area, no doubt about it. And "silly money" is tossed about without a care in the world. But it seems to be a bit of a shaky economy -- propped up by glitz and glitter and quite possibly booming dangerously fast -- just our opinion! We didn't have much time in Dubai -- it's definitely prettier than Abu Dhabi. Anyway -- just a quick review!

And now on to Thailand ...!!! I'll cut through all of our tourist comments and stories of the gorgeous beauty, terrific elephant rides, amazing orchids, beautiful mountains, clean green everywhere, charmingly polite people, gorgeous coastlines, stunning beaches, enchanting caves and coves, luscious gardens, abundant fountains, mugginess all-round, ... and tell you the most important part:

Boy asked Jim for Jeri's hand in marriage and they are now officially engaged. I'll attach a photo from the night Boy proposed and gave Jeri her ring. I took some photos the next day on Jeri's camera that are their "engagement" photos and I'll post some when I get them from Jeri.

Jeri starts a teaching job at a great international school on Monday in Ubon. This is the area Boy was raised and the area where they will live. Boy has a two year commitment to the Air Force that begins 1 November. With the school schedules for Joey and Brad/Karissa and with other travel parameters -- the wedding will be early January in Ubon -- probably between 5th and 10th of January. They have to wait until Boy gets his leave finalized in early November. 'very exciting times for all of us! God is allowing so many little details together to come together with such ease -- we are so grateful!

We love Boy, actual name -- Sarawhut Chapootorn -- he and Jeri make a great team! Their long-term plans are to stay in the Isan area -- the poorest and most unreached-by-the-good-news-of-Jesus area of Thailand. They want to do missions work in small villages. Right now, Jeri's renting a lovely three bedroom house for just pennies and she's having fun getting it all fixed up for married life! They'll have running hot water, even -- something they might not have later on when in the smaller villages. What an adventure!

So, this means that our Christmas plans have totally changed and we won't be getting back to the U.S. at all in 2007. We'll Christmas in Thailand with Jeri -- Joey will join us there. Then, others who are able, can join us for the wedding. If you'd like to be a part of the wedding celebration -- let me know! It's going to be absolutely gorgeous -- after all, this is the land of flowers and beautiful gardens!!!

Anticipation is half of the Fun!

I'm sure this sounds crazy to you because we just got back from a vacation in early May but ...

we are SOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for a vacation and we'll be off in two days. It is recommended that we leave once every three months at least (some try to leave every 10th week!) -- this has been a four month stay. Of course it was broken up by a move to Lagos and a visit to Abuja, however, I can see the reason for the recommendation. It just helps to get away, clear our heads, think straight, examine our motives, pray about our attitudes, and get some fresh air!

I'm not sure what gets to us the most -- definitely all of the lying and cheating that surrounds us; the trash everywhere and the basic lack of caring for the environment, property, etc; the incredible noise and traffic -- a construction project is causing a 10 - 15 minute drive to the office to be a 1 1/2 - 2 hour crawl to the office. If it were safer, we'd get out and walk it and probably arrive one hour before our car and driver; the corruption in general; the lack of a work ethic as a part of the culture; ...

There are some truly delightful and trustworthy people with whom we have enjoyed becoming acquainted. But, unfortunately they are very rare. They know it and they are ashamed of their people and the pervasive culture.

So, we're off to Abu Dhabi and Dubai and then ... tada ... to see our daughter, Jeri, and her boyfriend, Boy (it's the sound and not the meaning of the word!!!), in Thailand.

Oh, my goodness, I can hardly wait!!!

'will try to blog while traveling.
'haven't had much time to blog lately due to the crazy work schedule I've been keeping.

Our rest begins as soon as we're seated in the plane ... 'smiling just thinking about it!

...no more teenagers!

So today we're feeling really old -- just because our youngest is one day older!



We have no more
teenage children.

So, congrats, Joey!!! (who celebrated 9 hours before us because he's in Australia! and who usually is a blond unless he believes the box that says the hair color is temporary! and who obviously is serious about his college life!)

Years pass in a blink!

This morning Jim and I have been looking at pictures of our little girl, Jeri!
What a cutie!

... and today she turns 25! Still a cutie! Time is a strange thing. Maybe it messes with our minds sometimes because we are


created for eternity.

Breath-taking!

So, yesterday morning I truly experienced something breathtaking ... I choked on some food and didn't breathe for maybe as much as two minutes!

Quick version: In a hurry to get ready yesterday morning I was working on face and hair, standing in front of a mirror, and eating toast while I worked. I don't know how but the toast got caught in my throat. Without oxygen, I not only couldn't breathe -- I couldn't speak. Jim was far off down the hall in the living area. I tried to cough it out, etc -- nothing. So I went out in the hall to get Jim's attention. We have cement walls -- banging on a cement wall doesn't create much noise and I was trying to conserve what ever oxygen I still had so I just slapped the wall until he heard me. By the time he reached me, I had dislodged something enough so that I could wheeze a little. So he didn't want to do the H. Maneuver and cause injury... Anyway, I poured some water into my mouth, spilled a whole lot of it, and begged God to give me breath. And He did. There's no scientific reason that I should have started breathing but the wheezing turned into one good breath and I knew the worst was over.

My eyes were bloodshot and my head was beet red while struggling. Then, I got pale and flushed. And weak. So, I rested for half an hour and then we headed off to work.

But, at work I still was very weak and short of breath and feeling like I'd pass out any moment ... then my arms were getting a bit numb when I was working at the computer.

So, we thought -- enough! Go home and get some rest. So, we headed home for the afternoon and I slept. A lot.

I've eaten toast again ... with great care and fine success.

But, you know how people always say that life was in slow motion for them during these "near death experiences"? It's true. I can recite every little thing I thought and did for those few minutes that seemed like an hour.

We thank God for giving me breath and allowing me to be on earth for a longer time. And I'm feeling incredibly grateful and incredibly dependent. We really have so little control over life. And death.

Missing the good 'ole USA

Today I'm going to ask for more than I provide because we're a bit home sick, I believe. Well, a year ago we were in the U.S. -- first in Colorado, getting our house ready to lease and seeing friends; then in Alaska for our son Brad's wedding and seeing friends and family. Due to the lovely U.S. tax laws, we can't be in the country more than 32 days a year even though a kaboodle of our money is going back the U.S. government as it is ... a bit frustrating!

So, our next U.S. trip will be in December. Right now, that sounds very cold and very far away!

I welcome any emails, snail mails, and blog comments. Even our news on the U.S. is sketchy because all of our international news is based out of the U.K. and has very few 30 second U.S. news bits! I'm missing the political "punditting" -- before an election is a wonderful time to tune in to talk radio, etc. Our only TV political editorials are Wolf Blitzer and John Stewart -- both on CNN, one being almost impossible to suffer through due to his clever but foul mouth!

Politics here? Well, the new President, Yar 'Adua, is appearing to be a bit more honest than the typical government official. He's reversed a few sales that the previous Pres. orchestrated right before leaving office -- sales to himself and his cronies. And Lagos State has received some federal money it was due for many years. And they are trying to increase the presence of honest, trained police in our area. (Previously, both terms -- "honest police" and "trained police" would be oxymorons!)

But we are now on a curfew here in Lagos because the robberies are increasing in most of the areas that expats tend to visit. With the surge of expats moving out of the rivers/delta areas to Lagos, crime is shifting, too. So, we're not on lockdown at all and hope not to be -- we just have to be home by 10 p.m. every night -- which is never a bad idea, anyway!

The sun is peeking out so Jim and I will sit down for a lovely lasagna meal, prepared by our cook, and then maybe we'll spend a couple of hours at the pool. This is the way a Sunday afternoon should be spent! (Well, if we can't find a home church, yet, at least this is a good second choice!)

We've lost all sense of seasons and can't imagine that pre-season "football" is back already. There's no hint of Fall in the air, here, and there never will be!

Thus endeth my random mind-wanderings for the day ...

Please stay in touch!