the past few months

The past few months:
Where to start… the school year seemed to end in a blur of activity. I was stressed, busy doing (probably) too many things, packing in as many lessons as possible into each work day, house-hunting and then moving, trying to share a car amid it all, and then entertaining the best guests possible- my parents! I had some hard days in there, but I also learned some good lessons. (More to come in a later blog about my biggest lesson learned this year.)
The highlight of it all had to be the visit from my parents. I had been dreaming of the day someone would visit, and felt confident my parents would come, at least. However, I did have my doubts. Until the tickets were purchased, I didn’t believe they were coming. But they came! My last week or so in Kenya was spent with my parents by my side. Since this was their first time to Kenya, first time to Africa, I wanted them to do the touristy thing. And I love being a tourist. It’s my favorite. I knew they would get tired if we sat around, so we didn’t. We ran a crazy race that took us to all the sights around Nairobi, Karen, and to the Masai Mara. We visited Karen Blixen’s House and a tea plantation like tourists, yet played with orphans in a slum. They saw museums and colonial homes, my school and church, my “luxurious” old apartment and “rustic” new house, my favorite children’s home and open markets. They experienced the third world at its finest. And African savannah at its best! The Masai Mara is incredible! We saw practically every animal you could expect, stayed in a beautiful lodge, and got covered in dust. It was perfect.
We all three flew home together to enjoy a summer full of nothings. At least, it wasn’t very busy. I was able to relax and sleep like I hadn’t done in a year! It was marvelous. I spent my precious weeks between Tennessee and West Virginia. I visited with almost every family member possible, and saw my closest friends. The highlight of my time spent at home, was getting to know my niece. The last time I had seen her, she was 6 months old and standing up. Now, she’s 1 year old and running. Phone calls and Skype don’t really allow babies to get to know someone, so my little Emma had to get to know me this summer. I decided that if she just recognized me (and liked me) by the end of the summer, I’d be doing good. I think we passed that goal. Since I lived with her half the summer, we got pretty tight. But she’s just a year old and we’ll probably have to do the whole thing over again next time I see her. Oh well. This summer was wonderful memories I will cherish.