Teatopia

Limus (pronouned ly-mus)

Introducing the newest member of our family, Limus (like Linus, but with an "m") the kaffir lime tree from Thailand! I ordered this tree months ago, but it was back ordered until further notice, so I was pleasantly surprised to return home and find that it had been delivered and my mom was taking care of it.

The kaffir lime tree is valued more for its leaves than for its fruit. The smell is quite intoxicating actually. Here's a bit of info on our new friend:

Kaffir Lime (CITRUS HYSTRIX): This is an essential herb for Thai cooking. The leaves are doubled-up back to back and the bush has 1 inch thorns. They look meaner than they are. Drop a few leaves in with the coconut milk when you're making Thai curry. Thai chefs have been using them finely shredded in their cooking for generations.

The lime itself isn't used for much and it's not nearly as juicy as the limes you usually see, but maybe I can find something to do with them so they don't go to waste.

In it for the Long Haul

Last night I had a dream that my husband went insane. Ok, so I know that sounds silly, as dreams often are, but this one was so realistic. In the dream, I remember my heart just breaking at the thought of my strong, amazing husband no longer being my rock. Besides God, this is who I most depend on, but in the dream, he was irrational, pitiful, and really out of his mind. I watched him being committed and I visited him while he was away and although my heart was breaking, my love never ceased. I held him and prayed that he would return to the way he used to be, and when the doctors said he probably wouldn't, I decided to stay with him because no matter what, I love this man.

Ok, so my ridiculous, completely fictional dream was not the same thing as really experiencing "tough times," but it got me thinking. When it comes to marriage, most people subconsciously are not in it for the long haul. We say "til death do us part" but what we really mean is forever and always IF he doesn't cheat, gain 200 pounds, lose his job and allow me to work my ass off supporting the family, or if I don't meet someone better. blah, blah, blah. I believe that there are circumstances where divorce is what's best, so don't think I'm against it no matter what. I'm not. I've known some committed people who tried everything. I believe that God wouldn't want us to live in an abusive situation for example, and there are other situations. But I think we are too quick to call it quits and statistics show this. Divorce has become a quick fix. What does "til death do us part" really mean? What situations actually should be deal-breakers?

After my dream last night, I got to thinking about something I read recently. Divorce rates are up and marriage rates are down. When did we lose faith in marriage? I expect hard times to come in my marriage, it's only natural, but I can tell you one thing. I love my husband with all my heart, and unless something horrible and completely unlikely happened, I'm staying. I believe in marriage and I'm in it for the long haul.

Sneak Peak

I will put up a link soon to all our pictures, but for now, here is James and I in a couple of gorgeous places in South Africa. The first is in Blythe Canyon and the second is in my favorite city in the world, Cape Town.

She's Back!

We didn't get on the flight we were on the waiting list for, but we did get something else. We were pretty much the only ones who got a flight out of the couple hundred at just our hotel who were waiting. The reason? We found possible flights ourselves and then rushed them to the local South African Airways rep assigned to help those at our hotel. While the others were waiting on updates and for SAA to re-open, we were hard at work searching for anything else to get us home, and it paid off. It sounds simple, and it really wasn't. We spent 15 hours at least over the last few days searching and there were many disappointments, even after we pushed through the crowds, waited in long lines at the airport and finally got up to the counter, we were told our paperwork was wrong. We first got a flight to London, and we thought we definitely had seats, but the airport said no, we were waitlisted, but after a few scares, we got on.

Next, we flew to Paris, and from there we flew to Atlanta where my parents picked us up late last night. The wonderful thing-- besides actually getting home-- we were in first class for the 9 hour flight from Paris to Atlanta, and SAA paid for it. I can never fly economy again. I've been ruined. We were so spoilt that I can never go back. Ordering from a menu, unlimited whatever you want, fancy French toiletries from L'Occatiaine, seats that turn into beds . . . I am ruined.

I was supposed to go to a meeting today at work, but I don't think so. I am more exhausted than I can remember ever being before and the mountain of laundry waiting for me needs attending to.

I shall return later today . . . In the meantime, know that I missed you all and appreciate your kind words and prayers. I know only God could've got us through all this.

Prayers Please

We are on a waitlist for a flight tonight, but the chances are slim. We could really use your prayers. If we don't get this one tonight, the soonest we'll get out is Wednesday or Thursday. Please, we are desperate and need to go home.

The Saga Continues

Still here! We had hoped to maybe get something out last night, but there weren't any flights out. We were told this morning that there won't be any flights leaving today and not necessarily tomorrow either.

We have been placed on high priority because we have a sewage/plumbing problem back home. Some roots grew into our pipes and it's been a bit of a mess, so we explained that we have things to take care of at home and a rep is working to possibly get us a flight out tonight, but my hopes are not high. It could be a few more days . . . Send me some love. I have nothing better to do than wait in line for a computer to check my blog here at the hotel. We are afraid to leave for more than an hour or so at a time in case something changees. They said this morning that no flights would go out, but then a few domestic flights resumed, so we are standing by, fingers crossed.

Still Here

UPDATE: We are definitely not getting out today, but we plan to go to the airport around noon tomorrow to beg SAA to put us on another flight. We'll see what happens.

You probably thought I was almost home. Well, surprise! I am still in Johannesburg and don't know when I can get out. I doubt it's on the news there, but South African Airways is in the middle of a huge strike and yesterday the entire airport was closed. We were put up in a hotel and are still here, which is where I am posting from now. It could be a few days . . . We are planning to go to the airport in a couple of hours to find out if we can get a flight out. We were supposed to fly to NYC, but since we had to cancel our flights from there, we might try to get one from Jo-burg straight to Atlanta and then my parents can get us from there.

I am frusterated because I am almost out of clean clothes. In fact, I would be already if I hadn't decided to send a few things out to be washed a few days ago "just in case." I am glad, however, that if we have to be stuck somewhere, at least it's in a gorgeous city like Johannesburg. Our tour guide is still with the 18 of us who are here. He says he'll stay until we can get out, so we may do some more sightseeing today he said. I guess we have an extended vacation. I don't know when I can post again or what the heck is going on, but hopefully I'll be back in the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed.

Pixy: So far we have stayed with our guide because we are making trips to the airport and listening for any info, but if I find out that we are going to be here a couple more days, I will call you. :-) By the way, you had nothing to be nervous about. Jo-burg rocks!

Greetings from South Africa!

I know I am waiting until 2 days before we arrive home to post, but it's been difficult to find the time to actually find an internet cafe and sit down to type! We are having the time of our lives! Right now I'm in Johannesburg.

I have never loved a place as much as I love South Africa. Cape Town has to be my favorite city in the whole world (and I've been to New York, Paris, London, Toronto, Rome, Seoul, etc). Because I don't have a lot of time, here are some of the highlights so far:

-- meeting Michelle in Cape Town. Michelle was so sweet and fun to be with. I can't wait to see her again because I will be back!

-- James bought me a tanzanite ring for our annivesary next week. It's hard to describe, so I'll wait 'til I can post a picture.

-- dining on the waterfront in Cape Town and watching the boats and all the lights. Beautiful!

-- Seeing the movie "In My Country". I wanted to see this movie about South Africa before we left, but didn't, but it was so much more incredible seeing it here.

-- staying in a tree house sort of hotel where monkeys come in and out of the hotel. One even knocked on the door of a woman in our group and when she answered, he ran in and stole her lunch!

-- the safaris! We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, leopards, zebras, antelope, hippos, baboons, rhinos, and more! Oh, and no mosquito bites so the worrying over pills (which I didn't take) was for nothing!

-- visiting a beach where there were tons of penguins. They are so cute when they walk!

-- touring Nelson Mandela's former house.

-- the food! I have eaten way too much!

I of course will be posting gazillions of photos when we return, but for now I wanted to say hello and that I miss you guys. In spite of the fun I am having, I miss blogging. I have so much to tell that I'm worried I won't remember everything. I feel so blessed to have had this experience. South Africa has spoken to me. I feel like it has become a part of me and James and I both agreed we could move to Cape Town. We even picked up some guides to purchasing property, just ot think about it. It's going to be mighty hard to go back to Georgia after this, but I will have some amazing memories, and there are some other nice things to look forward to, which I am going to keep you in suspense of until I know more. :-)

I can't wait to share more. We have a farewell dinner to go to now because we leave tomorrow evening, so bye for now!

We're Off!

We've boarded and we're about to leave! It's a nice plane and we have our own TV's! But poor James is sitting next to someone with bad BO. Ciao! =

Waiting at the Gate

Although I'm excited, we've had some rough spots in the last couple hours. It took 30 mins to check-in. The woman was so rude to us and she lost James's ticket. We were at the counter-- how could she have lost it? Where? It's still not all straightened out. She also checked me in under my maiden name (my passport is 4 years old, but there's an amendment in the back that she should've checked when my ticket was in a different name). Then a woman who flies often told us that when we arrive in Senegal, we have to sit on the plane for an hour while the plane is re-fueled and then people will come on the plane to inspect us and spray us with pesticide. Another person also confirmed this. It's going to be quite a trip, but when I look out the window I smile. Total flying time to Johannesburg: 17 hours non-stop, then another few to Capetown. Whew!

First in Line

Here we are ready to check in, but the counter doesn't open until 1:45. Apparently, SA Airways only has evening flights. We had to check out of our hotel, so we would've been early even if we'd known. It's ok though because we're first in line to check in!

Absolutely Giddy!

We've arrived in NYC safely. Our gate at JFK Airport was next to the South African Airways terminal and I got a sneak preview of where we'll be tomorrow. I saw a brightly colored plane at a gate and also the advertisement above. We also changed some money over at the airport, so now I've got some rand. :-) We just ordered a pizza to our room, but I'll post again from my cell phone at the South African gate tomorrow. :-)

Bon Voyage

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the warm wishes. I want to also thank you for listening to my plans and questions and worries over the last several months. I can't believe the day is here. I will miss you all (and blogging in general), but I will try my hardest to find and internet cafe or something. I look forward to reading your comments when I return. I'll post tonight from NYC and probably tomorrow before we take off for Senegal and then South Africa. I can't believe I am finally visiting the country that called to me years ago.

Ciao!

Love,
Hannah

The Chinese Are Wise

Wow! I never thought I'd see the day. ONE day to go! :-) This picture above is of the fortune I received recently at a Chinese restaurant. How cool is that?

Thank you for your sweet comments yesterday. I am feeling better emotionally, but I'm pretty crampy. This will be the 3rd time in a row I've had my monthly visitor on a flight. Oh well, better now than on the trip!

We are leaving tomorrow morning, but remember we will be in NYC tomorrow night. We don't actually leave for South Africa until Sunday evening, but for all intents and purposes, the journey begins when we close our eyes tonight. If you'd like to see our itenerary, or refer to it at any time, the link is under "currently" and "enjoying" or you can view it here.

I'll be posting a couple more times before we leave for our main flight to SA and I'll try to get to a computer a few times while we're there. I'm really looking forward to reading your comments.

P.S. Please keep my sister company. She is watching our "children" for us so we can have a nice trip and know that someone is kissing them and giving them as many cookies as we do. She might have gray hair by the time we get back though so please send her some love. Heck, she might even post about my babies and you kind internet folks can leave them sweet messages on her blog while mommy and daddy are riding giraffes. Really, she's an angel for taking care of them. She's so good with animals, always has been.

The Stress is Getting to Me

What do you get when you combine a major trip and PMS? An absolutely crazy woman. I couldn't even sleep last night because I felt "off." I even missed a dentist appointment this morning that I called to confirm yesterday. I am so embarrased. I just feel anxious and unsettled. I could use some love. I'm sure you all are reading this thinking I'm nuts to feel anything but crazy excited, but I can't help it. PMS destroys any sense of practicality a woman has.

Attack of the Annoying Bug

About a week ago I got a bug bite on my ring finger on my left hand. I thought nothing of it at the time-- it was just a small red bump that itched like crazy. I'm used to bug bites afterall. Bugs love me, they always have. I always get all the bites, no matter who I am with. My family has joked that it's good to have me around because when I'm there, the bugs never want them. If this gives you any idea how loved I am, I got 22 bug bites a couple of weeks ago in a 2 hour period. Anway, this particular one on my finger itched and I assumed it was a little mosquito bite, but now, almost a week later, it has spread on 3 fingers and it's full of pussy blisters. (Am I totally grossing you out? If I am, sorry). Anyway, I was worried about leaving the country with this infection, so I spent 2 hours at the doctor's today. Turns out I have some sort of secondary infection. The doctor put me on antibiotics for 2 weeks and gave me a topical cream. She said they've seen a lot of infected bug bites this summer and that mine should heal within a week, but not before the people of South Africa think I've brought some terrible skin disease into their country!

The List Goes On and On . . .

I have traveled internationally before. but I can't remember ever having so much to do to prepare for a trip. Even when I to Cambridge for a summer semester and then stayed on to travel with friends, I'm telling ya, there wasn't this much to do. And everytime I think I'm about done, bam! I think of 10 more things. Still to do in the 4 days before we leave:

> Go to Target to buy more travel-size toiletries
> Write instructions for my sister who is keeping our dogs (these are our children, so they may be quite detailed) Sorry Meggie! :-)
> Learn how to use our new camcorder so I don't miss any good moments
> Decide what to wear (60's and low 70's during the day, 40's and 50's at night)
> Take stuff to Salvation Army (ok, so that's not for our trip, but I don't want to come home to things I have to do)
> Return my library books
> Pay some bills online that will be due while we're gone (still hoping for more to come in the next few days)
> Get a pedicure
> Clean out the fridge for things that will expire while we're away
> Xerox travel documents/passport
> Pack, Pack, Pack!

Happy 4th!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day! Have fun grilling, watching fireworks, and don't forget to say a prayer for those who continue to make our independence possible. Oh, and don't poke your eye out with a sparkler. :-)

Julianna's

Today my sweet grandma took a family friend and my mom and I to tea at a charming tea room about an hour away. We had a wonderful time and the food was divine. We started off with chicken salad on a croissant and a small spinach quiche. Then came a tower of goodies-- 3 tiers of cucumber sandwiches, pimento cheese on wheat bread, fresh fruit, garlic cheese biscuits, lavender scones, mini cheesecake bites, wedding cookies, and more. I washed it all down with a pot of caramel tea with cream. Yum! Afterall, I am the queen of teatopia. :-)

A First

Today I had my first-ever bikini wax and I totally got robbed, but it'll be nice for swimming at the hotel pool on vacation. If you are someone who shaves to go swimming, this is so much easier. It also didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would.

Can you tell I'm getting bolder about what I will share on my blog? I know many people who know me personally read it, but that's ok. Nothing dirty, just the facts. :-) Hello James's mom! Hello Grandma!

James's Birthday Party

Last night I hosted a b-day party for James at our house. We invited family over and I decorated the house in a "Madagascar theme" (very cute movie by the way) because we liked the movie and also because I thought the African animals were perfect for our upcoming journey in search of The Big 5. We even had a Madagascar cake complete with sparkler candles! For appetizers I made pigs in a blanket, a meat and cheese platter, and egg rolls. For dinner, because my hubby is a cheese lover, we had lasagna, caesar salad, and garlic bread.

I think James had a good time. Twenty-six is going to be an especially good year for him. We have some nice things to look forward to this year.