One more day in Africa...

In about 14 hours we'll be leaving this continent. I'm sad to be leaving, but somewhat ready to be home. Though it's only been a few weeks I feel so disconnected from everyone! I plan to share plenty more insight, but my brain isn't processing this morning. It'll be interesting to see how I feel once I'm home.

I posted some safari photos on my photo site here: http://www.ashmillphotography.com/?p=598

Did you play the unscramble game? Here are the animals -- with my commentary!

Lion: Maybe my favorite sight of the day. We saw two male lions individually (since they don't really hang out) early in the morning and then came upon 7 lions (female and some younger males) sitting no more than 50 yards from us. It was crazy to watch them as they just stared back at us!

Hippo: Lots of hippos. There's a hippo pool where you can get out of the car. There's quite a ledge there so you don't have to worry about the hippos being able to get to you! We saw some the next day that were out of the water. Those are some big animals.

Impala: And lots of other deer family animals. They're everywhere. Seriously, they get boring after a while!

Leopard: We saw 3 big leopards and 2 really cute cubs. It's apparently rare to see that many (especially babies), but they just kept popping up! The cubs were tiny. Both fell out of the tree when trying to climb down. Precious.

Python: Yep. It slithered it's way right across the road in front of us. We only caught the tail end and then saw it in the bushes a few minutes later. Maybe 10 feet long. Yikes!

Wildebeast: Not a cute animal. And they are all over the place.

Chameleon: This little guy crawled across the road and our driver spotted him in the rear view mirror! He was very, very green and blended in well with the grass. Mission accomplished.

Pumba: Not nearly as cute as Pumba in the Lion King, but the baby ones are! I think I had pumba sausage for breakfast at the lodge on the safari. Not super tasty.

Spider Monkey: These guys are cute. They (along with the baboons) were all over the lodge we stayed at in the Serengeti. Breakfast was fun because they ran rampant across the roof above us!

Elephant: Lots. We got incredibly close to these big guys. Our driver made one of them angry! He flapped his ears and made lots of noise in our direction. Luckily he was big and old and I felt confident our car could outrun him!

Antelope: More deer-like creatures. Lots of them.

Giraffe: Giraffes are so unique. We saw plenty of these guys, too. All different sizes. Elizabeth is convinced one of them was over 20 feet tall. Do giraffes get that big?

Zebra: Even the zebra can get boring on a safari. They were all over the place. Seriously, we saw a few hundred of them. They're incredibly beautiful (except after a rain when they're muddy) animals, but quite scaredy-cats.

Buffalo: A funny looking creature, if you ask me. The horns remind me of vikings!

Crocodile: We saw three or four of these guys. Oh, and a baby one!

Mongoose: Like Timon in the Lion King?

Ostrich: Not super exciting. And, they were always too far away to get a good photo of.

Baboon: Plenty of these guys to see, too. Lots at the lodge. Kitty was fearful they were setting a trap for us when we got up to watch the sunrise!

Hyena: As ugly and mean as they look in the movie

Jackal: Cute little dog-like animal.

Water buck: More deer. Not even sure I got a photo of them because I was interested in more exciting animals. Sorry, bucks.

That's all. I think this covers pretty much everything. We saw all there was to see except for cheetah. That just means I have to come back one day!

Game time!

Good morning all!

Today is our last day in Tanzania. :( It's very bittersweet. We'll head to Kenya in a few hours and stay until our flight to London tomorrow night. If you're really lucky I'll get to post some pictures this evening!

So, it's been a few days since I've blogged, eh? Sorry about that! Monday was long and ended with me feeling quite sick. I spent Tuesday in bed. All day. I left the hotel room for about 5 minutes, but never left the hotel that day. I knew I had to be feeling better by Wednesday when we went on our safari! Holy cow. Incredible. I took a whole lotta photos. Some are quality and some are just proof that I saw what I'm about to tell you I saw! I feel like it was all a dream. I can't believe we were as close as we were with no fences! Crazy.

While I could just ramble off a laundry list of everything we saw, you know that's not my style. Instead, let's play a game. Can you unscramble these words? This should keep you busy until I'm able to post some photos for you to see!

Happy Saturday. See you all in just a few days.

Safari Animals

ionl

pohpi

mpaali

rlepado

thpyno

beewldsait

neemclhoa

muapb

prides nkemoy

peealhnt

tpleoean

feragif

barze

fuablfo

ccdorielo

gonosoem

rtsoihc

obobban

yenah

cajkla

traew cubk

Glory

Her name is Glory. She is almost four years old. Her pain first started in June and has just recently been diagnosed as cancer. After months of various testing and traveling (12 hours one-way to the hospital in Dar) the treatment options aren't positive. There is a tumor protruding from the side of her face and pressing into her left eye. The latest test showed some swelling in the liver suggesting the cancer had spread there. Testing isn't quite as sophisticated here as in the states, so there is much guessing (though, I suppose there is much guessing still in the states when it comes to cancer). Going the radiation route would require mom and dad to move to Dar for two years. They can not afford this and their family economy would likely fail. Even so, the radiation would likely do little to heal her. Instead the family is using some herbal treatment and relying on family and friends to pray over her.

We spent an hour or so at her house yesterday. Hardest part of my trip so far. Ashley's been holding it together pretty well, only tearing up a few times, but this I couldn't hold back. I think the tears were a combination of the fact that cancer has been a big pest in my life this past year for several friends and family members and how helpless I felt. As Samuel said when we left, "It's like watching your little girl die." We came to Africa to help change things here. To rescue the street boys and provide a home for them. Though it's hard to meet with them knowing their current living conditions, I know good is coming and can rejoice in that. What is there to rejoice in for Glory? I believe the Lord can heal and am praying diligently that He will. Today, that doesn't feel like enough.

So, I'm asking you back home to join us here in Mwanza and pray over this family. Shed tears with me and plead with the Lord to heal. Pray for strength for the parents and brother and other family staying with them. Pray for the church family here to encourage and support them.

We're going to try and meet with them again before we leave. I'll keep you updated, but for now, just pray.

So many stories...

Hello friends!

As promised I typed up quite the blog post for you. Unfortunately, it was on my computer that can't currently access the internet. I saved it to a flash drive hoping the computers at the hotel had a usb port. It appears they do not! Bummer. I have a few minutes so I'll try again, but no way this will be as good as what I did last night.

So, I'm in Africa. My trip is halfway over which is terribly sad. I have many stories. Mostly of the precious children here. I could tell you about one of the girls at JBFC who while we were playing Uno decided to doodle on Kitty's notebook. She wrote out Psalm 118:5 in Swahili. "O Lord, I called to you in my distress and you have answered me and set me free." A verse that she probably believes more than I do, but oh, how many times the Lord has answered me in distress.

I could tell you about Salome. The sweet 5 year old who's English is very good. Who Kitty taught to call me AshMill. Who has been at the girls home for a little over a year meaning she was only 3 or 4 when living on the streets.

I could tell you the stories of the boys. Stories of how they found themselves begging on the streets. How their parents separated, mother remarried, stepfather was abusive, and running away with their little brother seemed like their best option. How now they've lost their brother on the streets and are completely alone, except for the other boys struggling to survive with them.

I could tell you about Samuel and Pendo. The partners here in ministry for the street boys. How they're currently living for free in a very nice house, but if asked to leave are willing to build a one room mud house while they await the time to move in to the boys home and be the facilitator there.

I could go on and on telling stories about the people. Or stories about our experiences. Experiences with chewy meat and whole fishies (Yep. I ate it. With a smile, too!). Stories from visiting the market where we bargained (well, Kitty bargained. Oh, how I wish I spoke the language) to get the best prices for our skirts and crafts.

But this is the story I want to share with you. Probably the most unexpected moment that has touched me the most. The first day we went out searching for land Samuel and a friend of his left us in the vehicle to go scout out an area. Our driver parked next to a few small houses (ones with grass roofs). We were clearly in a poor village. Word quickly spread that white people were in town! About 10 children gathered outside our vehicle. They stood starring the entire time we sat there, about 30 minutes. They smiled and blushed when we looked their way. Their clothes were ragged, but their faces bright. Having a white person "visit" their village was probably the highlight of their otherwise routine day. It sure was the highlight of mine.

Habari Mchana (good afternoon)!

So, Kitty is doing an excellent job of recapping our trip. You should head over to her blog: http://www.livingoutofaziplocbag.blogspot.com/ and catch up on things there. All you're going to get from me is this...

I'm thankful for my:

• long legs that can move quickly when needed (cars here aren't exactly interested in slowing down for you)
• soft tush for bumpy rides on dirt "roads" (seriously, had there not been a roof I may have flown out of the vehicle)
• hair that's long enough to go in a ponytail (no point in trying to fix it when the windows stay open while driving)

I'm not so much a fan of my:

• height (can't tell you how many times I've hit my head on something. Though, that maybe has less to do with height and more to do with clumsiness)
• weak muscles (even our driver knew better than to let me carry a case of sodas. In my defense, they were glass bottles. Who cares if the 12 year old could lift them or not?!)
• crusty ears (disgusting, I know. They got a little sunburned the other day and are peeling. Ouch)

Yep. I know you would much rather hear stories of what's happening here, but we're headed to dinner in a few minutes and there's no way my fingers can stop typing once I open the flood gates. It's coming soon. A really long blog post where I'll try and cover the best of the best. Promise!

Organized chaos

Yep. I made it to Tanzania! Been here for a few days now and still taking it all in. If you think my driving is crazy just wait to you come here (which you should do one day). I now trust my driver more than anyone. People are all over the place, cars don't really stay on their side of the road, and motorcycles don't use lanes at all. Somehow it all works. Organized chaos. Houses with grass roofs, buildings painted with Coca-cola, Fanta, or other logos, and restaurants where seating is only outside. Somehow they all fit together. Organized chaos. Children who speak English and Swahili in the same sentence, who wear Miley Cyrus tees, and who smiles both break your heart and make you laugh. Somehow it's perfect. Organized chaos.

Organized chaos. It's the first thought I had as we drove away from the airport and I got my first take of Mwanza. It sums up how I feel now. So much in my head to process; the past 4 days at the girls home, preparing for the next 9 days with the street boys, and life back home. I feel like the Lord is doing something big in my heart, but I just can't understand it. Yet. Much like listening to the girls sing worship songs or being at church (which happens under a few ragged tarps) yesterday. I don't speak their language, but I know our hearts are singing the same song. I'm not exactly sure where the Lord is leading, but I know it's where I want to go. Make sense? If so, perhaps you could enlighten me!

I could give you a quick recap of the trip, but since it's been 4 days there wouldn't be anything quick about it. I'll get to it at some point. Maybe not until I get home or figure out a way to upload pictures on the hotel computers. I have lots of stories to share about the girls' home, but for now here are a few highlights...

• My first meal in Africa was pizza. True story
• Fanta is delicious. Especially the passion flavored kind
• We saw a snake. And lots and lots of geckos
• The girls (and the 5 boys that live there now as well) have started calling Chris, the founder, Daddy. They watched "It Takes Two" (yes, the one with the Olsen twins) and picked up the label. Too precious
• I ate a small green pepper. One of the kids convinced me to eat one with him and I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Holy cow! Hands down the hottest thing I've ever put in my mouth. I think I lost a piece of my tongue
• It's not rude to spit out chewy meat (or, what I'm pretty sure was just one large piece of fat). It is, however, absolutely disgusting (and hilarious) to chew on it for 10 minutes because you aren't sure if spitting it out would be frowned upon
• Uno is played with slightly different rules at the girls home. I might bring them back with me and school all of you

That's all for now. Now that we're at a hotel I'll be able to update more often. Hope things are going well for you all back in the states!

Half the battle...

...is getting there. I'll assume the other half is returning home.

Our Dallas to London flight was slightly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight to Kenya. We arrived at the British Airways desk with 35 minutes to spare, but they told us the flight was closed. Lame.

Luckily, we were able to get on another flight. Leaving in EIGHT hours. We'll arrive in Kenya at 6:30 in the morning and then catch our flight to Tanzania at 9:30. The original plan was to arrive in Kenya tonight at 9:35, get a hot shower and sleep in a bed, and then make the morning trek to Tanzania. Still, all is well. Minus missing the hot shower (I've been warned about the cold water at the girls' home).

Already the Lord is working. On the first 8.5 hour flight the guy in front of us engaged the stranger next to him with the gospel. Gideon accepted Christ. Yes, I was eavesdropping. Yes, it was beautiful.

Across the aisle from us (where there are four seats together) two empty seats sat between and man and woman probably around our age. They were chatting away before the plane left the ground and Kitty and I joked about how long it would be before they were sitting next to each other. Two and half hours! Though the dude later moved back. I then caught him reading his Bible and secretly wished I was in the empty seat next to him. :)

Kidding.

Maybe.

I'm going on little sleep (maybe 2 hours) and haven't had many real thoughts! I still can't wrap my mind around what's coming. It's like I can feel change already happening, but I can't exactly interpret it all.

One funny story: I've been telling everyone my itinerary included a stop in Germany. Not true. It wasn't true before the change of flight plans either. I have no idea why I thought that, but I was convinced we had an extra stop on the flight over!

We'll be celebrating the new year at the girl's home. Check back here soon for an update on that experience. Much love, folks.

Wrapping up the year and beginning another...

What a year it has been for this girl! In January my sweet nephew was born. Three weeks later my mother was diagnosed with cancer. In May, I quit my full-time job to chase my dreams of photography. And now, I'm headed out on my first (but hopefully not only) trip to Africa to work with a non-profit organization and share the message of the gospel. I’ve cried tears of joy, tears of pain, tears of relief, tears for dear friends, and tears simply because I'm a girl and that's what I do.

The Lord has been very real in my life this past year and especially this last month. It's safe to say he's been preparing this trip for a while, but has recently had to be harsh with my sinful heart. It's been painful, but oh, so beautiful. The Lord's grace is amazing.

I've had friends, family, and complete strangers contribute financially and prayerfully to help make this trip happen. I haven't forgotten about any of you and am extremely thankful and overwhelmed at how perfectly this has all come together.

If you know me at all you know I'm a planner. I like to know all the details about pretty much any situation. I pry into my friends' lives and can be OCD when it comes to my calendar. I like control. :) I can honestly say that I know very little about what's going to be happening the next 3 weeks and am at perfect peace with that. I know the goals of the trip as far as the non-profit is concerned, but I know the Lord is going to do big, big things. Bring it on.

I make no promises that there will be more blog posts while in Africa, but I'll try my best! You can (and should) bookmark http://livingoutofaziplocbag.blogspot.com/. Elizabeth (the mastermind behind this trip), or Kitty as I affectionately call her, will be able to paint a much better picture of what's happening. There, you can also read about her past trips.

I can't wait to return and share stories and, of course, lots and lots of pictures! Thanks for standing beside me, especially when I've acted straight silly!

I'm oh, so excited to both wrap up 2010 and begin 2011. On. Another. Continent! How crazy is that?!

Chihuly at Cheekwood

I checked out the new Chihuly at Cheekwood exhibit and loved it! It's seriously worth the $15 bucks to get in. I'd recommend going later in the day on a Thursday or Friday when they have the Chihuly Nights deal. I bet those sculptures would look great lit up at night.

I posted an article with many pictures on examiner.com, but I'd like to show off a few more! These are the more artsy ones plus a bee on a flower - not exactly Chihuly fitting. Hope you like them!

Cheekwood

What a huge contrast in the weather this weekend compared to last weekend. Though I was in Chicago last weekend and missed out on the torrential rain, I'm very thankful for the beautiful weather Nashville has experienced the past few days. On Saturday I went with a few friends to Cheekwood. I went back in the fall (here and here), but ran out of time and didn't get to see the many botanical gardens. This time, I headed there first!

She was framed!

After Mike tried to strangle Heather we put him in jail where he became very deranged.

Brayan at 3 months!

Sweet Lil Dude is THREE months old! I really can't believe it. I spent a few days with the little guy and managed to avoid the crazy Nashville flooding in the process.

His hair reminds me of Albert Einstein. I think that means he's going to be a genius.

So sweet.

Happy baby.

Look how long he is!

Love his big eyes.

The iPhone picture is becoming one of my "go-to" shots. I'm a fan.

Happy Blogoversary!

One year ago today I started this here little blog with an intro blog post. It's been a fun and crazy year, both in my life and in my blog's life, but today is not about looking back. Today is about looking forward...

You see, today was my last full-time day at Abingdon Press. Yep. I'll be there part-time a bit in May, but have decided to jump off the ledge and pursue the things I love. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time and finally felt confident enough to make the move. I'm going to pursue writing and photography—mostly photography—and hopefully still be able to pay the bills!

I'll be working part-time as marketing coordinator for a real estate broker. I think it will be a fun and interesting new gig where there will be a lot to learn and a lot to do (I like to stay busy). Working less hours during the week will free up time for me to focus on my future. The small paycheck will be nice (and needed) while I get my website up and start marketing myself.

It's a strange and terrifying transition, but I'm excited to see what the next few months, and years, of my life bring. I'm someone who likes structure in my life. A weekly schedule that stays the same. A fixed income that pays the bills. A comfort zone. This will not be any of the above things, which in some way convinces me that this is why it is right. I'm being led this direction and it is definitely not something I would choose to do on a whim.

So, keep an eye out for the new things on the horizon. I plan to have the new site up by the end of May, but hope to keep this blog going for personal use—separate from the new website.

It's about to get real interesting around here...

Meet Backup

Backup is my dear pal Heather's doggy. She's not the bravest of dogs, but she is darn cute. Take a look...

Suzy Wong's House of Yum to donate 100% of proceeds during Dining Out For Life event

The annual Dining Out For Life fundraising event is happening today (or Thursday) across the country to raise money for AIDS service organizations. More than 60 Nashville restaurants are participating in this year's event, but only Suzy Wong's House of Yum has pledged to donate 100% to the cause!

The restaurant's name references the popular 1950’s novel, The World of Suzie Wong. It is the story of a beautiful Asian “lady of the evening” falling in love with an American diplomat. The sleek, trendy design of the restaurant is extremely fitting for its name. The small space is well used and the food presentation is superb. read more...

A day trip down the Natchez Trace

This past Saturday I took a drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway. A friend suggested it would be a great drive for photo taking and was interested in the history so we jumped in the car and made our way south. The drive took us to Tupelo, Mississippi where Elvis was born! It was a long day with lots of stops between Nashville and Elvis, but was totally worth it. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was great. I'd love to make the drive again in the fall and maybe turn it into a weekend trip so I can make it all the way to Natchez, Mississippi.

The first stop was to see the double-arched bridge. The bridge is just south of the Loveless Cafe. Very cool.

Probably my favorite shot from the day. Simple, but I'm a fan of it. I'm also fairly certain that this bench has no historical significance. I doubt the early explorers placed it there!

Funny story about this here tobacco barn. We pull up at the stop and read the large posting that says it's a 10 minute loop to see the tobacco. This barn is directly in front of us (about 20 feet maybe) so we start walking down a road thinking that's where the 10-minutes come in. When we realize it led to nothing we turned around. On the walk back I remembered that the information stations (I have no clue what they are actually called) have a button that, when pressed, allow you to hear an old man talk about the tobacco. I assume that if we listened all the way through it would have taken approximately 10 minutes. Oopsies!

This is the Grinder house. Or a replication of what they think the Grinder house looked like. This is where our dear friend Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark) was shot. It was actually quite interesting as I didn't realize he was only 35 when he died. And, his death is a mystery.

See that small hill, or mound, in the background? The indians built that around 1000 A.D. Crazy, I know.

Ah, Elvis. This part of the trip didn't quite mix with the rest, but it was pretty interesting. I'm kind of amazed at the Elvis obsession.

This is the car that Elvis may or may not have been in when he moved from Tupelo to Memphis. It also may or may not be a replica of the car or it may or may not be a few years off from the actual car. Yep. Really, that's about how confusing the letter framed next to this car was. I actually only know that this car doesn't get dusted very often. And it's sea green.

So, there you have it. What you didn't see in these pictures are the 100's of turkeys along the parkway, any of the "overlooks" that were disappointingly lame, or the non-existent lunch spots along the way. If you're thinking of driving the parkway, pack a lunch. My counterpart for the trip did not heed my advice so we ate crackers and Reese's eggs until dinner in Tupelo. :)

My sweet, little nephew

I've been meaning to get these picture posted, but I'm a little behind. However, he is so precious that these photos are well worth the wait. Enjoy!

I so love this guy!

Only a few days left to donate!

Just a sweet, little reminder about my friend Elizabeth and her rad 5K. You can read the full details here. If you want to donate let me know!

Another sweet little lady!

My sweet, old roomie (old as in former, not senior citizen) Emily had her first child just a few weeks ago. Here are a few photos I took when I visited her last week.

This is how Bella's first photo shoot began. She loves me. Really.

Luckily, we were able to get a few sweet smiles out of her.

Probably my favorite. I love how uncomfortable she looks. I think I may try sleeping like that tonight.

Once she fell asleep she was content to sleep anywhere. That includes on a bench. In the park. Where limbs may or may not have fallen from the tree overhead. :)

Daddy wasn't around for the shoot so we only had one ring.

How sweet is this little lady?!

Celebrating National Food Month with the best the city has to offer

April is National Food Month and what better way to celebrate than to discover the best Nashville has to offer on some American favorites? Each day has been dubbed with a different food. Many of these items are available at local establishments. Want to know where to find the best of the best in the city? Click the “subscribe” button above to receive an email when new articles are available. read more...

Read about National Caramel Popcorn Day

Read about National Coffee Cake Day