Last blog before US tour!

It’s Friday, 26 September 2008, and we are down to the wires on preparing for our departure. We will leave Lagos on Tuesday, 30 September for our 33 day US and Peru tour, and we are very excited about the trip. Don’t know if we will ever want to take a trip this long again, but that is what we are doing this year. In the US, we will be visiting Charlotte NC, Roanoke VA, Dallas, Lubbock, Alpine and Houston in Texas. Good news is that at least two days of our home leave are Nigerian holidays so those will give us a couple extra vacation days for this year. There may also be holidays that come up while we are gone. Their holidays are not always planned very far in advance, like Chris may get a text message on his phone that tomorrow we will be celebrating “Independence Day”, so don’t come to work. We may not get to celebrate Presidents Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day or Thanksgiving, but the Nigerians celebrate everything and they are all holidays for us as well.

I decided to post one last blog because I have a few new pictures to share and wanted to have a separation in before and after. We will certainly create a lot of great memories and hopefully some great pictures while on our US trip. We purchased a few new pieces of art the last time Chris and I went to Lekki Market together. I seem to have been appointed (unofficially) as the guide for new ex-pat wives for their first Lekki Market. Hey, I had a good teacher! And of course we will be bringing goodies from Lekki Market for family members including Jasper.

Of the art, the large horizontal piece is “Apapa” (a place) and is by Darlington who painted “Dreams of an American Child”. The vertical is titled “Three Wise Men” by Osaretin Osadolor. No more art for a short while. When we return, I will have curtains made and then there are a few pieces of furniture we want to have made. And of course, I will need to replenish my collection of beads after sharing in the US.

The flowers Chris bought me to celebrate finally getting the dining table cleaned off, although they were too tall to set on the table. I don’t know exactly what they are. They look like birds of paradise, but I have never seen any with the part that hangs down; very interesting and colorful like everything else here.
I also took some pictures of our front and back balconies which I immediately started filling with plants in pots. You will notice there are a couple of empty pots for plants I haven’t bought or found yet. I have seen a bamboo palm with a red stalk that is quite the most striking thing I have seen, but I have not found any for sale yet. I also decided not to add anything else for Emmanuel to have to water while I am gone.

And last but not least, I took a picture of our driver, Samuel with the Hyundai Santa Fe that is our car while we are in Lagos. We got the windows tinted last week and they are so dark I don’t need sunglasses! Samuel keeps the car immaculate. It was unfortunate that I remembered the camera on a rainy day. Oh, we, get over it Samuel.

I am in a US state of mind since that is what we have been plotting and planning and looking forward to. We know when will see our families and a few friends but if you are or will be in one of the cities listed and are not on our calendar yet, please call or email.

Hope to see you real soon!