I like you.

Ladies and gentlemen, listen right now, I would like to introduce our second guest post. Rachel Newton Parker was born on a sunny day in Oklahoma (I have no idea if this is true, but I choose to believe that it was sunny). She is the oldest of 6 children which explains why she is excellent at giving advice, guilt tripping, and driving a stick shift. She is my therapist. I am not kidding, if she charged me for the number of times she has helped me calm down or work through a problem, she would be a rich lady! Rachel is the one that gets the calls when I have no idea what I am thinking. I'll explain the situation and she will tell me exactly what is going on in my CRAZY brain. And you know what, she is always right! I don't know if it is because she is so observant, has learned how people think, or because I am predictable. Let's just say she gives really good advice, which is why I instantly thought she would be great for a guest post. Here she is, the magnificent Rachel Parker!!!

Why do we all like Elaine so much?  There are tons and tons of reasons, I know.  One of them, I think, is that she likes us.  She knows me – not the “my hair is done, my makeup is on, I am wearing one of the few outfits I own that looks decent on me, I’m in public so I am not yelling at my kids, calm, collected, I have it together” self – but my real self.  And she likes me.  For real.  Whenever I talk to her on the phone, she says things like, “You are awesome.” or “That is fabulous.”

(Sorry for embarrassing you, Elaine!)

 

It feels really good to know that people like us.  We want to be loved, and we need to feel loved.  But I think that we also need to feel liked.  Way back when I started dating my husband, I didn’t love him yet.  But I really liked him.  The things about him that were different than the other guys I knew.  And the reason that I was so happy dating him was because I knew that he liked me.  

 

I have a friend that I met the first year of Freshman Orientation.  We aren’t very good at keeping in touch.  In fact, we’ve been lousy at it.  But we keep trying, because we want to stay friends.  I want to be friends with her, because I like her.  I know that if I got to spend time with her tomorrow, we would have fun, because I really like HER.  

 

My dad was really good at telling us things he liked about us.  He didn’t often say the kind of sappy things that belong in Hallmark cards, but he often told us that he liked certain things about who we were, who were becoming, things he was glad that we did.  It made us like us.  

 

So, how can we help people be happier?  We can tell them that we like them – specific things about them that we like.  We can be more like Elaine that way.  “I really like the quirky movie quotes you use, the funny way you raise your eyebrows at me, your style, etc.”  

 

We like people.  Let’s tell them we like them.  

 

C's get degrees!

I was talking today with a person that I consider to be absolutely fabulous. She told me that her day had been awful...just plain awful. We continued discussing and then she said something AMAZING! Totally worth quoting and then stealing! She said that she needed to remember that the bad days are memorable because they are rare. I absolutely loved this!

Take a minute to let this sink in...okay now that it is sunk, let me tell you my thoughts. Some days are not so good. Sometimes you randomly snap at your roommate and then run away because you cannot contain the tears that have instantly flooded (No, I didn't do that this week. Why would you think that?). But these kinds of days are not normal. If they were normal they wouldn't upset you that much. If I randomly started crying at tiny things that shouldn't matter, then I wouldn't have been so angry and embarrassed (pretending that this hypothetical situation actually happened to me). This may not seem to be particularly comforting, but it really should be. One nasty day is just one day, don't let it get you down! Be happy that you only had 1 or 2 awful day this week! That means that you had 5 or 6 good days! Statistically speaking you haven't failed at all! You are coming up with a solid C+ or B-!

You may ask, what did hypothetical Elaine do at this point in the story? Good question...she may have called her little brother, talked incessantly about everything except the situation, and calmed right down. She may have gone to bed early and awoke to a bright beautiful day!

Don't let the bad days get you down! Write it off and begin again tomorrow.

I was about to take my weekly selfie when I caught myself mid yawn...too perfect to pass by. You are welcome!

Don't die!

There are moments in life that I am just tired. For no apparent reason I am just exhausted. This was the case last night, I was just wiped so...I went to bed. But after the evening routine, I couldn't sleep. My eyes could barely stay open, but I still couldn't fall asleep. It was ridiculous! I ran through the normal routine: counted sheep, lay really really still for ages, and tried to dream about dreaming. It just wasn't working. So I went back to something that I learned in a Stress Management class I took a few years back. Meditation.  

Now if you ever get an opportunity to take a class like this..DO IT!!!! It has been a wonderful tool that I have used many times, and honestly I should focus on stress management daily. It would help me with the daily random problems of life.  

There are tons of things that I learned about that I will eventually talk about, but today I want to talk about meditation.

During my class, we would talk about the function of meditation on the neural pathways, which is fascinating. However, pretty much every time I geek out about these things my roommates just look at me with “the face”. It means that no normal human would find this interesting, so I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s just say...science, science, better! Here is a brief summary of the science. Stress hormones are very important for our ability to react in dangerous situations. We need to be able to run away if a alligator is in pursuit, but if these hormones are floating around all the time they do damage to cells. So chronic stress is not good for our bodies. It can increase relative risk for many diseases as well as death. So if you want to live keep reading. It is very important to prepare yourself for daily stresses, so that you can be in control of the stress response.

I have tried to meditate before with little success, because I was doing it all wrong. I am sure when you read the word meditate this came to mind. 

(By the way, the finger thing...here is the real deal. You close your eyes and try to get your thumb and middle finger as close a possible without touching. Try it, it is HARD. But you totally forget your stresses!)

Weird chanting and poses...yep nope. That is not what mediation is really about.

Most of us do not know how to properly mediate. I would try so hard think of nothing, but that NEVER worked. I am pretty sure it is impossible. Meditation is not the lack of thought, it is an active process to choose something on which to focus on. There are many different types of meditation, some that focus on breathing or muscle relaxation. Try out a few and see what you like! I would suggest to start with a recording to get the feel for it and then you can learn how to do it on your own. BYU has a whole page (click here...do it!)devoted to different recordings, which means that it is important. I really enjoy the progressive muscle relaxation, which prompts you to tense your muscles. You hold the tension for a few seconds, then release. After you release the muscle you can really feel the tension leave. Each time you do this, you feel more and more calm. It is MARVELOUS!

I also love the body scan, which helps you relax by focusing on muscle groups. Just consciously thinking about the muscle. It is amazing to realize how much we have going on in the body that we don’t think about! Aren't we so cool?!?

I suggest that once a day or even twice a day you take some time to meditate. Make it a priority to shut the door and be by yourself. This allows your body to restore and prepare for the daily stresses that you will encounter. Practice the techniques, so that when you find yourself overwhelmed you can use these tools to relax. Focus on your breath to calm down. Just actively breath, count the breaths gradually slowing them.

Now if you feel stupid doing this, just don’t! I know that at first it feels weird, trust me. When I learned this stuff I was on the floor in a class...with people...and boys! However, with time it will become more normal.

Don't die, meditate! In the comments below tell me what you tried and what you thought! 

                                                                       

Don't tell my Mom I wrote this blog...

I cannot talk about my development of my self-esteem without talking about my Mom. She is not a perfect person, but she is wonderful. She impacted myself in many ways.

What my Mom did that changed my life:

Ignored Me
She always made time to exercise and do things that she loved to do. I remember a group of women getting together in my living room and exercising to Jane Fonda (really great outfits in those videos). She also would go to the gym to exercise and would leave me in the day care. I didn't always want to go, but she just let me whine and did it anyway. After a while I made friends and I still have friends from that day care.

Showed her love
Sometimes we feel silly when we constantly express our love to people. Let me give you an example of a conversation I had with Trevor yesterday.

Now it is true, it was totally random. But that is okay! My Mother always told me that she loved me. This is the single most defining thing in my life. I don't want to shock anyone, but I am over weight...hopefully you are all still conscious.  I have been for most of my life and sometimes kids are just plan mean. I got teased and picked on in school. I knew that the world equated thinness with beauty. I struggled to understand where I fit into this world of ours, but I always knew that my Mother loved me. I knew that she would love me even if the world didn't love me. I knew she would love me even if I didn't love myself. She helped me to see my own value as well as the value of those around me. She pointed out the good in others, which eventually helped me see how hard we are to ourselves.

Pushed Me
I remember one time I came down stairs and asked my Mother for a list of my weaknesses. Hahahahahahahahaha hahahahaha
I wanted to improve myself, but I couldn't think of anything. hahahahahaha
My Mom made a list! She did! She was honest, not harsh. She was forthright and told me the things that I could improve. After she gave me the list she told me a few things that I was doing well. She encouraged me, but she didn't baby me.

Believed in Me
To this day, my Mom is my #1 fan. She always encourages me to reach for the stars. Seriously, if I called her today and said I wanted to go to space she would find a way to help me do it. She always thought that I could do anything that I wanted to do. So I have done alot of things that I wouldn't have believed I could do. She supported me in my desires and really cared about things happening in my life.

Taught Me to be Strong
My Mom comes from a line of strong women and she was determined to continue the tradition. She told me fabulous stories about the strong women in our family. She taught me not to be easily offended. She taught me to work hard and to play hard. She taught me to find something to smile about even when everything goes wrong. She taught me to walk out my anger or punch a pillow (still used to this day). She taught me that love and kindness are strengths. She taught me to accept criticism.

Now I don't like to put people on pedestals, because I know it is uncomfortable up there. I am not perfect ( I could tell you stories...oh wait I already have), my parents aren't perfect, nor is anyone perfect. My Mom did her best to love me and encourage me to love myself and others. She had no way of knowing that I would become obsessed with self-esteem. She only did her finest to teach me how to navigate this crazy world.

Think back. Who ignored you, loved you, pushed you, and believed in you? Tell those people that made you strong, thank you.

Do you take time for yourself, love yourself, push yourself, and believe in yourself?
-This week do something for yourself: take a bath, paint your nails, go for a walk, or be creative.
-Push yourself to get out of your comfort zone: smile at a random stranger, apply for a job you don't think you will get, or make a new friend.

Thank you to all those who loved me, pushed me, ignored me, and believed in me. Thank you to all the strong women who have been examples to me. Thank you Mom!

  

Challenge 1: Optimism

Today began the 10 day Recapturing Beauty Challenge. This is an annual event put on by the BYU Women's Service and Resource Center. Each day has a challenge, today is optimism.  I find this rather ironic since yesterday was not a great Elaine Day. I didn't get enough stuff done and so this morning I got up super early to study. That went pretty well, but there still is so much for me to know before I have to take this exam. Plus I have a research paper, to more exams, and a silly project that must be done this week. I was feeling stupid and overwhelmed this morning, but then I opened my email and got the first challenge. Optimism.

I started this blog to discuss my experiences in the development of self-esteem, but I am no expert. I am just curious and willing to embarrass myself over the interwebs. Those of you who read this blog may be under the assumption that everyone else has got it together. You may think that you alone are drowning in struggles. You may be reading along and think, "why can't I get this? Why is it so hard to actually make progress? I am trying really hard to be the best me, but it doesn't seem to be working. I am trying and I do well for a while, but then I falter. I succumb to the pressures of the world and I cave to the sadness. I didn't even know that I should be sad, but something happens and I am suddenly overwhelmed. Sad and embarrassed. I should not care abut all of this...life is good and I am happy, dang it! But I don't feel happy in this moment, I just feel hopeless. I will never be popular, pretty, or whatever. Not only will I never be any of these things, I can't even stop caring about being these things!"

If this sounds like your inner mind, let me ease your worries. Obviously, this is not a new concept to me. As you read above I also feel hopeless some days. If you could listen to my phone calls with my siblings you would know that I am just like everybody else. I am riding the roller coaster of life and there are good days and bad days. I feel gloom and doom about once a week (you may think I am exaggerating, but I am not). I wake up and just feel like I am walking through grey jello. I am moving, but I never get anywhere. I spend 50% of my waking time thinking about how we can do better. How I can help young people develop healthy self-esteem. Yet about once a week I wake up and feel the terror. Thoughts whirl about my brain, "I am never going to get married! I have no clue what I am going to do with my life! I am not losing weight quickly! I am not really that smart!" Blah blah blah...on and on! Then I pull out the ice cream and the problem is compounded. I spiral down ward, because now that I am spooning thousands of calories into my mouth of course I am not going to lose weight. If I can't lose weight I will never be taken seriously as a wellness coach. If I am don't get a job as a wellness coach I will have to do something that I hate. If I can't do these simple things then why would anyone want to date me anyway. A few hours later, the flip side comes out...I start to get defensive. I think "I don't need to get married. I can be happy without that ball and chain. I don't need to lose weight, I am beautiful the way that I am. Who cares if I eat ice cream, everybody else gets to eat ice cream!" 

Then eventually I call someone and explain it all. After 30 minutes of whining and complaining the therapy session begins. Last time this happened, which was last week, my sister told me to stop thinking. I worry and worry about all these things that don't really make a difference. I can't change the world, but I can continue to change my world. I can go exercise each day, do my best in my classes, look for job opportunities for the future, and just go day by day. 

After these conversations, I am motivated to continue. I reevaluate how I could do better and make small changes that will help me to avoid problem behaviors. This is a very important facet of behavior change, if something isn't working then you have to change the method. Add more reward, change environment, or enlist others to help you succeed. I find the latter a very helpful hint and I did that last week. I asked a friend if she would help me to remember to participate in a specific behavior daily. I asked her to check up on me throughout the week. I haven't been perfect, but it is helpful to know that someone is looking out for me. 

You may wonder what all of this has to do with optimism, well in my crazy brain it works. Optimism doesn't mean that I expect perfection. It doesn't mean that I have to do everything right to be happy. It pretty much means that perfect is unreal and yet I find joy in the small successes. Yesterday was not a great for me, but I did get my partner his flippers in swim class, smile as some random girl that looked the same way I felt, and supported my roommate at her activity. I didn't make all the right choices, but I didn't make all the wrong ones either. 

(Perhaps not the best explanation, but I just thought this was super funny!) 

I just looked up optimism and according to google it means: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. I am hopeful that today will be better than yesterday. I am hopeful that when I let pressures get me down that it won't last too long. I am confident that I can bounce back with more determination. I am hopeful that I will succeed, one day at a time. I have confidence that I can make a difference in my own life. I have confidence in confidence alone. I have confidence in me. I have confidence in you!    

If you would like to join the 10 day challenge you can email wsr@byu.edu with your name and email address. Do it! It is really fun and rewarding! 

 

Reborn From the Ashes

How many thoughts do we have in a day? Have you ever wondered about this? According to the Laboratory of Neruo Imaging from USC, humans on average have 70,000 thoughts per day. I would love to know how many of my thoughts each day have to do with the "pressures" or expectations I feel the world pushes on me. I would guess...a lot of them! We all feel the need to be accepted and we seek to belong. We look at others and sort them. We find correlations and we make summations from this. All the popular kids wear blue shoes, I will wear blue shoes, thus I will be popular. Due to this we do certain things that we believe will influence others to accept us. Some things that are pretty ridiculous...I could tell you some stories about middle school. Yikes! ;) 

Sometimes no matter what we do we feel that the world has turned its back on us. We are left alone and yet everyone's eyes are on us. Hostile gossip and side ways glances.  Some have crumbled under the pressure of life, but others have risen. Very simliarly to Fawkes the Phoenix, they rise from their own bitter ashes a stronger being. 

“Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.”
― J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This is my friend Sauda. She is one of the many people I worked with in Uganda this summer. She was faced with a struggle that could have crippled. Instead she has risen from the ashes! 

I would like to take you back several months ago. The setting is Mbale, Uganda on the east side of Middle Africa. Mbale is large and yet has the small town feel. Everyone knows everyone. You walk down the street, vendors are yelling and gossiping at the same time. Those that do not have jobs, just walk around town. Our hero, Sauda, is in a long term relationship. She is happy and healthy! Then she determines that she is pregnant. She tells her boyfriend the happy news and unfortunately he is not thrilled. He demands that she abort the baby, she refuses, and he quickly removes himself from the situation. He left...left her alone to deal with this pregnancy. Sauda found herself alone in a sea of people. I am sure that she felt the side ways glances and the gossip swirling around her. I never asked her how her confidence was affected by this, but I would imagine that she felt about 2 inches tall. The world did its best to push her down and yet she rose. She rose from the ashes of her old self and into a new beautiful being. Sauda made a decision. She wanted this baby. She also wanted to do more in life. She started a group to support women who have a fistula. I have come to find that no one in America knows what this is, unless they have taken Women's Health. A fistula is a rip that develops between organs. There are a few different types, but the most common occurs during an obstructed labor. It can occur between the vagina and the anus and is caused by complication during child birth. If the child is not positioned properly and the labor becomes constricted without proper medical attention, the women can develop a tear as the child is birthed. This is very rare in America, since most people have access health care professionals. However, in Uganda, this is not the case. Most people do not give birth with a doctor, they just give birth at home. If the labor becomes obstructed they may not be able to get to a medical professional in time. The child has a very high risk of death during an obstructed labor. 

Not only is this extremely painful, but it also carries societal repercussions. Many villagers still believe that fistulas are punishments from God or due to witch craft. The woman is shunned from the community. She is left to live alone with her condition. Some create communities in the jungle with others who suffer from fistulas. 

(This is a meeting of the fistula team...me, Katie, Sauda, Cristina holding Zam's new born, and Zam.)

Sauda helps to find these women and he them to raise money for the surgery that they need. It is a pretty easy surgery and fairly cheap due to the funding the government has provided. There is a hospital in Kampala that specifically treats fistulas. The woman has to pay for travel to Kampala, food while you are there, and the bed sheet for surgery. Sauda helps them to raise money for these fees. She also works to educate people about the true causes of fistulas. She explains the common misconceptions and how to prevent fistulas. All this while, she is pregnant and probably hoping that everything will go alright when she delivers.  She has chosen to help others even while she is dealing with her own struggles. 

I wish that I could guarantee smooth sailing in life, but unfortunately I can't. In fact I can pretty much guarantee that rough times will come, but you have the ability to rise. Rise from the ashes!

Happily ever after, where are you?????

Today I woke up and remembered that I have a blog. Not only do I have one, but I love it. I have neglected you for too long! Forgive me, please! To make it up to you I am starting a new and exciting chapter... guest posts! I have so many wonderful people in my life and I want to hear from them. This way you don't have to listen to me all day everyday. So without further pomp I would like to introduce my first guest, Melanie Newton Davis. Melanie enjoys long walks on the beach, watching movies, and eating mac and cheese. The most important and defining fact about Melanie is that she is my sister. Hahaha just kidding! But due to our blood relationship, I have had a great opportunity to get to know her and really see her live life. She has had some really normal experiences in life. Normal, but hard. Anyway, here she is discussing happily ever after! 

Once upon a time …

From the opening words we all know exactly how the story will end:  And they lived happily ever after.

We may not all believe we are going to live happily ever after like the prince and princess but it doesn’t take long for each of us to have very set expectations for how our life will turn out.  Whether it be that we plan to be a famous actor, a brilliant surgeon, a world traveler, or for me it was simply to be a wife and a mother.  Now that may seem to be a silly school girl dream and a little old fashioned but that was my expectation for life.  I would graduate high school, go to college at BYU and in no time I would be a married woman and then I would be set, I would live happily ever after.

The first real shift in my very realistic expectations for life came when my first sibling got married and a few months later they were home for the holidays and I got the shock of my life they disagreed with each other—I couldn’t believe. I was shocked that that could happen in my world of happily ever afters.

Now of course a simple disagreement did not mean that there was anything wrong between my sister and her husband—they were simply like any other two people—they disagreed on things here and there.  As life went on and no catastrophes happened, I continued to believe marriage meant happily ever, as I watched my other sister and my older brother get married and I had never seen them happier than on their wedding days.

And I thought I was well on my way to my happily ever after as I went through my first couple of years of college by having two boyfriends and quite a few dates in between.  Then in my second to last year of college I thought I was really ready for my Cinderella moment and it looked like I would get it.  I began dating a young man and it looked we were headed straight to matrimony.  But then my expectations blew right out the window because instead of proposing he dumped me.  I thought my life plans were over.

I had only one year left in college and if I didn’t get married while in college all my plans would be over and who knows what would happen.  Well I don’t know if you can see where this is going but I didn’t get married while I was in college.  But the best thing that ever happened was the day my plans fell flat right around me.  See I had been living my entire life around my plans and expectations for life and I wasn’t living life to the fullest.

I was letting what I thought should happen in life stop me from taking the chances that came along that let life be anything and everything it could be.  As I stopped trying to plan my perfect happily ever after and just enjoy life.  I had possibly my best year in college with great classes, friends, fun, and then graduation.  

Next I went on a Europe trip with my very best friend and saw some of the most amazing wonders of the world with the perfect company.  Finally I stepped out into the big bright world with absolutely no idea what was going to happen or what I was going to do.

And I ended up in one of the last places I would have ever expected: Oklahoma.  I still didn’t have a real job or plan but I helped my sister look after her kids for a few months and you will never believe what happened—within a year and a half I had a real corporate job with a salary and benefits and had met, dated, and married the most amazing man I had ever met.  But even that momentous occasion didn’t come how I had always thought it would.  It was even better.

Now I am not saying that planning and trying to achieve certain things are a bad thing but far too often we allow our expectations to be the law that governs our lives and miss out on some of the most amazing experiences simply because we didn’t expect them to come around.

Let us plan and try to live our lives well but may I suggest that all our plans be made in very light pencil so that when opportunities arrive that may alter our course we don’t have to tear up our life’s script and give up to fit them in but merely erase a few lives and make an easy revision allowing us the best of both worlds.  The brains to keep our lives in order but the wisdom enough to recognize that we can’t expect everything but can enjoy just about anything.

Mbale Mixed Farm

Through a friend of a friend we met a Catholic a Priest who is trying to bring back the agricultural interest of the community. He recently was given charge over 105 acres of land that is owned by the archdiocese. It is just outside of town and it is beautiful! 

We went out to the to photograph the crops and animals so that we could help Father Dan create a website/Facebook page to promote the farm. 

(This is the sign that welcomes you on the the school/farm property! It is my favorite thing!!!) 

Apparently, back in the day the farm was Mbale's largest supplier for milk and eggs. It was also used as a demonstration farm to help the surrounding community learn how to grow crops and raise livestock more efficiently. It was a pretty big operation, but then the government kicked the Catholic Priests out of town. So the farm fell I to disrepair. Recently the church was able to require the land and begin again to bring back the farm. 

The farm also has a secondary school on the property, as well as an orphanage. The profits of the farm as well as any extra food is used to sustain the children. They are able to give fresh milk to the babies daily as well as maize for the school children. 

Along with maize, the farm grows beans, matoka, bananas, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, coffee, and passion fruit.  The farm is divided into plots that are taken care of by different locals. Anyone who is interested in agriculture can come and work on the farm. The crops that are grown are divided between the workers and then the extra are sold or used for the orphans. 

(This is passion fruit...I have never seen it growing and I had no idea what it really looked like. I said something to this effect in front of Father Dan and he laughed and laughed. Stupid mzungus!) 

This is how mushrooms are grown in Uganda. I have never seen these either and was made fun if for that. Isn't it cool though?!? Father Dan said that it takes a good long while, but that they are willing to be patient. 

Just some cabbage growing nicely. This at least I recognized! ;) 

There are so many things going on the farm. There is the orphanage, which they call a "babies home". There are about 20 orphans from varying ages from 2 weeks to 7 years. Two of the children have special needs, one of which is the seven year old. Father Dan said that they wouldn't have kept the seven year old except that she needs constant care. Usually they try to place the children before they turn 5. The care of these children is in the capable hands of about 5 nuns who live on site. They take turns feeding, washing, and playing with the children. They also must clean and cook all the food for the kids. They are a quiet bunch, but so sweet! 

(Apparently life was just too hard for this fellow, he had to take a little rest on the maize that is drying!)

Besides the crops, the farm also has a ton of animals and Father Dan hopes that in the future the farm will be a place that breeders can come. So far they have pigs, cattle, chickens, guinea fowl, quail, goats, and rabbits. 

 

Father Dan has added a ton of animals and has plans for lots more. He wants to bring the farm back to the original glory! To improve the pedigree of the animals and also create a space where people can come to learn about agriculture. He has done amazing work and he hopes that with the addition of the website more people will be aware of the mission and aims! 

  

Safari-check

A few summers ago, I made a bucket list. I felt like I should have some idea of the fun things that I was going to do in life. So I sat down and made a list of everything I wanted to do. But I think it is really silly to have plans to do things that will never happen. This probably sounds depressing, but let me explain. When you look through people's bucket lists it is filled with far away places and exotic destinations. I don't like the idea that we plan the excitement in our life's to be so difficult to achieve. I believe in having fun and finding excitement in small ways everyday. So I made my bucket list accordingly. It contains quite a few silly things that I have always wanted to do, but that can be done anyday. This has allowed me to cross off quite a few things from my list! The only thing on my list that I felt like was least likely to happen was to go on an African Safari. Well last weekend I crossed that one off! Honestly when I wrote that one down I said to myself "If you only trvavel to one foreign land, it must be Africa". I have always loved Africa! Well now that I live in Africa, I knew I had to go on a safari! 

It was incredible! We had a great driver who has been a guide through Uganda for years and he really knew his stuff! We began with a boat cruise down the Albert Nile. We cruised down and tried to spot the animals. I was on the roof of the boat and it was sure hot, but that meant that all the animals were sun bathing! We saw a boat load of hippos, just hangin' out in the shallow water. They are massive animals that always stay in large groups. Usually about 15 females and one male will be together. 

They seem pretty lazy, but the guide said that hippos kill more people than sharks. So I guess they get pretty grouchy sometimes. 

We also were pretty lucky and got to see a crocodile during the cruise. The guide spotted one under a tree having a nap and he wanted us to have a good view. So he backed the boat right up to the edge of the river banks and we got pretty close. We all took pictures and stared at the guy for about 7 minutes, then he turned around, opened his huge mouth, and roared! He was not pleased with us disturbing his slumber. It was amazingly loud and intimidating. Haha even though I have seen alligators many times, I was pretty terrified by this angry dude. 

This croc was about 10 feet long and weighted a ton. He is a medium sized male. They can get up to like 20 feet long from nose to tail! 

We saw another croc who was waiting to lure small fish into his chompers. Just like back home in the swamp, he was silent and stone still waiting for some silly fish to wander in. You would think that his jaw would get tired of staying in that position, but I guess crocs have better bones than I do! ;)

We saw some African buffalo, which I really enjoyed. They are kind of ugly, but for some reason I really liked them. They usually travel in herds and they have birds on their backs (this guy doesn't, but the others around him did so just trust me when I say that this happens). The birds sit on their backs and eat off the lice and ticks. 

Buffalo have poor eyes sight and thus use their hearing and smell to detect danger. Although they have excellent hearing sometimes they are still vulnerable to patient predators. The birds, however, have superb eye sight. So if danger comes, the birds are the first to notice and they fly away. This alerts the buffalo that something is near and he/she will run away. It is a beneficial relationship for both animals that keeps them healthy and safe! 

       

Everything was breath taking and my face hurt from smiling so wide! 

He last thing we saw on the cruise was a massive waterfall. It was only 10 meter wide, which made it fast and furious. We got pretty close with the boat, then the guide pulled off to the side of the river and asked for those that wanted to hike to the top. Out of everyone on the boat, about 35 people, the four in my group were the only ones to get off. Those that stayed sure missed out! We followed a paved trail straight up the mountain. I would be lying if I told you it was easy, but the best things in life take work! 

       

                                    

                                    

                                    

       

       

       

                                    

The next morning we headed out for the game drive. We were driving along and our guide points to the right...literally 5 feet away is an elephant! Just hanging out on the side of the road. The best part was that I totally missed it! I wouldn't have even seen the dude! Hahaha 

       

All I wanted to do was to see a giraffe! They are my absolute favorites. We saw some and our guide told us that since we were such a small group we could get out and take pictures with them (but really because he had the hots for my friend)!!!!! 

        

I was so happy!!!!

        

       

Can you believe this?!? I was so close to my favorite animal ever!!! 

We saw a ton of different types of antelope, but I can't remember which one is which. Sorry y'all! 

But they were all so interesting and majestic! 

        

         

        

I know it looks like all these guys were solo, but trust me there were hundreds of them! They were beautiful and I tried to get a picture of one running but it didn't work. It was the most amazing thing! 

We also saw tons of birds, but they were really hard to photograph...mostly for me! The whole time I was thinking that Sterling should have come to photograph my life in Africa! ;) 

        

We saw one lion, but it was really far away so I didn't get a picture. We saw tons of warthogs, but they are ugly...so no pictures! ;) Mostly I was so happy about the giraffes! We saw so many! We saw probably 60! Now I am going to put way too may pictures of giraffes, so if you want to stop reading you may! ;) 

I promise that I do work here! Next post will be about our projects! In fact it is going to be about a Catholic farm that we are working with! Stay tuned!