Updates to my bucket list!

So I have my two lists... my bucket list and my 30 things to do before I turn 30.  Made some updates since turning 25, and still have quite a ways to go!

1- Ride an elephant in the Jungle
2- Skydiving May 2011

3- Missions trip in a foreign country

4- Hike to the peak of a mountain Spring 2010

5- Take a sailing trip

6- Go on a cross country road trip

7- Learn to drive stick shift (I CAN drive a stick shift, but I want to feel comfortable at it)

8- Kentucky Derby with a big hat

9- Ice skate at Rockefeller at Christmas

10- Ride on the back of a motorcycle

11- Give everything I have to someone (can be everything I can give, everything I have at that moment… I’ll know when it happens)

12- White Water raft on the CO River

13- Run a ½ marathon OR do a sprint triathlon
14- Worship with a different culture

15- Dance freely in front of at least 10 people Enter the Haggis concert January 2010

16- Take a helicopter ride

17- Go rock climbing

18- See the Northen Lights

19- Visit and explore Rio de Janerio

20- See Victoria Falls

21- Visit all 50 states

22- Ride the biggest roller coaster in the US

23- Make my own wine

24- Read all 100 books (I have a list of 100 books to read)

25- Not be in control 2010 - the whole year

26- Spend a weekend, just me and God

27- Do God’s will, not my own Younglife again this year!! Whoooo

28- Help build a home Kevin and I helped build a home in GA and plan to return :-)

29- Spend Christmas at a shelter

30- Make a difference in someone’s life

31- Write and publish a book

32- Watch the 50 Greatest American Movies of all time

33- Be a loving mother and wife

34- Go on a safari

35- Spend mornings with my husband and coffee on the porch

36- Attend a professional tennis tournament

37- Create an art project I can proudly display

38- Live in the now

39- Start a collection of willow angels I bought the Sunshine angel this year!

40- Watch the mummers parade – live

41- Send my parents to a YL camp as adult guests Northbay Camp June 2010

42- Drop everything to help someone

43- Have a life changing conversation with a stranger about faith after giving someone a ride to the metro from the Dr's office.  A wonderful woman from Kenya.

44- Go back to school

45- Stand out of the sunroof of a moving car

46- Grow a garden

47- Sleep under the stars

48- Build or fix something

49- Explore the beaches and ocean of Australia

50- Learn to surf

Here is my more immediate list of things to before my 30th.  And with 26 coming up, I guess I need to knock a few more out of here! (Some are new and some are borrowed from the list above)



1. Build a recipe book - started this!  just need to make it prettier :-)

2. Spend a whole weekend with just me and God

3. Sleep under the stars

4. Take and survive a yoga class

5. Start my willow angel collection (see above)

6. Refurnish/re-upholister a peice of furniture

7. Ice Skate at Rockafeller Center

8. Move out of Rockville, MD

9. Grow a beautiful garden

10. Lose 20 lbs.

11. Learn to surf

12. Break 100 bowling

13. Take a gorgeous photo

14. See the Mummer's parade live

15. Join a book club

16. Take a dance class

17. Go to Indonesia or Thailand

18. Do a missions trip in a foriegn country

19. Carve a great jack-o-lantern

20. Fingerpaint with kids

21. Get married (I don't think I get to choose when that happens...?)

22. Do a photoshoot with balloons

23. Go white water rafting on the CO river

24. Wake up looking at the water

25. Manage my time and relationships better

26. Have a real snow day

27. Have a great date day with just my mom and sister Philadelphia premium outlets and dinner.  LOVE.

28. Get paid to be creative (even if it's a one-time thing)

29. Take a trip on a whim

30. Buy a house

Best friends and weddings!

So 2013.  That is the year.  Yes, I am going to start packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and eating ramen noodles for dinner.  Because I have a lot of traveling and wedding gifts to be saving for.

I say it like that, but really I am so thrilled.  So far I have 5 weddings planned for next year, and while it might be a smart idea to pick and choose the ones I'm closest too, I can't possibly miss any of these weddings.  Between all 5 of them, I am most excited about the three below who have been some of my closest friends and together we have made it through life's craziest times.

Sara and Mike:
Sara and I have known each other literally since we were in diapers.  I get to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and am so thrilled for her that she met Mike.  They are going to get married next October with a beautiful New England Fall wedding with an incredible backdrop to their wedding.  I have loved this girl like a sister for most of my life.  She has pushed me toward God, toward shooting for the stars, and has taught me that if you don't truly love yourself, you aren't living the best life possible.  We have been friends across town, across the east coast, across MD.  Been close and been far.  We've survived becoming teenagers, discovering boys, playing basketball, and producing creative plays and musical presentations for our parents.  Mike is amazing for her.  He is supportive, encourages her love of teaching and kids, has a great heart, and can ALWAYS make her smile.  He treats her so well and you can see how much he loves her.

Maris and Eric:
The most recent couple to take the dive into engagement-hood.  First of all - STUNNING ETSY ring (he did a very good job)!  They are very cute together, love to do nerdy things, indulge themselves in the hipster-ness, and can always be relied on to have something new and interesting to do.  Maris and I became friends in high school.  She liked the guy I liked, and I had the mentality "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer."  I got to know Maris because I wanted to keep her from edging in on my man.  DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THAT STORY.  Well good news is that the guy has come and gone from both of our lives, and we are left as half of a complete breakfast.  Friends like Maris are a dime a dozen, and I often think what would a hormonal girl do during teenage angst without her good friends to drive around P-ville in the middle of the night taking ridiculous pictures, having dance parties, and hitting the local diner up at 3am?  But Eric is a great man for her, and I love how independent they both are while still being so completely in love and committed to each other.  Eric is funny, and smart, and can get along with her dad really well!  While it will be sad to see these two up and move halfway across the country, I have no doubt that they will be living an incredible life together.  And oh - did I mention they are quirky, funny, and super ADORABLE??

Kyle and Caitlin,

Kyle is a different kind of friend than Sara and Maris.  I think Kyle and I became friends out of convenience, and stayed friends out of awesomeness - but that cemented each other as a big part of each other's lives.  Freshman year of college 2 of Kyle's friends were in my dorm late on a Saturday chatting up some girls on our floor.  Then another one of his friends became interested in my friend.  Through these interwoven relationships, I met Kyle.  Throughout college, a group of friends formed, including Kyle and I.  Then we started having classes and inevitablly being nerds together.  We would hang out at 1400 Linden and light Kyle (and eyebrows) on fire, watch Nip/Tuck, have parties, play pranks, have dance parties, going to Pennies and winning the World Series, and lived the college dream.  I am partial, but our friend group was pretty much the best.  Junior year Kyle and I went to London together for spring break, and had an amazing time. He drove Lisa and I to a house party in an ambulance one time, and we had countless other memories that need not be mentioned on a public blog.  Kyle was like the big brother I never had.  When senior year came around, Kyle had a 3 bedroom apartment in MD outside of DC, and had only one girl roommate.  When I got offered a job, I moved down here into the extra room in their place.  That first year out of college we played kickball together, made some interesting friends, and some really cool ones, discovered DC, had a terrible cat, and almost had our apartment burned down one time.  Now he and Caitlin are back up in NJ, buying a home and starting a life together.  They have an adorable dog, and have come very far in their careers.  They are perfect for each other and I am very excited for their wedding - which is bound to be beautiful because let's face it - Caitlin is planning it!  Sad that they are now up in NJ starting a life because it reminds me that that part/time of my life has passed, but still VERY excited about what is in store!

Just a little post to celebrate my friends.  Trying to be better about post updates so y'all can see what's happening in my life!

I may be giving up on hopes of a real update...

So here are some pictures to show you what's been up in my life, and I will resume my blog-life where I am at right now.  Enjoy!
(sorry they are out of order!)

Biggest bottle of champagne, and Sadie's hair is a BOW!  (a great pinterest find)

Last men standing in our ugly sweaters :-)

Central Park with Danny

New Year's Photobooth

Busting a groove

Photobomb!

Watching a plane land at the air and space museum

So guess where we went for Kev's birthday??

His favorite, the Lockheed Martin Blackbird

Erica and I out in DC for her last happy hour before moving to Jersey

She is thrilled that it's her last time on the DC Metro

No words...

Will miss Aunt Elise (Dec 1920-Jan 2012)

Me, auntie, and the kids a few years ago

He calls himself the king of 2012 because of the crown

Life is not always perfect, but often it is good

Like weekends full of:
Sleepy early Friday nights with the boyfriend falling asleep on his shoulder.
Early Saturday mornings cheering on my Younglife girls at a swim meet and hanging with their super wonderful parents.
Saturday afternoons sitting with high school friends and cheering on the high school Poms team in their county competition.
Randomly stopping by another high school friend's house and talking about life, her baby, and hanging out with her family and sharing love with them the way Christ does with us.
Dinner with old friends - celebrating growing up, new engagements, home ownerships, and realizing that some things never change.
Sunday mornings at church sitting next to a couple of great friends, and one particularly wonderful man.
Afternoon runs with yet another Younglife friend - our junior leader, and then having her crash lunchtime with said wonderful man and I.
Superbowl parties with good food, decent commercials, plenty of half-time entertainment, and casual laid back conversation.

What else is good is:
Wednesday afternoons working from home (trying to beat the snow that DIDN'T stick...)
A run to David's bridal to see what I will look like when I am standing in front of the church watching my best friend commit her life to her best friend.
A little innocent gossip between roommates that is not altogether juicy to either one of us, but definitely draws some smirks from the cashier.
A night of invention in the kitchen with brightly colored, delicious tasting veggies.
Chocolate covered strawberries.
Spending time with a friend who will not always be so close (physically).
Finding out that kitchen inventions can be delicious and healthy!  (and pretty)
A glass of red wine.
Watching Modern Family with ALL roommates present.
Leftovers of said healthy meal.
Random music videos and dance parties for Shake It Country Girl, and MMMBop (we are all country girls who grew up in the 90s.  Don't judge.)

Pictures and videos below to show you some of my Wednesday night.

Roomie dinner night!

Just start with a little brown rice...

Add the most colorful veggies in the market...

Ensure proper garnish (cheese) and tools for proper cooking (wine)

Melt Chocolate Chips onto some fruit for the best dessert imaginable...

MMBop & Shake It Country Girl


Tonight was a REALLY good night.  This past weekend was a REALLY good weekend.  Yes, life is sometimes not easy or downright hard.  But I have a lot of love in my life, and that is a very very good thing...

Life is so good, and I do believe it's gettin better <3

it's only been 2 months since Thanksgiving, so...

Why not take this completely time-appropriate opprotunity to update you all on my Thanksgiving?  (Don't laugh, or judge me... ok fine, you can and should.)

So I have a crazy family.  We see each other three times a year on my dad's side, and two times a year on my mom's side, so Thanksgiving most years can not come fast enough.  I love getting together with my family, we usually go to my Grandma's house for noon social/pre-dinner snacktime (aka- MINI LUNCH).  And then we head to Steve's for dinner and football.  I can't remember a year where we didn't do that.

This year mah seester came down in October, met the boyfriend, and guilted me into inviting him up for Thanksgiving.  I know - I wrote guilted me into it.  I know I should have been the one to think about inviting him up, but I am a bit horrified of committment, and my family can be... well... a bit intimidating.  Trust me, I love them to death and wouldn't change them for the world, but I have never brought a guy home for Thanksgiving to meet the family.  As a matter of fact last year, I got the comment that every single girl hopes she never hears.  Steve pulled me aside and said "Are you ever going to bring a man around for Thanksgiving?  You know... you can bring a girl too, if you think you might be a lesbian."  AWESOME.  Thanks Steve.  My response was some sort of mumbled "no, I'm not a lesbian, I'll bring a guy home sometime.  I hope..."  But he was kidding.  That's Steve.  He's a kidder.  But that just goes to show that after 25 years my family was starting to wonder where the men in my life were hiding.

I remember talking to my sister about him.  I remember saying "FINE, I will invite him."  (I mean, I was so crazy about the boy, it was just terrifying.)  I was talking to him on the phone about a month before Thanksgiving and said "so... if you want to come up for Thanksgiving or something, that would be ok."  Pause - let me just say, bless his heart for dealing with me and my quizzical words.  Resume - He asked if I wanted him there, and I told him yes.  It was set, and I had about a month to prepare for this nerve-wracking experience.  Fortunately, we have a mutual good friend who gave boyfriend a heads-up on my crazy family, telling him stories from when she came to the beach over the summer at met them at their finest. 

Fast forward to driving up to Thanksgiving, and I actually felt good about bringing him around.  By this point in time he had already met my dad and my sister, and I was already committed to it.  I hardly remember most of the weekend, simply because it was so long ago.  I remember that Thanksgiving day my sister had the bright idea to take a family picture.  I was excited because we had boyfriend there to take the photo.  But NO.  Boyfriend got put in the family photo.  Well... this could be awkward if he didn't survive the weekend.  "Look everyone, this is how nice and happy he looked just before horrendous torture and subsequent death from girlfriend's family."  (Fortunately, my man is a trooper!)  Needless to say, we just kinda looked at each other as if to say - Really family picture?  I'm not sure we are ready for that...

But we survived awkard family photo moment, all jumped in one car (yep.  We really stress family closeness with new people) and headed out to Gma's house.  The prying, the questions, the grilling - all that boyfriend had been prepared for, was replaced by good food and easy conversation.  I was blown away, but trusted that when we got to Steve's that he would really go through the ringer.

After our pre-snack, we went to Steve's for dinner, where he was surely going to go through the ringer.  I think his heart almost stopped when cousins #1,2,3&4 started talking about their night out.  Fortunately, Patty slammed the conversation shut and we started eating.  Boyfriend was not grilled or tortured at all.  We enjoyed a really nice dinner with some conversation and football, and then we called it a night.  I could not believe what just happened, and knew that it was a miracle.

We piled back in the one car, and headed home until my dad provided torture of his own (if you were in the car, you know - if not - no need to rehash traumatic memories).  And hey, boyfriend didn't run out of anyone's house screaming and dumping me in the process, he survived about 2.5 collective hours in the car with my mom, dad, brother, sister, and I (which can be taxing for even me sometimes), and hey - Steve doesn't think I'm a lesbian.  I would say it was a nice and successful Thanksgiving dinner overall.

The next morning, we got up, headed to Philly for some brunch with old high school friends of mine, and drove back to Maryland for some Christmas tree shopping and recoverly.  Crisis averted, now if I can just figure out a way to sidestep the inevitable torture he will endure at summer beach week, I will be good to go.  Time to get my master plan wheels turning...

More updates to come!!

SO overdue!!

Lots of things to catch up on (I expect to have lots of posts up between tomorrow and Sunday!!)

~ Thanksgiving with the family, in which the boy came to PA with me!  Eeeek!
~ Ugly Sweater Christmas party (whoop whoop!)
~ The engagement of the girl-also-known-as-sister who after 25 years of bestfriendship will be preparing to become a Mrs!!
~ Christmas, sisterhood lunch dates, and skiing adventures
~ (maybe you can even look forward to a 2011 recap??)
~ New Year's Eve with some wonderful friends
~ Passing away of my sweet Aunt CeCe
~ Doing a missions trip in Georgia with the boyfriend.

So... at least I have excuses for NOT blogging lately, but I promise I won't make it a trend.  In the meantime, please enjoy this wonderful video, baby. (baby, baby, ohhhhh).  I promise it will make you smile.  Happy Tuesday!

Back to Ja-booty

Ok, so... I worked a lot in Djibouti.  Like a LOT.  so... I'm sorry for the post-dated updates, but want to make them before I forget all about the trip.

But the days were sunny early (like 6am and sunlight was streaming through my window).  But at 4:30 it was already getting dark.  But it didn't matter too much because it just made the air cooler.  If I could live in early November Djiboutian weather constantly - that would be great.  It was dry and warm and and great.  I had to walk about 3/4 of a mile to get to the dining hall and I tried to do that as often as I could.  I also got my fair share of good Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce coffee (perks of being on a US base!).

The people there were great.  It was a camaraderie, although I would struggle a whole lot with being gone for long periods of time.

Let's talk about the two times I got off base.

The first time was random.  It was unexpected.  I was literally blindsided and told we were going on a drive.  I had nothing (not even my cell phone for pictures).  We went through all the security to get out into the country.  We turned left out of the main gate, and down the main stretch out of the city.  There is trash lined up all over each side of the road, and cars whiz by on your left or on your right.  There are no speed limits and there are no traffic laws.  It's pretty much your own risk if you chose to drive in Djibouti.  And the ongoing joke is that a cab ride in Djibouti would be the ride of your life... probably even the last one.

The trash started appearing farther from the road and I got to see the village of Dooba, Grand Dooba, and Little Dooba.  The villages were made of hundreds and thousands of shanties made from sheets and sticks. Just past the Dooba villages was a booth and three men with guns.  We stopped, the guys looked in our car, and waived us through.  Ross then told me we went through Somalian checkpoint #1.  We drove a little further and saw a major fire on a hill on the left with a fire on it.  Apparently it was the Djiboutian landfill.  I am still not sure where all the trash came from, but it COVERED the mountain.  We continued driving and passed another booth - Somalian checkpoint #2.   I was then told that the next Somalian checkpoint would be entering into Somalia, and that was NOT going to happen since I was an American woman.  Eeeesh!  But before the third checkpoint there was a golf course on the right side of the road.  And when I say golf course, I hope you are not picturing rolling green hills and man made lakes and a country club.  This was a 9 hold golf course with holes dug into the tough dry dirt for the balls.

On the left hand side just past the golf course was the Cheetah and Wildlife refuge.  Ross took me there and we went in to see everything.  Out front there was a camel and an ostrich in pen's (like metal wire fences about 10 feet high that you might keep a dog in).  We went in and saw baboons, a male and female lion, and cheetahs.  (all behind the same type of fence mentioned above).  We then went into this walking section, and got to walk with other types of animals.  I got to walk along an ostrich (I would say it was probably about 7 feet tall!), a Wildabeast (yes, like from the lion king!), and a zebra (which I got to pet).  It was REALLY cool.  I was surprised by how small cheetahs and zebras actually are.   There was also a hyena there - and maaaaaaaaaaaan are they ugly!!


And since it's late, I will have to wait for the 2nd outing.  Sorry!

The Pearl

I know - I still owe you stories of Djibouti, and my life - Sorry!  I know - terrible updater, and I promise I will do it, and SOON!
But for now, I want to blog about the Pearl.  Matthew 13 tells us about the kingdom of God being like a fine pearl.  That when the merchant saw it, he sold everything he had to buy it.

That is focus.  That is seeking the treasure.  Pearls are not formed quickly or easily.  For a pearl to be perfect it needs to be finely cultured for a perfect amount of time.  They are roughed out and imperfections are sanded out. 

We are not promised easy things.  We are actually promised quite the opposite.  What makes all the hurt and hard work worthwhile though is the knowledge that we have hope.  The wonderful, fabulous, light at the end of the tunnel - the Good News of hope, and freedom, and love, and eternity, and undeserved salvation.

When we see adversity, when people push us off, make us feel worthless, or hurt us - it is so easy to just stop and pity ourselves, or doubt ourselves - or our call.  But instead we need to press on with the focus of the merchant.   I am not saying our feelings are an insignificant detail of the mission.  I think our heart is very important and I know that God cares intimately for each of ours.  But I also think that what is reflected in our actions are a visualization of our hearts.  And clearly - the merchant's heart was focused on that pearl, and when you want something badly enough, you will give up everything for it.  And I would like to say that I am that way about the call I've had in my life.  I can't honestly say that, but I can admit to trying.

Colossians 3:23-24 says "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if workign for the Lord, not for humans, since you know that you will recieve an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Press on to the pearl.  Work with all your heart to get it.  Find your treasure and hold on to it.  That's what I plan to do.

Puppy Love

I remember when my mom first told me we might be getting a dog.  Turns out an employee of my dad had a dog with a new litter.  I remember coming home from school that day, and bragging to everyone on the bus about how I was getting a puppy that day.  I don't remember if I had to run home or if mom met me at the bus stop, but I remember playing with that little playful black thing out in the backyard that day.  It was one of the best days of my life, I'm sure.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table, getting really mad at Elizabeth because I wanted to name the puppy midnight or ebony (I was really creative) or lightening because of the white strip on her chest.  I remember when mom picked the name Maysie, I kinda hated it, but I didn't care because I had a puppy (but I did grow to love it, and the fact that she didn't have a regular "dog" name).

I remember holding Maysie in my little kid arms.  I remember her being small enough to do that.  I remember taking her to KYAL (the softball fields) and her shivering, and I had to wrap her up in a blanket.  I refused to put her down because it was cold out, and I was pretty convinced that sneaking her most of my cheese fries would keep her warm.

I remember that dog wreaking havoc in my neighborhood and in my house.  I remember the day she got my dad's steak off the counter and ate the whole thing (I wasn't sure she would survive that one), and I remember when Beth and I fed her a whole cake because we messed it up, and she got really sick.  Whoops!  I remember watching our dog sprint out of our yard, across traffic, get calls from the neighbors, and can assure you that she was one hyperactive puppy.

I even remember taking her for a walk (on either Thanksgiving or Easter) with her retractable leash.  That dog saw another dog or person or something she wanted, and she WENT AFTER IT.  Somehow she wrapped her leash around the neighbor's tree, and then it happened.  THE MOMENT.  As she circled the tree so did the leash.  As she continued to run, the leash followed.   I remember watching it slingshot around the tree, and land itself conveniently right in my neighbor's dining room window in horror.  I think I just stood there frozen and crying as everyone came out of the house furious about the broken window.  Whoops.

I remember trying to sneak Maysie upstairs just so she could snuggle in my bed with me when I had a bad day.  I remember when we got the electric fence, which for so long seemed like a lost cause because she broke through pretty much everyday, but once she got it we could throw the ball and run with her and play with her outside as much as we wanted to.

On the one hand, I can not believe that dog lasted 16 years.  I can not believe that she held on for as long as she did even though every time I saw her she looked older, breathed harder, and was having an increasingly harder time getting around.  I can not believe that for the first time in his life, my kid brother is going to have to live without her.  I can not believe that when I go home for Thanksgiving that the old girl won't be there.  One the one hand I am very thankful and relieved, both for the 16 good years we had her for, and that she is not struggling anymore.  And while I thought that I was ok with it and ready, I feel the sadness in my heart, and know that right now our family is not whole anymore. 

But I am still so grateful.  She was a great dog, and survived a lot (both in my life and hers).  And I know that she was an amazing comfort to me during some of my most difficult times.  I will miss her, and will always remember her for having a great life and being a very real part of my family.

Friday - Djibouti

Friday was my first full day in Djibouti.  Unfortunately, Friday is the day off for my team, so I had to put off meeting most of them until Saturday.  (I arrived too late on Thursday.)  I woke up early and multiple times, still trying to fight my way through the jet lag.  But it was also good that I didn't have a full day with my team, because I had almost two full work-days to catch up on emails that needed some attention. 

Djibouti is hot and dry.  I have had my hair straight most of the time here, and it has stayed that way.  I met the HR team here on the ground, and am quite in love with them.  There is one American woman who is a true traveler of the heart.  That part of me really gets her and understand her, while the rooted part of me wonders how she does what she does.  She is fun and friendly, and hooked me up with Starbucks instant cinnamon dolce coffee, so clearly we get along great.  Then there is Amy and Patricia.  They are both my age, both from different areas of Africa, and so sweet, and very smart!  I love talking to them, and you can see how much they love their jobs.  There is my new Indian friend who is a yogi master (I think that's what he said, I keep thinking yogi berry, mhmmm... frozen yogurt!) and is going to teach me some yoga before I leave.  I tried to reassure him it has already been done unsucessfully, and that I have accepted the fact that I am a contact sports-explosive athlete, rather than a soft, gentle, flexible, fluid athlete.  He seems to think he can teach me cool stuff, so far my wrist just hurts.  He keeps saying "No!  Slow!  More slowly!  Go slow!"  I think that may have something to do with my wrist issue.  The head hancho is HR comes back this week, and I am excited to meet him, because I have worked with him and spoken to him multiple times.

The managers are great out here.  They love their employees.  I think that is one of the things I love so much about the fact that my employees all live and work together.  They are more of a family than a work team, which has both it's positives and negatives, but the positives are great!  The dining hall is about a mile from the office, and the rooms are right next to the office, but on the opposite side.  So basically, I have to walk a mile for any meal I want, unless the admins give me a ride.  It's sweet, they see me as DC, someone they want to treat well, but I would almost prefer walking to the dining hall with the employees and chatting about the work environment and who they are on the way.  I also am completely in love with the weather here.  If I walk to the far end of the base, I can see the sea, and it's about 90-95 degrees every day.  It seriously is like Vegas with a beach (and a whole lot less fanfare, money, ok so it's really almost nothing like Vegas).  But the weather is great.

There is a bar here that many of my employees go to, called 11 Degrees North.  They do Karaoke there on Friday nights but apparently the music is very outdated.  I was given my beer card in case I wanted to go.  You need a beer card even just to get in, and you are limited to three beers a night on the beer card and only one beer card a week.  Clearly I am just saving up for Tues and Wednesday night and I'm gonna go crazy drinking three whole beers each night.  You can say it, I know what you are thinking: PAR-TAY ANNIMAL!!  Obviously I'm kidding, but I was going to go until work caught up with me.  So I guess you can say that I'm not living the crazy life here in Djibouti yet, but give me a break, it was only my first day!  I still had almost a week.