A Day in Bliss..............

The roots are gone! For those of you that share dark roots, grey or the love of blonde; you will understand the fear of going to a new hair salon! I have been blessed to have had a great girl do my hair for eight years, Holly Johnson at Cloud Nine Hair Studios; but now that I am in a new country it was time to change. I have been putting this off for quite some time, and I could not wait any longer! (I was reverting back to my original color)
While on safari, I met a lady who suggested a place called Bliss. The story begins, I call and get an appointment with a girl named Janine. I ask lots of questions; Has she ever done hair? Has she ever done hair? Has she ever done hair before? The answer is yes, for many years. I succumb, because I have no other choice! I go in Monday for a 11:00 apt, they whisk me right to a chair in the "color bar", and I am flanked by people-What can I get you to drink? What do you want us to do? Well should I answer-Maybe get me drunk first if I am going to leave looking any worse, but I decide to ask(like a dumb ass) What do you think? Janine(who is now The Bomb!) suggests keeping everything pretty much the same, but adding a glaze to help the color! The race begins, Color and Foils are put in (While having my toes done) by Janine, and then one of her many assistants steps in to help out. By the way, I asked for a Blissful coffee, I was then feeling comfortable that it may all go my way! After sitting and sipping, my hair gets washed and head massaged for the first time, sit again for some more sipping and peace (cherubs are with hubby)....And then I am escorted to the Quiet Room, where inside there is water flowing down a stream and a line of massage chairs in front of the sinks(Way to go Bliss), my hair is shampooed for the second time, and again my head is massaged! I am then led to the "Cut" bar, and wonder woman herself aka Janine proceeds to turn me into a beauty, my hair that is! After paying, not the cheapest-but worth it, I head home! I told everyone that I was "in Bliss" and not to disturb, yeah right! Pat and Taylor loved it, other two could have cared less! I must say, my hair looks the best it has in a long time, no more brassiness-Again, Go Bliss!
So if you come visit, and need some pampering we can go to Bliss. What a Blissful day!!!!!!!!

When will it feel like Christmas..................

(I love this pic of Claire, she looks so much older! Our precious princess!)

This week has been pretty uneventful, except for a few beach days! Pat was off on Tuesday, so we packed up and went to a local beach, Sardinia Beach. It is beautiful and has sand dunes that are taller than most two story houses! The kids loved the dunes, they rolled down them and played king of the mountain; but they were a little weary of the water -it was very cold and we had just read a local story about a shark attack-so they kept their distance. Although the highs reached 90, the breeze was wonderful and we never got hot. We forgot balls, so they just played in the sand. Later that week, I braved the beach on my own, and we did great. Remind you, you have to be very aware of your surroundings and always be aware there could be danger lurking. This is a very safe beach, and did not have too many locals! The kids and I hung out and played in the sand, threw balls, and they finally braved the water-to their knees! I took some fun group and individual shots!

The other American family arrived this week and we had their boys(10 & &) over Saturday, everyone got along and I am glad for someone else for my boys to be with because the brotherly fighting has got to stop!

Where are our buddies when we need them, I think Hunter would die to see Cyrus, or even Elizabeth(truth be told, I think there was a little bit of a crush before we left)! Taylor, I know could also probably need a familiar buddy or two or three..how many awesome kids do we know in 5th grade in Bossier?




OK, Christmas, it has been so weird this year trying to get in the spirit. First off, I am away from home and family for the first time in my life, and we are in a foreign country where things are done a little differently! To start with, you do not see any Christmas lights, wreaths or trees on the outside of homes, my favorite thing to do during Christmas is to look at lights- I have yet to find any! It has also been in the 80's, so that makes it hard(PS, No one has air conditioning, what is going on here?)! We are the only ones dressed in Christmas reds and smocked Christmas clothes-no special Christmas clothes seen for miles, Bah Humbug! The malls are packed and do have Christmas decorations, but who wants to spend the holidays stuck in a mall to get your Christmas spirit going! I did find a church that a had a "carol by candlelight" thing tonight, so we went. We dressed everyone in red, smocked outfit for Claire, and we were on our way(we did have several stares, does anyone here go all out like we do in the south, I even had Claire's Christmas bag with me). We met another family for dinner, sushi, and then headed for the church! OK, I have lived in the bible belt for 11 years, and have seen some holy rollers, but the churches here still seem a little off! Of course the program is supposed to be an hour and only carols, and 1/2 way into it we are still listening to preaching-finally we heard three songs and the preacher almost ruined it for all, by leading the song singing and not knowing which verse he was on!!!! So at the end of that we only heard three songs, but still we left with a little more spirit!

This is when I seem to be the saddest, remembering Christmas's past! For example, I know all of you were worn out by your many class parties, we had none(we finished end of Nov-I would have died for the chaos of three parties.)! What about last year's Christmas party with my dearest group of friends, no Christmas parties yet(still waiting for invites to come flooding in)! I even miss making my endless loaves of pumpkin bread, and then being able to deliver to all of my closest friends! And of course the family get togethers, Adam's Christmas eve after church (would love some yummy food), and mom and dads after Santa comes Christmas morning. There is nothing better than being at my parents for Christmas, it looks like Santa explodes and the food....Mom is the best cook! How I will miss all of it. Pat and I are going to try and make Christmas all that it can be for our three little cherubs, but it is hard to feel that giddy feeling! This is supposed to be my favorite time of the year! Maybe things will look up, we do have four more days! The kids are what makes Christmas, I keep reminding myself!

****I will have my vonage phone at the end of this month, I have been dying to call all of you and chat, but I have been unable! This will allow me to have a Bossier number and will be free for all of my buddies in Louisiana! It will work just like a regular phone - Technology is amazing!!!!!

OK, I leave you with this.....Remember to relish in the little things this Christmas season for we are all blessed in so many ways and for so many different reasons! I think about you all often, sometimes too much, and I miss you all terribly! Have a wonderful holiday week!

The Amazing Parts of Africa..............

What an amazing weekend! We traveled one hour east of Port Elizabeth to The Lalibela Lodge. Once you arrive you are directed to the welcoming lodge, were you are greeted by two workers who escort you out of your car and take your luggage. We assumed that we were at our lodge, but realized that we had to go on a 25 min. open jeep ride to get to our lodge in the bush! The bush is what the wilderness is called in Africa! After driving past hippos and giraffe we arrived - Amazing, something out of a magazine! http://www.lalibela.co.za/

Upon arrival at our lodge we are greeted once again and given a tour of our surroundings. You enter into a bar, and then go downstairs into the public areas. There is an outdoor eating area with a fire pit, and an indoor eating area with a lounge and fireplace. There are two pools, one is close to the lodge and the other is surrounded by decking that is next to the watering hole for any wild animals, mostly the elephants.

Our room was an individual lodge with a king size bed, three small beds, and a bathroom. No TVs or cell reception in the bush! Our deck overlooked the bush.

Now for the best part, after arriving and settling in we had high tea at 3:30, and our first game drive started at 4 and lasted until 8pm. We drove in an open jeep like vehicle that had three rows of open seating in the back and we were driven by our game ranger, Geoff. He was extremely knowledgeable about all of the animals. This reserve has all of the "Big Five" and all animals roam freely and are not separated from their predators. The first animals we saw were the elephants and their babies. We were so close you could see the wrinkles in their skin. We saw so many different animals on this game drive: rhinos, giraffe (they stayed closest to the entrance of the lodge), hippos, impala, spring buck, zebra, meerkats,buffalo,warthogs, and many more. I will say the zebras are my favorite, they are so amazing-we even saw one of their babies! Half way through the game drive, we stopped and had drinks and snacks, wine and beer provided. The rhinos were pretty cool and came so close we could have touched them.There was a 1 year old rhino named JJ that the boys liked! After the game drive is over you are taken back to the lodge were a full course meal is served. The next day started with a wake up call at 5am, and a light breakfast was served and we were off for our second four hour game drive. This time we saw the cheetah and her three cubs that were 1 yr old. We saw more of the same, we kept trying to find the lion, but they were hiding from us. After that game drive, we again were welcomed back for a full course brunch, the food was amazing. This was by far one of my most favorite things that I have ever done, and I can say my boys were in shock. This is the part of my new life that I am enjoying, being able to experience things that you only read about or see on TV, and to be able to give this gift to my children, Amazing! This alone is why you should come visit us!

Some funnys...... We went to a Braii the other night with GM people, and we were talking cars(imagine) and the Cadillac Srx got brought up. Well, this is the car I drove before we moved and has become my alltime favorite. Some ladies were currently driving one and I said Oh, I wish I still had mine, and they said "Take It!"-ofcourse I wondered why one could not like that kind of luxury, well they look JUST like the hurses do here! They say that people give them the worst looks!!!!!!
A common saying amoung south africans is "shame" meaning "thats too bad" or "Im sorry". Well, we laugh because every conversation I have with someone here that phrase is brought up-is this good?
On the way home from a wonderful safari, we wandered into a local town nearby and ended up in a not so great place(shame!), well we looked on the side of the road and there were two cows just hanging out. There is always something to keep you on your toes!

Happy Holidays from Our Home to Yours!

This may be our Christmas card, as I can not figure out how I will send 100 cards from here! If you think we do not have your email address, please forward to patrickmccarty3@aol.com!

Bring Back the Under Armour!!!!!

OK, so I should have kept my mouth shut over the Under Armour that my boys lived in for the past years, because dear lord, you should see what they wear to Cricket practice! I thought we were introducing sports to our children to make them sportsmen and not goof balls! We show up to the first practice and everyone has these teeny tiny white shorts on, just meet top of thigh, and these horrible white sun hats on! My boys have not had shorts on that have been above their knees in forever, and I refuse to begin now!!! It just makes me want to live at the ball fields or football fields, moms do not complain,because your only option could be a "Cricket Mom"- Will we ever survive!!!!! Pat explains that it is because it is a gentleman's game, again dear lord! If anybody knows an Under Armour rep, let them know they have yet to be discovered in no mans land!
While kiddos were at Cricket practice, I discovered a new mall! Well, the shopping is not near as bad as I thought it was going to be. In fact the full rainbow of polka dot Puddle Jumpers, in 2 sizes and every color mary jane in two sizes was maybe not necessary! At least now Claire Bear has more options, when has she not!
Christmas in Africa, stay tuned, I know there is a Santa Clause, will he be Roley Poley southerner or a skinny little SA Santa Clause? Only time will tell!

It is Sunday night here, Sunday morning there. (8 hrs difference from home) Well, we had our first party, it was just apps and drinks. I chickened out of making dinner, I hate cooking! It was fun we had 4 American families, one's wife and kids are due to arrive in SA next week. It was pretty uneventful until everyone had finished off a couple bottles of wine and lots of beer, and then the fun began! We did alot of laughing, and talking (some of which I hope no one remembers!) I hope we still have friends today!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last people left at 2:00, and the last car left and ran off the side of our driveway and got his car stuck! We have a large driveway inside of our gate, but as you leave the driveway, it is narrow and is surrounded by a ditch of some sort! Everyone survived and a tow truck came this am and pulled it out! Remember there is no Onstar to call when in trouble, Hell there really isn't anybody to call when you need help, especially at 2am! That's the one and only thing our security company does not do!
We did make it to church this am, we needed to do a little begging! I have been looking into churches for us, and have been quite scared of trying different ones, I guess I think I might find one that deals with snakes or may never let us leave- we are in Africa!! Last week we were not impressed, but my property mgr told me of her church and it sounded a little more of what we are used to! So we went, It definitely was more like the ones we were used to but a little different, one song was completely in Afrikaans- will we ever survive!?!
After church we went to a restaurant along the coast. It was the most beautiful drive, the water looked fake! We sat outside overlooking the ocean, we were told you see whales and dolphins! OK, we did not but I think our problem was we have three kids that needed our undivided attention. We probably missed hundreds!
The kids just got done watching Karate Kid, the TV is awful but you can catch up on old movies, or watch Gm on TV-we try and watch the old movies, a little more uplifting! Tomorrow, the boys will start the Cricket Academy! We shall see, anything with a ball and action pleases them!
Off to my new life, I told my parents today, I still have no concept of time or what the date is.
Way to go GATORS! Several people emailed and told my devoted Gator fan of a son about the game on Saturday- oh, to be at home and watch football. By the way, we still want to grow up and be Tim Tebow, nothing in SA will ever change our love for football!
I have added some pics of our house. They are of the lounge/kitchen area and of the dining room/bar area. Enjoy!!!!!

OK, before I start remember this is also my journal of South Africa, so if it gets boring- Sorry! Well, I do not brag much, but I have to say that I have a few amazing kids! Hunter and I went to deliver more stuff to our new favorite charity of choice, Baby Haven, and I was reminded of what a truly sweet boy he is! While there, he asked so many questions of the house mother, and showed a real genuine concern for what is going on. After we left he said he could not wait to go back, both boys and I will go next week to read and play with the kids! As we were driving, we were listening to Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up", and it was truly a profound moment. There is a verse that says "You raise me up, so that I could walk on mountains", and Hunter says "Mom, look at the mountains", as we passed "maybe the song is talking about us in Africa!" How right that sweet boy is, between my parents and God I have been given the skills to come so very far away and maybe make some kind of difference. If only to raise my kids to know that we are truly blessed and to give something back. This place can be so humbling and at the same time such an adventure! OK equal time for everyone, Taylor is growing up to be such a sweet little man! He is absolutely the sweetest with his sister and what a huge help! He is loving having his own room, and loves to clean it and put away his own stuff. He also has shown a concern for our surroundings, and is always asking what we can give. I will say, the churches and the schools do alot of collecting for the Christmas season. It is just so strange to have either the rich or the poor. OK, I know what about Claire! She is also growing up, She is talking more, not a ton, but talking. I have decided to keep her in her little school for one more term. She goes to a little school that has six kids, all with some type of issue. Some have autism, some physical liabilities. Right now Claire's biggest hurtle is still her speech, God I pray one day she will speak fluently and will fully mainstream with other children. Sometimes the reality of having a little one that has to go to a special school is so very hard, but I have to take one day at a time with her, or it could truly send me into depression! Her school had a party and the parents came, oh how hard! To face the fact that your child has something wrong with her is Extremely tough!!!!!! She goes four days a week for four hours, and during that time she gets all of the therapies, both one on one and group! say a little prayer for my Claire Bear, she needs all of the prayers she can get!
Enough of that, Africa! We have planned our first trip! We are headded to Addo National Park next week and will stay in a lodge called Lalibela. On arrival you check in and the fun begins! We can hang at the pool or walk SOME of the grounds, or their is a kiddie camp for everybody and parents can be alone. Once evening comes you get ready for your first game drive, at night. This reserve has The Big Five! After the drive that both boys can come with, because we a fibbing and saying Hunter is eight, we will come back and have dinner. Remember Claire will have her own nanny while we are at the lodge for all game drives! The next morning we wake up for a early morning game drive, and then to breakfast. Either early morning or late night you see the most animals!!! We will let you know!!
Kids are now out of school until January 21! I could have sworn we just had a long break, and I think they were at home with me for two months, say a prayer!
I am adding some pics! Claire in her Snow White costume and then the donkey cart, yes the donkey cart, every once in awhile we see a donkey cart driving by!
Love to all, and missing everyone!