Frequent Zoo-ers

Bryn and I go to the Jo'burg Zoo A LOT. It is one of the few places we have found where it is safe for she and I to be outside by ourselves. Lions, elephants, giraffes...all common favorites at a zoo, no? Bryn's favorite? The swings. Sometimes our visits won't consist of any animal viewing at all, just swings, swings, swings.

(View of the temple from the Zoo)

Voortrekker Monument

A few weekends ago we went out to the Voortrekker Monument. This is a huge structure built as a memorial to the first Afrikaners who trekked from the west to escape British rule. Inside is a museum with artifacts and details about the story of the Afrikaans people. It was very much like what a memorial to Mormon pioneers would be like. The clothes looked the same, they traveled in covered wagons, etc. Actually, the Afrikaners' trek east was occurring at nearly the same time as the Mormons' trek west.

We saw these guys on our way home.

Just so you know...

I wish I could be updating the blog more often about all of our african adventures, but we're still working out kinks with the internet. We're smiling an awful lot over here though, just so you know.

Living a Fairy Tale

We've got a little Princess and the Pea action going on around here.

We don't have a high chair for Bryn, so she sits atop a stack of pillows to get high enough to reach the table.

She seems to enjoy it.

Yay for WWW

{Our journey to Africa}

Our internet access has been limited up to this point, but I think we've finally got it up and running. It's insane how disconnected from the world I have felt without it. I've been clueless in regards to world news, I've talked to my mom for less than 30 minutes total in the past 2 weeks (that's crazy for us!), and my step-sister even got engaged and I think I was probably one of the last people to know...all because of lack of internet. It feels good to be reconnected to life outside of our little cottage. Speaking of...

We'll have been here in our cottage for 2 weeks tomorrow! I don't even know where to begin...

The trip here?...

It seems like a distant memory. We were busy packing and getting our apartment in order for our subletter (yes, our subletter came through, so we get to go back to our apartment when we return...SO HAPPY about that!) up until our taxi wouldn't wait any longer. Life was so crazy that the impact of moving to Africa didn't hit until I was sitting at the airport. That's when the stomach butterflies arrived. They were fleeting, I guess I was at a "no turning back now" point, but I was just surprised that getting ready to board the plane was the first time I experienced them. I had them for weeks before going to England. (Maybe that's because I also had a baby fluttering around in my tummy then.) Anyway, we had a short flight to DC and then a 16 hour flight to Jo'burg, with an hour stop in Dakar during which we had to stay on the plane. Bryn quickly won over our fellow passengers as she walked the aisles and said "hi" to each one before take-off.

This happened during take-off from DC:

And continued like this for the 7 hours to Dakar:

It was unbelievably AWESOME! Justin and I enjoyed dinner (the airplane food was surprisingly good) together and then synced our personal T.V.s to the same movie so that we could watch it together. The last thing I expected on our very long journey was a date with my husband. What a pleasant surprise! Bryn woke up during our stop, happy as can be. She re-greeted each passenger and then we enjoyed another meal. After eating, I snuggled up with Bryn and we both slept for another 3 hours or so. After we woke up we only had 3 more hours to go!

That's when we did stuff like this:

I never thought in a million years I'd say it, but it was a really enjoyable trip. What a blessing!

We Made It!

Meaning?

We still don't have a subletter secured for our apartment. That means, we still might need to pack up our entire apartment, find a storage unit, and move everything.

Our Visas still haven't arrived. That means, if they don't get here by Tuesday we'll have to rebook our flight at a cost of $2000+. Eek!

We still need to do lots of cleaning and packing, and temperatures are supposed to go back up to the mid-90's. That means, our apartment will also be in the mid-90's, and that means don't come over unannounced because we will be doing chores in our underwear.

We still need to feed, entertain, and carry on some semblance of normalcy for our toddler. That means, life is crazy.

We leave for South Africa on Wednesday (pending Visas). That means, we're sort of giddy with excitement for the new adventure that awaits us.