Happy Birthday to Newmont Ghana Gold's BEST Underground Geologist! Here he is hard at work...or is that play?

The Beauty of the Sun

"See the grace, beauty, blessings that God gives us – no matter where we are. There is so much that we tend to miss ... I just don’t want you to miss it. I am a firm believer that God speaks to us always – sometimes in a thunderous voice, and other times in a small quiet whisper. It’s the whisper moments that many times change your life... "

I wanted to share this snip of an email I got earlier this week. I thought it fit beautifully with this photo. I have never seen a rainbow circling the sun like it was today. It was inspiring & makes me feel very blessed!

Pool Time

We spent our time this weekend playing at the pool. It is a great pool! There a about six lanes for lap swimming which is used in the morning by some of the ladies here. In the afternoon the kids have swimming lessons as part of school. There is also a shallow wading pool for the little ones here on site. There is good shade for anyone not looking to cook in the intense sun. The kids spent their time practicing diving (that is Bailey lower to the water getting ready), lounging (Carter gets cold quickly here, thank goodness he warms back up just at quickly) and playing water games.

Besides all the swimming, there is also hunting for little critters, both in and out of the water. Yesterday it was a grasshopper. Regan found it swimming in the water, Carter got it out. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Carter and the grasshopper. After all his hard work of keeping it out of the pool it later got eaten by a lizard...The circle of life. He also had a dead frog from the pool yesterday. As he was carrying it, belly up I thought he was gonna start chest compressions and breathing for the poor little thing. The vision still makes me chuckle. But today he got this little frog before it was too late. Thank goodness for that!




As I was asking Bai what she thinks of living here so far, she said it felt like vacation. I am thinking she is right. And it looks like it too.

It's Friday!

I am surprised it is Friday. I have to say, I have been up to site...commune...compound...village for 2 weeks now and a part of me says it feels like 2 months and another part says it feels like 2 days ago. This doesn't seem real to me. It is crazy because the days themselves seem to drag, yet the weeks are going quickly. I pray this continues to be true for me.

The most difficult part of the day seems to be after 6:00. It gets dark here everyday around 6:30. We are so close to the equator that there isn't much change at all in times of sunrise and sunset. And being in malaria country, the kids are in by 6:00 (the malaria mosquito only comes at night). So there is no playing outside until 9:00 in the summertime. 1. Because it is dark. 2. Because the mosquito's are out. This is a huge adjustment for me. This is often a difficult time for the kids as well. They have to adjust to being in more in the evening and playing outside when the sun is out. They are learning quickly that most of their friends need to be home at 5. No question.

As we move into the weekend I am not sure what it will bring. Dinner at the clubhouse. Touch rugby for the kids (my big one and 3 little ones). A walk into the village. Swimming in the pool. Maybe even an adventure or 2.

A Trip to the Village

Over the weekend Sean took the kids out to the nearby village of Kenyasi. The walk is very short. They left in the morning before the sun got too hot. Also before church started for the locals in the village.

They stopped at some shops...


They saw some wild life...


They made new friends...


They returned home hot, thirsty and full of stories of their new adventure. The first of many I can guarantee.

15 +1

So how much does one family need to move to Africa? My answer: A LOT! And I didn't bring enough. We were allowed 15 pieces of luggage, plus excess baggage @ 75lbs per person. That could have been another suitcase each. So technically 20 bags. 20! How can anyone handle that much luggage I am not sure. Our total was 16. We had 15 bags plus 1 tightly wrapped bright orange box (street hockey nets and sticks). We must have looked like a site at the airport. We got our share of stares and one "Holy Shit!" (though I can't say for sure if that was meant for us.)

And I repeat, I didn't bring enough. In 15 suitcases what didn't I pack? Hangers. I have no hangers. Ziploc bags. Measuring spoons. Winter pj's (it is cold in the house). Everyday things that we all take for granted. Maybe I have those things packed in my seatainer shipment, but right now I do not have them and it drives me crazy.

In Cleveland where we flew out we didn't have any carts, we just wheeled each piece one at a time. When we landed in Accra we got all 15 bags and 1 box on 3 carts. What a site!

The Price is Right

After landing in Accra last Wednesday our first order of business the next day was doing a large grocery shop. Our site has a small commissary (size of a 7-11) and the choice is limited. So off we go to the mall where a western grocery store is. We filled 4 carts full of food. Our receipt was about as long as a couch. The bill was 1800.00Gc (about $1450.00). Of course I did not buy enough food or the right items. I get up to the house and say oh, I didn't buy (fill in the blank). Whether it be salsa, frozen corn, or anything else that we normal take for granted that we have in the pantry and freezer. The one thing I did buy was a quart of strawberries.
These strawberries cost 25.00Gc (~ $18.00)! I actually had 2 containers in my cart, until I saw the price! And the terrible thing is that by the time the kids got around to eating them they were starting to go bad. Things don't keep well here, especially after traveling by truck for 7 hrs in the African heat. Luckily they didn't notice the very ripeness of them and they were gobbled up.

5 days in the African Sun

Today Carter caught his first lizard. He was so proud! He had to bring it into the house to show me. He has been trying to catch them since we landed in Accra last Wednesday. I am sure this is just beginning of all the lizards and frogs I will encounter. Frogs you say? Yes, Carter and Regan were catching frogs in the pool just a few days ago. The mama frog was actually quite large, but Carter caught him easily. There were baby ones in the pool also, a little harder to catch I think.



Day 2 of school for my little ones. They are amazed at how difficult the work is and how much homework they have already. They are not really understanding that the school year is 1/2 over here so they are knee deep in studies. It is good for them though, jump in head first.

For me, everyone is very welcoming. I had visitors within an hour of being here, sitting on the couch amidst my mess, drinking wine and chatting. As of right now the harderst adjustment is the time change, wanting to visit with people during the day back home, but knowing they are all still off in dreamland.

So welcome to our new normal. It will be full of up and downs, insecurities and thrilling times. Enjoy the ride with us.