Shopping in Cairo

Well Norris and I have been living in this culture for the last 3 years and we are starting to get the hang of shopping here.  It is hard to describe the chaos, yet order, of being at the grocery store.  I can honestly say there have been moments that Norris and I pick up one thing on our grocery list and we realize we are not going to make it...so we put it back and leave the shopping to the next day!!!  It is funny when we try to rationalize whether or not we REALLY need to do our shopping when we look in the store and see the crowds of people!!  Now when thinking about shopping I have to paint you a picture about what the norms are for Cairo.

First:There is NO such thing as lines....REALLY...NO such thing!  If your cart is two inches away from the cashier someone else will find their way to the front.
Second: They never have change.  They will either insist that you give exact change or it takes a LONG time for them to walk around and try to find you change!
Third: There are about 25 million people that live in Cairo and I am pretty sure that they all go shopping at the same time.  We have not figured out what time that is yet.  It seems to be every time that we go shopping!
Fourth: If you get any fresh fruits or veggies you have to get them all weighed and priced in a separate line that everyone is also waiting for!
Fifth: All the carts are made with four moving wheels.  They all can rotate each way and it can make it very difficult to move the cart! 
Sixth: I love IT!  It is so fun to pretend that you are playing bumper cars with all the other carts! It is always a fun adventure to see if you are going to get cut off by someone who thinks that half an inch is enough space for them to fit!

The strange thing is it works for them!  I would not change what they do, if you did I think the system would fall apart!  Someone very wise told me that they do not see a line...They see space!!!  If there is space there is a place for them!  After our 3 years we can't quite get to that point but we now know how to protect the "space" that is around us!   

Enjoy your shopping!!

Christmas Holiday's

Well this is the first Christmas that we have spent in Cairo.  We have been living here for three years but usually we are traveling during the holiday.  This year we decided that we would stay home and enjoy our first Christmas in Egypt.  It was sooooo much fun!  On Christmas day we got up early and read the Christmas story and then opened our presents!  What a great time that was....Norris got me the best gifts ever! 

 

Notice all the great food that he got me in my stocking!  Ranch Doritos, Nilla Wafers and Hershey Kisses!!!  YUMMY!  Plus he got me an awesome Thai Street Food cookbook.  I can't wait to try out some of the recipes!  I wish my aunt Doy would come out and help me with the recipes!  Also he got me this book called "Simple Solutions".  It has all kinds of different ideas to do with house hold items.  Things I would never think about and how to save money!  I can't wait to try some of them out!  My favorite gift is as always the teddy bears!  Norris has gotten me a teddy bear every year we have been married and this year he got one for our sweet little baby!  I can't wait to cuddle our baby next to it!  

  I got Norris this large Beanbag.  He has been wanting one for a while and he loves it!  So far he has slept in it 2 nights.  He says he is getting prepared to take naps with the baby!!!!  Also I got him the Apple TV but now we have to figure out how we are going to use it in Egypt!  I guess I did not do quite enough research before I got it but Norris says we can make it work!!!

After we opened our gifts we needed to start our baking for the next day!  We had a Day after Christmas, Christmas Movie Marathon with our friends.  So I tired my hand at making homemade bread.....

Not to bad...I just had to wait for it to rise...........

UMMMM that is right Complete failure!!!!!!!

Attempt Number 2:

MUCH BETTER!!!!

When I talked to my grandma she said she will show me how to make homemade bread this summer!!!!!  I definitely can use the tips!  After I finished the bread I got to try my hand at making a 23 pound turkey....First attempt was much better than the bread!!!

Our Turkey leftover sandwiches were great!  Thanks Norris for lifting it for me every hour for 5 hours so I could baste it!!!!!! 

Food and presents are always a nice part of Christmas but it is not the reason we celebrate....Our God is why we celebrate and we thank him daily for the friends and family that he has put into our lives here in Cairo!  

We thank you for our friends and family and we thank you for the greatest gift of all!!!!!!  You are an amazing God and we love you for all the joys and blessings you give us.....
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

23 weeks and Kicking!

Well Norris and I are about 23 weeks along and we are enjoying this fun moment in life!  It is weird to think that soon this little thing will be out and we have to take care of it!!!  YIKES!  It will be fun but I am sure there will be many moments that we will have lots of questions!  

How Far along are you?   23 weeks and feeling fine!

How big is Baby? He/She is getting huge....or at least I think so!  At a pound going strong

Weight Gain? Well it is really confusing to have everything in kilos!  I am at the smallest weight I have ever been!!!!!!!!  Just Kidding... I think it is about 16 pounds!

Sex? We hope to not know until the big day!

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes we are definitely in maternity clothes!

Stretch Marks? None yet!

Sleep? Not to bad... Now that we are on Christmas Vacation sleep will be great!

Symptoms? I am so blessed...I have not felt much different. 

Movement? YES!!!  These last two weeks I can feel the baby getting bigger and stronger!

Food Cravings? Not really...I could eat a salad a day but that is normal!

Labor Signs? Praise the Lord not yet!

Belly Button in or out? It is beginning to flatten.  I have a feeling it will be out soon!

What I miss? Running.  This time last year I was training for a marathon and I miss doing that!

What I am looking forward to? I want to know if it is a boy or girl!

Best moment of the week? Norris got to feel the baby last week!  IT WAS AWESOME!!!!  He was so cute with his reaction!!!!  WHAT A MIRACLE!

Half Way There

Well it has been about 4 months since I have written on my blog.  Life is finally getting back to "Normal", whatever that means.  Since last June Norris and I found out that we are expecting...

We are very excited!  We are over half-way to the joy of adding our little bundle to our family!  I am not sure that April 24th can get here soon enough.  I am not sure if that is because I get to take the rest of the school year off or because we are having a baby!  I think it is the latter one but at times I am not sure!

How Far along are you?   I am at 21 weeks...still a long way to go but it has gone by so fast already!

How big is Baby?  Our baby has finally hit the 1 pound mark!  Now I can say that some of my weight is baby!!!

Weight Gain? 13-15 pounds.  Not really sure.  My doctor only weighed me once and then he will not weight me again!!!

Sex? We hope to not know until the big day!

Maternity Clothes? Yup...Just started needing bigger pants!

Stretch Marks? None yet!

Sleep? Well is it 2:30 in the morning..you tell me!

Symptoms? I am so blessed...I have not felt much different. 

Movement? YES!!!  It is wonderful!  I can't wait until Norris can feel him too!!!

Food Cravings? Not really...I could eat a salad a day but that is normal!

Labor Signs? Praise the Lord not yet!

Belly Button in or out? It is beginning to flatten.  I have a feeling it will be out soon!

What I miss? Running.  This time last year I was training for a marathon and I miss doing that!

What I am looking forward to? Wearing my old clothes again and having my baby!!!!!!!

Best moment of the week? The sweet people who have told me I look cute....I was having an "I feel fat nothing fits week!"

10 years

So today is my 10 year reunion from high school.  It is funny how fast and slow the time seems to have gone.  I can definitely say that I never thought I would be here.  The only thing I knew after graduation was that I was going to go to Bethel College.  After that I knew nothing.  I can say that these last 10 years have brought some amazing memories and joy along with many tears and frustrations... and I would not change a thing!  I am grateful for all of the situations the Lord has brought me through.  It is fun to see how he has changed my paths and tried to bring me back to him daily!

Graduation day 10 years ago!  Oh Charlie was the best dog ever!!!!!

What fun 4 years at Bethel to meet new girl friends!  They are such a gift from God!  He is so good to send us people that we can love with, cry with and laugh with!

There was this silly, awesome, fun, wonderful boy that came into my life that I am grateful has never left it!  This was our first date!  Yes we did draw each other!!!!!

He was always there to support me!  My Senior Recital 2004!

Then my parents moved to a new place in Michigan.  It was strange to know that I would not be going 

"home" to Petoskey anymore...But it was great to know that my family was just the same!

Then finally graduation day from Bethel came!

We were gifted with New Bethel Glasses.  After all the hard work......Uhhmmmm or something like that!

It seemed like time just flew by after graduation. From Graduation to Wedding DAY!The best day to Marry the man I love!

 

Hw then swept me off my feet and took me "far away from Home" to Atlanta Georgia!  We had a blast getting to know each other and learning how to love each other every day!

We loved going to Hockey games together and making quesadillas with our awesome Quesadilla maker!

After that adventure God brought us to Egypt where we have spent the last 2 years meeting awesome people from other parts of the world!

WOW I wonder what is going to happen during the next 10 years!!!!!!!  :-)  I can't wait to find out!!!!

Camel Market

So Norris and I went to the Camel Market today.  There was a group of teachers that wanted to go so the school provided a bus.  Now we had heard this place was not for the faint of heart.... they do not treat the camels well.  These camels are all being sold for food.  They are not racing camels or camels that you would see at the pyramids.  Apparently people come from all over, Sudan, Saudi, and other places to buy these camels.  These camels are going to be the bottom, left over camels that were not bought at other market places.  Well needless to say it was an experience.  One that I am glad to say I will never do again.  I was actually trying to figure out how it is a tourist attraction.  We were not sure what about it said.."yes please come and watch us sell these camels..."

I think though through the whole process it was not the hitting of the camels that bothered me the most...It was the extreme CHAOS of the entire event.  The camels were running around and boys were hitting them with sticks to make them go the right direction.  My biggest fear suddenly became the fact that in a matter of time I WAS going to get trampled by camels.  THEY WERE HUGE.  I forget how tall camels are.  They really are large, strong, ornery animals.  Although I have to say if I was getting hit by a stick all the time I would probably make growling noises too!!!!!!!!

Norris thought these camels looked like they were auditioning for the Rockets!

I love that the camel is smiling at him!  I think that we should have bought that camel but they wanted a little more than we were willing to spend!

I just like this picture.  I could not do enough to show the chaos and crowds that were whirling behind us!

This is the area that the camels were getting auctioned off.  They would all stand around and yell and then they would mark the camel so they knew which family it was going to!

If you are interested the small young camels go for about 2000 LE...... Camel Anyone?

Challenge

CHALLENGE:  for the month of June and July......read more than you ever have before.   Read the word more than you ever have.  If you read it everyday read it more.....if you do not read it often try to read it more!  I am trying to do cover to cover by August.  What are you going to challenge yourself with?!?!?!?!!