Grace the Christmas Cat

Well Dom and I caved and got a pet, I consider it a halfway cave as cats are much easier than dogs. We'll see if we leave post without one of those. Grace is about 2 1/2 years old and she has been living at the American Embassy where she is spoiled rotten! Well the Embassy is moving to a new location in the new year and we were recruited as Grace's adoptive parents. She is a very sweet cat, and I felt horrible this morning when I had to go and cat nab her, take her to the vet to be poked and prodded, and then locked her in our master bathroom while she adjusts to the new living quarters.  But she did behave beautifully at the vet and didn't bite or scratch once!

Initially, she crawled behind the bidet in the master bath and would not move. Not even the good tuna cat food would get her out. But once i removed the cat carrier from the room, Grace was golden! She came right out and allowed me to pet her. Something tells me this aversion to the cat carrier does not bode well for our future travels. She is such a beautiful and curious cat, I think she will adjust rather nicely in our family. Something tells me she's going to be a Mama's girl as she already crawls into my lap and loves to snuggle up beside me.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Spirit

Yesterday I received some sad news from my friend Katie Haley Kilpatrick, her mom's house burned down on December 23rd. Luckily, everyone was safe but her mom lost her home and everything in it. I haven't gotten to speak to Katie directly except by email so I have little information behind the cause of the fire.

However, it made me realize how little all the "things" at Christmas matter. And that we should be cherishing each moment we have together because that is a bigger gift than anything underneath the tree.

I encourage you all to pass along some Christmas love to Katie and her family, by donating to Abilene Teachers FCU in her name Wanda Haley. You can also send her funds via paypal at wonderh@email.com or send a check to her temporary address at 7363 County Rd 487, Merkel, TX  79536.

***Update****

See Katie's blog for more info. 

Holiday Love & Hippos

Painting HGTV Style with Sherwin-Williams....

Well I have been in Lusaka about 3 weeks, and while I love our house, this week I decided it was in serious need of some color. I know it was painted right before our arrival but the entire house is beige. Our furniture is a nice neutral brown (brand new which is a huge perk for those of us in the foreign service) but this means my house is beige and brown.

So Dom has given me the go ahead to get it painted and I am so excited! Is it sad that at 28, I have NEVER gotten to chose paint colors for my house? Considering my addiction to HGTV, it's a travesty. Needless to say I have had the best time just dreaming about my house colors!

I found a great online tool at Sherwin Williams called the visualizer where you can upload the photos of your house, mask in the walls, ceilings, etc. And test your paint colors! For the record, I thought it was super easy to navigate, but then again I use masks on a regular basis. The best news for me is that even though I don't think we have a Sherwin Williams we do have a paint color matching place where I can print off swatches and have them make the colors I want.


Anyhow here is the first batch of rooms I "visualized" over the weekend! This gives you a chance to see the new digs as well, though in a slightly less beige version.

Living Room:

Dining Room:

Kitchen:

Entryway/Hallway:

Hopefully I will get to the bedrooms and office this weekend! I cannot wait to do some home improvement!

Christmas Traditions

Today, I was reminded of a Christmas tradition in our family. To tell you the truth, I haven't gotten to spend Christmas at home for the last two years, so I had sort of forgotten about it. But when my Grandfather remarried the lovely Ann, our fairy grandmother (or so we like to call her) she introduced a family tradition which needs to be passed along. And the memory of it just brought joy to my heart.

There is a box that is placed under the Christmas tree, it is the last box to be opened every year. And in this box is a kazoo for each member of the family. Post gift opening, each member of the family selects their Kazoo and kazzoos we wish you a Merry Christmas in a line around the house. It is hysterical to try and get through the entire song amidst the hysteria and nose humming! And it reminds me how very special Ann was, and what joy she brought to our lives.I have to believe that she is there laughing with us each Christmas.

I know they won't get here by this year, but I think it's time i brought this family tradition to our house. Now I must do some kazoo shopping...

Words to Inspire

Gift
by W.S. Merwin

I have to trust what was given to me
if I am to trust anything
it led the stars over the shadowless mountain
what does it remember in its night and silence
what does it not hope knowing itself no child of time
what did it not begin what will it not end

I have to hold it up in my hands as my ribs hold up my heart
again in the mountain I have to turn
to the morning

I must be led by what was given to me
as streams are lead by it
and braiding flight of birds
the gropings of veins the learning of plants
the thankful days
breath by breath

I call to it Nameless One O Invisible
Untouchable Free
I am nameless I am divided
I am invisible I am untouchable
and empty
nomad live with me
be my eyes
my tongue and my hands
my sleep and my rising
out of chaos
come and be given

Having a Moment....

This morning I woke up in a contemplative spirit. This happens to me on occasion, especially when we have just arrived to a new post. I know that many of you out there consider this to be a glam lifestyle, and in some ways it is so I won't argue with you too much! But what those of us in the foreign service know, or at least their spouses know, is that we spend a lot of time waiting around for things to happen.  The  #1 hurry up and wait item on my list is a work permit, first and foremost. I have to meet with HR this week to see what type of work permit I need to work freely in the local economy or perhaps get a consultancy license. This is my major stumbling block to start working, I've recently learned that even to do volunteer work (i.e. pro bono photography) I may need a permit as I could be taking jobs from Zambians which is frowned upon. I have yet to learn the time frame or the cost, but I expect in typical third world fashion it will take time. This does not mean I could not be enormously productive and do such things as a complete file restructuring (why would one procrastinate on that?) and Digital Asset Managment organization. But I haven't quite gotten around to it.

Still I was thinking about another foreign service spouse who found her legs while "trailing" (I hate this term, but have yet to come up with a better one). So I decided I'd brush up on my egg poaching skills this morning in honor of being more than a follower, and by creating your own destiny no matter where your adventures may take you.

 

My camera seems to be close by my side lately, and the mundane things have been striking me with their simplicity and beauty. I consider this a good thing as many times in Haiti I struggled with the simple act of picking up my camera, now it seems like an old friend beckoning me to document the early hours of this newest adventure.

I guess the truth is no matter what our best efforts are, there is always the chance that our efforts will fail. Looking back, I know I have, but at the same time falling flat on my face is often the defining moment that forces me to make the most of the situation. In the end it is not the destination we are after, instead the glorious bumpy journey.

 

 

So there it is, the success, the failure, the journey. Bon Appétit !

 © Crystaline Randazzo Photography - All images are copyright of Crystaline Randazzo and in no way are to be used by Google, Google Advertisers or any third party. These are not your pictures. Steal them and I will sue you.

Paper Good Obsessed

For those of you who don't already know, I have mad love for paper goods. Cards, napkins, wrapping paper. Basically in any form. Picked up a roll of this today and am already thinking I need to go back and get about three more....love Zambian Christmas decorations!!!

When in Zambia...

Today my neighbor Felice called me up and asked me if I wanted to join her for coffee. Luckily I have no pressing social calendar as I am still meeting people, and even better she happened to take me for breakfast and coffee at a local place called Zebra Crossing which hosts among other things the best barista in Lusaka, a gourmet chocolate shop, and a salon. I got a lovely cappuccino delivered with a perfect heart design in the middle. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me or else you guys could of enjoyed it too!

Along side Zebra Crossing in Abba House there is an adorable boutique full of craft items from Zambia and Zimbabwe, I was fully suckered in by the idea of adding some African ornaments to my Christmas tree and here are some of the holiday frosting I chose for mine. Who doesn't need a warthog, leopard, baboon, elephant, and yes, and most importantly a hippo! Are you singing...yet?

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy


Well I got two! See some more shots of my safari themed gems below:

A New Post & A New Adventure!

Hello friends & family!

I know I have sadly neglected this blog while Dom & I were stateside but I will do my best to keep you abreast of our travels now that we have arrived at our second post Lusaka, Zambia. Dominic arrived in Zambia at the end of September, and I joined him after spending two months traveling the U.S., seeing my family and friends! I spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with the Kline crew and then did some serious international travel (perhaps the longest flight of my life) in order to arrive in Zambia into Dom's waiting arms.

I should say that we are fairly certain that we have landed in paradise! We have a lovely home, complete with beautiful outdoor space and a pool (photos will have to follow in a later blog post). Zambians are an incredible gracious and polite people. And to top it off we live in a country that has movie theatres, malls, spas, restaurants, etc! We are definitely moving up in the world!! Or should I say third world?

My first week in Zambia was spent unpacking the house, attending various social functions, and fighting some serious jetlag. All I can say is I am thankful for tylenol p.m. as I virtually had to drug myself in order to sleep at night. I'm hoping week two will bring it's own challenges!

This weekend we decided to go to a nearby game park called Chaminuka, it is about 45 minutes from Lusaka and we had heard that the food was good. So we gathered together a group of other newcomers hopped in the toyota rav4 and sped down a bumpy dirt road to find our next adventure! We had no more driven through the gates of the game park when we saw a heard of zebras, a little farther down the road we saw a pair of giraffes! We got out to take some photos, and I couldn't believe how close we were able to get! It was truly incredible!

The lodge was a lovely structure complete with a sculpture garden, gift shop, pool, and restaurant.

It sat on a hill overlooking a lake, we took a walking tour around the lake when we discovered that our group was too large to do the horseback tour (they apparently only have 3 horses and the guide gets one so two for guests) and the riding tour didn't have openings until after lunch. We were shown the lion and hyena enclosure and both times were almost on top of the animals before we saw them. I have no doubt that they knew where we were from a mile away.

 

After our walking tour we headed back to the lodge to grab some grub. They serve up a mean breakfast buffet at chaminuka and our group put down some serious chow!

Post lunch we headed off for our riding tour....

 

 

It was a wonderful way to begin our foray into the world of safari and well worth the sixty bucks! 

 © Crystaline Randazzo Photography - All images are copyright of Crystaline Randazzo and in no way are to be used by Google, Google Advertisers or any third party. These are not your pictures. Steal them and I will sue you.