rewinding the week, part 4

I loved watching Laura realize what was going on... seeing her face light up with surprise and disbelief and happiness. I loved hearing that giggle down in the back of her throat as she processed the information and waited for her brother to figure it out. But words were not necessary to feel her joy and to see her excitement.
When Camden finally realized what was going on, his eyes opened wide and his mouth constricted to a tiny "O". He went from slow confusion to shocked joy in a sliver of a second.
And then the shouting began. Maybe not shouting, but certainly a loud combination of words and laughter and explanations. All that the grown-ups had whispered about was finally on the table. The details of the when and the where... a little bit of the how... all amidst spaghetti and candlelight. And it was beautiful.
I think my kids are most excited about seeing the animals... they are such nature lovers. Camden and my Mom poured over the Africa scrapbooks with a new level of wonder, as they talked about what we might see. And me? I think I am most excited about seeing another corner of the world and the people. The stories my Mom has shared have given me a glimpse of another life, and her love for the people she has met has certainly made an impact on my own heart. I cannot wholly fathom that on the same page of the same calendar, people can live so differently. Africa is a world away from me... in so many more ways than distance. I am anxious to experience it, and I wonder if it will change me. I hope I am brave enough to embrace it all.

rewinding the week, part 3

You can count on me... to keep a secret.
It is fun at first... to have a secret little dream tucked close to your heart. But as time passes, and the dream begins to grow, the secret is harder to keep and it just wants to burst out with shouting.
We had to wait a week... to tell the kids about Africa... until some of the travel books arrived, and until we could all be together. As each day of waiting passed, there were more phone conversations with my Mom, counting down the days, and being so thankful that we were not waiting until Christmas. And, at least, if we could not tell our kids about their grand surprise, Eric & I could whisper behind closed doors... because the excitement was so close to the surface and to not say anything was to chance the secret spilling out accidentally.
Perhaps by chance, Laura & Camden forgot to retrieve the mail from the end of the driveway... it is usually the highlight of their day. But for whatever reason, it was me who found the big thick envelope with the travel logo. I could not race to my bedroom quickly enough. I double checked to make sure the bedroom door was closed, and that if one of the kids happened to walk in, that I would be out of sight. Confident that the secret would not be exposed, I began to browse through the travel book and tried to absorb the reality. We are really going to Africa. Now, to keep the kids away from the mailbox for three more days...
By Sunday, my every thought was of Africa... and the need to tell was getting to me. Laura, did you finish up your laundry? We are going to Africa! Camden, make sure your backpack is ready for school. We are going to Africa! What should we have for dinner? We are going to Africa! Don't get the mail after school tomorrow... We are going to Africa! But my heart was somehow strong enough to keep the words prisoner in my head.
When the day of telling finally arrived, every fiber of my being was electrified with the excitement. I could barely sit still at my desk. And if both kids hadn't had important after school commitments, I would have raced home and sprung them from class. At ten to four, I finally declared that I couldn't take it any longer, and headed home, only to wait impatiently on the couch... and then finally it was time. I wasn't sure how my parents would tell them... but I knew it would be great.

rewinding the week, part 2

another real-life Africa picture taken by my Mom...

This African safari skidded from a gentle might be to a hearty maybe... and then it was booked. Somewhere between maybe and that elated We're going to Africa phone call, I stared to really feel the excitement and the tears often rested on the edge of a dream coming true.
It wasn't really my dream... not from the start. My own dreams have never stretched beyond the borders of my own country, except maybe to skip over to Hawaii or up to Alaska. I have been so content to live through the pages of my Mom's scrapbooks and hear her stories. And I have been comfortable seeing the world on my TV screen... and occasionally being able to shout Mom & Bob did that! when teams were racing through Australia or Europe. I have loved every minute of my parent's travels... their memories, the trinkets that adorn their house and ours, and especially that they have had the opportunity at all. In fact, that is where those tears slipped out over the edge and fell onto my heart. In one excited phone call, talking about passports, my Mom told me that she has to renew hers... and in the next wonder-filled breath said I never even thought I'd ever have a passport at all... and now I am renewing it!
To think about it makes me tear up all over again. How much I love this woman... and want the world for her. She teaches me to dream beyond my little corner of the world... and when I'm uncertain, she shares her dream with me, and little by little it is becoming mine...

rewinding the week, part 1

photo courtesy of my mom... yep... she took this in real life.

The conversation began after seeing my Mom's newly decorated guest room and bathroom... appropriately called the Africa Room. We were the last ones to see it, due to my ER visit a few weeks ago, and although she was thrilled that she was finally going to share it with me, I was the last person... and there would be no one else new to ooo and ahhh over it. Really... it is beautiful. Breathtaking. Earthy paint, dark floors, and poster-sized photographs that started as vacation photos, and so many little touches that are just... my Mom. After lunch, sitting and talking... enjoying time, she turned to me and asked When the time comes that we could book a trip to Africa, would you be able to take the time off from work.... schedule it around summer activities? I didn't think too much of it... because we were barely to the half-way point in the five year plan, and to me, Africa was a someday kind of thing. Quietly, she whispered that she was hoping to go in the summer. My smile was wide... and my heart skipped a beat... maybe two. Wow.

Traveling home that evening, I felt overcome by a sense of disappointment. Africa? Already? But then what will I look forward to?
I had placed the adventure so far out of my reach that the possibility was too much, too soon, I guess. I should have just been thrilled. I was ashamed at my feelings... and I shoved the thoughts aside with a fair amount of guilt. Heading towards home, still mulling it all over, I realized how quickly time flies. And how many summers remained between now and college. And a smile rushed across my face once again. Next summer would be really wonderful.

a secret revealed

The time has come...
All day, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach... and the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I could not get home quick enough. We couldn't get down to my Mom's house fast enough. But then there we were... rushing into the house with the thunder crashing and the lightening crackling... surrounded by candle light. No power? I asked my Mom. And she just glowed... and said How perfect. We'll be dining by candlelight most nights. Gathered around their table, eating leftover spaghetti warmed on the grill, my daughter wondered why I had the camera at the table. But soon... she realized. After just a few bites of her dinner, she saw the message. And her smile lit up the room as she was now in on the secret. Cam was a slow eater. We urged him on... and while he knew there was something up, he couldn't quite grasp onto our hints. Eat faster. Do you want some bread to lap up the sauce? Gramma will take your extra sauce... And his eyes opened wide.

So... what is the secret?

Can you read it?

Yes. We are going to Africa. Ever since my Mom first set her feet down on the African soil, she has dreamed of sharing it with her kids. And soon she will.
I'm sure I'll have more to say...
and more to share once my head catches up with my heart...

zebra starts with z

The first photo is from Cam's room... but the second? My Mom actually took that photo in Africa... real zebras, even though here you can only see their backsides! My Mom has some really amazing pictures of the animals she has seen on safari (this is a cast off photo that she gave to the kids because it wouldn't fit in her scrapbook!) and I really love that she has had the chance to actually go to Africa... twice.

My Mom went to Africa to see the animals... elephants, giraffes, leopards, birds, lions... and zebras. And while she was there, loving the animals, she unexpectedly fell in love with the people. The customs, the stories, the way of life, the wide eyed wonder of the children. Never has she gone back to a country she has traveled to... but almost as soon as she arrived, she knew she would return. Her dream is to take her kids to Africa... to be able to share it all with us, through experience, not just photos. My stepsister & her husband went this past fall... and our family is next. Someday. And then, when someday arrives, we'll have to talk Laura into the shots before we can actually go...

Working my way from Z to A with Jen at Unglazed!