a couple of days in alabama

the weekend after i returned to america i headed down to alabama to see some folks.

at my cousins we had a blast decorating a ginger bread choo-choo train!
















me and mom decorating the choo-choo
















me and my cousin putting on the final touches. yep, me and this cousin were the youngest participants of the choo-choo decorating. fun times!

and the end product:
















the reindeer express
















and here is my grandfather picking up the mistletoe that he shot out of the tree for mom

other blessings from the trip to alabama: good eats, remote control dragon fly, seeing my best friend and her son

with the fam in louisville

i'm back on this side of the atlantic, spending time with my family in louisville. i'm having fun seeing them, eating my dad's cooking, wearing blue jeans, driving without being paranoid about flats and thorns (maybe i am still paranoid!), just relaxing, and the list goes on and on. all the same, i am missing my friends in niger and find myself daydreaming often. i still cannot believe i'm here and not there. but i am.
















me and mom walking my dog buster. they say he is my dog, but he has never lived with me. i only convinced them to get buster several years ago.

on a sad note, our other dog, bear, is close to the end of his life and it is just a sad, sad situation.
















playing some football in the backyard with mom & nick
















nick, buster, & i posing in a pic for mom and dad

down by the river

For our last planned adventure together in Niger, Sarah and headed to the Niger river for some fun. We took an hour camel ride along the river to a local market and then took a canoe back up the river. Fun times...
















sarah and i with isufu and his father




















there she goes





















and here i am with the river in the background

















a shadow of me on the camel

















and through the waters we go...looking for a hippo


















thankful to our friendly guide, we got to see one hippo!



















me and sarah enjoying the ride and our last moments in Niger
















lastly, a view of the Niger river from the camel ride