hello everyone.
long time no blog.

i have been ridiculously busy lately.
first off, most of you probably know about our/my travel plans this summer, but i shall go into some detail on this blog.
this is going to be the craziest summer ever! mary is flying to LA and then taking the train to san diego on thursday, june 15th. then i'll skip out of school 3 and a half days early on june 16th and we'll fly to london together. we'll spend the night there and then fly down to rome, italy, where we'll take trains up the coast for about a week-ish, plus maybe a side trip to venice or florence. then we'll take a train into interlaken, switzerland and stay in the swiss alps at a cool little hostel in the mountains (you have to take a gondola--like a ski gondola, not a water gondola heehee- to get up there). we'll hike around for a week-ish and then take a flight from zurich (switz) to meet matt in dublin, ireland! that's july 1st, for those of you interested in actual dates. then we'll spend two weeks travelling around ireland's coast, staying in bed and breakfasts and hostels (some with ocean views). after that, we'll fly into edinburgh and do scotland for a few days, then on to london for a couple more days. whew!!! then matt and mary fly back to the us and i fly to AFRICA! what? yes, i can barely believe it myself.

that will be an epic trip in itself. my friend julie (the occupational therapist i work with) will be with me the whole time. in the mornings, julie and i will be working in a school for children with special needs (the first one in tanzania, i believe), helping to increase the children's communication skills, motor and sensory skills. then in the afternoons, we will be working on a project with adults who have disabilities. basically, it is a sheltered workshop as well as a training center for adults with disabilities, so they can get job skills training and learn to make a living for themselves. in tanzania, people with disabilities are not treated like people (mohamed, the man who created these projects, told me that these are the children who are locked in closets). we'll also be helping to work on some policies to support people with disabilities.

in addition, mohamed wants our advice in running a special education program, as well as parent outreach (getting parents to allow their children with disabilities to come to the school--there are still some in the area who do not want to let their children out into public). i also have some ideas related to early intervention so these children can start receiving help before the age of 5-this would require lots of help from the government and medical community, so i'm not sure how quickly it could be implemented, but at least a plan could be put into place. we'll be there volunteering for 2 weeks and then we'll take about 2 weeks to travel around zanzibar and tanzania (with the assistance of biggie, a friend of the edwards family!). i'll return home on august 20th (but then be in cleveland from aug 24-28th for one last summer fling!). our friends sue and tom will be volunteering for a week, helping to create a nature center and guided cave tours, to generate tourist dollars for the community. it should be an amazing trip with a very inspiring leader (mohamed), who has his hands in all different sorts of projects. if anyone is interested in other projects that are available, let me know.

so i've been doing quite a bit of research in my spare time to get prepared for this summer. i just can't wait!!!!

in other news, my dear friend heidi came to visit me over my spring break. we had such a fantastic time--it was so hard to part ways, as usual. oh-does anyone watch the next food network star? because heidi and i want to try out as a team. we made some silly demos when she was in town and one that was more serious and we're actually pretty good (if i do say so myself)! would you all vote for us if we tried out? :)

well, i need to get ready. matt and i are going camping in the middle of nowhere in the anza-borrego desert, which is about 2 hours away from here. the desert wildflowers are beautiful this time of year and we haven't been camping forever!

i miss you all and love you.

p.s. michelle-i loved the pictures of hannah--so CUTE!!!! i need to see those babies!!!!
p.p.s. i love seeing the edwards africans blogging--the pictures are amazing--it looks like you all are having a wonderful time!

we'll end with some lyrics from michael edwards's esteemed "family album"

please let me know, let me know if
you're going to africa
and i'll pack my bags, pack my bags
today
i'll stop what i'm doing
and sail through the sky

i won't be like, won't be like the others
who have gone to africa
i'll be slow to speak
and quick to hear the sound of life

cuz some things have to be done
and some things have to be seen
and not with pride
but with humility

(do the things that He has put on your heart)
You lifted me up and brought me down
here i go! to where? i don't know!

and i hear the song playing
my song for africa
where I cry for life
and live for hope with those who sing along

You lifted me up and brought me down
here i go, to where? i don't know
keep me safe oh dear Lord, i don't know where i'm going
airplanes fly across the sky
i want inside, i want inside