Mckenna Picture Update

Mckenna and Daddy
Mckenna looking out the window so cute
Mckenna and Grandma out at dinner
Mckenna at the beach
There she goes what a big girl

This past week in Jordan

I've had a lighter week school-wise than I usually have. Our professor got engaged this week and had a huge party Thursday. This gave us a few shortened class periods and no class on Thursday. It was a much needed break. On Thursday we went to the Dead Sea. It was only about an hour away which was nice. We also stopped by the supposed site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan (which is very small and unimpressive). We were able to look into Israel, we were actually about 12 feet away in water that you could walk across. The Dead Sea was very unique. It is the lowest point in the world. You float right on top of the water and it is literally impossible to sink. The water was unpleasantly salty however... and I was unfortunate enough to get even just a little in my mouth. After the Dead Sea we went to a traditional Jordanian restaurant call Kam Zaman. It was very good and it was set up in an old castle in Amman. Friday we had the entire day to relax! It was Karli's birthday! I was able to call her and talk to her for a few hours to wish her a happy birthday! It was nice to be able to hear about everything she was doing to celebrate her birthday :-*! Saturday was another extremely early day. We left for Aqaba at 6 in the morning. It's a 4 hours drive and admittedly I wasn't very excited about going. However, it was a perfect day at the Red Sea, maybe slightly on the hot side. I could see into Egypt, and into Israel, and Saudi Arabia was only about 7 miles away. We got back to Amman at 10 at night. I was very tired and used Sunday to sleep most of the day before studying and catching up on my homework. Yesterday was our last full day of class. Today I had my exam and was told by my professor that I passed!!! I have another exam tomorrow but it should be very easy. Then in the afternoon I'm getting a "diploma" from the University of Jordan and we are all going out to one of the most famous restaurants in Amman, Reem Ba'oudy. Then Thursday we're going to Madaba. There is a mosaic that is considered to be the oldest map of the Middle East.
I'm only 5 days away from being back home. This trip has been a great experience. Getting to see a new culture, see ancient buildings and ruins everywhere, and learning the language was incredible. I do miss being home. I miss my family, all of you, and I miss seeing grass and the lawns. I really miss Karli! I love her so much and I can't wait to get home and see her! I hope everything is going well with all of you and that you are having good weather and a good summer!
The pictures are: Jesus' Baptism site, The Dead Sea, Palm trees, Aqaba

We went to the south this past weekend. It was a long weekend but it was worth the early mornings and late nights and many hours on the bus. First we went to the Wadi bin Hamad. It was a little stream running down the center of a canyon with steep walls. It was an absolute paradise. Then we went to Karak Castle. The castle was big and old and most of it was still in one piece. Karak has been left over since the time of the crusades. Then we went to the Dana Nature Reserve, which is the equivalent of a national park. We got there right at dusk, so a few friends of mine and I climbed up on a rock to look into the valley and see the sunset. Then we had dinner, and afterwards listened to some traditional Arab music. We had another early morning and went to another castle called Shawbak Castle. This castle was very similar to Karak but hadn't fallen into so much ruin. There was a long tunnel down deep into the mountain where the water reservoir was. I climbed down about half way and then when the steep steps turned into a slide I returned to the surface. After Shawbak, we went to Petra. Petra was incredible. The trademark of the Treasury is only one small part of the city as a whole. I climbed about 800 steps to the Monastery. All the buildings were amazing, and they were all carved away from the rocks, even the interiors were carved away. After Petra we went to the Wadi Rum to spend the night with the Bedouin. The Bedouin are nomadic peoples who herd sheep, goats, or camels. The next day we went camel riding in the Wadi Rum. It was a lot of fun. We finally made it back to Amman Sunday afternoon when we could finally get a little bit of rest.

I miss everyone and I hope you are all having a good time in Michigan and California and Britain. I love all of you and I'll be back in a few weeks. I really miss Karli too. And I'm excited that I'll get to see her again in 12 almost 11 days :D:D I miss her soo much and I can't wait to get back to her :D. Karli Kae, I love you SOO MUCH!!!

NEW KITCHEN

We're enjoying our new kitchen. You can take a look at photos of its transition.

Hello From Chipperkyle farm in Scotland,
Barbara and I are having great time. London was fun and all the places we have stayed are great. Barbara wants to get out and say good bye to all the farm animals. we have visited castles and Abbey's and many other great sites.

Happy Birthday Sharon

Happy Bday Sharon. If you were here in Michigan today I would certainly suggest a nice sidewalk cafe for lunch and then a walk through the Arb. Even though I have never been down there I hear it is beautiful. Actually I will head over there after work tonight and check it out. I will post a picture of something I find out there. Hope you have a great day and do something you wouldn't normally do.

A good day with Cynthia's family (missing Ashleigh)

I've had a wonderful Mother's Day from beginning to end. Dad and I covered the strawberries and blueberries with plastic because there MIGHT be frost tonight and the berries are blooming with the prospect of a bountiful crop. I wanted to post a couple of photos but I just can't do it. We really enjoy the photos on the blog and look forward to more.
Love, Grandma/Mother

Happy Mother's Day

Four Generations

Great Grandma and Mckenna reading a story before dinner.

Upside down Mckenna.

Grandma and Mckenna reading about frogs.

Herb cooked steaks on the grill and we had a super yummy lunch together. We missed all of you who were not there!

Steve I love the pictures! It looks like you are traveling a lot and having a good time. It will be fun to see all your pictures and hear about it in person.

Don, I hope you have mastered driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Mom seems quite worried about that and has mentioned it a few times.

Have a good week everyone. Safe travels to Don, Barbara and Steve!

Cindy

Trip to the North

Yesterday we took a trip to northern Jordan where we visited many ancient cities and sites. First we stopped at Umm Qais, which is a city that had been used by both the Romans and the Ottoman Turks. From Umm Qais we could look into Lake Tiberius and on the other side Israel. It was still really far away, but it was cool to see. Then we traveled Jaresh, which is the most preserved Roman city in the Middle East. And finally, we went to a Muslim castle called Ajlun which was built during the Crusades to protect the road to Syria. Today is another relaxing day. I'm doing some laundry which as you all know is just a blast, but it will be nice to have clean clothes. I spent a couple hours talking to Basaam next door. Everyone is very friendly here, more so than in the United States. The weather is perfect here today: sunny, no clouds, with a slight breeze. Hopefully you all are having good weather.

More News from Amman

This a view of the city mixed in with the ruins of the Citadel.
Me at the Ampitheatre
This is me in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hercules.
This is a picture of the Ummayad Palace in central Amman. It's on top of a large hill and you can see the whole city from there.

Class was cut short today which was really nice because I was kind of getting burned out. In our afternoon class we learned that, as a class, we have to sing for Jordanian students at the university. As part of our afternoon class, we traveled to downtown Amman. We went to the old Roman Citadel, the Temple of Hercules, the Ummayad Palace. We also saw the Roman Ampitheatre where we watched a concert from later that night. We have a day off tomorrow which is really needed but Saturday we are back to our travels when we go to Jaresh and Umm Qais. I'm sure I'll post about my adventures then. Hope all is well with everyone. Ma'a salaama!

And We are off to the UK

Barbara and I are packed and ready.  I wanted to try and post something to see how it worked.  So If you are looking at this it worked.  My apple trees are ready to bloom, but I will miss them.

Don

My crochet projects

This is a shell I just finished. It is made with some awesome bamboo/silk blend yarn and is incredibly soft. I probably should have made it a little longer - next time.
Caitlin is modeling my first attempt at a felted hat. I had a lot of issues with the felting and getting the brim right. I think it looks okay now. I have another one all set to go and am hoping it will be a little easier. The brim is smaller so I am sure that will make a difference.

Happy Birthday Ashleigh

This honey bee is so loaded with pollen he can barely fly. The flowering crab was full of them. Hope Mike's bees have found a good source of pollen.

This is the flowering tree right outside my bedroom window. It has gotten quite large.

As you can see it is in need of a trim. No longer that small weeping crab it was destined to be.

Every branch is loaded with blossoms as you can see. It just missed being in full bloom for prom last weekend. All the flowering trees are extra pretty this year. Even the pear and cherry tree are full of flower.

I thought you would enjoy seeing some of the Michigan spring which finally showed up. Caitlin has a pink crab in her side yard which is just as lovely as ours. It will be interesting to see if it is on an every other year blossom schedule like ours.

You should have birthday packages arriving over the next several days. Hope everything is just what you wanted and gets there quickly. Enjoy your day off and have fun!

26 hugs and kisses

Love you lots! Mama

School

Today I had my first day of school. The class this morning was entirely in Arabic which is a little intimidating, but we managed. Our professor was really nice and the class is going to be very helpful. I hung out with Arie, my roommate, in between classes and we hung out and drank coffee. Then we had our afternoon class and we had to ask for directions in to the Hospital in Arabic, but everyone on campus speaks English so it didn't go as planned. After I got back to the hotel, I had a cup of mint tea and then went next door to talk with Basaam. We're going to dinner tonight with a couple of students from Grand Valley who have been here since January. These are some pictures of me having coffee, the group and where we study, and my walk home and to the school. I'll have more pictures and more to say either Thursday or Saturday. Ma'a salaama!

First Day in Amman

I arrived in Amman at 5:00 PM on May 2nd after leaving the States at 4PM on May 1st... where does the time go??

This seems like the best way to talk to everyone and share my experiences with all of you. We are in a hotel in the Danwar al-Manhal. Amman is so different than the States, but I like it so far. Everyone is really friendly and understanding of our broken Arabic. I spent most of today in the coffee shop next door drinking coffee and talking with the owner and the cook. They are very nice people and its a good way to practice my Arabic. I start class tomorrow at 9AM which I'm not really looking forward to, but that's what I'm here for.

Mckenna and Daady having a blast

Mckenna and Herb wrestling around on the floor! They're too cute!!! 

Look what we found

Well Herb and Mckenna and I found this big guy at our house by our garage. I just couldn't believe how big he was. Mckenna didn't think much of him because he never moved she was very confused about what the big fuss was. 

Kritters in the attic

Here is the mama. Finally met her match. She destroyed the first trap and rescued one of the babies.
Here she is peering down from the live trap in the attic. She was very scared of course and pretty mad. I didn't know raccoons barked like a dog and hissed like a cat.
Here are 3 of the four babies. They are between 2 and 3 weeks old. This was earlier in the day during the first attempt. They were in the soffet over the refridgerator. The accepted practice is to nab the babies and use them as bait for the adult. The little ones are put in the back of the cage and seperated from the main compartment by a mesh wall. The mama is supposed to come in and attempt to retrieve the babies but is then unable to get out. In our case the mama was so big she didn't fit all the way in the cage so when the door to lock her in came down it hit her butt and she just backed out with one of the babies. When the Kritter Getter came back this evening he brought a stronger cage which was longer and once we retrieved the babies, which had been moved to the other side of the house we were successful. It is actually pretty quiet overhead now. This particular company is a no-kill company (unless the animals are ill) and the animals are released back into the wild. We made sure it was far from here - rather it be someone elses problem.

We are planning on mowing the lawn this weekend and going for a bike ride on the Fallingwaters Trail over in Jackson. Sunday Caitlin is throwing a baby shower for her sister-in-law so I am in charge of Mckenna.

Headed to bed for a quiet nights sleep! Yea!