From Garden to Table Part 3

The quest to make amazing pumpkin treats continues!  Last Friday I decided to give pumpkin scones a try as Josh was due back home the following day and I thought it would be nice to have a little treat waiting for him.

I've made scones before and just love having them around in the morning to grab as I head out the door.  It had found this receipe online earlier and thought it sounded pretty much amazing.  Overall I can't complain about them.  They were moist and had that amazing pumpkin spice to them.

I do have to complain a little about the icing.  Instead of siting nicely on top it soaked through the scones.  Now some people would say what's the problem with that?  Nothing normally but it sure got messy.  Also I felt that if we hadn't eat them as fast as we did (they were all gone by Sunday), they would have been pretty soggy.

Overall I've been pretty satisfied with these pumpkins.  The true test comes at the end of this week.  Josh's birthday is this weekend and I'm whipping up his favorite pumpkin pie to celebrate!

Work-the Wind Down

It seems a little surreal to me that I started this job almost a year and a half ago.  I was fresh out of graduate school and ready to get started on my own project.  I really didn't have any background on encephalitis but was very interested in this ground breaking study.  Encephalitis and the causes of it really hadn't been looked at in Kenya.  Everyone was focusing on malaria, TB and HIV.

I can't say it hasn't been challenging at times, but I think that every good job should be.  There should be times where your knowledge base is pushed and you emerge as a better leader and more informed in the end.  This project definitely saw those times as we struggled to get off the ground at Siaya and now as we try to expand to Mbagathi.  But we're still pushing and we'll get there.

With only one more month in the office (technically two but with holidays and the weddings its going to cut that time in half!), I can only look back and be thankful for the opportunity.  Its been such a blessing to be able to come back to a country I love and work for one of the world's leading public health organizations.  You can't get much better for a first job!

It'll be sad to go at the end of the year but I know I am leaving the project in capable hands.  I am excited to see the end results and wish I could work with the data myself.  All the staff at the office have been amazing and are such dear friends.  I can't imagine not seeing them on a daily basis.  But every opportunity in life is a stepping stone and this one is only going to lead to bigger and better things!

6 Weeks

I can't believe the wedding is in less than 6 weeks.  The time has gone by so fast and seems to be speeding up as we get closer to the date.  The invitations are out and my mom is already receiving a good number of RSVPs back.  I've started thinking about getting ready to fly out and Josh and I are trying to finish up the few little things on our to-do-list.

Luckily we've been so blessed with amazing family and friends who have helped us get everything planned and ready for the big day.  This past weekend Josh and I were talking about all the help we've gotten and I am just amazed at how its all coming together.

I am so thankful to Brianne, our wedding planner.  Every time something pops into my head as "Oh, I need to do that!" I remember, "Wait, Brianne has that covered." I cannot tell you what a great feeling that is.  I think we've avoided a lot of frustration by having her to take care of the little things. My mom has also been awesome.  I don't know what we would have done if she hadn't taken the time to address all the invites.  There's no way we could have done it from Kenya.  It would have been too frustrating to weigh and mail everything yet alone the amount of time it would have taken them to reach the U.S.  To my aunts who are throwing me a shower, totally unexpected, yet very appreciated.  I am so excited to spend a day with them and other close friends laughing and catching up.  I know that whenever they get together its going to be a blast.  To our families in general, everyone has been so supportive of our day and making sure its perfect.  We are so excited to have everyone in one place and spend some time with everyone.

In the days to come we're just trying to focus on us and how excited we are to start our lives together.  Although the to-do list seems long, I am trying to reel in the "type A" personality and enjoy this time leading up to November.  I say this as I'm getting ready to write down this list that has been floating around in my head for the last few days.  Let's pray that I don't drive Josh nuts with my last minute "Honey can you do this?"  :-)

Traditional Countdown to the States

Its become a little bit of a habit to make a countdown when a trip to the States is on the horizon.  When we do make it back, our time is usually spent with family and friends and is always very busy running around seeing everyone.  This trip may be our busiest as I expect there will be a ton to do with the wedding and then there is the actual day of course! Even though we were just in the states a few months ago, its always great to have the chance to visit with family and enjoy some of the creature comforts the US has to offer!

I am really looking forward to this trip but also keeping it in perspective.  Its probably our last trip back before moving back next year.  The time just seems to be getting away from us!


7 days till Josh is back from the States
15 days till his birthday
31 days till I leave Kenya
32 days till I land in Chicago
33 days till my wedding dress fitting with my lovely aunts
35 days till my bridal shower
37 days till a spa day with my mom
38 days till the infamous "Taco Tuesdays" with the Stephenitch clan
41 days till Josh arrives in IL
47 days till Josh's parents land in IL and Turkey day
48 days till the rest of the Bast family comes in
49 days till the wedding rehearsal
50 days till the WEDDING and the beginning of forever with my best friend :)
51 days till we say goodbye to family and friends who celebrated with us
53 days till we leave for Kenya
54 days till we land in Nairobi
55 days till we're back in Kisumu

Kenyan Habits

As in every culture, there are certain habits that most individuals have.  Whether its a certain way to greet someone or a saying, everyone seems to do it from the large cities to the rural villages.  Kenya is no different.  Lately I've found that I've developed or taken on a few of these.  They aren't necessarily good or bad but may cause a few stares next time we're back in the states.

1. Shaking hands-Its really rude to not shake everyone's hand in the room here.  Everyday, every room I shake hands with EVERYONE.  Now I find myself enjoying the ritual and purposefully extending my hand even before some Kenyans.  I even feel a little weird when someone doesn't shake my hand....

2. Invading Personal Space-Kenyan's have a different idea of personal space than most Americans.  Many will literally stand right behind you or even next to you while you are in line (I always notice it most when I'm in a line).  It took me a long time to get used to this.  I just felt uncomfortable with some basically in my lap most of the time.  Now I'm right there with everyone, making sure I have secured my place in line or vehicle.  I noticed how bad I do this one when I went back to the states in July.  I got a few dirty looks from people when I was standing just a bit too close.

3. British Speak-British English and American English are just a bit different.  There is still a lot of British influence here in Kenya and the language is definitly one area affected.  We say "holiday" instead of "vacation", "Que" instead of "line", "take away" instead of "carry out", "pick" instead of "go pick up", etc.  Not to mention all the Kenyan versions of English...."kindly do this", "way forward", "assist please", etc.

4. Kenyan Time-Kenyans have an unspoken rule of "Kenyan time".  This means that you can wait up to an hour or so past the designated time set to meet up.  Josh and I tend to embrace this to a degree.  We're more the people who start to get ready to leave when we should have been there making us about 10 to 15 minutes late most days.  (Don't get me wrong, we're perfectly capable of arriving on time)  I found that as time goes on we get more lazy with this.  No one wants to wait an hour for someone to show up so you take your time getting there in order to wait less.  Personally I'm ok with this when it comes to most social situations.  I get pretty angry when this starts to apply to work.  If I schedule a meeting with you for noon, be there at noon!  My time is valuable :)

2 Months till The Big Day

2 more months till I marry my best friend!  I can't believe how fast the time has flown by.  I feel like it was just yesterday that we were in Zanzibar and Josh proposed.  (More on the story here)  I think the best part of our engagement was being able to enjoy it for the remainder of our vacation before announcing it to family and friends.  Don't get me wrong, I was really excited to tell everyone, but there was something awesome about Josh and I getting to focus on our future life together for those few days.

I mention this because I think all to often we tend to focus more on the celebration rather than what we're actually celebrating.  You get swept away in colors, dresses, flowers and linen colors and sometimes fail to focus on the marriage.  Sure I'll admit, and Josh can attest to this, I've gone a little crazy over a few minor decisions but I think for the most part we've been able to think about the day for what it is.  A celebration of our marriage.

We are so really excited to start this new chapter in our lives and to also have the chance to visit with family and friends.  We don't make it to the states often and when we do, its hard to see everyone.  Josh and I are getting married at Starved Rock Lodge, a beautiful, rustic lodge in a state park near my hometown.  Its got a great cabin feel without being over the top.  The best park about the location is the 12+ miles of hiking trails around the lodge.  Starved Rock State park has a series of gorgeous canyons carved out by the nearby Illinois River.  We were lucky to be able to do some hiking in July when we were in the U.S. and are hoping to go back in November before the wedding.  The winter is a great time to hike at the park as all the waterfalls are frozen over and the colder temperatures make the hundreds of stairs in the park bearable.

Another thing I like about the venue is its ability to host both the ceremony and reception.  Josh's pastor is flying in to marry us in front of the fireplace in the Great Hall then we will simply walk into the next room for cocktail hour.  Following a quick turn around, its back to the Great Hall for dinner and back into the next room for dancing.  You really can't beat that!

Currently I'd have to say we're not doing much of anything for the day.  Crazy right?! We have amazing family and a VERY organized wedding planner who are taking care of the details.  This has been such a blessing as I think its really just allowed Josh and I to focus on the marriage rather than sorting through all the details of the day.  We've been involved yes, including a crazy, hectic few weeks in the states running from vendor to vendor, but now its just "yes I like that" "no I don't" decisions.


2 months!  Its just going to fly. I know it, especially with the amount of traveling both of us have been doing for work.  Praying that we can enjoy every minute and keep focusing on reason behind the celebration.

The Workout Journey

Its been about a month since I first wrote about plans to change the way I eat and workout here. I started off strong, setting a goal to workout six days a week.  I'm happy to report that for the most part I have stuck with that plan.  Sure its been hard when we've been traveling or I am in Nairobi for work but even then I made sure I was walking to where I needed to go or doing a few lunges in the hotel room when I had the chance.

Changing the way I eat has been a process.  I knew it wouldn't be easy with all the carbs (hidden sugar) there is in everything here.  Overall though I am really happy with my progress.  I've cut back on all the rice and chapatis and replaced them with veggies.  I've also noticed that my ability to portion control has increased.  Normally I wouldn't think too much about how big my portion was on my plate and just finish it.  Now I notice myself consciously looking as I serve myself.  The end result is the same!  I'm definitely not starving and don't have that stuffed feeling after every meal.

I also have been doing really good on drinking more water.  The original goal of 3 liters of day has only increased.  I find myself just craving the stuff which is kind of cool.  I'm most excited about how it is replacing soda in my daily routine.  I don't find myself craving that sugar/caffeine.  More so, I want the water more.

As I said before, actually loosing weight was never the goal.  Sure I expected some results just from the change of diet and increase in activity, but nothing major.  Josh recently downloaded this program from Jillian Michaels for me called "The 30 Day Shred".  I love it!  Before I was dedicated to working out but it was hard to justify a whole hour to a video or the treadmill.  Now I set up my laptop and in 20 short minutes I'm finished!  Don't get me wrong, its tough.  You couldn't do a workout and see results in 20 minutes if it wasn't.      The small differences I've noticed in 3 days just blow my mind.  I'm sore but I see the results.  I last longer on the jumping jacks.  I'm not cheating on the push-ups.  Its really motivating for me!  The best thing about this DVD though is its ability to make me want to do more.  Sure I would feel satisfied and proud of myself if I just did the video (and some days I do) but it makes be want to be like ok now lets go run for a bit.

Overall I feel great.  I have more energy and I feel better about myself since starting to work out.  I'm loving the new motivation I have due to the video and hope I don't get sick and tired of it too quickly!