Christmas 2010 Highlights

An Island Park Christmas Tree

Collin went to Idaho with his Dad and a few brothers-in-law. Brother-in-laws. Whatever. Anyway, they went up there and legally, with a permit, chopped down a couple trees for Christmas this year. Being our 2nd Christmas, and having just upgraded into a normal-sized-ceiling home, we could actually get a good sized tree this year. We also got a bunch of old ornaments from Collin's childhood. Love them.

Couples Christmas Party

We were able to get together with a few of our friends. Cory and Bree hosted this time at her grandparents house in Bountiful. It was so much fun to get gussied up, have a nice yummy meal and play games together. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and to be able to spend time with them during the holidays. Love our friends! :)

Nostalgic Anniversary

Exactly 2 years ago, on Christmas day, Collin flew to Colorado to propose. Such a surprise~ I loved looking back on this post and reliving all of those great feelings and emotions. He's always so thoughtful and I am so grateful for that Christmas day back in '08. (That sounds like it was so long ago... we're totally veterans haha...) Anyway, I love Christmas because I get to spend it with my sweet hubs.

A Rothey Christmas

So, 2 years ago, the above happened, and then last year we spent the holidays in Colorado with my family (Collin's parents were in Africa on their mission, so we didn't have to flip a coin or anything to choose one way or the other). This year, we stayed in Utah and headed to Layton with most of Collin's family there. It was fun to see the similarities and differences between our family traditions. We had a great weekend with them. Luckily, we'll be able to spend some time in Colorado next week, also.

Gift-giving

Collin is seriously the best gift-giver. He doesn't like suggestions or hints, and just does his own thing. I love it, because I'm totally surprised and never expect anything. This year was no different. He completely out-did himself. Love that guy. We're also super lucky to have such generous parents and grandparents. They showered us with love and gifts. We're so grateful! My mom did an amazing job creating a book for my Grandpa Lee. She compiled letters from everyone in the family addressed to him, put them in a book with pictures and it is AMAZING! Love it. She also made an awesome bracelet with some of my Grandma Shirley's old earrings. LOVE it! :)

Christmas

I love this holiday. It's a great time of year to reflect on our lives and realize how blessed we are. I'm so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ! For his birth. His life. His example. His Sacrifice. His love. He is the reason for the season!

Africa: Day 11

Friday May 21

Our last day in Africa. Our feelings were definitely bitter-sweet. We had an amazing time and enjoyed every minute of the experience. It was eye-opening, humbling, exciting, sad, fun, funny, hot, amazing, tiring. We felt just about every emotion possible. We saw so many things that we didn't even capture by picture. We are so grateful for having the opportunity to go, and that Lou and Jeri accepted a call to serve the Lord in such an amazing place and that we could visit them and experience it all with them.

I saw this military guy on the sidewalk, and I couldn't help but take a pic. I had to be super discrete because if they catch you taking a photo, they might get mad and who knows what else. I took the gamble, because come on, he was putting out the vibe way too well.

On that last day, we took 2 more trips to the local markets; the Buganda Market again, but we went to Friday Market for the first time. THis place was crowded and packed and huge. People everywhere set up tents to sell their goods. We came out with a few things, but it was so hot that it was getting hard to function after being there an hour. The best part of Friday Market was when one of the vendors asked what L&J were doing living in Uganda. Collin started talking about the gospel and it was an incredible missionary experience. The man was really excited to have the elder's come visit his house, and especially hear that there is a Prophet on the earth now! It was a blessing to be there for that wonderful experience too!

Here's a vid Collin took while driving through the streets of Uganda. I wish we would have thought of this before our last day in Africa, because it can capture so many things .

After the markets, we went to Banana Boat (a nice store L&J go to every once in a while - the only place I saw a cash register and receipts the whole time we were in Africa) and then back to the apartment to make sure we were all packed up and that the suitcases weighed less than 50lbs! It was a success so we showered (since we wouldn't be able to for another 30+ hours) and got everything ready to go.

We drove again with Godfrey, back to Entebbe! So I took a few pictures of the passengers in the ol mission van. Everything was smooth sailing from then on out. Customs. The Flights. Our Luggage. It was painless (except for the post-trip jet lag). What an amazing experience!

Africa: Day 10

Thursday May 20

In the morning, L & J went back to the mission office to catch up on work they'd missed earlier in the week while they were gallivanting with us throughout the country. Collin slept in a bit and I got up to get started on helping Jeri with something. She wanted the April General Conference downloaded to her computer and her iPod. I also got to email and even chat with my sister, Jen, online. It was hard not talking to my family at all while in Africa. The time difference made it difficult enough, since Kampala is 9 hours ahead of Colorado/Utah. Luckily Jen and Dustin are night owls, so at 11:30 pm Wednesday in Denver, it was 8:30 am on Thursday in Uganda. I let them go to bed, and we got ready so that Lou could pick us up and take us back to the mission office so we could me the Mission President (Christensen). He's such a great man and has been working so hard in Africa. After a lovely chat with him, we headed to Jinja, another city in Uganda. We went there because it is said that (one of) the Source of the Nile is there where Lake Victoria merges into the Nile.

It was interesting to hear why they believe it; Lake Victoria is a still water lake with standing water, but where the Victoria meets the Nile, there are natural springs that come up and create the current. There are other theories too, but it was awesome to be on the worlds largest tropical lake and also again on the Nile. There are also a bunch of fisherman throughout the river and the lake and its so fascinating to watch how they do it!

We headed back to Kampala after our boat ride on the river/lake. And enjoyed another nice evening in at L&J's apartment. We had dinner, played scrabble and watched Behind Enemy Lines.

(I don't know what the deal was, maybe just taking it all in or maybe just tired, but we totally didn't take any pictures of Lake Victoria. Had the camera and everything, and these are the only ones that we took. Of the ring around the Sun!)

Africa: Day 9

Wednesday May 19

(The view from our room)

We didn't have to wake up early, which was so nice, especially since we actually slept again. I think Lou and Jeri were more excited about the sleeping in, since they have been working so hard on their mission that it was probably a good little break. We went to breakfast and then hit up the pool (I stayed fully clothed under a tree).

We saw this little guy on a banister at the hotel! Check out his sweet colors!!

We packed up all our stuff and then we checked out and made our way back to Kampala. Of course we had to drive a while in the park in order to get out, which was nice to see a bunch of animals again.

We saw an elephant pretty close to the road all by herself. She was big and beautiful!! She wasn't too far from the road, and she was pounding down a bunch of orange looking fruits. I'm not sure what they were but it was awesome to see her doin her thing, all by herself. I guess they are usually out and about with the whole pack.

We heard a few more interesting things about the elephants too. They eat off of the sausage fruit trees that have something funny in them, because they make the elephants drunk.

This one wasn't drunk, but it's funny to imagine. And also, a legend is that anywhere you see a palm tree, it was a place where an elephant defecated. Palm trees had been foreign to the area until the elephants had come in and pooped with food they'd eaten from another place. Funny! Palm trees are scattered about and then in clusters.

Here's Lou taking some pictures of the cute elephant.

I'm so amazed at the landscape. There are a ton of trees and different variations of plants. A friend said something on her blog that totally applies to this situation: "It blows my mind that people don't believe in God." Amen McKay! I don't know how anyone could not when there are so many beautiful and incredible creations in the world.

Anyway, the rest of the drive was great though. While we were driving between towns, on a stretch of highway (I think there may have even been painted lines on the road), we came to a few baboons meandering. Collin rolled down his window and threw a banana at one of them. He one handed the catch and unpeeled the banana and broke it into 3 pieces and popped them in its mouth. Had we known how awesome that was going to look, we would have gotten video. So, instead we just have a few stills.

We arrived back in Ntinda with most of the evening ahead of us. So, we had dinner, played a few games of scrabble, watched Bourne Identity. We liked to take showers at night, because it can be so warm. Plus, it helps to cool the body down before going to bed and its easier to fall asleep. So, I did that and turned on the fan, and crawled under the mosquito net into bed. The bad malaria/infectious mosquitoes are out late late at night, so that's why mosquito nets are so important. Even with the pills we're taking, we're glad we had the nets!!

Africa: Day 8

Tuesday May 18

Another early morning for a game drive at Murchison. We had breakfast at 615am at the restaurant in the resort and then met up with our guide, Tigris. He knew so much about every animal we saw; their lifespan, weight, gestation period, prey, predators, etc. He's been a guide for 6 years at the Park with the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Assoc.).

From the beginning of the drive, it was so exhilarating. We started out by seeing some warthogs, kob, and the funniest looking animal I have ever seen... the Jackson's Hartebeest. These guys were all over the place and loved to hang out in the road, so we saw them all the time. The same thing went for the oribi. Another antelope type animal, but TINY. I said "Oh, a little baby" and Tigris piped in and told me it was full-grown. Oops. And then we saw a baby oribi and it looked like it was born minutes before we got there it was so tiny.

After maybe a half an hour on the drive, Tigris spotted an entire pack of hyena (which he'd never seen before, so he says). They were devouring an animal carcass. He told us they are a cowardly animal and don't hunt, and that they just eat what is already dead. Little Scavengers. The hyenas were down in a valley and it was hard to get a good picture. Just then we saw one alone right by the road. I thought he was pretty with his spotted fur, but apparently they are a super ugly animal.

After the hyena passed, we saw a valley with a bunch of workers. Sadly, they are digging for oil right in the middle of this national park. Tigris said they were promised it wouldn't be harmful for the animals but that is doubtful. It's crazy that they can just drill for oil right there in the middle of a NATIONAL PARK! REALLY? It doesn't make sense, but then again laws are very regulated, if they have any.

The rest of the morning was phenomenal. Even after the sun came up there was the perfect amount of cloud cover. Jeri and I even had our long sleeve jackets on most of the drive. To see the animals better, Collin, Jeri and I went in the back of the truck and stood in the bed and hung onto the roll bar while Loud drove and Tigris popped in and out through the door. Not too long after seeing the crappy oil people, we came to a HUGE herd of giraffe. They were EVERYWHERE!!! And super close to the road. It was amazing. We loved the giraffe. Tigris told us that the darker (blacker) spotted ones are male, while the females have more white and lighter spots. And then the darker the spots, the older they are. Another way to distinguish between the male and female is that the males have a 3rd distinct horn in the middle of the other 2.

We're a bit obsessed with giraffes! :)

We were really happy to be standing outside in the back because we had such a great view. After getting our fill of the awesome giraffe, we continued on our way down the tracks. We saw some elephants but down in a distant valley. There were TONS of crazy looking birds too. Vivid colors. SO different from ones I've seen here. There were different kinds of cranes, storks, weavers, eagles, and lots more I cant remember the names. We were getting attacked by mosquitoes and bugs so we put on some spray repellent which helped a bit.

A few minutes later, Tigris told us to get into the truck, because he saw lion tracks and it wasn't safe to be out in the open back of the truck. Probably 50 feet later, he pointed out a lioness and 2 of her cubs. They were maybe 40 yards away from the road, and Tigris told Lou to drive off the road to get closer. We rolled down the window and took pictures of them from just 10 feet away. What an incredible experience. The mama was so calm and just laid there while her babies pounced around. She didn't care about us and didn't make any sudden moves. We could tell she knew who was in charge.

Back on the road, we went a few kilometers and then went off-roading again, as per Tigris' request. we came to a lion and 2 lionesses. So sweet! Sadly, the lion had been rescued on the park where poachers had tried to catch an animal with a wire trap. He was just resting and sat there with the ladies. They still own the jungle though, they weren't intimidated at all. It was unbelievable to get so close to them.

We saw more of the animals; mostly more of the same. There were hippos we could see from afar as we drove alongside the Nile. That river is truly incredible. We talked about all the historical/biblical events that took place on the Nile. So Amazing.

On the way back to the lodge it was getting way too hot for me in the back of the truck. Collin and Jeri stayed back there. I would later find out that thanks to the side-effect from the Malaria Pills we're taking that we'd get awesome goggle tans from our sunglasses. I was fried.

After the drive, we said our g'byes to Tigris and went straight to the pool. It was so refreshing and i made sure to stay in the shade after getting my fair share of sunlight for the day.

We ate lunch and then went on another tour, but this time in a boat on the Nile up to the Falls again so we could get another view of them. The bottom.

The boat got super close to a ton of hippos. We even ran one over. The boat driver snuck up on schools of hippos twice where he'd cut the engine and get close to them. The hippos would freak out and scram. We got within a few feet of the huge beasts. They'd try to disappear but let's get serious. They're HUGE. They're not fooling anyone when they try to hide, even if their heads ARE under water.

Besides hippos, we saw water buck, cape buffalo, and tons more birds. We also got close to and saw a bunch of crocodiles. It was interesting to find out that they lay super still with their mouths wide open to get cool. I thought it was to be tough and hard core WRONG! :)

The boat ride took us about 4 hours but was so awesome to just hang out on the Nile. We got back to the Lodge in time to shower and get ready for dinner. Afterwards we played a bit of scrabble in the main lobby and then went to bed. After another long day and lots of sun, we were exhausted.