Camping

We haven't been camping in quite a while, so the three of us still at home decided to trek out to the woods for the night.

We camped beside Lake Hartwell over Labor Day weekend.  Surprisingly, we didn't have many neighbors.

The evening was still warmer than we'd like, but temps were slowly dropping.  Eric enjoyed the relaxation, the little one just drew in the sand as she missed her siblings.  They would usually go on walks together, but she didn't want to do that with mom & dad.

I decided to catch a quick selfie since I rarely get myself in the pictures.

 As the sun faded, Eric had the perfect angle for a silhouette, and I couldn't resist.

 Eric and our little girl snuggled inside the tent.  How sweet 💛.

Cola Trip

I had an opportunity to see both my older children in Columbia, SC, so I took advantage of the opportunity.  The little one went with me to see them.

Our son moved into his first apartment.  In his 2nd year of college at Carolina, he had to find a place off campus.  He and his roommates found this old home (~1930) right in the middle of Five Points (the party/club district).  

It's not that great on the outside, but super big and roomy on the inside.  They appreciated me taking them to dinner at a real restaurant instead of PB&J or the dining hall.

Then our oldest was there for a medical conference.  It was at the Embassy Suites, so we got to crash with her.  The only instructions was to "lay low".  She was there with all her medical peers and instructors, so it made sense.

Since this is the first time I saw her check into a hotel by herself, I tried to capture this picture without anyone noticing me. 

Later during the happy hour reception, we were minding our own business, as instructed, when I look up and see all the medical attendees gathering for a group photo.  I flag down one of the hotel staff and ask her to take a picture.  Well, she didn't speak much English, so she made a bit of a scene.  Here's the only picture she got, and although a little blurry, you can see our daughter upset with me.

Then the kind photographer who took the real photo understood what a "mom" moment I was having, and he graciously sent me his professional picture.  Thank you!!

I'm guessing I won't get another invitation to see her at a conference.  Blew that one.

Thespian

Our little one loves theater camp.  The first one she attended this summer was a musical based on Shrek and Madagascar.

Her next camp was improv (short for improvisation).  There are no lines since you make it up as you go along.  Quite funny!

And here was a cute skit, but the photo quality was really bad.  The actors were directly under the light.  My phone doesn't filter the glare out well, so I had to tone down the colors.

49th Birthday

Eric celebrated his 49th with the biggest balloon he could find.  

Instead of me making him a cake, he wanted an ice cream cake.  Plain.  With vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake.  Seriously?  I could have made that.

Although, it was quite tasty.

Roofing

I had the opportunity to participate in a home build with Habitat for Humanity.  Whether you've ever been interested in learning a handy skill, need a therapeutic day outside the office, or just enjoy volunteer work, I highly recommend it.

The job was to give "sweat equity" to this family from CDS. Each potential new homeowner must volunteer 200 hours on another house before they earn enough equity for their own. Since this family was limited in their ability to contribute physically, several of us who know the family provided those hours for them.

Most of the volunteers wore shorts (hot July day).  I decided to wear some old jeans, and that's what got me the roofing assignment.  

I'll have to admit that it was a huge learning curve for me.  The supervisors could have done this so much faster themselves.  But I appreciated the exposure and training on a skill I've never learned, and it was fun!

A co-worker is in purple, and we're working alongside the CDS family member who is able to provide their sweat equity.

Africa - Part 2: Safari

After summitting Kilimanjaro, Ashlyn and her friends stayed in Tanzania for an extra week to recover, relax and go on safaris. 

They spent most of their time exploring Serengeti National Park, home of the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. 

Ngorongoro Crater which is the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. Absolutely an amazing experience to see so many animals in their natural habitat!

Wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, lions, elephants, warthogs, hippos, gazelles, rhinos, crocodiles, etc.

Love her smile!  And also her "safari" hat she borrowed from Luke's lifeguard uniform.

And a final stop to experience the Tanzanian tribe life.

But my favorite picture of all her adventures is this one...

where she's back home, safe and sound.

Africa - Part 1: Kilimanjaro

For summer break, Ashlyn traveled to Tanzania with a two of her med school friends, Eliane and Nick.They stopped over in Doha and Kenya along the way and, once in Tanzania, met up with Eliane's Aunt and Uncle from Switzerland. The first week of their trip was spent climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. They followed the Mangaru Route over 6 days, and hired a guide and porters to assist in the climbing process.

Day 1 - Mountain base to Mandara Hut (elevation 8,858 ft) / Distance: 8 km / Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
This portion of the hike was mostly in the rain forest. Upon arrival at the hut, porters sang a "Welcome to Kilimanjaro" song.

Day 2 - Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut (elevation 12,205 ft) / Distance: 12 km / Hiking Time: 6-8 hours

After a long day of hiking, afternoon snacks (popcorn and freshly roasted peanuts) with hot drinks were greatly welcomed.

After the morning hike, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing cards, and hanging out with other hikers. With no light pollution or clouds to block the night sky, they saw millions of stars and even the milky way!

Day 3 - Acclimatization day. Elevation 14,400 ft / Distance: 5 km / Hiking Time: 2-3 hours
This is an extra day meant for acclimatization and was spent day hiking up to Zebra Rock.

Day 4 - Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut (elevation 15,430 ft) / Distance: 10 km / Hiking Time: 6-8 hours

This day's trek consisted of a long gradual accent up to Kibo Hut, where the air was getting progressively thinner, wind was stronger and the radiation was more intense. After reaching the hut around 2pm they enjoyed lunch, rested, forcibly ate an early dinner at 5pm (though no one was hungry), prepared for summit day, and finally went to bed at 6pm in anticipation for a very early start. However, due to the high altitude and cold weather, no one was able to sleep.

Ashlyn checking her O2 saturation. At normal altitudes a good O2 saturation is above 95%; however at this altitude Ashlyn's was 84%.

Day 5 - SUMMIT DAY! Elevation 19,341 ft / Distance: 22 km / Hiking Time: 17 hours

Very early in the morning (around 11:30pm), they woke up, forced a bowl of porridge down and begin their push to the summit. With headlamps to light the way, they ascended in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent, but short, breaks. This was the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek due to the steep inclines, wind and bitter cold.  At Gilman’s point (18,600 ft), they were rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise and a hot cup of ginger tea. Finally, at 7am they reached the summit - Uhuru Peak- the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.

After spending a few moments taking in the plains of Africa and their accomplishment, they descended all the way down to Horombo Hut. Coming down was much faster, and easier as they could just ski down the fine loose rocks. Later in the evening, they enjoyed their last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned night's sleep.

Ashlyn and the head guide, Moses, who successfully lead the group to the "promised land".

Day 6 - Horombo Hut to Mountain Base / Distance 15 km

This was the final day of hiking. After departing Horombo Hut, they hiked down through the rain forest and made it safely to the mountain base. 

At the base, the guides and porters gave a farewell Kilimanjaro song. 

A successful 6 day hike was celebrated with champagne, actual toilets, a swimming pool and most importantly a hot shower!