Just a pic from last night at the Freedom Fest...lots of people, balloons, Marines, and fun times. I do love Iowa in the summer! ;)

A new side of the Marine Corps...last night my folks and Brenna and I went up to CR to the Freedom Fest to watch the Marines from Quantico perform...I had no idea they did anything apart from the typical stuff I have seen them do in DC (ie, Sousa marches, etc)...so it was a great time...and hey, there were Marines everywhere...can it get much better than that!? ;)

On Wednesday, my friend Kasey (who I met in Uganda...but is from Iowa) came to visit and that night we went to an open for our friends Jon and Jenn who are back in IC visiting for a bit. Jon was also on the Uganda team...ah, the fun times continue. :)

Ok, so this tag on my niece's new shirt just made me laugh and I had to share. A new reason that clothes must be "snugly worn"...its a fire hazzard otherwise! Wow.

I looked in Mom and Dad's fridge today and saw some Kraft cheese slices when all of a sudden I was overcome with a memory from my college days and my roommate, Brina. Brina and I would do much our shopping together, sharing the staples in a household...at the time, I drank 2% milk and she drank skim...so we compromised and to this day I think we both drink 1% milk. However, I remember shopping with her one time and we were buying cheese slices (another staple in my fridge!)...and I went for the Kraft and she told me to get the generic stuff. Well, if you have lived with me or know me, you know that there are two items on which I will never compromise...peanut butter and cheese slices. JIF Extra Crunchy all the way...and my Kraft singles. Brina was insistent that I couldn't tell the difference and I assured her that I could. Well, apparently sometime after that, she decided to test me. She had bought some generic cheese slices and put them into my Kraft wrapper without my knowledge. I remember eating those slices and making some remark about how awful they tasted and how they must have gone bad or something to that effect. It wasn't until sometime after that when she 'fessed up and told me that she had tested me...and was amazed that I could actually tell the difference. Needless to say that by the time I closed the fridge today, I was laughing pretty hard. And when I talked to Brina tonight, she got a good kick out of it and is still amazed that I could really tell the difference (but she is living it all over again with her husband now...who believes like me!)

But as I was thinking about this no compromise on cheese and peanut butter...I got to thinking about areas in life where I do compromise. And then I got to thinking about areas where I cannot compromise in my life. My faith in Jesus is one of those areas...in 1999 I made a decision to follow when ever and where ever He wanted me...and when I consider the things I struggle with, I realize that many times it would be much "easier" to live a lukewarm life of "faith"...but its not worth it...why would I want to live in the middle of the road when I know which side I need to be on and on which side gives life? John talks about life abundant in Christ...but life abundant can really only be found in a life of no compromise...a life where Jesus is my first love. Compromise is tempting sometimes...but it cheapens the grace given us...and isn't nearly so sweet. Ha, much like that cheese....looks similar and is cheaper...but tastes pretty nasty. :)

This is Harry. My Dad, brother, and I went out shooting today and Harry was our target. If you look closely, you will see an area of small shots in the upper right of Harry (between the 4's) and down under and to the left of the five...those were mine. (Plus a few outliers!) Fun times and I think I liked this shooting stuff (first time since I was a kid)...just wanted to share! :)

Though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

-"I Will Sing of Your Mercies" , Jars of Clay

You do all you’re able to resist
Just to avoid the danger of rejection
Memory warns you of the past
When it all went wrong
When you think your life is shattered
And there’s no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart

-"Love Heals Your Heart", Third Day

LOVE heals and mountains come down...this I believe...but some dreams just need to be allowed to die. One can only stand so much of the same thing happening...but I will still sing of HIS mercies and HIS love regardless...who else would I turn to?

Haha, and no, I'm not talking about myself here...as we all know, I'm a bit of a clutz. However, today was a day full of graces...the small ones that I love so much. This morning a dear buddy of mine came over and we went canoeing and then out to lunch...and a bit of tossing the disc happened as well. Wonderful conversation and welcome company. There were too many beautiful parts of that portion of the day to list here. But I will tell you one...we didn't tip the canoe. :) This evening was spent outdoors as well with another dear friend of mine as we went on a walk out at the lake after a fun dinner with my family and then fished for a bit out back. I love fishing in the evenings...I don't know what I am going to do with my evenings when I get back to SC.

Peaceful. Quiet. Meaningful. Fun. Nature. Friendship.

I am so thankful for this day. It was just about perfect as could be. :)

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

-Corrie Ten Boom


I only hope the tunnel ends soon.

Sometimes things just don't make sense at all. And its really frustrating and confusing.

But somehow, going fishing with my dad tonight made things a little bit better...not clearer, just better.

But he still caught more fish than I did.

A shapeless piece of steel, that's all I claim to be
This hammer pounds to give me form, this flame, it melts my dreams
I glow with fire and fury, as I'm twisted like a vine
My final shape, my final form I'm sure I'm bound to find

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames
And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds

-"The Hammer Holds" by Bebo Norman

I don't really know what else to say...I feel the fire again and my dreams melting into it. It's good...but as always, painful.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the best Dad I know. :) Love you!

Yet another coffee maker to the coffee maker graveyard at the Page residence. My parents have quite the record...I think they have had a new coffee maker every month this year so far. It's a bit ridiculous...but today, this one crashed as well.

Thankfully, Mom and Dad had another one in storage...otherwise I don't know what they would've all done...no coffee is a no-no in this house.

Trying to figure out the new coffee maker.

Last night we had the annual concert out at the Greencastle Airport. Fun times in small town Iowa. :)

Crazy sky in SE Iowa last night.

My niece...affectionately known as "Little Miss Thang."

I had to buy a new frisbee. After 6 years with my good old yellow one, it finally cracked on my latest trip to Dakar. I gave in and bought a bright orange one. Figure it will be a hard one to miss when it's coming at you. Dad and I tested it out that night. It works pretty well.

My folks bought a canoe. Hopefully Dad and I can go out on Sunday...maybe even do a little fishing. It's green, so we bought blue lifejackets to please my mom.

The other night I was out running and caught the "scent of home". No, I don't mean manure. I mean the sweet smell of Iowa on a cool summer evening with the fragrance of corn and hay fields mingling. And God had flooded the sky with stars that night. He always knows just what we need and when.

I went to my niece's softball game the other evening. It was long...and when I say long, imagine 9 year olds playing softball...including doing the pitching for 1.5 hours. Yeah, now you know what I mean. But it was totally worth it to spend time with my brother and sis-in-law and to watch my niece play. My brother and dad talked on MY phone for a good long while. I suppose that is also worth it...even though it was my minutes they were using. Can't think of a better use of my minutes.

Tomorrow I am going to a piano/cello/vocal recital out at a very small airport far out on the country roads of Iowa. I always feel like a hick when I go...but it is so down-home that I can't help but love it. And who could pass up good music (well, most of it anyhow) out in the country under the stars?

These have been my adventures in Iowa thus far. My life has taken on a whole new pace from when I was in SC. Iowa may not be "home" necessarily anymore...but I think I'm still in love with it. :)

For Marcy...here are a few more pics for you...sorry I didn't take more!! :) Enjoy!

They also put up a lot of stop lights where stoplights are not needed. :)

Another new thing...on the road they were working on last year...they put up street lights!!! The road is really nice, too. :) For now anyhow...

The pretty mosque.

Another new thing....these guys get paid to stand at the roundabouts and "direct" people...in other words, once in awhile they point to the roundabout.

The beauty of the coastline. :)

Alhamdoulillah.

Dakar. :)

The Lighthouse of Hope.

David saying goodbye to the beach.

Just a pretty African night. :)

As you can perhaps guess, I am back in the midwest now...the last two days ran into one really long day and has made today a challenging one to stay awake for! As always, its nice to be back in good ol' Iowa...although, apparently someone forgot to tell Iowa that it is June, which means it should be at least in the 70's or 80's...however, as it is, it is only about 60 degrees today. A wee bit chilly for this girl!

Anyhow, as I was on one of the planes in the last two days, we encountered much turbulence. Now, as you may remember, I don't like to fly to start with...so that made this trip very interesting in my mind. At one point, I looked out the window at the wing of the plane and was amazed that it was still attached to the main body of the plane. I was certain it was going to fall off and that my life was going to end. Which, you know, whatever...but it got me thinking about how amazing planes are...I mean, those wings are stinkin' heavy and they sure do bounce around a lot. Obviously I don't know much about planes and their structure. My dad assures me that they are built to endure such things...but wow, I'm impressed with the people who made the wings of planes to be as they are. I'm glad they are smarter than me. And I didn't end up as shark bait out in the Atlantic somewhere...and I suppose that is good, too.

As you can probably tell, I'm fighting some pretty bad jet lag at this point...so I'm going to go to bed relatively soon. I'll write more when I'm coherent again. :)

In a few hours I will be on my way to the airport to begin the long journey back to Iowa...if I figured right, I will be traveling for about the next 24 hours...so I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I go! Traveling overseas by myself is never my favorite thing.

Today has been quite the day...Cori and I managed to take the longest taxi ride EVER...the driver had no idea how to get to where we were going...it's always an adventure. Then this afternoon we were settling in to watch the World Cup (Costa Rica vs. Germany) when we discovered that our ever faithful Dakar is not showing the game on any of its channels. Can you even fathom that!? Cori and I even walked a few km trying to find a TV...any TV...even maybe one of the fruit venders who sometimes have a TV outside...but to no avail...so we have resigned ourselves to following the game online. Much to my dismay, it seems that Costa Rica has lost. :(

Anyhow, that's all for now...guess I'll write again when I get back to the other side of the big lake between the States and here. :)

The three musketeers...Barb, Cori, and myself.

The crew of us that went to Caesars after grad on Wednesday night. :)

When we went to Caesars, Jay ordered a chicken sandwhich...haha, but it was a sandwhich complete..which means with eggs and fries. :) He was a bit surprised...although, we are in Dakar...so its fairly normal!

The waves and undertoe were CRAZY yesterday!! The beach "moved" down the way as it does every several months...some of the high school guys were trying to get out beyond the breaking point...and they had a really hard time of it! All in all, it was an interesting day!

Saying goodbye to the beach...quite literally on two counts...the beach moved over night down the way...and I am leaving tonight.

These are something new to Dakar...they make me laugh a lot. These "signs" are usually holding a bright yellow "map" of sorts. They are all over Dakar.

Cori is GREAT at getting us our taxis. :)

Cori and I just waiting...welcome to Africa...waiting...and waiting some more. :)

This is my favorite road sign in all of Dakar. To give it some context, it is right before a huge curve that if you miss, you will go off a cliff into the ocean. :) Dakar is fun stuff.

The 24/Alias Crew reunion...Since Phil and I were both back in Dakar...the 4 of us decided to have breakfast yesterday before we all parted ways again. Fun times...good friends.

A bag lady. I am hard up for something to post today...Cori took this picture last night at Barb's demand...Barb told me that I was an embarrassment and that she would not walk home with me...I'm glad Cori loves me a lot. :) The tennis shoes were necessary and what really made the outfit...I somehow managed to get three blisters on my toes and couldn't bear to do flip flops last night...then we have my computer, clothes, purse, and a blanket I am working on for Cori...I felt weird at first...but then remembered where I am and all of the sudden, I didn't care anymore. :) I do love Africa!

Utter perfection. Yesterday after church, Cori and I spent the day at the beach. We got hit on by some Nigerian guys, soaked in the rays, swam (and didn't get stung by any jellyfish for those of you who know my big fear of that!), and just enjoyed it all. Really, utter perfection...

Coke. Peanuts. The Beach. Perfection.

Doesn't she look sooo pretty?? Saturday night was JSB (Junior-Senior Banquet) and since Cori was a junior class sponsor this year, she got to go and partake of some pretty amazing food. :) (Ok, and she said it was all right to post this to balance out the nose picking one after this). :)

Here is something that is new...and I found to be a bit odd...Chocolate Butter. I just can't bring myself to spend the 400cfa to try it...it just doesn't seem right...even to someone such as myself who loves chocolate and butter! Just had to share. :)

Those of you who have been to Dakar might recognize this area (though its hard from this pic)...but you remember the bridge that leads into our cartier? You know the one...a two lane road turned into 7-9 lanes of traffic that sometimes took an hour or more to get through? Well, the bridge is gone!! They have made it into a round point...for now anyhow...and guess what, it actually works! That is until two or three big trucks break down on it! :)

This is the dessert I have been craving all year long...known as La Gatinaise it is made of a crepe, coconut icecream (YUM!), whip cream, and caramel sauce...holy cats, this is delicious!!

I just couldn't quite finish it...but wow, it was heavenly. :)

We decided to take Barb out for her birthday yesterday to LGM...big yum...and good company. :)

Persecuted. Thrown in jail. Stoned. Cori has suffered all for the sake of Christ. Or something like that anyhow...really, we were just seeing how skinny she was...I know you can't really tell, but she is enclosed in about a 6 inch space between the door and the bars on the door!

Yesterday was the guy's last basketball game...giddy up, they won! After the game...the girls must again make themselves culturally appropriate to walk home on the streets of Dakar. :)

DA Ibsen clan (haha)...meet Kerrianne, Kyle, and Cori...aren't they adorable?! :)

After the game...Cori's "little" brother, Kyle...impressing all the ladies with his mighty strength. :)

Missionary kids (MK's) are a rather hilarious breed. Today I was correcting papers for my second grade teacher friend, Barb, when I ran across a question that asked the kids to write another word for "a trip"...this kid's response? Furlough. Only an MK would write such a thing. :)

In other thoughts...I have been pondering this verse for awhile now...

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8

I decided (accuarately or not) that it is talking about people like me who are more or less "wanderers" in this life...no direction other than just following where God leads...and never having a clue where that will be. For the longest time, I thought that place was going to be in Africa, possibly in Sudan...but as this year has gone on, I have realized that Africa may not be in my future at all...I'm not an MK, so I can't relate completely with them, but when people ask me where home is, I say "Iowa" just out of habit...although I haven't lived there for 3 years now. It's an interesting thing that happens when you surrender yourself to whatever God has...you never know what or where or with whom it will be (if anyone). It doesn't always turn out as I hope, but it always turns out as He plans and as it should. He really does take care of His kids. I'm so thankful for that.

Well, we were trying to capture the essence of the henna...not sure it worked overly well...but maybe you can get the idea. :)

So the other night, Cori and I decided to put to use our purchase of henna. It is an annual thing to dye sections of our hair with henna...just adds an interesting reddish tint that lasts a really long time. Henna itself is nasty stuff when it is mixed with water...yep, that's the stuff all over my hands after doing Cori's hair. Gross, eh?!

So now my hands are dyed orange...hopefully it will wear off the skin in about a week...but from experience, the fingernails will just have to grow out. :)

Here Cori is in the process of putting henna in my hair. :) She's concentrating very hard.

I know, it looks nasty...but she looks so happy! :)

Cori's hands are also now orange. Fun times...we've been told by a few people that we should wear gloves...but honestly, where do you buy such gloves in Dakar? :)

So then we tried to put henna in the tips of Oliver's ears...and we discovered...henna does not work on cats. So don't bother. :) Doesn't Oliver look SO excited about this?!