I was born and raised in the Midwest and have a strong affinity for anything Midwestern. However, when I moved to Senegal, I fell head-over-heels in love. With the beach...as any of you who frequent this site are aware of.

Tonight as I sit here wrapped in a blanket because I haven't been able to get warm all day...listening to nothing but the tapping of my keyboard, I long to hear one sound. The ocean. I never thought I would fall in love with it. I always liked it, but until I lived in a place where I went there more than once a week, it was nothing more than a friendly acquaintance.

When I visited my friends in Senegal in 2006, I took this short video, simply because I wanted to have a way to "return" to my favorite place in the world, even if only in my mind. So many memories on this beach...join me, if you like.

A couple of updates:

** My mom got the crayon completely out of my clothes! What can I say other than she's amazing! I was also comforted to discover that I am not the only one this has happened to. Type "melted crayon in clothes" in a search engine and you will be surprised!

** I have added a new section to this site: Reflections. Just thoughts as I read through my favorite Book. Feel free to comment - add insight or correct any off-base thinking! :)