the chroni*WHAT*cles of boscobel

my time at the boscobel house draweth to a close.

i'm sad about it, so i will celebrate the good moments.

dogs. melissa convinced me i needed my own dog. we prowled petfinders.com and squealed over countless dogs. roxy appeared less than thrilled. i wanted a huge dog, but was happy to compromise to keep roxy from becoming a snack. along came Violet. a pregnant unwed mother dog from the streets. we drove up to the middle of nowhere to a shelter to introduce "the girls." violet promptly bit roxy as they were discussing who was boss, and i was crestfallen. i thought melissa would lay down the law, but she said we would give it a shot. i signed the papers and suddenly had a dog. in the backseat on the way home, violet kept her paw on my leg as if to say, "don't worry, i got this."

after a few staring contests in the backyard, roxy decided to tolerate her. violet's been trying to get roxy to play with her ever since. so, i thank melissa for rescuing me with a rescue dog who sheds all over her house. I won't mention the birds & squirrels she catches and brings inside to "share."

anti-social. is an indicator of a great friend enjoying being anti-social together? discuss.

melissa can make a killer grilled cheese sandwich and have it in your lap before you knew you wanted it.

the neighbors. i could say a whole lot here, but i'll summarize - when you use your broken down vehicles to store what appears to be total crap, you should probably get rid of it. when you have more cars in front of your house (lawn, sidewalk, whatever) than rooms in the house, you should probably downsize. when you find your neighbors' children on your porch for no reason…. well. i just… nevermind.

the television. Law & Order, LOST, What Not To Wear…. collective swoons over Jim Halpert and John Cusack… i even enjoyed being yelled at for rolling my eyes and making snarky comments while they watched The Bachelor/Bachelorette or whatever Next Model of Something or Other Show. in fact, that was great fun. and then, to cleanse the palate, watching Hoarders to make ourselves feel better about our small-in-comparison collection of hotel soaps and shampoos.

the travelin'. we went to florence, italy, and walked around and ate food for 8 days. "what do you want to do today?" "I dunno, what do YOU want to do today?" it was a relaxing vacation with lots of food, gelato, walking, art, and complete with a cooking class, a mugging and a guardian angel. one time, we also got stuck in the mountains with our friend abby when we couldn't get to our weekend wine & cheese cabin escape.

the decisions. Tuesday Night Bible/Wine/Cheese/Study group. "so, um, girls, i am going to quit my job and go to africa for a couple weeks, can you watch my dog?" turns out it's one of the best decisions i have ever made, with some amazing friends cheering me on.

new roommate! out with the "i don't know what to do this stuff" and in with the new roommate! amber can always be counted on for chocolate and magic smoothies. ps, i am taking her with me!

living together for a long time makes you forget who belongs to what appliance, gadget, DVD, or certain article of clothing you constantly share. if we would have shared shoes there could have been a rumble….

i'll miss my clip-on koala for real.

so... who wants to help amber and I move into our new digs?

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well"." - julian of norwich

lip gloss is a ministry

So I found this cheap lip gloss at Rite Aid and had to try it b/c of my friend Toya and this story. And who doesn't know all the words to 867-5309?!

Plus I like strawberry flavored lip gloss that looks pretty. I ended up giving some to Toya b/c of the "Rick Springfield Experience" she had, knowing she is also a sucker for the shiny strawberry. Little did I know this small share would bring unknown joy to others.

BGLUBlog BlackGrlsLikeUs

Just showed someone in my office my @IWantJessesGirlStrawberry lip gloss & she shrieked just like I did.#RickSpringfieldFansUnite

melpher melanie pherson

@

@BGLUBlog toya, this makes me think i may actually be able to make the world a better place with just the little things.

Toyaisrandom Toya

@

@melpher Let the Lord use you. Lip gloss is a ministry.

34 things it's taken me 34 years to learn: a completely non-comprehensive list

1. don't buy black towels. they look cool, but pill up and shed those pills all over you post-shower. and in my world, they live in peril of getting bleach on 'em.

2. the food pyramid is wrong. sidenote: put the cheezits/potato chips in a small bowl, and put the box away lest you consume the whole box. eat liberal amounts of living greens, veggies, & fruit.

3. i refuse to live in fear. fear of politics, sensational media, salmonella, vaccines, etc…. i know Who holds the future.

4. the only way to actually get rid of dog hair is a vacuum and scotch brand sticky lint rollers.

5. do not adopt a pet or have a child unless you are willing to dedicate your time & effort to their well-being and making sure their well-being does not leave doodie on those around them.

6. i don't think i am scared of children themselves, it's the responsibility attached to teaching the small humans to be caring, compassionate, and common sensical grown ups with a great sense of humor.

7. it took me until 2007 to make friends with tomatoes. always give new foods a chance.

8. a good haircut and good conditioner are totally worth it.

9. i can only do so much in one day. you cannot pour out good things if you do not invest in your body, mind, and soul with good things.

10. you keep learning the lesson until you learn the lesson.

11. sometimes it is a wise and good thing to quit your job and go to africa.

12. i think churches are like relationships - you choose to join up & stay despite the flaws and the crazy because you love the whole. you choose to be a part of a community, to learn from those who have differing opinions and backgrounds, and to see the value therein.

13. politics exhaust me and i don't like 'em.

14. either i believe who God says He is or i do not. and i need to live with the inherent freedom that comes from believing Him.

15. try things twice - the first attempt could taste bad, be off-season, have bad lighting, etc…

16. try not to collect things. because you will probably have to move and/or dust them.

17. some things can be generic brands, some things MUST be name brands.

example: generic swifter dusters are no bueno. swiffers are far superior. ibuprofen can be generic - ibuprofen is ibuprofen. in the realm of chocolate, lindt is the clear winner.

18. i need to marry someone who understands my crazy and maybe thinks it's cute.

19. know your limits, and continue striving for excellence.

20. self care is actually not optional. water, exercise, naps, reading, etc. are necessary good things. there is a day of rest scheduled in there for a reason.

21. i want to love and to be loved completely, healthily, faithfully, and enthusiastically. and with plenty of silly.

22. invaluable things: time to reflect, traveling & experiencing other cultures, true life-long love, parents who still love each other, being debt free, enthusiastic welcome home greetings from your dog when you just took out the garbage, a good neck and/or foot rub, fresh herbs & flowers, a really good hug, and knowing you are loved because and in spite of who you are.

23. do not give power to anything or anyone that does not deserve it.

24. i need God. a lot.

25. we are lucky to live in this country and are given much opportunity to succeed.

26. spewing hatred at those who have differing opinions does not make the world a better place, nor does it show Love.

27. i can change the world every day. turning off lights when i leave the room, buying a sandwich for a homeless guy, smiling at someone who looks sad, sponsoring a compassion kid, walking my dog, folding my roommate's laundry, praying for our president… never pass up an opportunity to do something nice for someone whether they know it or not.

28. don't expect people to seek you out. it's your job to get out there. initiate.

29. be kind at all times and for no reason whatsoever.

30. getting mad in traffic is a waste of time.

31. i will probably laugh at any sort of pun, and am quite easily amused.

32. never read the comments after any sort of online essay, news article, etc.

33. be aware of toxic relationships. some friendships are seasonal and that is ok. surround yourself with wise, nice, compassionate people.

34. my mighty mighty friend rachel found a quote that says it best: "i myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions." augusten burroughs. this resounds within my whole heart.

flickring

i took violet for two walks today, hoping i would be worn out at the proper time. you know, when it's dark outside. she's asleep, i'm not. so i posted most of my rwanda photos on flickr. come say hi, i'm hellomellie!

and here's me at the falls betwixt tanzania & rwanda. with a rainbow. it was so beautiful!

big brown eyes.

this is clementine. i was drawn in by the pink flamingos on her frock. we met at hope village - a housing village for genocide orphans. she was born to a teenage girl there who has since graduated from school! next up, i need to get miss clementine into school! she wouldn't smile for the camera, but giggled in delight at seeing her own photo.

this is amma. rudy huxtable, anyone??? apparently only i think so, but she had the best mischievous grin.

her momma was right there, and was delighted that i greeted her in kinyarwanda. amma was a shy little bird, but kept a tight grip on my two fingers. i wanted to stuff her in my bag right away!

this is mima. she was the first child i scared with my whiteness, but she finally got up the courage and then kept a firm grip on my hand for the rest of the time we visited. and i quote my roomie mellie: "bring her home now."

there were many more big brown eyes that stole my soul. i want to tell you about fabrice. when fabrice was still a babe-in-arms, his parents had a fight. his father killed his mother with a machete. their neighbors heard her cries and the village took justice into their own hands, leaving fabrice an orphan. one of my new friends in rwanda, K, heard this story on the news, heard the baby's cries, and couldn't sleep for days because the cries never left her mind. thru a swirl of phone calls to tv, radio, villages, etc - she finally found fabrice in a desolate area of rwanda. when she found him, he was emaciated and so ill he could not open his eyes. the villagers, in awe, told her they now believed in God because a total stranger sought out an unwanted orphan. K went back home, and still could not sleep. the baby was still crying in her heart. a few weeks later, the village leader called and said that the baby's last remaining relative, his 97 year old great grand mother was dying. (all other relatives had been killed in the genocide) for the third time, K goes before her church to raise funds for the trek, for food, and for supplies. she takes the baby home - he is full of worms, desperately ill, and somehow remained alive. K and her husband began caring for fabrice (along with the 8 other genocide orphans in their home - never have i seen such a house of warmth and love!)

i met fabrice a few days after his 2nd birthday. he was the first small child who did run away. in fact, he ran TO me, and lifted his arms. always happy to receive a good hug, i obliged. he is happy, healthy, willfull, silly, and beautiful. during the church service where we were introduced to the congregation, he barged up to the front of the church and i swooped him up. he wiggled his little arms all the way around my waist and rested his head on my chest. it was true love.

for what happened next, i had no hesitation. not even a second. K and her husband decided that they wanted to become his legal guardians. the wisdom in this decision? as a legally adopted child, he loses all rights to his family land. if they are his legal guardians, he keeps those rights. they were concerned about the costs and hurdles for legal guardianship and mentioned the cost. there was no doubt in my mind that fabrice is one of the reasons i had to go to rwanda. i had a quick convo with God, counted out the bills, and handed them over the next day. it couldn't have been an easier decision. crazy, yes, for an unemployed girl with only a few future inklings, but what happened next made me giggle uncontrollably. never doubt God's provision. ever.

before i was leaving for rwanda, i offered my car to my pastor, father thomas - flood victims & other hardships had hit our community at church of the redeemer. i wasn't going to be here, my car was, so someone could certainly use it. amber had just retrieved me from the airport and we pull up to the driveway and i meet the family who was able to use my car. (ps, I LOVE being useful) Miss M handed me an envelope, gave me a huge hug, and departed with her small ones. i was in a complete daze from jetlag and put the envelope on my dresser. two days later i open it and it is almost the exact same amount i gave to K for fabrice. i laughed so hard i cried, and then i just cried because i got to play a very small part in saving a kid.

save a baby, save the world.

WHEEEE! (follow up episodes)

akagera national game park:

where you can see enormous baboons decide to go for a dip in the hotel pool.

where you can be 100 yards from an huge hippo in the "safety" of a car.

where you can be inches from a herd of water buffalo praying they don't get irked.

where they literally have a specie of bird called the bald faced go away bird.

where hippos, giraffes, zebras, and antelope abound. and the impudent vervet monkeys will steal your own banana right out of your hand, and where the red dust billows about to turn my hair red....

all in all, it was a good time.

huge announcement.

there is actual pigmentation differences between my arms vs my tummy.
ladies and gentlemen.... i have a tan. be amazed.
no, the freckles have not merged to create a superfreckle.
an actual color difference has been recorded.

stay tuned for pictures. (not of my savage tan, but of more important things)
am home safe, sound, and slightly crazy from jet lag and overwhelm-edness.