Thursday, June 30, 2011

Staging for Uganda - 8/2-8/3 in Philadelphia! Gifts....Anyone????

STAGING Yesterday I received the email stating I will depart for my Ugandan Vision Quest out of Philly - The City of Brotherly Love - Seems very appropriate!!!

I have completed most of my 1st round of packing and now have the task of weeding down piles to the real essentials - it will be fun to see if my box of Preference Hair Color makes the cut!!! Note: It is further up the line than a short wave radio, which I have elected to purchase in Uganda. 

I can bring 2 pieces of luggage (weighing no more than 80 lbs) and 2 carryons - So this will test my engineering skills!!! I am enjoying the challenge immensely!!!

I am approximately 30 days from leaving the comfort of warm showers, air conditioning and flushing toilets. I am excited for the change - I am a believer in getting uncomfortable in order to continue growing....I suppose this means I will be growing bacteria along with the other types of personal growth!!!!

The Little Red House has turned out to be a wonderful place to spend the last few months with my husband and dogs - and we have been lucky to have our 2 big, handsome and smart sons here for the weeks before I leave. I may sound like I am bragging but its true!!! See them below...

Me with my awesome sons - whom I love with all my heart!

They are on their own adventures and I enjoy knowing we are all connected across the universe by our family bond. Here is a picture of me and my husband - he is even better looking than the picture gives him credit for!!

Note his T-shirt from the Crescent City Classic 10K Race!

Yes - I am excited - anxious - a little scared and a little sad - moving away for 2 1/4 years has my mood transitioning from one to the other every 5 seconds!! I am enjoying the exhilaration of it!!!

GIFTS   OK - if you've made it this far I suppose you are my friend and really care - so if you want to give me something before I leave I have a Wish List on Amazon.com. Just go to Amazon and look to the top right where there is a shopping cart - next to it are the words "Wish List" - select the drop down and click"Wish List" - mid screen there will be a search box that has "Find Someone's Wish List" and enter my name or email.

Most items on my list are Kindle books that I want to load on my Kindle before I leave. I consider this a 2 year study on Africa from an internal perspective - So there are a lot of books on Africa on my list! In addition - if you want to give me a Kindle book, that you love, that is not on my list - that's even better - as I will be able to think of you while reading it in a far away sweaty place!

There are also some "non-digital / hard items" I want - mostly maps and travel guides - So if you are afraid to figure out how to give a Kindle book, you can send me a traditional solid gift.  I am flexible that way! For these you need to ship to my new Red House address - If you don't have it just call me or email me. I will need the "non-digital / hard items" in the next couple weeks in order to make sure they are here and get in my suitcase.

Thanks for reading ...stay tuned - LOVE Karla

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

This sums it up for me - Quote by Mark Jenkins

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” -Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins Author