The One Where We Celebrate the Birth of the United States Marine Corps (Andy)

Saturday, 12 November, Kerry and I helped celebrate the 236th birthday of the United State Marine Corps at the US Marine Corps ball in downtown Nairobi.

While some people out there have only recently become familiar with this event because of attendance of Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake at other Balls back in the States, the Marine Ball is a big deal for the Marine Corp and it also is a big deal for the overseas diplomatic community because it's usually one of the best parties of the year anywhere you are posted. While some diplomatic veterans don't approach the Ball with the same vigor that the once did, this was the first time Kerry and I had ever been to one and we definitely were excited about going.

After a settling a few wardrobe issues--buying a dress while estimating how pregnant you will be when you put it on and a cumber bun that disappeared at the cleaners only to reappear the day of the Ball--we headed downtown and checked into our room at the Nairobi Intercontinental Hotel, an excellent hotel if you are ever in need of one in Nairobi and also the site of the party. We changed into our party clothes and headed to the cocktail hour to meet friends before the evening officially kicked off.

 Some of you may have noticed that I'm wearing the same tux I wore at our wedding last year; however, out of respect for the Corp, I  did not make as triumphant an entrance as i did back then:

The Marine Ball has been described, callously by some, as "work prom." And while there certainly are elements of that, it was great opportunity to honor all the vets for their service and to learn more about the history of the Corps. There also was an open bar, great food, and we had probably one of the best pictures...well, ever...taken of the two of us. Unfortunately, we only have a print of it, which is currently in our living room, but it looked similar to this.

After the official presentations had been made, it was down to business with the rest of the party. We managed to not take any pictures of that portion, but there was dancing to songs from the 80s and 90s and numerous side bar conversations discussing what people were wearing, who they came with, and how people we knew during the day acted after hours. Actually, it was exactly like prom....only this one had booze, guns, and swords.

Happy Birthday, Marines; Semper Fi. Can't wait for next year.

The one with the hiking (Kerry)

If you are an avid reader of this blog you'll note that I am not quite as thorough as my wonderful husband when it comes to posting our adventures on here.  This one shall be no exception.  I am really just killing time as I wait for thunderstorm #5000 to pass so I can take Mosby to his scheduled playdate with our neighbor dog Emmy at the dog park:)


Yesterday we took a wonderful hike to Mt. Longonot--a dormant stratovolcano according to wikipedia--with our friends Cassie and Devin.  The actual hiking pretty much consisted of marching straight up the mountain, but we were rewarded with great views at the top.  We happened to arrive between two buses full of Kenyans so it was not quite as peaceful as we were anticipating, but it sure was entertaining.  Andy and I went very slow because we didn't want to hurt the baby and consequently some fat Kenyans kept cheering us on, telling us we could do it, which was a little embarrassing:)  All in all it was a wonderful day, we loved getting out of the city, we enjoyed the countryside, and we both have the sunburns to prove it.  


Here are some photos:

This is the crater a the top

  

The one where we go to South Africa (Kerry and Andy)

After three months in Kenya, we decided it was time for a change of scenery. So, we packed it up and went to Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa for a nice little four day trip.  Kerry lived in South Africa in a previously life but this was my first time there, so I was excited to see what it was all about.


After our plane landed, my first impression was that South Africa was a lot less Africa than I was anticipating: well-built highways with well disciplined drivers riding on them, western shopping centers at every corner.
On the drive to our hotel we even stopped at McDonalds and had the first of two absolutely delicious meals.  (Its sad that after only three months in Kenya, that is what we were craving, meals neither of us actually would eat back in the USA).


We were put up at a beautiful guest house in Pretoria in a very posh section of town; numerous Ambassadors residents and consulates surrounded it, so we discreetly carried in our McDonalds value meals to avoid scrutiny from the other one percent.  We enjoyed a nice dinner that night and after an excellent night sleep, took a beautiful walk around the neighborhood.

After our walk, we got cleaned up and headed toward the real reason why we were in South Africa....


wait for it....


We are expecting a baby!!!!!!

While this could just be a ploy to see how many of you out there actually are reading this thing, the fact is that it's true, I am 14 weeks along and the baby is due in early May.  We went to the doctor's office for the ultrasound: we got to see the baby moving all around and we got to hear the heartbeat and even see him (or her) open his or her mouth to drink.  We could have watched it for hours.


After the sonogram we did what anyone who has lived in deepest, darkest Africa would do; we went to the mall!  Neither of us are big mall people, but much like the McDonalds from the day before, we found ourselves drawn to the beautiful, air conditioned, multi-story Menlyn mall of Pretoria.  We got some coffee, saw a movie, and Andy got a new pair of sunglasses.  It was wonderful.  That night we went to dinner with some friends and on Saturday morning we headed to Johannesburg to spend some time with our very good friends the Lockwoods.

We had a great time visiting the Lockwood clan and seeing the sights in Johannesburg. On Saturday we all headed out to the Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve just outside of Johannesburg. While the preserve was pretty much a really, really large zoo, we did manage to knock out three of the big five and got up close and personal to at least one guy who seemed like he would have liked to see us on the other side of that window.

We also saw the laziest pride of lions ever:

Having soaked up as much sun as we could handle, and consuming more McDonalds and pizza that we care to admit publicly, it was time to head back home to Nairobi. Thanks for having us, South Africa. Hope to see you again soon.