Today we give what? Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

We have the day off today, so we're preparing for a thanksgiving feast! Since we arrived in Africa and realized that cooking from scratch is the only way to eat some of our favorite foods (thai curries, spicy indian dishes, falafel, and baked goods), Nate has definitely caught a cooking bug! Who knew that I would be so lucky to marry a man who likes to read food blogs in his spare time!?! I love it. So anyways, today we're enjoying a thanksgiving meal with other eMi members and their families. Nate informed me yesterday that instead of making one dish, like we would be expected to do, we were bringing four: roasted winter veggies, sweet potato casserole, drop biscuits and pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting (these blogs are inspiring)! Its two hours before mealtime and it looks like we'll accomplish all except the biscuits. It's smelling lovely in this hot kitchen!

Since Nate refused to be photogenic with either of his veggie dishes, all I have for you is a picture of the cookies. You can find the recipe here (at www.kitchenscrapbook.com)

Anniversary

²¹But this I call to mind,
   and therefore I have hope:

²²The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,^*
   his mercies never come to an end;
²³they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul,
   'therefore I will hope in him.'

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
   to the soul that seeks him.
²⁶It is good that one should wait quietly
   for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷It is good for one to bear
   the yoke in youth,
²⁸to sit alone in silence
   when the Lord has imposed it,
²⁹to put one's mouth to the dust
   (there may yet be hope),
³⁰to give one's cheek to the smiter,
   and be filled with insults.

³¹For the Lord will not
   reject for ever.
³²Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
   according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
³³for he does not willingly afflict
   or grieve anyone.

- Lamentations 3:21-22

Today is the first anniversary of my father's death.  It's still hard to understand, but the hope I have in the Lord gives me some peace.

Ugandans Love Obama...

And we do too!

Although it would have been fun to experience the excitement in Washington DC this morning (where 94% voted for President-elect Obama), we've enjoyed being in Uganda during this election because Ugandans LOVE Barack Obama.

Our intent is not to turn this blog into a political platform, but Nate and I can't help but say, "Woohoo!" We're excited to move back to the US in 6 weeks and be a part of a revived country. Okay, so some of you might not agree that there's been a revival, but we're hopeful that the decision that was made yesterday will lead to some great change.

We woke up at 5 am to watch the results come in with some friends...here's a picture of Nate and me with the Obama family :)

Love,
Alicia

Halloween!

We shopped for Halloween costumes at a huge, crowded, dirty market in downtown Kampala last Thursday afternoon. Sarah and Dan were going as the Wonder Twins - 2 superheros that I had never heard of. Since a few of their Embassy friends were also going as superheros, Nate and I decided that some villains needed to attend the party, so we went as Poison Ivy and The Green Goblins. Oh! And Romeo went as a pumpkin.