Visiting Newport

While Mom and Dad Koski were visiting us in June, we spent a weekend in Newport, RI. We joined up with Aunt Karen, who was working in the area for a while. We had a wonderful picnic lunch overlooking the ocean, spent a few hours touring the Green Animals Topiary Gardens and enjoyed the spectacular views along the three and a half mile Cliff Walk. Here are a few pictures of our time.

Memories of Kenya

Daniel and I spent an amazing two and a half weeks in Kenya over Christmas and New Year's. We had been planning this trip for the past four years and were finally able to make it. We stayed with Daniel's brother, Jonathan and family at their home in Nairobi. His parents also stayed at the house and his sister's family joined us for a few days as well. It was great to get to spend the time together. While we were in Kenya the whole family traveled to Ngilai, in the Samburu region in Northern Kenya. Daniel's family lived there for three years when he was little. We visited Kitich Camp, where we went hiking in the mountains and also spent a night in the house Daniel's dad had built and they lived in. We then flew to Malindi, on the Indian Ocean and stayed four nights in a guest house. While we were in Nairobi, Daniel and I were able to visit the giraffe center and fed giraffes, and the animal orphanage, where we saw orphaned elephants and a rhino. We toured the hangers for both Africa Inland Mission (AIM) and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and Daniel showed me around Rosslyn Academy, where he attended school. We also camped at a game park in Nakuru and went on two safari drives. It was an incredible trip! Kenya is a beautiful country, with beautiful people, animals and landscapes. It was special for me to see where Daniel had grown up and where the rest of his family currently live. I can't wait to go back!

Our Home - Part 2

Our Very Own Home

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. We welcomed Daniel's parents for a visit, closed on our house, and moved, all within a couple of days. It was wonderful to have Daniel's mom and dad here to help us with the move and with projects around the house. We've begun to make our house a home and have added some personal touches. This past week we had new light fixtures installed in the kitchen and bathroom as well as adding electrical outlets in both rooms. We also had our new washer and dryer installed. I've never been more excited to do laundry! We have lots of ideas and plans for now and in the future, including some landscaping and a bathroom remodel. Thankfully the house is in great condition and we don't have very much work that needs to be done right away.

We began thinking about buying a house in the Beverly area this past winter while I was dealing with health issues related to an allergic reaction during construction work that was being done on the house we were renting. We found out I'm allergic to horsehair plaster, which is used in old houses. I had a severe reaction to the dust and couldn't live in the house for almost a month. Once I was back home, I had to take allergy meds to reduce the reaction I continued to have. Daniel and I began to wonder, since we plan to stay here long term, if we could buy a house now. When we inquired with a realtor from our church, and mortgage broker, also from church, we found that it was a possibility! So we began the search. We looked at 15-20 houses and had accepted offers on two different ones (both of which failed inspections) before we found our house, which is perfect in size and location (just a block from the train station).

We'd like to share some pictures of our new house with you. These were taken during the walk through before we closed. As we hang pictures on the walls and decorate, we'll post more photos. For now, we'd like to give you a glimpse of what our house looks like!

Front entry

Living room

Living room looking into dining area

Dining area

Kitchen pantry

Master bedroom

Guest bedroom

3rd bedroom - office

Touring the Islands

This past weekend, Daniel and I celebrated our third anniversary with a Boston Harbor Islands Tour. We took the train into Boston Saturday morning and made our way to Rowes Wharf, where we purchased tickets for a noon departure on the ferry. We enjoyed the half hour cruise out into the harbor to Georges Island. Daniel and I spent some time exploring Fort Warren, a Civil War era fort with beautiful views from the lookout towers of Boston and the other nearby islands.



From Georges Island, Daniel and I took a small water taxi to Spectacle Island, a smaller island closer to the mainland. We chose to hike one of the trails around to the other side of the island. A shady spot provided the perfect place to stop and enjoy the snacks we had brought along. We took in the sights and sounds that surrounded us - the view of Boston and other islands, sailboats sailing by, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below us. We finished our hike back at the pier and and returned to Boston on the ferry. After stopping for ice cream, we returned home on the train. Daniel and I really enjoyed our time on the islands, especially Georges Island and definitely plan to make a return trip.

Victory!

A couple of weeks ago Daniel and I joined the masses in Boston to celebrate the Bruins' Stanley Cup victory. We aren't die hard fans, but thought it would be fun to participate in this once in a lifetime experience. The Boston Globe estimated that there was close to a million people who came into town for the festivities. We rode the very overcrowded train into North Station, which shares space with the Garden, home of the Boston Bruins. We found a spot near the Garden, where the parade was starting from. The team rode in a line of 20 duck boats, with the Stanley Cup held high at the front, and ticker tape confetti flying all around us. It was a lot of fun to be a part of the parade and celebrate the Bruins' victory with the rest of Boston.

A Stinky Situation

Makwa learned a very important lesson last Tuesday night. Daniel had taken him outside before bed and in Makwa's curiousity, he got a little too close to the neighborhood skunk. Unfortunately, Makwa had cornered the skunk and before Daniel could call him back, Makwa got sprayed in the face, neck, and chest. As soon as Daniel brought Makwa inside, we washed him in the tub. We were completely unprepared for this kind of situation and all we could do was give him a bath. Neither Daniel nor I slept much that night as the smell of skunk permeated the house. Daniel did some research and found that boiling water with vinegar would get the skunk smell out of the air. It worked, but then the house smelled of vinegar. Still better than skunk, though! Makwa received two more baths on Wednesday, using hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. The second bath included a presoak with listerine. It seemed to work well. Unfortunately, we still had to deal with the mild skunk smell throughout the house. After many loads of laundry, scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom floors, cleaning the carpets with a rug doctor, several days with the windows open (in 30 degree weather), and perfumey candles burning, we've finally gotten rid of it, for the most part. Every so often we get a whif of skunk. I guess it will just take time for the smell to fully disappear. I sure hope Makwa has learned his lesson and we won't have to go through this again. However, if he does get sprayed by a skunk again, we WILL be prepared!