Our home away from home

Hey GF’s!!! As I sit here in my little mobile home (commonly known as "the Van"), snug and cosy, looking out at the brilliant blue sea of Jeffries Bay, thoughts of home and normal life seem sooooo far away. I was just saying to my DH this afternoon that we have seen and experienced so much, and whilst I know it will forever be etched on the hearts and minds of our family, I really do need to document it before the 5 days gone by become 10!..so here goes...an overall view thus far, and then a very brief day by day account -(photo's will be scarce until we are home, as I'm working off my 3g!)

For me, the last 5 days have been almost too wonderful to put into words. In so many ways I feel like the God’s have shone down on us, and in doing so have made this trip more amazing than I could ever have hoped it would be. Besides the fact that this trip is the realization of one of the things both Nick and I have always wanted to do in our lifetime, we are experiencing it together with our children, and at a time when they are still of the age where they find wonder and beauty in the simple things, the meaningful things, and are thrilled at the prospect of spending time with Mom and Dad day and night, in a confined space such as this. I feel like the last 5 days alone, have brought our already close family even closer, as we’ve shared these experiences and marvelled at the beauty and miracles we've seen in this wonderful place we call home, relishing in all it has to offer, together.

The beauty and freedom of our picture perfect open spaces, the creative and artistic as well as cultural diversity, the warmth and friendliness of the people everywhere, the BEACHES…oh the beaches, the wildlife..the sunsets and sunrises, watching horses run on the beach, watching a starfish find it's way home....the list is endless….

I have always loved that saying – “to know you is to love you”, and have so related to it these last few days. As we sat in a show at the Grahamstown festival yesterday, delighting in our little boy’s facial expressions as he watched these gifted African musicians, I realized how much I have come to love this country even more, the more I’ve come to know it, and felt grateful for all the experiences I’ve had here, and I am so so thankful that we have been able to give our children the gift of this experience, and that they have delighted in every moment. Sharing this experience with another family, and being blessed with the weather we have experienced thus far, has been the icing on the cupcake and has made this one-in-a-million experience, one that our family will never ever forget……