Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2013

Happy New Year

You can see how we did with 2013's bucket list here. You can also see our List for 2014 . We brought in the New Year with lots of dancing in the back garden. Connor was the BBQ master and made us some great food! We also played a few games in preparation for the big moment. We celebrated the turn of the year with sparkling apple and hugs all round, and just as our celebration died down, we heard all of the other neighbors start theirs. It didn't quite add up, until we realized that Dad's iPad was about 7 minutes too fast! We all laughed as we packed up and saw a couple of other people's fireworks going off around us.

Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve

We finished the year with a very Lion King-esque adventure. We all piled into the minivan and drove through the Cradle of Humankind and over to the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve. Today’s goals: play with lion cubs and see some bigger animals! As soon as had we entered the park we saw all sorts of antelope with a massive variety of horns and antlers. As we drove further on down the dusty, rocky ‘road,’ we were able to check off animal after animal from our list. We saw some ugly wart hogs fighting in a little watering hole, wildebeest trotting around, cape buffalo grazing, white rhinos with their babies, ostriches, and zebras. We were also lucky enough to see lions, white lions, cheetahs, leopards, white tigers, a giraffe, wild dogs, and a jaguar! The lions were amazing. Either there is no way to describe it, or I am not a good enough writer, but there is nothing like seeing a lion just a few meters away. We actually got to see a very brief mating session, whic

Lesedi

The perfect place to start our South African adventure was Lesedi, a cultural experience that took us through five villages that represented the five different tribes associated with South Africa. We learned a little about the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho, and Ndebele tribes, by walking around small villages and being introduced to some of the people and traditions that they have. Our tour guide, named "Slender," was great, and made us all feel involved in the tour. She had us repeat different tribal words and communicate with the people in each village. We arrived a little early, and spent a bit of time browsing around a colorful market with loads of really cool African trinkets! Laleinia wanted her picture taken with a beautiful little South African girl, who modeled some of the beaded jewelry really well. Alastair had his eye on some African Football paintings and Lain had her eye on everything else! As we walked around the villages, we were taught some o

Merry Christmas from South Africa!

We arrived in Johannesburg safe and sound late on Christmas day. We pushed back most of the festivities to the 26th, our first Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere! We wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that it was one to remember!

Food Stop in Vegas

Our voyage to South Africa started with a long drive to California. We swung by Las Vegas on the way, and were sure to eat at Le Village buffet in the Paris resort. I don't think that we have ever been so full, but it was a lot of fun. We were unanimous in choosing the crepes as the highlight of the buffet, which Lain gave a solid nine out of ten. We also walked around a candy store with some super-sized stuff. Good times!

Goodbye Rexburg!

Laleinia & Alastair's first picture, Fall 2011 Today is the day that we finally left Rexburg. Lain and I both arrived in South-east Idaho in September of 2007, over six years and three months ago, and it is finally time to move on! Today was bitter/sweet for me, since I have been so excited to be finished with my undergraduate degree and leave Rexburg, but I also realized that I changed and benefitted a lot from being in Idaho. This was the place that I got ready for my mission, went to the temple for the first time, met my wife, decided to focus on my education, and gained a whole load of new skills and knowledge. It is crazy to think that I arrived in Rexburg with two suitcases, and now I leave with two different suitcases, a wife, a great photo album, a phone full of wonderful people's phone numbers, a place in a great MBA program, a job, and so much more. I am so much better off from my time in Rexburg. Studying and being a part of BYU-Idaho has been amazing. Of c

Future Adventure

Laleinia and I cannot believe how blessed we are. After interviewing last week in New York City, we found out that we were accepted to IESE in Barcelona, Spain! Not only do we feel that the school is the best fit for me, it also happens to be one of the best business schools in the world! In fact, the Economist currently ranks IESE at #5 in their list of top MBA programs. Also, I will be able to earn a bilingual MBA! But wait, it gets better. I have been accepted into the Young Talent Program, which means that I have been pre-admitted to the program that starts in 2016. I will work for the next two years before going off to Spain. This means that we can earn some money and get immigration sorted out before we leave. I was a little worried about leaving the US for an MBA program while still a permanent resident, since immigration is so tedious. But this way, I will get my citizenship before heading off to school! Of course, Laleinia is very happy about it all. It is so