home alone...

I guess I should say “home away from home” alone. Jesse and the other participants had to leave early this morning for a four-day retreat away from the office and their families. If they’d asked me, I would have suggested that our retreat to SA was enough, but then, they didn't :-) I have to confess that earlier in the week I was beginning to get a little aggravated at the thought, but I eventually decided I might as well make the best of it. I’m trying to see it as a time for those of us left behind to get to know each other better. Today, we met up with some of them for lunch and we’ve made plans for the next few days so I feel pretty good about the situation. I talked with my Mama for a while this morning and she’s set to come visit for a week in late July which makes me really, really happy! I’ve always known it, but this trip has re-affirmed (is that a real word?) for me that God has given to me two of the most special parents on the planet. They are both making pretty big sacrifices of their time and money to come see us. I’ve got to spend some time practicing behind the wheel so that I can tour them around. Tomorrow, E and I are going to check out what seems to be a great church here in Cape Town, called Hillsong, so that should be fun. It’s just a short walk from our place. Here are some pics from our day yesterday…we made one of our stops at Boulder Beach, where there are lots of penguins. We’ll probably be making our way back there a few more times :-)


Images © of CA :-)

brace yourself...

because I feel sure that you all are about to become green with envy over our new ride for the next couple of months. Thanks to my financially-conscious husband, we are riding in style and saving lots of money at the same time. We took “her” out today for a long drive around the mountains and seashore and she did just fine. It is pretty funny to hear all of her rumbles, smell her exhaust, and see E completely lounged back in the car seat that came with her…every time we take a ride he falls asleep. All jokes aside, though, I am extremely thankful to have a set of wheels while I’m here because many others around here don’t have that luxury. As much as I have snickered, I have to admit it’s actually a lot of fun cruising around in a “hoopty” (as we would have called it in high school)…it makes this time all the more adventurous…

So…feast your eyes folks…here she is…


Isn't she a beaut?

The guy in the pic with me is Charlie, another PWC participant from Houston. He is super nice and is quickly becoming a good friend. Eli loves him and even named the car after him...the Charlie Car ;-)

come on in, y'all...

Our home here is much different than what I'm used to, but it's growing on me a little. I can't say the same for Eli, though. A couple of times I've slipped and said "Let's go home for a while" and he quickly corrects me and reminds me that we belong in McA :-) Many of you have been curious about our place and have asked about our address, so this post is for you. You'll notice that the couches are white...solid white...all over! (along with all of the bedspreads and most curtains as well) This makes for quite a bit of fun with a toddler, especially when he's on a major chocolate milk kick :-) The chocolate milk is quite good here...so good that E and I have been having it in our cereal each morning. I'm gonna post about foods at some point. Although there are certainly many things I recognize and I'm eating plenty, I've come across some interesting finds as well. Jesse is off of work tomorrow so we're going to be sightseeing all day. Stay tuned for more pics...




Jesse &/or Summer Bachman
Shop 6 La Savina
The Island club
Century City, Cape Town, South Africa
7441

we made it!

Greetings from Cape Town! We're only about 5 days into this journey, but it seems that we've experienced so much already. The Lord has been so faithful to hear your prayers for us and has granted me much peace during this time of change. So...to you that have been praying for us, thanks a bunch! The thought of blogging about our experiences here excites me and overwhelms me all at the same time. I've been feeling the same way that I felt when I spent a month in Germany years ago...there's so much that I want to share, but can't possibly fit it all in!

We arrived on Saturday evening around 9:30 and stayed up until 2 getting unpacked and settled in. Our place is decent for the area, but not nearly as cozy as home. It reminds me of a lot of the places I see on House Hunters Intl with all-over tile floors and neutral everything. I've taken some pics and will post them later. After traveling for about 27 hours total and staying up so late, we all piled up in bed and slept 11 hours! We spent the day on Sunday just checking out our hotel/condo area, getting groceries, and meeting up with a couple of new folks for dinner.

On Monday, we went to a meet & greet for the PWC participants and then headed into town with some new friends. Because we had flown in at night and hadn't really ventured out of our little area on Sunday, it was so exciting to see what surrounds us! After lunch by the water, we took a double-decker bus tour to see the city, Table Mountain, and one of the beach areas. The sights were incredible and just made me even more excited to see more in the months ahead.

Today was Jesse's first day of work which I've really been dreading. So... it was really nice to find out that E and I would have some part in it. At 11 this morning, the PWC families were picked up by a bus and taken to the office for an opening ceremony. We were greeted by tons of smiling faces and a group of native men playing music on xylophones and drums. We all joined together in a banquet-like room for greetings from company leaders and songs from local school children which was a super special treat! Along the edges of the room were local folks giving out handmade bracelets, beautiful fresh flowers and other works of art. Other folks were passing out favorite local foods for us to try. Eli was able to join other kids for games, face-painting, etc. so that was nice.

The people here have been especially nice and hospitable to us thus far. Eli is very interested in the service workers here around our place and they really get a kick out of him wanting to help them :-)

It's late here as we're 6 hours ahead of you back home. So...I should probably get some rest for now. Please continue to pray for us. At this point, please pray that Jesse will continue to enjoy and do well in the program and that Eli and I will meet more friends and establish some sort of daily schedule...I don't do well without one! Also, Jesse will be going away for a retreat this weekend so please remember us in that respect as well.

Here are some firsts of the many pics to come...

t is for thomas, tweetie, and time's almost up...

So...we're down to our last three days at home and my nails are more nubby than ever. These are not good times for a nail-biting girl! Today was my last day of work and I'll spend the next couple of days packing. We've already said our good-byes with lots of people and it was more difficult than I thought. It's so funny how comforting it is just to know that people are near by even if you don't see them all of the time. The mix of emotions is even stronger for me now than before but in the midst of it all, I have a peace and know that our God is going with us and will take great of us. Please...prayer warriors continue to pray...especially for Friday...for safe travels and no nervous breakdowns :-) Also...please pray for my family. They are used to spending lots and lots of time with E, so this will be quite the adjustment for them. And...lastly, please begin to pray that my Daddy will have safe travels when he comes to visit us in early July....Yipee!...he's gonna stay with us for 17 days!

I heard a message on the radio today about loneliness and it made me think of how different this situation would be if we didn't have so many wonderful people to say good-bye to and for that I am SO thankful. When I get afraid and think that August seems so far away, I remember how fun it will be to see everyone when we get back! We have had numerous people offer to do something to help out while we're gone and people who were so kind to let us borrow luggage and other items for the flight. Thank you to all of you sweet, sweet friends!

This past Sunday we spent the day with my family and Thomas at Tweetsie. It was such nice weather and so much fun! I wanted to take E one more time while he's still free! If you have small kids and haven't been to Tweetsie yet, consider it. It's such a nice place to spend the day. Here are some pics...



I'm also super excited about my new Smashbook that I purchased this past weekend! It basically provides an easy and informal way to scrap book your memories, thoughts, etc. and there are so many cool little knick-knacks that you can get to go along with it! I know...I know...I'm definitely a little strange for getting so excited about this but...if you're also a paper junkie and want to join me in this madness, google them. They're made by K & Company. I think these would make great gifts too!

sweet springtime...

So far, this season has brought with it a crazy mix of emotions for me. We're leaving for Cape Town in less than three weeks and for some brief moments I'm in complete denial that we're really going. One minute, I'm super excited...the next, super scared...and the next, super sentimental about leaving our family, friends, and home behind for three months. Then, as I type that..."three months", I feel super silly because I know it's really not THAT long.

In the midst of all the mixed emotions, I've had many good times lately that have allowed me to hang out with those that mean the most and keep my mind off of all of the unknowns. I feel bad putting it that way...it's not that I don't want to think about the trip or dread it...it's just that the unknowns are scary right now and they'll remain that way until we get there and know everything :-) So...until then, I choose not to dwell on them by keeping my mind on other things. The past two Saturdays have been perfect ones for celebrating two couples who are perfect for one another. We've attended two weddings that quickly climbed to the top of my "best weddings" list. Of course, the couples were amazing, but the people in attendance were also amazing and the decor/settings for both of them was Southern and relaxed. For those of you who know me well, you could guess that I "ooohed and awwwed" over the details only a couple of hundred times. I absolutely loved it and if it wouldn't have been just downright tacky of me, I would have brought my camera along and taken some pics and shared them with you.

Here's one pic of Jesse and I at the last wedding. He was looking especially handsome in his bowtie, which I also really loved :-)

This past Saturday evening was a bittersweet one. Some of my most precious girlfriends came over to our house for a pajama party. Yes...I said pajama party. I'm sure many would think that we've far outgrown such a party, but I say absolutely not! I think there's almost nothing more fun than drifting off to sleep in the middle of girl-talk and being sardined in a king-size bed of four girls. I think this was a record for us, by the way :-)

A highlight of our evening was a "gender reveal" by Whitney, our friend who is expecting twins! She was so creative. She ordered two boxes of cupcakes, calling one the Baby A box and the other the Baby B box. We each got a cupcake from each box. On the count of three, we took bites out of our cupcakes and discovered PINK filling in ALL of them! So...the Hinson family will have two more girls to join their already adorable two year-old daughter! I'm so excited for them and can't think of two better people to raise three beautiful daughters!

One more thing for now...I know that many people have already been praying and continue to pray for our family's upcoming trip and for that I am so thankful. If you haven't already, please remember us if you will. I know the Lord knows exactly what we need before we even speak it. However, if you would like to pray specifically for us, please make Eli a priority. A) Please pray that he will be able to sleep some on the flights and will be well-entertained by the many little toys and gadgets I've been collecting for him. B) Pray that he will adjust well to the major time change and living situation in Cape Town. And, C) Pray that if A and B don't work out well, the Lord will grant much patience and love to Jesse and I :-)

pop's party :-)

This post just has to begin with a really big "THANK YOU" to my Daddy for making last Friday such a memorable one for us. Each week, Eli counts down the days until Friday because that's the day when he and Pop hang out together. Last week, they worked hard all day to set up a camp site so that E could tent camp outside for the first time. After work, I headed over to join them and was pleasantly surprised. They had prepared a nice little food tent, a fire ring and had set out some cool torches and lanterns to be lit. Eli was so excited to show me everything! Once Jesse made it from work, we all enjoyed some yummy campfire hotdogs and roasted marshmallows. It was so relaxing to just sit out by the fire and enjoy the beautiful evening. Once it was dark, we lit sparklers and made some hot chocolate on the camp stove. Eli also rode around on his tractor in the dark and absolutely loved it. This is something that he has done a few times before so he's gotten pretty good at it. He rides with a head lamp and a light attached to the front of his tractor so that he can see where he's going. It's funny to watch the little blur of light flying around everywhere in the dark:-) I was planning to participate in a March of Dimes walk the next morning so I opted out of spending the night. As I got ready to leave, E, Jesse and Daddy were all bedding down and it was really, really dark out there. I was worried about how E would do. But, by the time I made it home and messaged Jesse, E was already sound asleep. The next morning, the guys cooked breakfast and enjoyed the fire a little more. If the success of the camp out could be measured by the amount of dirt under E's fingernails and how many shampoos it took to remove the smell of the campfire from his hair, then I'd say it was super successful! The next day, Eli was telling me something about the night and referred to it as Pop's party :-) If that's the case, I think Pop's gonna have to host many more parties in the woods and next time I'm in for the whole night!

These next two pics are of Maw-maw and E running around in the field with their sparklers. They're not very clear, but I really love them. Such sweet memories!

Thanks again, Daddy! We had lots of fun!