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~ The sun sets over Kampala ~ Mom was only able to come to Uganda for three weeks. But it was a wonderful three weeks full of visiting, a Christmas celebration, a birthday celebration, adventures on safari, a visit to the Source of the Nile, and a whole bunch of help and guidance with Josiah. In fact, I think Mom would have held Josiah the whole time if she could have!
Mom really wanted to give us a date night while she was here but it never panned out - Josiah still feeds too often and on his own schedule so Krista and I didn't get our date but Mom often took Josiah during lunch or dinner so we did get to eat together at home. Mom wanted to take us out to dinner somewhere special and we had two places we were interested in where we either had never eaten or where Krista hadn't yet been.
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~ Shauen, Josiah, and Mom at the Diplomat Hotel ~ The first place was the Diplomat Hotel, which is way up on top of the hill we live on and has views of both downtown Kampala and Lake Victoria. The restaurant balcony faces to the west, and we got there just enough before sunset to enjoy the views and then watch the sun go down. It was so beautiful! As the drink orders were being taken, Krista ordered a "bottle of water." We were very confused as he asked if she wanted water with it or anything else. We were even more confused when he brought Krista a very small amount of clear liquid (what we thought was water) in the bottom of a tumbler glass. Only after trying her "sample" of water did Krista realize he had not brought a "bottle of water" but a "tot of waragi," the local gin! I guess that's why he asked if she wanted water with it. As the sun set over the hills of Kampala, Mom's trip drew closer to its own sweet and gentle end. The next night she would be boarding a plane to begin the long journey back to Seattle.
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~ 7 Hills Restaurant - Josiah is upset Mom is leaving! ~ But not before she took us out for one more meal after church! Mom did very well at church when Pastor Jerome unexpectedly asked her to stand and say a few words as she prepared to return to America. So after church we headed across town to the Golf Course Hotel where we rode the lift up to the 7 Hills Restaurant, which REVOLVES! Yup, similar to the Space Needle in Seattle and countless other revolving restaurants around the world, the 7 Hills Restaurant revolves about one revolution every 2 hours. It overlooks the golf course on one side and downtown on the other. The food there has been excellent every time I've been and Krista has been wanting to eat at 7 Hills for months! What a pleasant and enjoyable meal to cap off Mom's vacation with us.
As I took her to the airport, I think she realized all those things a grandmother wants to tell the new parents that she hadn't had a chance to say yet. Her loving and wise advice washed over me and I can only hope that I remembered the most important points to share with Krista. Mom is now on her way home, with memories of holding her grandson fresh in her mind. We'll see you this fall, Mom, when we come home on furlough! Thank you for coming. We love you! -Shauen