The "New"and Improved Office

Months ago, I mentioned that the office where I work was undergoing some much needed renovations. Previously we had quite a lot of peeling paint. Personnel and positions in the office have changed quite a bit in the years we have been here, and some of the offices needed to be shifted around to reflect these changes in job descriptions. Together, we suffered through months of smelly paint, shifting furniture, and the painful business of sorting piles from our desks, but have been amply rewarded by the much improved appearance of the office! Since I had posted some construction pictures, I thought I would include a few pictures of the end results. Amanda who volunteered to take on this enormous task, took some flack at first for her color choices aimed to hide the orange sand that is ever present here, but even initial doubters have admitted the colors have begun to grow on them. Everyone agrees that the office has a brighter and cleaner feel to it.

Here is the reception area. Goodbye, shredded cushions and faded curtains; hello, orange!The kitchen and mail room were moved to a smaller space allowing the large office they were occupying to be used as an office. Amanda's husband, Chad, built the cabinets himself.
This is my new office. I love the green curtains. Though it is not a color I used to be drawn too, since living in the desert, I have grown to love the color green! I used to have a large office way too big for what I needed. With some rearranging of doors, the director now has the bigger space which allows him to have small meetings in his office, something not possible before.
One of my favorite additions is in our treasurer's office. Perhaps this is to prove once and for all that money does NOT grow on trees? The art teacher at the kids' school was kind enough to paint this gorgeous mural for us!This deep blue definitely adds interest to this corner room! With the big windows and two white walls opposite, there is no chance of it seeming dark and dingy. We are all thankful for the many changes that help our working place be one an enjoyable one. We pray that as coworkers, pastors and leaders from around the country visit our headquarters, they would feel welcomed. We want our attitudes and actions to be even more beautiful than our new office!

Kay's Day Out? Up?

Many days our kids see Dad coming and going in his flight shirt, but their days are busy here, and Ian's flights are usually several hours one way, so there has not been much effort or interest for them to hop aboard with him. This year at our yearly SIM conference, however, Kay really enjoyed playing with a girl about her age who lives in Galmi (1 1/2 hour flight). Both of the girls' teachers encouraged them in the idea of a visit during the school week, so we began looking for a flight to Galmi where there was space for Kay to travel both ways and one where Ian could wait around for several hours to give the girls time to enjoy one another. It took a couple of months to find such an opportunity, but in March, the day finally arrived!
Kay was SO excited to fly with Dad! She liked looking out the window, but she LOVED talking in the headset. She came home giggling, "Daddy says I sound like his propeller; my mouth just keeps going and going... !" Miss Bookworm didn't even crack the book she brought along to pass the time. The flying was fun, but if possible, she was even MORE excited about seeing her friend, S, and going to school with her for the morning. They had a fun morning at school (Thanks to Aunt Cindy who was flexible enough to add another student to her fun activities!) and were able to eat lunch together. What a special day! It was particularly fun for Kay to visit Galmi as that is where she was born. Ever since her visit, she's been asking for a repeat ride. Unfortunately, this next school year her friend will be in the US, so it may be Tom who has the next chance to head to see his friend near Maradi...

Ward-Forsen Genes

Ever since Tom has been born people have commented how much he looks like his Daddy. He is like his Daddy in a lot of ways: they are both fabulous artists with an eye for details, they both love liver and onions, and they both like to pester people sometimes! The haircut they share, in particular, showcases their similarities. Just a week or so ago, however, I found that though they might be buried deep, Tom does indeed have genes from his Mom's side in him as well... This picture of Tom's matchbox car carrier is all that my family will need to understand and laugh... but for the less initiated, let's just say that my sock drawer had distinct color coordinating tendencies when I was growing up. I would like to clarify that I had NOTHING to do with this arrangement. I only discovered it by accident; while shelving books in the hall, I heard him trying to decide which row the grey car went in. (After pondering, he decided, as I would have, that grey should go in the white row.) Upon questioning, Ian expressed horror at even the IDEA that he would have color coordinated toys when he was growing up, so I know I am fully to blame... or maybe I should blame his Grammy... after all it must be in the genes...

February Banquet

Earlier this month the Sahel Student Council held a banquet for the entire school community. My girls are always THRILLED when the elementary students are included in the "fancy" banquets! They love dressing up and usually max out my meager jewelry collection and hair styling skills with the grand creations they have envisioned. Tom wasn't quite as excited about the dressing up bit (specifically tucking in his shirt!), but he went anyway because Ian and I were recruited to help. We all had a lot of fun!

This year the theme was Paris (note the Eiffel Tower in the background)...
The outside tables with the small lights twinkling made a very elegant setting. The food and its presentation were, Parisian-like, a big part of the evening. A delicious dinner was prepared with lots of special touches from elaborate vegetable garnishes and savory sauces, to a full boulangerie, and desert plates swirled elegantly with chocolate. Ian presided as one of the "chefs" for the evening, carving meat in the buffet line. During dinner, the student council hosted a talent show showcasing lots of student fun. Here are some of the kindergartners enjoying their evening together. (Tom is in the light blue shirt.)Afterward, the students had the opportunity to learn to waltz or watch a movie. The girls were very enthusiastic about waltzing, though they did confine their partners to the fairer sex. That didn't seem to bother the elementary boys any though, as the majority of them were watching the movie! :)
As always after events such as this, I am thankful for Sahel Academy and the fun things they plan for the students so they can have experiences and learn skills outside of the academic box (like manners and dancing!). I am also very thankful for our community, especially the older students who are so willing to include and tangibly care for the younger ones.

Hard Hat Times

This past week the SIM office and those who work there started on a new adventure: remodeling! Mostly this remodeling takes the form of a badly needed paint job. Some offices had large patches of peeling paint and the majority of the paint was not washable, so fingerprints and lizard droppings were all too evident. The ceilings are turning from a mocha color to a nice, bright white. The office reception desk is now framed in a dirt-hiding chocolate color while the rest of the hallways and offices are being painted a tanish color, again aimed at reducing visable dirt which is so prevalent here. This morning, we walked in and were very surprised to see lavendar walls!! We joked that we were trying to attract a purple loving colleague of ours to come and work in the office. Thankfully, it was only the first coat, a bit more yellow and we had a more expected khaki/tan color. Here you can see the chocolate and lavender walls. It looks quite nice, but it will look nicer without the lavender. The color itself is not bad, it is just rather surprising in an office setting!
Since furniture was being moved around to paint, the opportunity was taken to shift around a few of the offices to hopefully serve people better. I have a personnel interest in the shifting as I am being shifted! My office is currently very large. The majority of things in it are not mine, nor are they things needed for my job. I am being moved to a much smaller space where i don't have to house extra files and furniture. I am looking forward to having my own bulletin board and a bit more say in what is in my space. In order to make the space shifting fit our jobs, we had to shift around some doors. Here is the doorway to my new office from the hall. We had quite a lot of banging and falling cement pieces while this hole was being made. This picture is looking from my office into the director and deputy director's offices. The door on the left has always been there, the door on the left is another new addition. Another long intended project that is being completed is that of putting windows in all the hall doors in the office. Some places like the treasury need a bit more security, so their doors will have grates covering the windows. As more of the offices are using air conditioning and keeping their hall doors closed, it is nice to be able to see if people are available for talking or are in appointments. Here is our new treasurer... we locked her in so she couldn't leave. We just push food through the grate now and again. :) Just kidding Ruth! I'll keep taking pictures so you get the full effect. At least one more paint color will go up, couch cushions are being recovered, curtains are being washed and some changed out. It is nice to see all the changes and extra nice not to be in charge of making them!

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!

This past week, Heidi officially entered the double digit world with her 10th birthday! We celebrated earlier this month with her friends at a polka dot party.

We had fun with the circle punch for these decorations!The girls played Twister and other "dot" games, made polka dot bookmarks, and ate birthday cake dotted with Skittles. There is nothing like being crazy with friends!

Traditionally our family has a birthday dinner on each person's actual birthday. Heidi requested a "fancy" dinner to which we invited the cousins (and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Krista too! :)) So on Thursday the tables were set with tablecloths, flowers, and the good dishes, and the Rideout Restaurant opened for business. Here is the "middle table" with Kira, Kay, Brynn & Tom. Notice how sophistocated Kira and Kay are :)!The other table sat the adults, "big" kid, and little kids: Kevin, Krista, Elayna, Silas, Heidi, myself, and Ian.Kay did a fine job as our principle waitress. The evening opened with a salad course, with lettuce fresh from our backyard and homemade rolls. Next came grilled steak, baked potato, and green beans, followed by the finale of chocolate cake with two flavors of ice cream! My detail girl loved the little touches of using the butter knife and salad forks, and having garnishes of orange slices and parsley for the main dish servings and lime slices in the water glasses. Heidi decided it was more "restaurant like" to only blow out one candle on her own serving of cake. We had a fun evening celebrating our TEN year old!! The best part? No one was grouchy the next day because everyone even got to bed on time! It was a school night after all...

the TRAP (AHHHH!)

Kids go through many different stages of play but the last few months we have a new one at our house I have never seen before! Tom's latest obsession has been setting up "robber traps" across the door to his room. I have NO idea where this idea came from, but for the last month or so, when entering his room we have encountered string of various types propped up with swords, wrapping paper tubes, and chairs; tied around bed posts, door handles and dresser knobs; and ALWAYS with a bell attached (the robber alarm). Usually there are a few stuffed animals and a rubber snake standing guard as well in case the robber gets through the first defense! Here is an example of one of his creations, though not by any means the most elaborate! I have no idea how this came to mind, but he really enjoys spending the hours intricately balancing all the items and he loves it when the bell goes off meaning he "caught" Mom trying to put his clothes away or someone trying to mess with his legos. I've noticed he hasn't been quite as diligent the last few days at setting it and more focused on creating farm and ranch corrals, so perhaps we are moving on to a new phase...