Bills Bills Bills

Days Left: 931
Goal #59: Invest monthly

My first palpable memory of paying bills and and money management was in 1999 when Destiny's Child sang their frustrations of some mooching guy in Bills, Bills, Bills. I remember sitting with my childhood friend Emily in class singing a song (Why we weren't listening to the teacher, I don't remember!) about paying telephone and automobile bills even though I'm not sure I even really knew what a "bill" was. Ha! It was also this classic song that taught me words such as "scrub" and "triflin."

I've learned a few things since middle school... one of my favorite This American Life podcast is on The Invention of Money. Check it out! The podcast answers seemingly simple questions such as What is Money? and Where Did Money Come From?

I normally invest on an ad-hoc basis, but am now officially a monthly investor. Woot woot! Destiny's Child would surely approve *wink*

Shenandoah in the Fall

Days Left: 938
Goal #27: Go hiking in Shenandoah with friends

So... after four months living on the outskirts of the Sahel desert, a weekend in the Shenandoah mountains was just what the doctor ordered! I spend the weekend celebrating my dear friend Ashley's birthday. We rented a cabin in the woods and did some great hiking on Saturday.

I love fall....
The crisp air.
The brisk wind.
The dynamic colors.
The fresh smells of pumpkins and apples.

I am definitely an October baby!

Here we go! Off to hike in the mountains... Taking the scenic route for sure and no...we are not planning on littering

My dear friends Devon and Sarah from grad school. I absolutely adore these two ladies. (I'm the chick in the Americana flannel on the right looking off into the gorgeous horizon)

Me with Nima and Jess.. two other great people from grad school. I truly feel so lucky that I met such interesting and kind people at Columbia. 

Ohhhhh Tom. How I adore this gentleman. Tom is one of the first people I met at Columbia. I have tremendous respect for him.

Here is a group of us relaxing post-hike in the hot tub. Nothing like cold beer and hot water to soothe your body and soul after the brisk hike.

Goodness... I can actually smell fall just looking at these pictures. No better way to enjoy the Shenandoah mountains than with these fabulous people. I am so grateful for my friends in DC!

I love you more than tongue can tell

Days Left: 941
Goal #74: Go on a trip with my grandma

One thing on my list was to take a trip with my grandma, and I did just that!

My *cough*cough* year old grandma just took her first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa last week...during my birthday! Allie, my sister, came as well, and the three of us had a blast!

Here are some highlights:

1. Watching the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean while drinking a beer and eating grilled lamb with my grandma at a surf shack.

2. Taking a horse and buggy ride around Saint-Louis, Senegal a beautiful island town in the north of Senegal.

3. Taking a fishing boat to Ngor Island off of Dakar for my birthday dinner, and on the way back my grandma being carried off the boat by the nice Senegalese driver! Haha.

4. My grandma with a *cough*cough* year old Senegalese woman in Marche Kermel, a beautiful fruit/veggie/flower/fish/meat/mask market in downtown Dakar.

5. My grandma getting an awesome tunic made of African fabrics and modeling it around the house.

6. My grandma discovering that she loves bissap juice! Bissap juice is the local juice made with hibiscus flowers and lots of sugar!

7. Grandma, Allie and me in a small village in inland Senegal visiting a friend's family... my grandma asked the kids to sing, and so they did, and it was great!

8. Ooing and awing at the beautiful loom-weaved fabrics at Tess in Saint-Louis

9. Grandma, Allie and I riding in a pretty gnarly, dirty taxi cab with furry seats and doors that didn't really shut... haha

10. Eating lots of good food and drinking African beers and having lots of fun conversations!

I feel so lucky to be close to my grandma. I love that she is adventurous and open-minded. She is always wanting to learn new things. I hope that when I am in my 80s I am like that!

One thing my grandma ALWAYS is she "loves us more than tongue can tell" and that is just how I feel about her :)