Some belated pictures from our trip to California

Mira appreciates the Santa Cruz Boardwalk carousel.

Mira at the Aquarium 

Mira & Owen

Mira & the Grands 

Mira & Anzara Contemplate the Ocean

Mira & Ann

Big news, big belly. . .

Wow!  I'm pregnant!  While Peter and I have actually known this since early May, I am only now making it widely known to people outside of my family and the folks I see every day.  First, the preliminaries:  I'm due on Peter's bday (that's fun!), which is January 20th; in 2 days, I'll be 17 weeks along.  We are not finding out the gender and we are not sharing names before the birth with anyone.. . .sorry!  But, we're very excited!  It's kind of crazy to go from years and years of trying NOT to get pregnant to, all of the sudden, here we go!  Whee!

I'm getting off lucky--no puking for me, just really profound exhaustion (which I keep thinking is over, then it's not) and extreme moodiness, which I think is worse for Peter than it is for me.  We've started getting some baby clothes at yard sales and stuff and are trying to clear the back room out, but otherwise haven't done too much preparation. I just got my first maternity wear items this past weekend and by the end of August expect to not be able to wear any of my current clothing.

In other news, we are trying our best to enjoy as much of our remaining lives as a young, childless couple as much as we can.  Since May, we have been to see Coldplay and Beyonce and have traveled to Pittsburgh and New England.  Pictures from those trips are attached.  As for Pittsburgh, it was REALLY wonderful to see family and cousins who I hadn't seen in way too long and we want to give a shout out to Uncle Turk for being one of our best blog readers!  Thanks, Turk!  As for New England, we just got back last week.  The original impetus for the trip was Peter's mom Betsy's wish to have her ashes scattered off of Martha's Vineyard.  However, with 18 family members in attendance and the beautiful setting, it turned into much more of a vacation than I had anticipated.  On the way home, we stopped and saw my good friend Indu, who really pampered us!

Another big change for us is that Matt and Woody moved into our downstairs apartment at the beginning of June and are officially Atlantans.  As I write, they are preparing to move out to a more permanent, private space, and I will miss them (though they'll only be 3 miles away!)  It has been so nice seeing so much of them this summer and I'm thrilled that they both have found jobs in this evil economy.  

Work-wise, Peter and I keep trucking along.  Not too much new on that front.  

So, I will try to blog about life and pregnancy as it seems appropriate, without oversharing or being too ebullient.  You may see an ultrasound picture here.  I promise that I will not put any pictures of the umbilical cord or placenta up after the birth (I actually heard of someone recently who did this--eew!).

Anyway, hope all of your summers are wrapping up well!  Call anytime and give us an update--if we haven't talked in the last month or so, chances are we miss you!

xoxox, r&p

Pictures, roughly from top to bottom:  fireworks over East Point; Peter with Gram in Slippery Rock, PA; Peter near the Gay Head cliffs in Martha's Vineyard; Good times with the girl cousins in Monaca, PA; Deborah H. serves up lobsters from the grill (yum!); Brunch with Indu in Boston; Happy Birthday, Woody!; Hiking on the Chatahoochee with Sarah and Andrew; Me, a little belly and the Pittsburgh skyline; Peter on the ferry. 

The End of Vacation and Back to Work!

Since I last posted, we have been really busy, even if we haven't been working! Shortly after landing in GA, we made our residence official by swearing into the GA bar, applying for jobs and getting drivers' licenses. The local bar in Fayette County GA was so wowed by a husband and wife lawyer team, that they even ran an article in the local paper about us! We both applied for several jobs, but ended up hitting the GA market at a weird time for both of us. For me, the criminal defense options were few, as the GA public defender system is currently imploding. For Peter, immigration gigs were scarce because Congress has not authorized any new visas for immigrants recently. Fortunately, though, we both found good options and will start work tomorrow! I will be working at the GA Resource Center, where I will be working on habeas corpus petitions for people on death row here in GA--possibly my dream job. . .we'll see! I am very excited to be able to focus more on individual clients and researching their cases inside and out, rather than appearing in court every single day. I will still be in court sometimes, but only for select arguments--this frees me from wearing a suit on a daily basis--yay!

As for Peter, he will be working at MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund--kinda like the Latino NAACP), where he will be doing civil rights class litigation on behalf of Latinos in GA and lobbying the GA state legislature for better laws for Latinos. I don't think GA state law makers have yet realized what they are in for. . .:) Serendipitously, Peter is also starting work tomorrow and we will be able to commute together in the mornings on the train, which should be amusing.

In other news, we have filled our time while we were waiting for job interviews and acceptances with lots of fun stuff! We took a road trip in our Neon in July to Chicago for Randal and Megan's wedding, which was great, and then we continued north to Madison, Wisconsin, where we visited Peter's Grandma Betty. In the middle of July, we got a call saying that the Obama campaign was actually working in Peachtee City(!) and would we like to help? We were very excited and are now in our fourth week of registering voters here in my hometown and the surrounding counties, which I never would have thought would have a chance of going Blue. I have been really pleasantly surprised with how many closet Dems. there are around here! The beginning of August had us watching a lot of Olympics and starting the house hunt in earnest. We focused on Decatur, GA, which is 6 miles from downtown Atlanta and on the train line. Decatur is also the home to both Agnes Scott College and Emory University, which both contribute to an artsy, progressive vibe in the town. About a week ago, we found our house (see pictures above)! It is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths on top, which front and back porches and a gorgeous kitchen. It also has a 2 bedroom, one bath rental unit on the bottom with kitchenette and living room. We just think it's adorable and will give us a lot of flexibility to add to our income, if need be, while we are paying off our student loans. When we no longer need that income, it will potentially give us room to grow. It has big old oak trees in the back yard and is 2 blocks from the local park and about 4 blocks from a shopping area. We are very excited!

Finally, at the end of August, my brother Matt and his boyfriend Woody visited, bringing our cat Isabelle with them from Seattle. It was a momentous time because it was the first time Matt has brought a significant other home and all went well. Also, my dad turned 60 and they were both able to be here for the party--yay! We just took them back to the airport yesterday and the house seems empty without them, even though there are still four people a dog and a cat here.

So, thanks for reading! That's about it for now. ..my plan is to post about every month to keep people updated on what we're up to. We'd love to hear from you, too! Drop us a line at robynp88@yahoo.com or pisbister27@yahoo.com. Our phone numbers are still the same, too!

Have a happy September!

R & P

Tanzanian Safari Details

We had a terrific time on Safari, which was my (Robyn's) favorite part of the entire three month trip.  We got into Dar Es Salaam on May 30th after almost 24 hours of travel (and a night spent in the Johannesbourg airport) and quickly discovered that my bag did not make it from Antananarivo (not that big of a surprise, actually).  After making our report, we met Amisi, a taxi driver friend who Dila had sent to meet us at the airport.  He took us to Dila's home, where we were able to shower, nap, and peruse gossip magazines until she got home from work.  It was so good to see her!  The next day, Amisi swung by and took us back to the airport (where I picked up my bag--yay!) and we left for Arusha.  Our flight out of Dar was 2 hours delayed, so we had time to do a preliminary perusal of the Dar airport gift offerings.  Finally, we got into Arusha around 9 p.m. and checked into the Jacaranda hotel, anticipating the safari the next day.

Our driver Gebby picked us up at our hotel the following morning at 8:30 and we set out for an all day drive to the Serengeti!  We passed through Arusha and several small towns
nearby, as well as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  We had a picnic on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater and then continued on to the Serengeti.  On the way, we had our first glimpses of giraffes, zebras, gazelles, lions, cape buffalo, ostriches and several other species--just driving through the park to camp we saw 22 separate species!  At around 5:30 we got to the Seronera campsite, where Gebby and Semini (our cook) set up our tent and made dinner while we relaxed. 

That night, we had a three course meal and retired early.  We were both exhausted after all of our traveling, so we fell immediately asleep.  Nonetheless, I was wide awake around 3 am when I heard a rustling and saw an ominous shadow outside of our tent.  My heart was pounding!  Could it be a lion???  We had been instructed by Gebby NOT to leave our tent if we could help it between 10 p.m. and sunup.  I lay awake, trying to calm my heart and to move as little as possible for another hour until I could stand it no longer and had to wake up Peter.  I pointed out the shadow and the noises to him and he agreed that it sounded like an animal was outside our tent!   What could it be???  By this time, I had become somewhat calmer, telling myself that it must be a grazer rather than a carnivore because it had not yet burst through the tent and gobbled us up.  Still, it was ominous and I was not about to leave the tent, even though we both really had to use the bathroom.

Around 5, we started to hear the movements of other people breaking camp, so Peter decided to brave going outdoors.  He gingerly poked his head around the side of the tent and came back with the report of NOTHING!  At first, we were in denial then we came to admit that we had just spent three hours being scared silly by the wind and night sounds of Africa.  So much for our credibility as intrepid adventurers!

We set off early the next morning for a game drive, hoping to catch up with the great migration, which was rumored to be 85 km away on the other side of the park.  On the way, we saw hyenas, jackals, hartebeast, impala, a male and female lion couple ("honeymooners" said our guide Gebby), hippos, warthogs, hyrax, about 20 Nile crocodiles, lunching elephants, and tons of exotic birds!  Finally, we made it to the migration and saw a herd of wildebeast, which our guide estimated to be about 100,000 animals strong and which comprised a mere fraction of the migration (the bulk of which proceeded us by about a week).  Still, it was amazing to see this huge movement of animals, which can even be seen from space!  On the way back to camp, we got even luckier and saw a pair of brother cheetahs lazing on the road after a successful hunt.  That evening, we had a nice dinner and retired early again, as we'd barely slept the night before.  Ironically, the next morning, we learned that there had been both a female lion and a herd of wildebeast in camp, but we slept like seasoned safari veterans through this excitement.

On our final day in the Serengeti, we saw tons of beautiful birds and then, to my delight, came upon a family group of about sixteen elephants grazing.  I could have stayed and watched them all day, but we had to get to our lodge in the Ngorongoro crater that night and Gebby was eager to find us a leopard before we left, which he did--way off in a tree, lazing in the sun.  It was amazing that he saw the leopard at all and we felt very, very lucky to see this shy animal, even at a distance.  Gebby also spotted two dead antelopes in trees (evidence of recent leopard activity).  

After breaking camp, we drove back to Ngorongoro, stopping at the way at the Olduvai gorge, where the Leakeys made their breakthrough discoveries of early hominid fossils.  While there, we had a lecture on the site by a Maasai tour guide, which was fascinating.  The Maasai have lived in this area for centuries and still have rights to graze their animals in Ngorongoro conservation area, so we saw quite a bit of them from a distance.  Just as the sun was setting, we reached our lodge.  By this time, Peter was quite a bit worn down with congestion and a bit of a fever, so we were happy to be indoors in a very luxurious hotel on the rim of the crater.  The next day, we woke up early and toured the crater floor.  We saw many of the same species that we had seen in the Serengeti, with the addition of the rhinoceros and hundreds of flamingo.  We felt extremely lucky to have seen the three rhinoceroses, especially since there are rumored to be only 18 left inhabiting this area of the world.  We picnicked near a pond with three hippos in it, then drove back to Arusha, stopping for some souvenirs on the way.  As Gebby drove us to the airport, Mount Kilimanjaro stepped out of the clouds to say goodbye.  I don't think the safari could have been better!

Tsarabaria!

Here are some photos from the day we spent in my old village:

Madagascar Pictures from the North!

Finally, I am able to add some pictures from the North of Madagascar!  Here is Peter in front of the iconic La Floride (my favorite Vohemarian restaurant) sign; Peter with a friend lemur; me in the only place where Sakalava is included on a sign of international languages; Soatombo and Soa, our two friends from Nosy Komba; and a Sakalava lakana, or fishing boat.

Pictures from Paris (finally!)

In the unlikeliest of spots, I finally found a computer that is letting me upload pictures--in Sambava! Here is a sample of our time in Paris, including Peter in front of the Arc de Triomphe, me at the top of the Eiffel tower (bundled up--brrr!), Peter with the street sign to his mom's childhood home, and a real French market (so different and so similar to the ones in Guatemala, Mexico, and Madagascar), and Van Gogh's bedroom from the Musée d'Orsay. Enjoy!

Mauritius

We hate Marituis and its airport. Ask us later.

Our second wedding Anniversary in Paris: foibles and Triumph

Day two in Paris was our second wedding anniversary. We had a big day planned. It didn?t quite go as we had envisioned.

We woke up late. (Dinner last night had been really good). We set off to see St. Chappelle. The line was MUCH longer than we had hoped. But we couldn?t put it off twice, so we stuck it out. It was cold, and if I recall correctly, a bit drizzly. And then just about 12: 30 we were informed it was closed from 1 to 2. We were not near the entrance. There was much grumbling all around. But we made it just in the nick of time. The chapel, while small, was stunning. virtually all the walls are stained glass depicting biblical scenes and stories. I had never seen anything like it .. becaus e nothing is.

Lunch had us looking for crepes .. and finding much more. Wine, prosciutto and mozarella salad, french onion soup, an entertaning waiter and crepes for dessert.

and Robyn helped me eavesdrop.

Then we went to the Monet museum. closed. The impressionist museum was unworkable because the weather was bad and the other museums closed, so the line was crushing.

Godd humored, we set off to the Eiffel Toweer. Another big line ... but what to do? hours later, after much shoving and hustling with other tourist, and braving wind and rain, we were at the top. We were so cold and wet we had to laugh. And kiss. Happy 2 years!

Then we wanted to take a boat ride down the river. We missed it.

So, off to dinner at Hotel du Nord. But that would assume we had the address.. we had planned to go home and pretty up first, but it was too late now ... too many lines. So we took a metro to where we thought it would be. We were wrong. So we had to beg a cabby to take us somewhere we could barely describe. Valiantly Robyn kept trying ... rejected three times before one guy took pity on us.

We had a great dinner. Duck, tuna, pork chops, kir royal ... and at the end of it all ... WE HAD NO DEBIT CARD ON HAND and not enough cash. Oh my. A fitting end, really. Robyn gave her driver license as collateral and we promised to return the next day.

Better to just go home than keep trying. We will always remember this one!

(Dont get me wrong .. it was great ... it was Paris!)

Rainy, Lovely Paris

Well folks, in so little time there is so much to say. I am writing, here with Robyn, from the Malagasy capitol city , but fear I will not even be able to finish a full Paris post tonight. And due to our camera being low on juice and good batteries being hard to rustle up here, photos , sadly , will be a bit delayed.

But I must still try to bring you at least some news of lovely, rainy Paris. We were only there 3 days, and it was gray most of the time and rainy some of it, but we will still treasure the memories forever.

Our hotel was on the left bank in the Latin quarter. It was small and quaint and refreshingly first world. Breakfast of croissants and coffee was included every morning. The main front desk host was the gloriously gay and multi lingual Edson. He was impeccably dressed.

Robyn's favorite memory of Paris, she claims, was seeing my excited face when we stepped off the metro and into our neighborhood. The old architecture amazed, and yes, they REALLY do have pastries, flowers and cafes every few feet. Delighted was an understatement.

The first afternoon went perfectly. We moved seamlessly from the Louvre, to the Tuliere gardens, down the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe (excuse that I can't spell French) It was cold, but amazing. In the Louvre we saw the Mona Lisa. The spectacle of people around her was almost as amazing as she. We also saw much sculpture that R remembered as captivating that she wanted to share with me ... and it was. I learened more and more last week how much sculpture speaks to her. We also saw crown jewels and Egytpian burials caskets. But you can lose a week in the Louvre if not careful, so we were away ...

On the Champs Elysee we were captivated by a showroom of tiny Peugot race cars. Robyn was surprised by how much the exhibit at the arc de Triumph has expanded.
Paris lay out before us .. and we were hooked!

More later ... food, snafus, art, mom's house, Robyns friend Roberto and our dreams of return.

But in case you are worried or curious ..
Madagascar is beatiful. Changed and the same it turns out, of course.
Robyn's Malagasy is coming back fast, though she wishes of course it would come faster

We set off tomorrow toward the south, and will end, with zeal, in her beloved northern region.
I am very excited, and so honored to have been invited.

Pictures from Mexico

For some reason, these wouldn´t go with the text, so see below to hear more about our adventures!