Going, Going, Gone!

"When you have cleared all of your clutter,
you can be of greater service to those around you. "
Michael B. Kitson 

  "The more you have, the more you are occupied.
The less you have, the more free you are."
Mother Teresa

Hello dear friends, 

Decluttering may not be the most exciting activity but it is certainly an uplifting one.  I have managed to put together a huge bag of shoes, 3 large garbage bags of clothing and 2 medium size bags of magazines/books. These were all picked up by 1 person after posting an ad on the website for my local Freecycle chapter.  Within 2 and a half hours after posting on Sunday evening, I had my first response and she offered to take the entire lot. Starting at 6 a.m. the next morning I had 5 more takers.  This was great because it meant I had back up takers in case the first woman changed her mind.

I gladly give to the Goodwill but since I shop at the thrift stores myself, I often feel my local thrift stores charge way too much money.  It is getting rather ridiculous some of the prices they now ask which are often higher than purchasing brand new in a retail shop. For example, at one local thrift store today they wanted $16.00 for a small used, good condition Corningware roasting pan. Last night, on line, I found the same roasting pan as part of an 8 piece (4 different pots with lids) brand new, for $44. 95. If you do the math you can see that one set would cost under $12. a piece; clearly less than the used item. You can see what I mean by ridiculous prices. I digress but what I'm really trying to show is that the thrift stores in many cases do ask more than the retail stores especially when there is a big sale. This is very bad news for those people on low income that really need to buy second hand so I really like to give things away when I can find a willing receiver. I find the best way is to put an offer on my local chapter of Freecycle.

A woman who works with the down and out came to pick up these items. 

My next task after cleaning my bedroom closet was to reduce the number of products under my bathroom sink. Despite limiting what I've been buying in the toiletry department it seems I still have far more than I can properly accommodate or use.  Some of these items were gifts. I was happy to give them to a woman who works with women who live on the street, or who have a very low income.

Then came a quick survey of my foyer closet and the kitchen.   I found a Spring jacket and the new winter car coat (winter coat in the photo). I bought this coat many years ago while I was still working and for whatever reason I just never wore it. I also found a few little kitchen items that I didn't want to throw away.

A nice young woman sent her boyfriend to pick these items up.

A student is expected to pick up on Thursday for a charity.

I still have a lot of crafting items of all kinds too.  Once I execute some of my projects in the coming year, the stash will be reduced.  But I did manage to gather together quite a few balls of left over yarn and a couple sets of knitting needles.

 

Donated to an senior who teaches knitting.

The last thing I am sorting this week is papers. I don't know how far I'll get but I want to clear as much as I can before the end of the month. This is my least favourite job and that why I'm here at the computer looking for a distraction and taking a short break.  I don't have a shredder that takes large amounts of paper so I have been keeping the paper aside in a small tub so I can burn them.  I've been culling papers for what seems like forever but I can "see" the finish line in sight though it will still take awhile.



Most of you who have a lot of stuff that you haven't looked at in years will know that a true decluttering project takes plenty of time.  You have to go through things that have accumulated over years and years. I don't think I've ever undertaken such a massive decluttering project and perhaps it is because I used to move on a regular basis and that kept the clutter accumulation in check.

I find that in the early stage of decluttering I get rid of the obvious things I don't want or use.  But I don't always get rid of things I don't use (that is why I have clutter, lol). I keep things I know I will use down the line.  As time goes on, I reassess whether I will still use things and sometimes go through them two, three and four times, before I make my final decisions.

Part of my hesitation in getting rid of some things, especially craft items and books  is because I do not want to have to buy things again that I know I will need later. With clothing it is always easier to go through things and get rid of most things you no longer want or need.

What I'm trying to get to is a life of greater simplicity.  That is a little hard to do when you like to do crafts or read books.  Anyone who does crafts knows you have to have stock and supplies on hand. This is a challenge when you live in a small space.  Anyone who loves to read knows it is hard to pass up a book. These days I try to buy second hand or get things free. I only buy a book if I know I'm going to read it and then I pass it on. I have quite a few books so I shouldn't be buying any more.

Missions of Hope

Hello everyone,

Jonah, of Missions of Hope (MOH), has placed his missions outreach on hold for the foreseeable future. As many of you know he has recently graduated with his Masters Degree in International Development and is currently looking for employment. While he puts his energy toward that, he will not be able to continue with his volunteer work helping orphans and widows.  That means his MOH blog is no longer available and he will not be taking any donations at this time.

If and when the work resumes, I will let you know.  He wants to thank any of my readers who have contributed toward various initiatives over the past few years. Your contributions are not unnoticed and they mean far more than you know. To date, we have fallen far short of the funds needed for little Linet's cleft palate surgery. I am still hoping to proceed with this initiative but it will take much more time. We value your prayers for Linet, her family and her surgery need.  When I have something concrete to report on this need, I will provide an update on my own blog.

In the meantime, I will continue to do a small part toward assisting the villagers in the villages around around Kericho, Kenya.  This work is modest and sporadic (and includes things like the Jiko Stove project which you can read about in my blog).  I am currently trying to raise funds through sales of my crafts.  There is a link to my Etsy shop on the right if you are interested. Alternatively if you wish to make a small donation, please let me know.

A panoramic view of Kericho, Kenya.

God bless. xx

Saturday

"Anyone who has ever cleaned out a closet
and taken stuff to Goodwill knows how liberating it is.
You feel lighter, your mind feels clearer."
Cecile Andrews (author and sustainability proponent)

"I've been getting rid of some clutter —
anything that doesn't serve a positive purpose in my life —
and making room for things that feel happy to me.
Because I get to make my life whatever I want it to be.
I get to make the room feel however I want it to feel.
I get to make the closet as full or as spacious as I want it.
And, if I have more clutter to get rid of after Christmas,
I'm not going to wait a year, or two or three to do it."
Jan Denise 

Hello fellow blogging friends,

I don't have anything exciting to write about or show today. The weather here is incredibly overcast with the cloud cover so low that I cannot see past the church steeple I often feature in my photos and blog headers.

This kind of weather gives me a good excuse to clean out my closet. I have had some work clothes taking up almost one entire closet that haven't been worn in several years.  They are still in good condition but I don't plan on wearing them anytime soon and they are taking up precious space in my small condominium.  I thought of selling the clothes to make a bit of return on all the money I spent.  However, that kind of project takes up too much time and effort and there is no guarantee of selling anything.   So I'm bagging everything up and hope to deliver them to the goodwill later this week. 

"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."

Author Unknown

"Bottom line is, if you do not use it or need it,

it's clutter, and it needs to go."

Charisse Ward

I've done a lot decluttering over the last 2 1/2 years but haven't gotten rid of my work clothes or shoes.  They are still in good condition and I was reluctant to part with them in case...

Now that time has come.

I need to make room for other things, mainly craft items and things I inherited from my mom almost 2 years ago.  I'm slowly working through mom's stuff to see what needs to be kept and what can go. I've saved all her important paperwork of course but it is her crafting things and appliances that take room and I want to  keep as much of it as possible since I got rid of so much already.  In addition, my own paperwork needs more sorting.  It was about one year ago when I had some time to purge a lot of very old paperwork.  I didn't quite finish the project but it isn't as overwhelming now.

While I'm doing this project, I may be scarce for awhile (or I may pop in here to post something or drop by and read your blog posts, when I want and need a break). Hopefully before the end of this month I will have made some terrific progress on making room in my condo and blessing someone else through donations to the Goodwill and Freecycle.

Please feel free to browse through some of my older posts while I'm taking a short break.  You can find them by doing a subject search.  You might find it easier just checking out my blog "archive list" in the sidebar to the right of my blog.

Happy Thanksgiving, November 22nd, to all my American friends. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

Take care everyone and see you soon.

Beauty in the Sky

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them. ~Leonard Louis Levinson 

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. ~ Author unknown, commonly attributed to Martin Luther 

And they were canopied by the blue sky, So cloudless, clear, and purely beautiful, That God alone was to be seen in Heaven. ~Lord Byron 

Join here for Skywatch Friday. 

Memories

Golden Rays

The season is changing fast to Winter but I am squeezing out every last ray of sunshine and golden Fall leaves. These photos were taken just about a week ago.

I am joining up with
Mellow Yellow Monday
Mandarin Orange Monday
Our World Tuesday
 
 

Pumpkin Muffins

 
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, or less if you want it less sweet. I probably used half a cup.*
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup nuts (I had leftover pumpkin seeds and some chopped almonds)
1/2 milk or just enough to make a muffin like consistency

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl.
3 Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar (or Splenda), eggs, oil and chocolate chips in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain.
4 Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
5 Bake the cookies until firm to the touch and lightly golden on top, 10 to 12 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool and eat or freeze for later.
This recipe made 6 large muffins and 6 small ones. You could also make 12 medium ones but  I wanted different sizes.


This is virtually the same recipe I used for my diabetic pumpkin chocolate chip cookies the other day; except that I added milk, omitted the chocolate chips and added nuts.  The muffins looked good and tasted good but they were slightly on the dry side.  If you make these please  add another egg and more milk or possibly some yogurt to the recipe above. I'd love to know what you think about them too.

I haven't baked for a long time. Now I have enough healthy muffins and cookies to last me for the foreseeable future.

November 11 @ 11 O'Clock

In Canada each year on November 11 at 11 o'clock, we remember the fallen soldiers. I think many countries have a similar Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.

Photo credit: Remembrance Day Canada

The poem below was written by John McCrae, a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

Now that I have seen....

I am responsible.

People often wonderful why I have thrown my heart and soul into Missions of Hope in Kenya. Though this video and song are about Rwanda, they express my heart for Kenya and my hopes for Kenyans. I have been to Kenya several times.  I have seen the poverty and the hardship with my own eyes, and now I am responsible.

Lyrics to "Albertine"

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill, I think of Albertine
there in her eyes what I don't see with my own
Rwanda

now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are

I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda

I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them Albertine

I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

Though I am not on a stage with a thousand eyes on me and my platform is small in the scheme of things;  the work(s) I do are what I can do  in my own circumstances, and I am willing.  I will tell the world.

Edwin

Since I last wrote about the missions, my friend Jonah, overseer of the Missions of Hope, contracted typhoid fever while in Uganda at his convocation and he has been in hospital.  Also Edwin, the young man in the photo above who is battling cancer, has been hospitalized. Please keep them in your prayers.

Orphans

If you have already started thinking about Christmas gifts for family and loved ones in 2012, you might want to consider giving of a different nature this year. Missions of Hope has some unique gift ideas for you. Click here.

I have also started to add items to my Etsy shop. You can see the items here. More will be added over the coming days.  All proceeds go to the Missions of Hope.

I Went Searching for Sugarman

I went Searching for Sugarman on Tuesday and found him! Just like many others in North America and around the world are now finding him. I hope you enjoy a peek at his life.

I enjoyed the film a lot. I was inspired by the humility of this man, Sixto Rodriguez and by his philosopy toward life and art. An added bonus was getting to visit parts of the world where I have not yet been; the beautiful coastline of Cape Town, South Africa and the gritty streets of Detroit, Michigan. Another bonus was being able to understand the situation of apartheid from the white perspective, a little better.  Though this film is not about apartheid, apartheid is definitely wrapped up in the story.  This film came along for me shortly after having viewed "Come Back Africa", a film about apartheid through the experiences of black South Africans.

If you get an opportunity to see this film, I hope you take it.

November Images

 

Join Our World Tuesday here.

Diabetic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

After a evening of mending and another day of rain on Sunday, I felt like some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I saw some of these cookie recently on a blog but they didn't leave a recipel  I went in search of a diabetic recipe and tweaked what I found to better meet my pantry supply and to cut down on the sugar.

DIABETIC PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup white all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 2 cups canned pumpkin 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, or less if you want it less sweet. I probably used half a cup.* 2 eggs 1/4 cup canola oil 8 oz chocolate chips (1 cup)** *Taste the batter before you drop it on the baking sheet to see if you need to add more sweetener. **The recipe I tweaked used raisins (and less pumpkin and flour).

Directions 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2 Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. 3 Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar (or Splenda), eggs, oil and chocolate chips in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and chocolate chips into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain. 4 Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart. I never am too careful about uniformity. I actually use a roundish shaped teaspoon and fill it up. 5 Bake the cookies until firm to the touch and lightly golden on top, 10 to 12 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool and eat or freeze for later.

I made 2 and a half dozen cookies using my teaspoon for dropping the batter on the baking sheet.

I found these cookies were sweet enough.  They were soft inside and had just the right touch of sweetness with the added chocolate chips. I didn't grease my pan and it would have been better if I did. So I've written up the instructions for lightly greasing the baking pan before dropping the cookie batter onto it. I had a large can of pumpkin so I decided to make pumpkin muffins too. I'll have enough pumpkins and cookies for awhile.

Pumpkin is full of vitamins (A & C), minerals (magnesium, potassium, zinc) and fibre.  Not only that; it smells wonderful when baking. Enjoy!

My Day Today

“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.” ― Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat 

I couldn't resist a photo of the beautifully coloured orange leaves.

But as you can see from the photo below, it was raining very heavily. It has been raining heavily here for some time.

On days like this I like to stay home and make some hot soup or bake something comforting, read a good book or go to the movies.

Today I went to see "Midnight's Children". 

It was a rather long movie set in post-independence India, and based on the book and screenplay of the same name by Salman Rushdie.  I won't give away the plot but I did enjoy it.  It seems there are many good movies being released in November and December. It's a great relief to know that there are still good movies being made. The next one I hope to see is "Searching for Sugarman" (already released) or "Anna Karenina" (released on November 21).

November Comes

 

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.         

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
-  Elizabeth Coatsworth

Halloween

 “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31  

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15

These photos were taken several days ago. I assume these young people were starting an early celebration of Halloween since it was a Saturday at around 4:30 p.m.

This post isn't meant to offend anyone.  It is just an opportunity to be clear on my position concerning  Halloween.  I do not celebrate it and I have to say that lately I've been very alarmed to learn that so many Christians do seem to celebrate it.

It is virtually impossible not to see the influence of Halloween all throughout the month of October.  Even on television, movie channels show scary movies and horror movies all month.  Wherever you go in the stores there is row upon row of Halloween costumes for purchase.  Retailers even clear out their regular stock until the "Halloween season" is over so they can make room for Halloween costumes.  My local grocer even has put out a lot of Halloween decor this year but at least they have also put out harvest displays to balance it.

Whichever way you slice it, Halloween is big business.  Very big business.

Individual consumers are spending increasing amounts of money on celebrating Halloween. The average American consumer planned to spend $66.28 on costumes, candy and decorations in 2010, up from $59.06 on Halloween in 2006, says the National Retail Federation. Canadians planned to spend $60 on Halloween in 2006 according to a similar survey by the Retail Council of Canada.

But retailer Value Village's 2011 annual Halloween shopping survey found the average Canadian planned to spend $300 on the big day - and pet owners planned to spend on average an extra $59 on their furry friends. Ken Alterman, president and chief executive of Value Village, says that Halloween sales have increased more than 35 percent over the last five years. It's a similar story over at Canadian Tire, where Halloween now represents the third most important seasonal category behind Christmas and summer backyard living.

(Source: "Halloween - A Really Sweet Business Opportunity", Susan Ward, About.com)

Christian perspectives on Halloween are strongly divided. Here are three differing views to consider:

• "... Halloween is anything but harmless. It focuses one's attention on witchcraft and demonism, which flies in the face of the holy God Almighty! When parents not only allow but also encourage their children to celebrate witches and goblins, they are teaching them that it's acceptable to deal in demonism." -- Jerold Aust from "Halloween: Behind the Mask"
• "... Rather than 'hide' in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a 'teachable moment' to celebrate God's protection, provision and purpose for our lives." -- Elliott Watson from "Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?"
• "Not all believers should celebrate Halloween. For those who have been redeemed from the occult, Halloween in its foolishness may contain what was for them deadly seriousness ... It is understandable that they look with horror upon what once enslaved them. Such sensitivity may be appropriate for them, but it is not appropriate for the majority of Christians. Holding their opinions as appropriate for most believers is like having a former bulimic dictate how Christians should regard church hot-plate socials ... Christians should instead celebrate Halloween with gusto. If we follow the traditional formula of having a good time at his expense, Satan flees." -- Anderson M. Rearick III from "Matters of Opinion: Hallowing Halloween"

(Source:  "What Does the Bible Say About Halloween?" by Mary Fairchild, About.Com)

I do not condemn those who choose to celebrate Halloween but I can evaluate whether I personally condone celebrating it for myself.  The Bible doesn't actually say anything about Halloween but I think it provides a lot of guidelines about what is good and acceptable.  For me, I find that the day is centered a lot around dark and sinister characters and the atmosphere is meant to be scary and dark (cemeteries in the night, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, zombies, blood and gore, etc.).

I don't like to be associated with the things of the dark.  No matter how you try to dress it up as "fun" it is really not about fun stuff behind it all.  I didn't always feel this way.  As a child I also loved to dress up and go looking for candy.  What child doesn't love to get free candy and lots of it?!  Even back then there were annual scares about children finding apples with dangerous razor blades inside of them.  Today in most towns and cities in my province, children don't go out alone to "trick or treat".  They are usually escorted by their parents due to the dangers involved in going out alone, and often they don't go house to house "trick or treating" for candy, but go to organized events and parties instead.

A lot of people don't feel the way I do about Halloween and that is their choice.  I  know that the commercialization of the day promotes fun and frivolity and for young children, teens and adults.  The day provides an excuse or opportunity to dress up and party and for some, another chance to drink.  It has become customary here to celebrate Halloween on the Saturday before October 31st.  That is so people can party throughout the night and not worry about having to get up in the morning to go to work.  They use Sunday as a day to rest and recover before heading back to work on Monday.  The young people I met in costume downtown (some in costume in photo above) had obviously been well into the drinks even though it was only 4:30 in the afternoon.  There was a strong smell of alcohol on the young man who gave me a hug from behind when I was trying to snap his photo. I didn't get a good photo of him in costume.

I believe that Christians should consider whether the activities they engage in give glory to God.  In this case, I would have to say that the activities of Halloween do not give glory to God, so I don't participate or encourage participation by those I am close to.

I also don't like all the commercialization which surrounds Halloween, or Christmas or any other holiday for that matter.  When it comes to Halloween, I save money on not buying all the decor, costumes and candy that goes with the day. I also save money by not going out to party.

I try to remove myself from commercialization of the holidays even for Christmas. For example, as the children have grown, I don't give them gifts on an annual basis.  However I might give them something they really need or want from time to time.  Mostly we just spend time together and gather around a meal since we don't get to see each other that often.  Another idea I like is taking all the funds we might have spent on gifts for one another and giving them to a local charity.  This one is harder to implement because everyone has their own ideas as to what they want to do. Sometimes I just let my family members know not to buy me a gift and do something good for someone else instead.

In closing, I heard a great teacher, Dr. Jim Richards, on television recently, he said (paraphrasing)  if you want to know who is influencing the world today, follow the  money. Selah.

You may have other great ideas for how to celebrate the holiday spirit in ways that help others or give glory to God, whether it be Halloween, Christmas or other holiday.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said. 'Wake up, 0 sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5:8-14

Living the Life of Riley

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

After coming from a massage in the building next door, I found these pigeons enjoying a bath.

It struck me that they look extremely well fed. They obviously live the life of Riley, as they are not only eating well but they have a huge, luxurious pool to bathe in as well.

I kept trying to get a photo of them dipping in the pool and shaking their feathers out but I wasn't fast enough with my camera phone.

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)

There was a side benefit to watching the birds. I met Maria from Brazil.

Maria was standing near by, saw me taking photos and she decided to take photos of the birds too.  We began chatting and I invited her for coffee which she accepted.  We had a great time getting to know one another.   The way we talked you would have thought we'd always known one another.  She was very kind and invited me to stay at her home if I ever travel to Brazil.  Maria was very busy while in Canada.  She took a short English language course to supplement what she already studied in Brazil, she took a week long tour to the Rocky Mountains, and the big City of Calgary.  She also went to Vancouver Island to visit our provincial Capital City, Victoria. She loved her travels but she absolutely loved Vancouver.

I managed to  get together with Maria once more before she departed on her long journey back to Brazil. I  hope we will be able to keep in touch though she tells me she won't soon be back to Vancouver.  While she absolutely loved it here she only visits each place once so that she can try to see many new places around the globe.

Would you believe that neither of us thought to get photos of one another despite the fact that we  both of us had cameras, lol.