Settling In...

Coming back to Abuja is easier this time around; we know our surroundings, what to expect, and how to get around. Although I say that, we still find ourselves overwhelmed with things to do. We arrived in Abuja late on the 9th and started work at 8am on the 10th. We haven't stopped since. We've had teacher orientations, school gatherings, and first week preperations. We are now halfway through the first week of school and find ourselves READY for our weekend.

As many of you know, we moved into a new apartment this year. Our new place is brand new and much nicer than our previous residence...it has 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a big kitchen with plenty of cupboard space, 2 balconies, and a pool. We have been working hard to get things situated and setup so that we can feel at home. We have a few more things to do before we have completed this task. Once we are done making our home a home, I will post pictures.

Hard to Say Goodbye

As summer comes to an end, so does our time with friends and family. We enjoy living abroad and love all the experiences and adventures, but leaving loved ones behind is very difficult. This summer was AMAZING! We enjoyed spending time with our family, traveling around the Pacific Northwest, and enjoying yummy food. As we head back to our life in Abuja, we want all of you to know that we LOVED spending time with you this summer and look forward to the time when we meet again.

Aren't Summers Amazing?!

Finally, after lots of hard work and long hours, Jordan and I had our first official summer OFF! We enjoyed every minute of it...

Jordan and Kalee's Adventure

A road trip starting in Seattle and ending in San Francisco

Olympic National Park

Tillamook cheese factory

Oregon Coast

Obviously, Jordan is very excited to be on vacation!

Enjoying the view

Lake Tahoe

Camping under the stars

Jess' Vacation with her Family

A trip to the Pacific Northwest: Washington, British Colombia, and Vancouver Island

Olympic Mountain Range

Vancouver, British Columbia

The Lyons crew in Whistler, Canada

Whale watching

Couldn't help ourselves

Parliament building, Victoria

Butchart Gardens, Victoria

Lunch at the top of the Seattle Space Needle

View from the top of the space needle

Ricks' Girls Day-in

Getting henna done

Ricks' girls day-in

Off to see Jamison

Jamison recently got a job as a geologist in Salt Lake City, working for Kennecott. We traveled out one weekend to visit him.

Park City, Utah

Some of the Ricks boys: Jayson, Jamison, Jordan and Jensen

Jamison took us to the Kennecott Copper mine just outside Salt Lake City.

It was great to see where he works and what he does!

Jensen, Jordan, and Jamison

Kennecott Copper Mine: the biggest in the world

Crested Butte Getaway

The Best of Washington

Once again, we headed up to Washington. We hung around the Seattle area before heading up to Anacortes for some whale watching.

Can you see Mt. Rainier?

Barely!

A beach on the Olympic Peninsula

A ferry going to the Olympic Peninsula

Jordan relaxing to some live jazz music on our balcony in Anacortes.

Deception Pass on Whidbey Island

Mom and baby finding food

Three whales swam underneath our boat.

They were so close that the zoom lens was too much!

Bellevue Botanical Gardens

Love Hydrangeas; any color