Pete and Ginger celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this week – congratulations! Philip and Michelle organized a lovely party at Butterfield Trail Village – we wish we could have been there!
This was a very busy week, overshadowed by an uptick in COVID cases here in Liberia. The Ministry of Health reinstituted some public health protocols, and we’re watching the situation closely. My office continues to update U.S. citizens in Liberia on the situation, and I also had a call with a member of Congress this week to update him on the latest here.
Late on Thursday afternoon, we got word that Friday would be a federal holiday for Juneteenth, to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. While happy for a new holiday, the last-minuteness of it had us scrambling to rebook appointments. I worked most of the holiday, and again on Saturday, but never seem to get caught up. There’s just too much work and too little staff.
John’s section worked hard to organize our annual awards ceremony this week; they set up a huge outdoor auditorium under a tent. We were both thrilled to receive Superior Honor Awards for our work here, and were most appreciative of our boss who took the time to write the nominations for DC approval. Thank you, Alyson!
We had two fun outdoor events last night (within the new public health guidelines) – we started with a fun jazz concert at the DCM’s house. The DCM’s husband Rick Bassett, a professional musician, hosted Tanya Garnette and her accompanists for two hours of great music under the portico. Afterward, we moved to Nate’s for a rooftop going-away party for Justin and Stephanie – lots of folks had 70s and 80s themed costumes. It was fun to laugh and disco dance looking out over the ocean. Good times! We’ll miss Stephanie and Justin!
