Last week Mom and I had arrived at our first night in the capital of Uganda, Entebbee. We woke up the next morning feeling no pain from the flights to get there. We had a need to get our legs moving so we took a walk around the gorgeously landscaped grounds of our lodge. We had a fresh fruit breakfast and found out then and there that Uganda was serious about their coffee. I should have known since Uganda is Africas leading exporter of Robusta and Arabica beans. Robusta is native to Ugandas...

I have a story to tell. The story is one the wildest rides I’ve experienced yet. On the afternoon of January 11th Mimi dropped my mother, Rita Martinson, and me off at the Jackson International airport. We were bound for the East African country of Uganda. As any one from the Northside knows the airport is one of the most awkward places to kiss your main squeeze goodbye. They give you about 30 seconds to get your bags out of the car, get a smooch and a hug before they start hollering about...

I DO LIKE TO challenge myself. I get a kick out having some private goals that seem laughably impossible to reach. These self competitions are usually nothing major, just a list of things that would be satisfying at the end of the day or week or month if completed. I prepare for these lists as if I’m packing for a trip. I’ll have everything prepared in order to have a chance of getting to the end goal. I also count steps up flights of stairs. For some strange reason I’ve known how many “I...