Countdowns and a Prayer

Current Countdowns:

Johnny's Spanish Exam: 17 days

Packout (Tentatively): 35 days

Leave for India (Tentatively): 45 days


After I prayed with Zach last night he told me that I had failed to thank God for Gabriel, so he supplemented my prayer with this one:

"Thank you for Gabey. Thank you for Mama. Thank you for Daddy. Thank you for Emma. Thank you for Fiona. Thank you for my books. Thank you for my crib. Amen."

What a sweetheart.

We're in Florida!

The drive down to Florida was way better than expected. The boys behaved absolutely perfectly. I am so proud of them. We left at 4:45 am and arrived at 8pm.

Thursday morning we were scheduled to go to Disney World. Heather has a friend who works there and she got us free admission. We planned on leaving around 10 or so. Unfortunately, around 10 or so, Zach helped me do the dishes. He tossed a very large glass into the sink and I tried to catch it. It smashed against the side of the sink just as my hands came down on the glass. Fortunately Heather was right there to catch me when I passed out from shock and blood loss. She drove us to CentraCare where I sat on a waiting table for nearly and hour with my hand dripping somewhere over a pint of blood into a pink basin. Six stitches later we were on our way to Disney. I only almost passed out at Disney once. The boys met Buzz Lightyear and played on Tom Sawyer's Island. It was a complete success.

Yesterday we went to the beach. Gabriel was terrified of the ocean but he eventually settled down and played in the sand. Zach didn't want to get in the water but he sat and stared at the waves for half an hour. He was riveted.

After the beach we cleaned up and met Aunt Nicole and her mom at Steak n' Shake. Zach was quite taken with his Aunt Nicole. Watch out, Uncle Caleb.

Today I went to my follow up appointment to check on my laceration. The doctor was very surprised to find out that the doctor who stitched me up did not prescribe antibiotics and he promptly did so for the infection that had already set in.

We just returned from Wal Mart and are now planning to relax for the rest of the day.

Passports and Paradise

The passport story is epic. Too epic, in fact, for me to tell in detail. Suffice to say it took four attempts with both babies in tow, supplemented with 3 trips to various bureaucracies by Johnny, to turn in all the necessary paperwork for our Diplomat Passports. Every time we went in, thinking we were prepared, new bureaucrats in various forms of ill-fitting suits added another imperative piece to our paperwork puzzle. It was exciting. I'd tell all in detail, but I really don't need to relive the stress and agony. It was the federal government at its chaotic finest.

But in far better news I get to go home on Wednesday! Home to palm trees, beaches, and sun; home to Heather, manicures and chick-flicks; home to movie theaters, malls, and theme parks; home to Orlando, Florida. Heather and I are full of grand plans to fill the days. Only two items will keep next week from being like "old times" and those two things drink copious amounts of apple juice and never sit still. Yes, I'm taking the boys, but I don't mind at all. They'll love the beach and they have dozens of friends and family to dote on them.

The only real downside is that Johnny can't come due to language training. Stupid language training. This will be our second longest stretch away from each other. Good training for CPC, I suppose.

Oh well... 5 days!!!!!!

The boys are asleep; let Friday night begin!