This week

Time flies when you have an insane to-do list...

This week I spent several hours in the Mayo travel clinic getting my yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations. Vaccinations kind of ook me out - not the needles but the STUFF being injected into my body. *shudder* But so far I'm feeling fine. Also from clinic I received a horrifying little booklet that goes through the worst case scenarios of all of the injuries and illnesses that could befall you if you dare to leave your home country. In fact, it's probably best if you never leave your house. (They don't go to quite that extreme, but it's not a far leap.) I understand that it's important to know the risks, but man, LIFE is a risk. Some risks are just worth taking. Besides, the majority of the travel advice can be summed up as, "Don't be an idiot and pay attention." Look how much they could've saved on printing!

This week I spent 5 hours cleaning the house we rent out to get it ready for the new tenants. I am not a huge fan of cleaning in general and am even LESS excited about it when it's someone else's mess. Particularly if that someone still owes me a lot of money.

This week I finished up with a series of Family Fun Nights I was leading with my fellow religious education teachers. This was the final of four weeks and I helped 7 little kids tie-dye t-shirts. I only had one pair of latex gloves so I let the kids wear them. This is the reason that my hands are various shades of turquoise, purple, pink, and green. We had a lot of fun with the program and I really enjoy the other teachers I work with, the kids, and the parents but at the same time, it's nice to have one less thing rattling around in my mental to-do forum.

This week my girls started to get sad about leaving to go up north. I figured it would happen eventually, but I'm confident that they will get over it and will have fun without me. Still... it's hard.

This week my sunflowers started blooming, we ate several meals that included fresh herbs from the herb garden, and my tomato plants sprouted flowers! My black thumb is showing the slightest shades of green which delights me. I doubt I'll have tomatoes before I leave but just the fact that I kept them alive long enough to form buds is promising. My pumpkin vine is also growing so I hope to have homegrown pumpkins to carve up for Halloween. Jake and I also planned out the landscaping for our front and back yards. It'll be awhile before we'll have the money to do everything we want to do, but I like having a plan, especially one on paper so Jake can't dispute it later.

This week I spent a ridiculous amount of time working on MixBooks - online digital scrapbooks that can be printed out in bound books. I'm working on one with friends to showcase pictures from our get together in Kansas, one for my trip to Mexico (which I want to finish before I leave to start on a new trip), and two of my girls.

This week I stood in the kitchen of my old house (the one we rent out) and remembered 4 years ago. Four years ago, Vivian was born in that house. I sat in that kitchen watching the few fireworks I could see above the neighboring houses holding a newborn baby. I remember it like it just happened, but that baby turns four tomorrow. Time flies, to-do list or not...