Waiting...

Silvana last night called around eight, telling me that she was at the hospital and just waiting for Morena to be born, most likely before midnight. It’s now 11:30 the next day and I’m still waiting to hear news. Why has no one called? What’s going on? By now More has to be born; waiting is frustrating!

Last night we bit the bullet and purchased a new computer – Toshiba Satellite – just like dad’s. I like the keyboard, how smooth the keys are and how much faster I can type. It’s amazing. So far, so good, with no complications. I will never buy a Gateway ever again; from hour one it didn’t work, and things just went downhill from there.

We purchased a ton of clothes for Buenos Aires, and the last two days I packed our suitcases. Now I just have to get the kids to choose which toys they want to take with them, pack those, and then we’re ready! I’m not looking forward to our 21 hour flight; it will be 24 hours in total from JFK to EZE, almost 27 from NJ house to BA house. Can’t wait until I’m on the other end of this trip!

Emotions are high with the kids, a lot more bickering and fighting going on. M came to the determination that Colorado is home for her. She’s never identified a place as home as strongly as Colorado Springs, and it will always have a special place in her heart; I’m with her on that, Colorado was very precious, and we will always look upon our time there as a gift from God. What wasn’t to like about the Springs? Everything was perfect – our neighbors, friends, church, school, job…okay, so B didn’t have the perfect job. That would have tied us down to there, but it just didn’t happen.

We are heading into a very spiritually heavy environment. Last week a mother of five from our church committed suicide, feeling overwhelmed by depression. The current pastor says that there’s a lot of attacks going on right now, and that he sees that as part of the transition the church is going through right now. Do I feel ready for this? No, not at all. I pray God will give us what we need to minister to this small church family, to show compassion even though I feel awkward. I’ve never dealt with showing comfort in times of death very well. Help, God!!

My brother ran his first marathon in Miami this past weekend. He completed it, and I’m very proud of him! He’s been very disciplined to train and he accomplished this goal. Way to go, little brother! I really can’t express how proud I am of his accomplishment; he’s truly amazing!

Day with M

M and I went out to have a Talk, and created a very special memory day. She wanted to go to the lake near here and shoe skate, so we did. I taught her how to waltz on the lake, and she loved it! We slipped and slid our way through the movements. Next, we headed to Chester, but on the way I had another idea; we were close to Morristown, which is very close to Chatham, where I grew up. So we headed over there, and I showed her my house, my elementary and high school, the library, the pee hole where I learned to swim, the park where I played. We had brownies and hot chocolate at Café Beethoven, and got our nails painted. We read through the book, How You Are Changing, and had a good talk.

So yes, Chatham, I returned, incognito, with my daughter, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I indeed have good memories tucked inside all those bad ones. I was proud of my town, shocked to see some of the same places still there – for instance, the café, the pizzeria (although it’s no longer Little Italy), the sports store. Other places had changed, but that’s to be expected; the feel of little Chatham was still there.

M took pictures of my schools, my house; I took pictures of her skating on the lake. We had a wonderful day, very precious and a bonding experience. Why don’t I do this more often? Even once a year would be more than I currently do!

Bumps in the Road

If it weren't for the bumps, we wouldn't realize what smooth sailing felt like. I have been blissfully ignorant for three weeks now that the flatware I purchased contained two sets of teaspoons and no small forks...hmmmmm, and the box wasn't sealed, so someone obviously tampered with it. Fine, let's just hope that the store will have another set to replace this one. A funny feeling I have tells me it won't, that we'll have to order one, and that it won't come before we leave for BA.

We've been asked to choose paint for our house in Argentina, so they can paint it while we're not there. Interesting, trying to choose colors for a house I've never seen. I spent HOURS today on the Sherwin Williams website trying to make decisions, only to finally realize that there's a lot more in life to be stressing about.

I'm hopeless at decorating, and so this stresses me out, even more so never having seen the house. I asked what it looks like now, the floors, etc. and got a very detailed email back in response, which was helpful, especially to give me more questions. But not wanting to disturb the couple who is helping us with the transition (especially as they are not living near the house, and are only there on weekends), I refrain from asking them. And anyway, does it really matter what color the walls are?

I'd love to be better at this, wish I had someone to help me once I'm there - an Argentine who not only knows how to combine colors I like with the style I like, but also knows where to go to shop for the furniture and accessories to match, and I'm getting carried away. Heck, I need a fairy godmother-decorator!!

Okay, no more ranting and raving...back to color swatches!

Christmas Photos

Em was Santa this year. She created her own outfit, but couldn't find a red shirt...

After all the hard work to prepare the luminaries for Christmas Eve, it rained. Nice effort, anyway!

Not quite sure what they're thinking about...but good to see that Liza and her uncle are back to being pals again.

Cousin Ian loves his cousins, loves play-doh (boo, sam, white, murray), the wiggles (hence the color names), says "I yove you!" every five minutes, and is such a joy! He hasn't learned my name yet, but knows the kids' names (he calls the girls by the same name: eli.)

Despite the face, Buddy did enjoy receiving his presents. He loves the bionicle especially, and so do I, as it never falls apart! I've almost memorized the pattern for the spaceship...