Alright, so my days are filled with training, training, eating lunch in a really full cafeteria and more training. Aren't you jealous that you are not on this adventure????
As for Alberto and Sofia, their life is alot more interesting. They have been touring the Smithsonian museums, where Sofia has determined that the National History Museum, Botanical Gardens, and Museum of the American Indian are her very favorite. She has been swimming almost daily and so, of course, she has the beautiful and enviable tan that we have all come to expect from her during the summer.
Since my last post, Dad and Deb came to visit us and we took a tour of Washington DC on a Duck. No, not a Mallard, a WWII duck type vehicle...see below.
The tour was over land and on water. We got to see lots of sights and went putt-putting down the Potomac for an interesting view of DC from the water. Thanks Captain Bucky for a great day of trivia and sight-seeing.
It was great to see Dad and Deb and I am so glad that they got to visit us while we were here in DC.
They left on a Tuesday and then Mom arrived on Thursday. It was great to see her. For those of you who know her well, when I say that we were productive, you will know what I mean. She helped me with tons of projects that were in varying stages of completion, including some shopping that needed to be done; purchasing fabric for some dresses for Sofia, washing sheets, towels, and said fabric in order to pack it up for the move, etc. Mom always helps me to be the best me that I can be. I love you, Mom!
After she left, which I can say was tearful, we had a week of down time before the arrival of my mother-in-law, Maria del Socorro Flores (Coco), from Mexico. We had been looking forward to her visit all summer, since it had been several years since Sofia and I had seen her. On Friday night, before her Saturday afternoon arrival, there was a horrible storm here in this area. The power went out...the power stayed out...it was over 100 degrees. At the height of the crisis, more than 3 million people were without power. Our power was out for 72 hours...no air conditioning...100 degree weather...you get the picture.
Did I mention that my mother-in-law came for a visit the day after this started. She is the most agreeable person. She handled the situation like a trooper. We spent a lot of time at the malls and museums trying to keep cool, but that part was fun, so no one complained. After two days and nights of heat and humidity, Sofia went to stay with Uncle Cliff and Angie. Thanks so much to them for letting Sofia escape to their house where the electricity was still going strong. I reminded myself constantly that this is character building and it would make us all better able to handle the diverse situations that are to come.
Having said that, I would just like to point out that when we are in Africa, we will have a generator and be able to plug in the refrigerator and a fan. Who knew that Cameroon could look like a better bet than Washington DC? Anyway, on Monday at midnight, the electricity roared to life and we all cheered. The crisis, for us, was over. Coco, my mother-in-law, never complained. God bless her!
This week has been pretty standard, although we did have an excellent day for the 4th of July with Cliff, Angie, Aneisa, Andra, Grandpa Henry and Shirley. We spent the day at Cliff's house and took the girls swimming. We grilled burgers and hot dogs and had some really nice baked salmon. Finally, we finished off the night with some really cool fireworks that Uncle Cliff picked up from a wholesaler in Pennsylvania.
This weekend should be much more quiet than last weekend. Al will be taking his mom back to the outlet mall for some serious shopping while Sofia and I hang out here and go swimming. We will spend some time with Grandpa Henry and Shirley as well.
On a final note, we are T-minus 6 weeks and 4 days from departure. There is still lot to do, but I will try and take some pictures and do a more exciting blog post next time. Our love to everyone!
Until Next Time...
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