Sunday, September 19, 2004

Packing and other Mundane Things

When we last met, our heroine was maniacally driving from point A to point B, meeting Fed Ex, sending off visa applications, while driving the children  to baseball games, all while talking on her cell phone, applying makeup and drinking a Diet Pepsi, yelling at the kids and trying to keep the dog off the dashboard.  Can you say "multitasking"?

On today's episode we will see David booking plane tickets for his parents, Mississippi to Charlotte; for my mom from Louisiana to Kazakhstan; and for us, Charlotte to Kazakhstan.  And back.  We will go along with our intrepid pair as they shop for last-minute "can't live without but weigh less than 12 ounces" items, like instant oatmeal, grits ("what is a grit?") coffee filters, ramen noodles and other various & sundry things.  Panic has not yet set in, although the words "eight days to travel" will strike fear in the hearts of most men (and women).  Life seems to go on as usual, except for the rising blood pressure and the sound of the ever-louder ticking clock. 

Christian seems to be sensing our impending travel the most, with lots of tears and temper tantrums.  He remembers our being gone the last time, while Lisa seems blessedly oblivious.  I have been preparing little paper sacks with little gifts for every day we are gone, for both of them to open each morning.   This really helped Chistian pass the days last time, and he is really looking forward to that.  But my heart is breaking when I think about him without us, and wondering if we're doing the right thing.  Hoping that he won't be scarred for life ...

I was able to get several tubes of Bactroban ointment for the babyhouses, after a traveling family sent out a plea.  They are having a "rash" of staph infections (no pun intended) and need it desperately.  My family doc. is very accommodating, and the pharmacy gave it to us at cost when I told them what we were doing with it. 

David's parents will fly in on Wednesday, and I get to go through the arduous process of handing over my life to Anne.  No easy task.  There will be birthday parties to go to, scouts to attend, baseball games & practices, tutoring ... ack.   I can never fully express to her how much we appreciate what they are doing: giving up their own lives for a monthto take over ours.  They are truly giants in my book ... it's a debt we will never be able to repay.

Other than that ... not much is going on!  Ho hum ... life is so boring sometimes ... <yawn!>

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Liz,
  You just crack me up. I can't wait to hear the next exciting episode. Now that I have Grace, I can understand the conflicting emotions of wanting to get to Melanie, but worrying about leaving the other children. Everything will be fine- God hasn't gotten you this far to let you down! Hang in there.
Lea Anne