Overwhelmed? Us?

Naw, of course not.  Well, ok, maybe a little.

With less than 27 days to go before our trip to Ontario, preparations are in full swing.  And no matter how organized we are, no matter how far ahead we plan, we’re still surprised at just how much work we have to do between now and then.

For example, today I was absorbed for quite some time in some legal subtleties related to our upcoming border crossings.  *sigh* …and I thought it would be simple.

Yesterday I was working with Hannah and Nathanael as we try to get their school responsibilities taken care of.  And while we’re at it, we’re trying to figure out what we’re doing next year and how to get the materials.  When we get back to Mexico, it will be almost time to start school again!

Meanwhile we’re preparing for ministry that we’ll be doing on our trip, making sure we have places to stay…

Oh!  I really need to change the battery in our van today.  Don’t let me forget.

To add to the fun, Shari has her arm in a sling.  Apparently she has a little thing called lateral epicondylitis (otherwise known as tennis elbow).  So if she can’t do it with one hand – the rest of the family needs to pitch in and help!  However, she’s been learning a whole new medical vocabulary in Spanish as everyone asks her “What happened?!”

Leaving for three and a half months, in most ways, might as well be a year.  We have to take everything we need, except the Christmas decorations.  So, I’d better get back to work!

In the picture:  Nathanael made that shield for history class (he was learning about King Richard the Lion-Heart).  Getting into the spirit is his friend Ian.