9:38 AM

So our morning is off to a good start this morning. I checked my e-mail, and look what I found!

Hey Babe, We have some internet here. We are in the Jinotega orphanage right now. We are FREEZING! It is so cold and rainy, but we are LOVING it. {personal stuff}. Everyone is doing well. Tell Pastor or forward this to him. Pass the word around that all is well and we are doing good. Don't know when I will check email again but you can send me something if you want to. Ok I love you and tell punkin hello and doggies. All my love and kisses, Brookie

Yesterday was a busy day, so I did not get to post after we first got back from the airport. I got up at 9:15am and had my quiet time before Amanda got up (turned out there was no rush, but I'm getting ahead of myself). Had my quiet time, did some study for my sermon in August, got a shower, cleaned the kitchen and talked to the lawn guy at church (Wayne Watkins at Bluebonnet lawn care...HIGHLY recommended).

At 11:45am (still yesterday) I woke up Amanda. We had some lunch and then Stan brought Sam and Mitzi over for a groom. Since I don't have the right kind of clippers, it took about an hour for me to butcher each dog. (On a side note, I think Mitzi looked better this time than last time, and Sam seemed more traumatized than last time. The whole time I was shaving Mitzi, Sam kept running around the house looking for a place to hide. And then there was a certain, unpleasant physical reaction on his part while I was shaving him...but anyway). It took a while, but we got it done and the dogs are no doubt much cooler today.

Then we went to the store to get a couple things for dinner and stopped by our favorite place (7-Eleven) for a Slurpee and a refill of Diet Coke in my giant mug.

Back home we wrestled a bit and then got ready for our company. Mickey and his daughter Leigha came over for hamburgers, fries and Kool Aide pie. (Side note: I HATE it when Brooke is not here, but it is nice to have hamburgers two nights in a row!!! Last night with Mickey and Leigha, tonight with my parents). After dinner, the four of us went out, sweated off a little bit of the pie and found 3 geocaches. A lot of work just to get 3, but it was nice spending time together.

We all came home, got something cold to drink, Mickey tried to wipe off any poison ivy (since he was silly enough to go geocaching in Texas in shorts!) and then Mickey & Leigha headed home. Amanda got a cold bath (insisting that she have a glass of ice water to enjoy in the cold bath), we watched a Discovery Channel special on Mt. Everest and then we both went to bed at 11:00pm.

So now it's Saturday morning. We woke up (well, Amanda will wake up here in a bit) to an e-mail from Brooke. That is a GREAT way to start the morning. I sent her a quick reply (some would not call it "quick", but it was short for me) and blogged this. Now it's time for my quiet time and then another busy day begins.

Boo, who always sits in Brooke's lap, is following me around everywhere and lays at my feet. She missed Mommy. Amanda said last night that she missed Mommy. I missed her last night as I crawled into bed, but the doggies tried to make sure I was as cramped and twisted as I am when she is home (dogs sleep in our bed and they BOTH sleep with me on my half of the bed...even when Brooke is not on the other side of the bed). Sully...we're still trying to explain the whole thing to him. He's a little slow sometimes.

We all miss Mommy and are counting the days...only 8 more.

- Rob