7 days and counting

Good morning, my dear neglected bloggy friends.  I really need to ignore my children get less sleep neglect the laundry and dishes post more often, I know.  I am astounded at the bloggers who post deep, insightful posts full of pictures that they have taken, edited, and uploaded every day.  I still consider it a victory if I shower most days.

But I felt the need to post today and tell you that one week from now, I will be on a plane.  ONE WEEK from today I will be heading for New York, then Johannesburg, then Maputo, Mozambique.  In SEVEN DAYS I will leave my children in the care of my husband (and mother-in-law and my parents and several very helpful friends--don't you love how many people it takes to fill in for one mom?!? :-) ) and I will head for a land full of bugs & spiders.  OK, I know that there are bugs & spiders here too, but they're not nearly as scary.

Yep, it is just one week until our short-term mission.  If you will notice, the ChipIn on the right is gone.  That is because we have raised every single cent of support we needed--and more!  Each individual on the team was asked to raise $1750 of the $3000 (per person) cost, and thanks to many of you, I was able to raise over $2700!!!  In fact, our entire team is funded beyond what the church had asked, which is a fantastic blessing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This week is full of preparations... I am trying to get the house as clean as possible, prepare my lessons, get a few surprises ready for the kids for while I'm gone (including Lamb's birthday, which is two days before I get back!), and do all of the last-minute running.  Not to mention, I'm trying to soak up every minute I can with my family.  Oh my goodness, I am going to miss them.  It is hard to find that balance between telling the kids how much I love and will miss them, and reminding them how important it is that I go on this mission.

Oh, and while I am gone, you will all be very well taken care of, so have no fear.  I am excited to announce that I have some fabulous guest bloggers lined up, including Jamey from Zehlahlum Family, Erin from The Wonder Years, and Patti from A Perfect Lily--and maybe more, if I can get the details worked out by the end of the week.  And of course, I'll still be posting my adoption story as well.  So don't worry, you'll have more to read while I'm gone than you do while I'm here!  lol  :-)

Well, since I'm not in Africa yet, I suppose I should get back to reality and fold some laundry.  Happy Tuesday!