- 4 weeks of summer school - Teaching beginning Spanish (and a new Going Global class, which required LOTS of prep work) at Ferber Elementary up on the north side of Appleton. Both Alina and Noah were in summer school this year, coming with me each day.
- More family camping trips than ever before - Generally we only go 1-3 times per year, but this year we had each of our children pick a state park and made reservations which is in addition to our annual trip with my sisters.
- Lifest - We were down on the grounds every day for something. This is such an awesome festival to refresh & renew your soul. It definitely helps me gear up for my trip down to Honduras!
- Three weeks of taking Andrés to Driver's Ed. (I think he's excited to get his temps when he gets back from Honduras)
Finally we're just about ready to go. I had many students from Ferber Elementary school donate supplies (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos, conditioners, hair clips, small toys, etc) and they were shipped on Thursday. I sent along our 2 VCRs with the shipment of donations, because last year when I took the 50+ Disney movies (VHS in Spanish) that Andrés owned, there were 2 dorms that had non-working VCRs. Hopefully now the little & medium boys can watch some of those movies, and since they're IN Spanish, they'll understand & have fun!
Andrés had lost his passport since coming back from Honduras last year, so we had to go through the process of reporting it lost and applying for a new one. What a horrid experience that I hope to never go through again. With the time crunch and the U.S. Passport Office's request for paperwork that I didn't have (and was impossible to get...because it never existed), they took forever in issuing him a passport (he got it this past Thursday, 4 days before departure). I don't know WHY this wasn't an issue for his last two passports. But all is done & ready to go now - so our focus in on what's ahead.
Today we need to pack. The suitcases are in our living room and open. Laundry is caught up, so we just have to put our clothes together. Andrés says he's looking forward more & more to going, but is still a little nervous because this year we will stay in separate dorms (meaning he'll have to do his own laundry, which he's never done before). I'm hoping to pack in the morning, so that anything we need (like mosquito spray with 100% DEET), we can run & buy before the day is over.
Hopefully we will be able to keep you updated daily via this blog, however I'm not sure what will happen. If we cannot update daily, we will keep a journal like last year & make sure to update this blog when we can - so that our family & friends know how things are going and that we're okay.
To think that tomorrow at this time, we'll be 1/2-way to Chicago to take off! We'll see most of you in 3-4 weeks. ☺
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