Only ONE more day!!!

Until our vacation!

I am running around like crazy trying to get everything done to leave tomorrow. We will do the Sunday morning service and then leave right afterwards. When we actually pull out of the parking lot (after an amazing service!!!) I am going to let out a huge sigh of relief, sit back in my seat in the car and read to my heart's content for hours, alternating with sleep. Larry got me Glenn Beck's book, Common Sense, to read and I am so excited!!! I am also reading, 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. No, I'm not looking for a new job. I'm estatic with the two I have. I am reading it because our national trainer (my former manager with NJ) recommended it to me as a phenomenal book for career coaching. So, I'm going to enjoy these two books on vaca.

I haven't blogged about our vacation yet and I am so excited to! We are doing something that has been our dream for a few years. We are doing what we're calling the "childhood tour". It's a memory tour and we are taking our three kids plus Casey and Emilie!!!!!!! (the boys girlfriends for those of you who have never read my blog before. ) And here's the plan...

We're going to my childhood home, Larry's childhood home, and showing the kids where we grew up and things important to us in our hometowns. We are then going to all three of their birthplaces, and visiting our former homes, churches, and special spots that have significance to us. We will also take them to Valley Forge Christian College where Larry and I met. We will tour the area and let them see places that are special to us. Cities we will visit will be Dayton, Ohio; Bowie, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland; Manchester, Maryland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Camden & Pennsauken, New Jersey, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our first stop after leaving Tampa will be Dayton Ohio, to visit our friends Pastors Mike & Donna Gibson and fellowship with them as well as seeing Jordan's birthplace, our home there, and the church. We will also spend a day at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, and see special tourist attractions in all of the cities I previously mentioned. These are the special places in our family's life before moving to Tampa and what made up all of our previous years of marriage and the children's childhoods. Thus, the "childhood tour". They are SO excited about it, and I also think it's important for Casey and Emmy to see where we have come from and understand the places and people we are often talking about that are dear to us.

Also one evening while we are in Maryland some folks in our previous church are having a cookout for everyone who wants to see us while we are there. This will be our third time of doing that since we've lived in Tampa and usually there's at least 40 or 50 or so folks who come out to that to re-unite with us and catch up.

So..........right now I'm very busy getting everything ready so we can leave. I've had all my normal work at the church to do, where I work FT. My work tripled this week because I had to not only do everything for this week, but cover things for the two weeks we will be gone. With my career coaching job we got new clients this week, plus the management made some decisions that created some paper work for us as far as forms to fill out, drug testing, and more. I had such a pile up of stuff to do on a short deadline, it was unbelievable! I have been trying in addition to clean the house from top to bottom (I hate coming home from vaca to a messy house), and get the yard completely done before I leave. I have been working a few hours in the evenings on it once it cools down but most times I feel like I will never be done. We have a corner lot and seven flower beds. Sometimes when I'm out there working I regret that I don't live in a condo where I don't have this issue to worry about. I can't just say to heck with it, because in our neighborhood you get fined if you don't keep up on this stuff. It just is what it is. Add to all that -- I had to completely steralize all of the bedding and the furniture where Jordan laid down while he was sick with strep this week and I was taking care of him. And...keep things like meals going and yada yada yada. Just giving you a glimpse into my life...and now you can see why I am in desperate need of a vacation if you didn't already sense it. :-)

I'm very excited for Sunday! I'm preaching a message, "INDEPENDENCE DAY". I am so excited about this message and God has given me a great illustration that I think is really going to hit home.

Well, I've enjoyed this little break to sit down and blog about all that I'm doing today and in the coming days, but now I must get back to the remaining seven or so loads of clothes that need to be done before we leave, and the rest of the housework. I wish I could say that I'm enjoying a picnic or fireworks today but I have to concentrate on getting packed and ready, which is fine.

I will never be so glad to make this trip and arrive in Dayton to see our friends Mike and Donna and laugh ourselves silly while we eat Mikesells potato chips! It's coming!!! I will blog most everyday if not everyday from our vacation so I can post photos and share what we're doing.