And......We're Off!

What a relief to leave our home and be done with the massive preparations!  You'd think something massive would have fallen through the cracks during all the craziness--the only pre-trip stupidity I've realized so far is this: I ran some last-minute neighborhood errands the morning of our departure, delivering holiday cards, returning library books...I headed to the grocery store to use one of those Coinstar machines to trade in a baggie full of coins.  I dutifully watched as the coins trickled down through the metal slots, the machine counting each quarter, dime, nickel, and penny.  Then..............feeling very proud of myself for all I had accomplished before 7am, my errand was complete and I walked away, leaving the slip of paper in the machine that I should have brought to the cashier to get my money!  Ahh, well, it undoubtedly brightened someone's day.

5 days in the redwoods has been just what the doctor ordered.  We visited a neighbor's unbelievable oceanfront property to watch a herding dog in action, rounding up the sheep and responding to certain whistles that alert him to go in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.  It was, in a word, incredible, from the dog's skills, to the waves crashing into the cove right off their front yard, to the milk cow grazing lazily right by the front door, even down to the flock of white pigeons that flies around overhead.  We played games with family, took walks in the redwoods, kayaked and canoed in the lake, and reveled in the fact that all our work was done.

I felt so much anxiety the day the Australians were to arrive--we had left our house a dusty mess with a cleaning lady scheduled for the next day, but clearly the control freak in me wanted concrete proof that our house was in appropriate order for our guests.  Luckily, all went well and they arrived only a couple of hours late due to a snowstorm that brought 9 or so inches for their arrival.

We are now at the San Francisco airport--Kenyon vomited as soon as we got out of the car.  Cross your fingers that it was due to the drive and not a stomach bug, or I have a feeling that Fiji will be memorable in ways that I'd rather not think about.  We've got plenty of fun traveling toys to keep us busy, thanks to the boys' grandparents (have you heard of Nanoblocks?  They're awesome!).  Just a short hop to Los Angeles, and then we're off for the big haul.  I've taken some pictures, but of course I'm not quite organized to have the USB cord for the camera with me.

While you're crossing your fingers, put some good thoughts out there for a smooth, uneventful flight.  I'm not keen on being over water for 10 hours and 45 minutes.  At all.

We'll be in the air for the holiday, so Merry Christmas!