The ABC's of Trip Reporting- PLEASE JOIN US ON THE NEW THREAD!

[englishrose47]

Loved the Camper !!I bet you will have lots of fun in it !!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

We miss you too Camille!! But , like you, I've not been able to be on very much either. I have been in Salem at my DIL's house since Thursday morning, and he has limited internet that I'm afraid of going over his MB limits. It would be very expensive for him/ us if I did that.

Anyway, there's so much to do for getting ready for the Christmas Eve/Day/Week masses. I am expecting upwards of 30 combined- some staying for 4-7 days.

Soooooo..... all that to say, I apologize to all whose TR's I am following!! Seems I have time to keep up here, then quickly get off. Next I should have a little more time while I am back at my other house, but then we'll be back down here again. Tammie, I feel especially badly that I've dropped the ball on yours!! I need to get over there soon and read about your yummy cruise!!!

Meantime, Everyone!!! Have a great weekend! I'll try to get some pictures up soon of the great looking German treats I've been baking this week!!!

It's okay, Liesa! I get behind alot, too! I love your newest hand-me-down! You will have so much fun out in the woods with the kids. We have so many great memories of camping in an old hand me down pick up camper when our boys were young.

Take a deep breath and enjoy the season!

 

[Flossbolna]

Great little camper. What a lovely present from your parents! Did they haul it with them on the road trip to Oregon with the younger kids?

I am glad that you haven't frozen the lebkuchen yet! I was so afraid you would end up with crumbly, dry things and wonder why we gave you such a horrible recipe...

Wow, a second 5k! Well done!! I am so behind with my training. The weather is really bad here, we had show on the ground for 10 days now. I really need to find a gym here so I can at least go on the threadmill, even though I don't enjoy this very much. Thanks for motivating me!

 

[lovealldisney]

Leisa,
Great camper! WOW your parents are really very generious! I wish my in-laws would be the same! (not in a million years) If my parents were still around they would have been the same way ( well we wouldn't have gotten a camper ) but generious in different ways.

Ok did you ALL fit into that 4 person camper??? Or did you have a tent as well???

 

[glennbo123]

Awesome! I love the trailer. We did a lot of trailer-camping when I was growing up, and even belonged to a camping club. But alas, that is one tradition that I've not carried over to the next generation.

 

[PennyLane1084]

What a cute little camper. Great camping pic too. Being a kid who grew up camping I can appreciate how excited you guys were. My family had a pop-up trailer similar to this with a potty and shower too when I was little. We never actually camped out in the wilderness, more like Jellystone Campgrounds around the Midwest. Mostly one in the Wisconsin Dells. We did however stay at Fort Wilderness in a cabin one year. That was a great trip. Fort Wilderness is really beautiful except for the bus situation. You have to take the Chip or Dale (which are the internal buses for Fort Wilderness) to the TTC then to whatever ever park is your final destination. Other than that it's a really great place.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nice camper! Much better than knitted tea kettle covers! And everyone looks like they're having a great time! There's definitely something to be said for getting outdoors.

Hmm, I just read over that and realized I didn't crack wise anywhere. I feel like I'm disappointing you somehow.

 

[vamassey1]

What a lovely gift. I have to admit I'm not much for staying outdoors in a tent, but a camper would be different.

I hope it makes it down to Ft. Wilderness soon!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

sweet you joined the club of campers....you will continue to love all the trips you take, we love ours we average about 8-10 trips per year. that campground looked like alot of fun. thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

its way to cold here to still be camping, we usually make our last trip the weekend before halloween...

 

[Millie12591]

Thank you very much for the invitation to Thanksgiving!!

Oh my gosh, your more than welcome. I think it would be such a hoot to have you sharing in what we do as American's. I would of course insist you share a favorite tradition you have at home so I could include it into the holiday.

Different cultures' view on what is appropriate and what is not is really intersting. It really shows that each culture has created its own set of rules which helps people to interact in everyday life. And while some things might seem rude to us, if used in the appropriate context, it is alright! Like burping in China - it is a compliment to the hostess that the food was good! I find this fascinating!


I know! I love reading all the differences. These are in fact the things that make this so interesting for the kids to read, they want to learn the funny, silly ways (to us of course) of other culutres.

I think your cookies sound very sophisticated to me! I would not have the patience to make pretzels.

Oh heavens no! The furthest thing from fancy I promise. Tasty yes, fancy no. And don't be to impressed, I don't make the pretzels. These are the crunchy kind you buy in the store (unlike the beautiful fluffy soft one's you can get in Germany) that come in like a hundred or so to a bag, these are the little miniature one's. They make for the best candy covered pretzels, I know, it sounds funny.

Actually, here in Germany most people make their cookies weeks ahead. They are supposed to be stored for some time since this will give them time to "mature", e.g. spices can work their way through the cookie etc. If you keep them in a dry and cool place, their isn't anything that can go wrong with them. Very often people here complain that they are still eating christmas cookies in February and I have never heard of anyone who got sick from them. Of course if you use any frosting which has stuff that needs to be refridgerated than that's not an option.

I'm going to look more into the in's and out's of cookie making. I love all the advice I'm getting on here so far.
I have lots more to comment on but I have a tutorial for my new Android phone. Pathetic I know, I have to have someone show me how to use this new fangled thing-a-ma-bob I just got.
I'll be back, I've already learned a lot just hitting buttons and not knowing what the heck I'm doing!

We didn't bake cookies in England !! Soooo when I came here I wanted to be "American" Sooo I asked my MIL for the recipe to Cut out Cookies , followed it exactly and could not roll them out as they stuck to the rolling pin , no amount of flour or pounding worked !!Sooooo I called her and she said " You must not have chilled the dough long enough" She hadn't included that in her recipe and when I pointed this out her reply" Everyone knows that"Over the years I learned that MIL was not the best to ask for cooking tips as she usually didn't really have a recipe and would invent or give un followable directions !!

What do the English make for the holidays then? Biscuits? Speaking of....Where in the world is G.B.?!? He must be supper busy because of the holidays, he helps put on the Christmas show at his church.

you must be reading marvs report then.

DAAAAANG

Ooooooh, great chit-chat going on here! Keep it coming! I have to get my daughter to her class registration at a new community college today, so no time to be on until this evening. But one thing I did want to reply to quickly...

Yes, Camille- we freeze our cookies in ziplocks, and I usually start in early December. This year, I'm doing the gingerbread (from Magdalene's recipe), the springerle, thumbprints with mint Kisses on them, and some "spumoni" layered cookies. If I get more motivated than that, I'll add a batch of almond flavored sugar cookies for the kids to work with. But the BIG project this year is gingerbread houses. I went to Winco and let each kid pick out 5 candies from the bulk bins, and bought a boatload of graham crackers (yes, the lazy way out this year). I'll mix up the royal icing, and let them have at it- I hope to use the 3 or 4 houses as a centerpiece on the holiday table surrounded by hand cut fir and cedar.

Anyway, I'll be back with an update hopefully later today- meantime enjoy the party place.

You know there are kits you can buy so you can at least have the house part and then you can add your own candies along with the one's they come with.

Don't freeze the gingerbread!! It won't do it any good but will make it dry. Put it in a box with a piece of apple and store them at a cool place (garage or so would be fine). That's what we do with all our cookies (well, not the apple this goes only into the Springerle and the Lebkuchen).

Ooooo. Good to know. I've never made gingerbread cookies so I'm glad to have this information.

I am going to run another 5K this Sunday called the Ho-Ho Run. I'll proably end up walking about 1/3 of it again, as I just don't have the training like I did last summer. THe prize for this run? A tree seedling. I'm like, WHAT? A tree? PUH-LEEZE!! I want the bling, baby!!

Way to go lady!!! I'm really proud of you!!

You poor thing!! How could you have known that?? It's something that you learn from living in a place- like using a blow torch to get the fur off a sheep before boiling it.

What?!? For real?

Wow, a second 5k! Well done!! I am so behind with my training. The weather is really bad here, we had show on the ground for 10 days now. I really need to find a gym here so I can at least go on the threadmill, even though I don't enjoy this very much. Thanks for motivating me!

You can do it Magdalene, if you did it once I know you can do it again.

sweet you joined the club of campers....you will continue to love all the trips you take, we love ours we average about 8-10 trips per year. that campground looked like alot of fun. thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

its way to cold here to still be camping, we usually make our last trip the weekend before halloween...

I remember the days of trying to get in all the last days of camping before winter sets in. I grew-up part of my childhood in Colorado, and we would go up into the mountains almost every weekend. If it wasn't camping then we stayed in cabins during the winter and then went snowmobile riding. Taking the kids camping are memories children never forget.

 

[All7OfUs]

Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud Evening!!

Today was a pretty cool day. We spent it with a Member Care guy from our org. who does debriefings for those returning from the field, and to say the least it was long. I"m glad they want to make sure that those coming "home" are healthy in all the vital areas. But the probing questions are taxing- I'm glad it's over.

It was GREAT going to their house for dinner and enjoying his wild caught salmon glazed in maple, garlic and butter (Artist's Point has never been on the top of my list- this stuff is normal in the northwest.). It was FABULOUS!! We gave concerts for each other- their son is an AMAZING cellist, Mikki played piano, and Anara showed off her TKD kicks. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I'm exhausted!

One good thing that came out of the evening was that Mike has decided that it is OK to move down to the Salem house despite the fact that he still does not have a job. It could possibly mean two moves for us, but at least we're on the way to our goal to being in a house that we'll likely be in. So, a big day for us!!!

Back soon with another update.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud Evening!!

Today was a pretty cool day. We spent it with a Member Care guy from our org. who does debriefings for those returning from the field, and to say the least it was long. I"m glad they want to make sure that those coming "home" are healthy in all the vital areas. But the probing questions are taxing- I'm glad it's over.

It was GREAT going to their house for dinner and enjoying his wild caught salmon glazed in maple, garlic and butter (Artist's Point has never been on the top of my list- this stuff is normal in the northwest.). It was FABULOUS!! We gave concerts for each other- their son is an AMAZING cellist, Mikki played piano, and Anara showed off her TKD kicks. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I'm exhausted!

One good thing that came out of the evening was that Mike has decided that it is OK to move down to the Salem house despite the fact that he still does not have a job. It could possibly mean two moves for us, but at least we're on the way to our goal to being in a house that we'll likely be in. So, a big day for us!!!

Back soon with another update.

Well, Helloooo! Sounds like a great evening after a taxing day! IKWYM about Artist's Point! We are pretty spoiled by good, healthy food out here! It's wonderful that your children are such good entertainers!

I'm glad you are getting some decisions made and some normalcy in site. I know Mike will get a job soon!

 

[Millie12591]

Wow! Big news, you'll have to call me when you get a second! I miss talking with you, and if your not going to be on here as much then we're going to have to start calling one another more often.

So when will the move happen?

 

[marvali]

But then you don't get shapes Unless your WOODEN is magic !!!

Magic is as good of a description as any I guess......

It is not just any old crank up style jobbie, but has a single button you push to raise it up. It can "comfortably" sleep 4, but needs supplementary foam before next spring. My neck practically self-destructed on our maiden voyage. Let's see... what else- the piece' de resistance?? A potty!!! Dudes, this thing has a real potty and shower!!! A stove top, and loads of cabinets. Cold?? No problem- it has propane AND electric heaters too!

Cool little toy camper you got there! Actually, I have thought in the past about getting us a pop-up, not because it is what I necessarily prefer, but because that is about all we could pull with our current vehicles.

It can go to places like this, where we went a couple of weekends after getting back to the Great Northwest.

Nice you already got to use it. Looks like a beautiful location, and you had a lot of family fun!

Please!! NEVER give Marv ANY spoons!

???????

What report??????

Oh ha ha! You guys are a regular bunch of commodes aren't ya??!!

DAAAAANG

What SHE said!

Today was a pretty cool day. We spent it with a Member Care guy from our org. who does debriefings for those returning from the field, and to say the least it was long. I"m glad they want to make sure that those coming "home" are healthy in all the vital areas. But the probing questions are taxing- I'm glad it's over.

It was GREAT going to their house for dinner and enjoying his wild caught salmon glazed in maple, garlic and butter (Artist's Point has never been on the top of my list- this stuff is normal in the northwest.). It was FABULOUS!!

All a part of returning after so many years I guess, but it does sound like you would be drained after going through it all. Still, the salmon sounds delicious!!!

So much stuff to have to decide when you essentially start your life all over! So glad you are getting some of those tough decisions made, and you can hopefully be all settled again soon!

BTW, did you ever make it to DISNEY on that trip you used to report about???

 

[Flossbolna]

BTW, did you ever make it to DISNEY on that trip you used to report about???

My guess would be that she will go through the whole alphabet once before she arrives at Disney. I think she already has all the chapters planned out and it will be something like "A is for Arriving at WDW" or so....

Liesa, the de-briefing sounds stressful, but as you said, it is good that they take care of you! And I am very glad to hear that you have decided to move to a place that you can truly call home even if there is a chance that you wil have to move again at some point in the near future. I think it will be a great step forward to settling into your life back home.

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh my gosh, your more than welcome. I think it would be such a hoot to have you sharing in what we do as American's. I would of course insist you share a favorite tradition you have at home so I could include it into the holiday.

Thanks Camille, I already got a very sweet invitation from lovealldisney as well and it is wonderful to know that if I end up being in Wisconsin or Texas in late November, I won't have to fell left out of the holidays!

What do the English make for the holidays then? Biscuits?

As far as I know they have christmas pudding (with brandy butter ), christmas cake and mince pies. Wonderful stuff! But Rosie will know more I guess.

You can do it Magdalene, if you did it once I know you can do it again.

Thanks! I know, I just need to get out there again. I actually regularly have these training breaks at the end of the year and just pick it up after a few months again, so I am not too worried.

 

[englishrose47]

Thanks Camille, I already got a very sweet invitation from lovealldisney as well and it is wonderful to know that if I end up being in Wisconsin or Texas in late November, I won't have to fell left out of the holidays!



As far as I know they have christmas pudding (with brandy butter ), christmas cake and mince pies. Wonderful stuff! But Rosie will know more I guess.



Thanks! I know, I just need to get out there again. I actually regularly have these training breaks at the end of the year and just pick it up after a few months again, so I am not too worried.

You are right Magdalena !!! Christmas pudding although we always had custard instead of the brandy sauce and of course the silver threepenny bits hidden in it !! Individual mincepies , sausage rolls and Fruitcake were always part of our hoilday !! I did forget to mention the Christmas Crackers !! Which were something you pulled and they cracked and inside was a paper hat, and atoy and a motto !!!

 

[All7OfUs]

Loved the Camper !!I bet you will have lots of fun in it !!!

Thanks, Rosie! I know we will! Now if my stupid neck would just cooperate with the rustic conditions.

It's okay, Liesa! I get behind alot, too! I love your newest hand-me-down! You will have so much fun out in the woods with the kids. We have so many great memories of camping in an old hand me down pick up camper when our boys were young.

Take a deep breath and enjoy the season!

Isn't it great!!! Does your family camp?? If so, we could meet half way, maybe near Waldo Lake or something!

I grew up camping, but that was desert camping in the Anza-Borego area in So.Cal. LOVED IT!! The forest is nice too, but dang it's cold getting up to visit the facili-trees at night!

Great little camper. What a lovely present from your parents! Did they haul it with them on the road trip to Oregon with the younger kids?

I am glad that you haven't frozen the lebkuchen yet! I was so afraid you would end up with crumbly, dry things and wonder why we gave you such a horrible recipe...

Wow, a second 5k! Well done!! I am so behind with my training. The weather is really bad here, we had show on the ground for 10 days now. I really need to find a gym here so I can at least go on the threadmill, even though I don't enjoy this very much. Thanks for motivating me!

Yes, that's why in that first picture of it open you can see tons of stuff loaded into it. THey hauled several boxes and see that antique steamer trunk in there??? That came over the pond with my great-grandmother when she emigrated from France. I can't wait to get it appraised and research it more. It has the original hardware on it with the oxidized brass. Such a treasure!!

We're going down again Friday afternoon, and cutting our tree and stuff on Saturday. I hope then, I"ll have time to make the gingerbread. That will be my personal reward after tackling the uber-disgusting refrigerator. That hasn't been cleaned by Dad since Mom passed last January.

Yes, Sunday's the day. I ran last night, and MUST have been clocking myself wrong, because I came in at 2 miles in 23 minutes. That's 11 1/2 minute miles. Seriously, I must have miscounted laps? or somehow just poured on the gas since I didn't have my iPod?? I have no idea, but if that's the case, I can actually do this 5K in about 35 minutes or so!!!! I love my indoor track!! It's warm and cozy- not wet and cold.

Leisa,
Great camper! WOW your parents are really very generious! I wish my in-laws would be the same! (not in a million years) If my parents were still around they would have been the same way ( well we wouldn't have gotten a camper ) but generious in different ways.

Ok did you ALL fit into that 4 person camper??? Or did you have a tent as well???

They are soooooooooo generous. I'm pretty sure they are going to gift a laptop to Bek when they get here next week. I sure hope so, we need another computer for those doing school!

No, you are right. 2 kids have to be booted out to a tent. They don't mind so much, except when it gets pretty chilly- which it was. Down bags help, but they are not a perfect solution. Once Bek leaves, the 3rd kid can be on the floor in the camper on a pad. Cozy, but doable.

Awesome! I love the trailer. We did a lot of trailer-camping when I was growing up, and even belonged to a camping club. But alas, that is one tradition that I've not carried over to the next generation.

Me too. Some of my greatest memories. We went to the desert where we ended up going a lot of 4-wheeling in old Scouts and Jeeps. It was so fun!! For a while we had 3 wheel ATCs, and yeah, it was dangerous, but we sure had fun!

Glenn, get thee out there, and make some sticky, gooey S'more filled memories!!

 

[All7OfUs]

What a cute little camper. Great camping pic too. Being a kid who grew up camping I can appreciate how excited you guys were. My family had a pop-up trailer similar to this with a potty and shower too when I was little. We never actually camped out in the wilderness, more like Jellystone Campgrounds around the Midwest. Mostly one in the Wisconsin Dells. We did however stay at Fort Wilderness in a cabin one year. That was a great trip. Fort Wilderness is really beautiful except for the bus situation. You have to take the Chip or Dale (which are the internal buses for Fort Wilderness) to the TTC then to whatever ever park is your final destination. Other than that it's a really great place.

I was really having fun with the camera that trip out. I was acutely aware I needed a bigger, badder camera; and can only hope this my current POC dies very soon.

I'm not sure it's really WHERE you go camping that really matters, it's just being together as a family and doing things together you don't usually do. We love to sit up late and just talk around the fire, and play games on the table, and hike and run around. It's just plain fun. Yes, you lose some sleep, yes, the food is more simple, yes, the weather doesn't always cooperate, but there's just no other activity I can think of that forces you to interact together like camping does.

I"ve actually "camped" at the Fort twice. Once in 2000, and once in 2008. The busses to take a bit longer, but it's not horrible. Only once did it cut into our park time significantly. WE really like the Fort, but after last time, I made the executive decision, (I'm the mom, I get to do that ) that we won't be cooking there. It will still be eating at the resorts and parks. I don't like going all the way back to have mac cheese.

Nice camper! Much better than knitted tea kettle covers! And everyone looks like they're having a great time! There's definitely something to be said for getting outdoors.

Hmm, I just read over that and realized I didn't crack wise anywhere. I feel like I'm disappointing you somehow.

Tea kettle covers suck. Even if they were knitted by Great, great Aunt Matilda. Retro and kitchy can only go so far.

Am I the only parent that lets their kids play with lit sticks of fire?? I dunno, we always enjoyed it, until someone got and ember on their arm. THat was usually right after someone got a sticky piece of marshmallow slung into their hair because somone caught theirs on fire.

Don't worry, the funny doesn't always flow freely. Sometimes, we do say intelligent things too.

What a lovely gift. I have to admit I'm not much for staying outdoors in a tent, but a camper would be different.

I hope it makes it down to Ft. Wilderness soon!

Campers do offer a bit more comfort and security. Ummmm.... the potty is a definite plus as well!! The trees and thanking me.

sweet you joined the club of campers....you will continue to love all the trips you take, we love ours we average about 8-10 trips per year. that campground looked like alot of fun. thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

its way to cold here to still be camping, we usually make our last trip the weekend before halloween...

THat's about what we averaged every year before we left. Once or twice a month for 5 months. That particular campground is VERY primitive. A picnic table, a fire pit, pit toilet (singular), and that's it. Best part, and small creek for the kids to splash all they want (it's COLD!!) and play Pooh STicks in. Sometimes the deer come through, and that's fun too. When hunting season start, the hunters take over, and it can be a bit dangerous. Next year, if we butt up to October, we'll be taking orange vests.

I should have mentioned that that trip WAS in October, but I was saving those pictures for this installment because we got that trailer a couple days after we arrived in the U.S. That campground now is buried until several feet of snow, as it's up on Mt. Hood.

 

[All7OfUs]

You know there are kits you can buy so you can at least have the house part and then you can add your own candies along with the one's they come with.


What?!? For real?

and we would go up into the mountains almost every weekend. If it wasn't camping then we stayed in cabins during the winter and then went snowmobile riding. Taking the kids camping are memories children never forget. [/COLOR]

Yes, I know, but they are $14.99. I don't want to spend all that. I bought 3 boxes of graham crackers for $3.00 a box, and let the kids have fun at the bulk candy bins. I'll mix up some icing early next week, and let them create until their creative juices and spilling all over the place.

Yes, they really, really, do use blow torches to clean the fur off before boiling the heads- that they then scoop the brains out of and eat. REally!

Now, snowmobiling does sound fun- we should rent some someday!

Well, Helloooo! Sounds like a great evening after a taxing day! IKWYM about Artist's Point! We are pretty spoiled by good, healthy food out here! It's wonderful that your children are such good entertainers!

I'm glad you are getting some decisions made and some normalcy in site. I know Mike will get a job soon!

It was a taxing day. When people probe deeply into one's private lives and thoughts, it's always uncomfortable. Profitable, but like you say, taxing. I was happy to end it with a nice dinner and a drive to see the Christmas lights.

I sure hope he does get a job soon, Tammie. He is willing to take anything from Corvallis to Portland. Surely there's gotta be soemthing out there for him!!

Wow! Big news, you'll have to call me when you get a second! I miss talking with you, and if your not going to be on here as much then we're going to have to start calling one another more often.

So when will the move happen?

I miss it too- my days just seem so busy right now. Today, all afternoon, we had the church's homeschool group Christmas party. It was super fun with crafts for the kids, singing, gift exchange, treats, etc...

But can I be really honest? My heart is just having a hard time making any emotional attachments here when I know I'll be leaving. It's just too painful to keep saying goodbye over, and over, and over, and over. I hope I can put down roots soon, and connect on a heart level soon again.

Cool little toy camper you got there! Actually, I have thought in the past about getting us a pop-up, not because it is what I necessarily prefer, but because that is about all we could pull with our current vehicles.
Nice you already got to use it. Looks like a beautiful location, and you had a lot of family fun!

It's a great location, very primitive, but enough to let the kids run and scream and be wild. CAn't do that in a State campground that's all cramped and your neighbors are 3 feet away.

Pop ups are great! If we wanted, we could pull it with the Buick and be fine; it's VERY light. I like the heater feature, and of course cooking inside. Did I mention how much I love having an indoor can?

Oh ha ha! You guys are a regular bunch of commodes aren't ya??!!

We try.

All a part of returning after so many years I guess, but it does sound like you would be drained after going through it all. Still, the salmon sounds delicious!!!

It was draining. WE've told this story a zillion times, and now we want to move on. They sent us home with 3 gigantic slabs of salmon!!! I plan to serve it for dinner on the night my parents arrive! WOOT!!

So much stuff to have to decide when you essentially start your life all over! So glad you are getting some of those tough decisions made, and you can hopefully be all settled again soon!

Well, we realize that moving to Salem is risky. It is QUITE possible we would have to move AGAIN if time marches on, and Mike still cannot find work in North Oregon. But, we feel like we need to make that step of faith, and do it. Time will tell if it was the right choice.

BTW, did you ever make it to DISNEY on that trip you used to report about???

Haha!! Ya'll asked for it. From door to door, as I recall...

My guess would be that she will go through the whole alphabet once before she arrives at Disney. I think she already has all the chapters planned out and it will be something like "A is for Arriving at WDW" or so....

Liesa, the de-briefing sounds stressful, but as you said, it is good that they take care of you! And I am very glad to hear that you have decided to move to a place that you can truly call home even if there is a chance that you wil have to move again at some point in the near future. I think it will be a great step forward to settling into your life back home.

Magdalene is right- A oughtta start out again, right about the Arriving part. Aren't you excited??

They do take care of us- and honestly a lot of missionaries come home far, FAR more burned out and wounded than we are. Member care/counseling is NOT an easy job in our (former) line of work.

My temptation is going to be to want to fix up/redecorate/buy stuff all right away. UGH!! Must resist...