One More Night

You'd think that in the last week before leaving, I might post more than twice. You might think that if you were insane.

Between being insanely busy at work - and having more than a little guilt at leaving the Nature Centre so short-staffed, unavoidable as it was - and shuttling the kids to and from their various commitments, and waging a four-member war on whatever virus decided to land on the family, posting twice seems like a lot.

Anyways, it's 11:45 Friday night. Bags are packed. Work stuff is put to bed. Kids are sleeping. New camera has been tested, checked & suitably played with. Passport is in money belt and my suitcase is surprisingly not full. If it wasn't for this thing, I'd be a little more full, however Eagle Creek has made it possible to fold and pack: one pair of dress pants, three-sleeve button front shirts, one pair of MEC rad pants, one pair of convertible pants, two wicking T-shirts, and two pairs of shorts into something smaller than a medium three ring binder.

I think tomorrow will be spent making breakfast. playing tea-party with Ainsley, riding bikes with Kaden (rain permitting) and reassuring Shannon that really, I am allowed to go to Africa and leave her with the kids for 44 days. Does she win the "Best Wife Ever" award? Of course she does. Although I'll apparently be funding a number of "Spa Days" when I get home.

G'night all. Next post will be from: a. London, b. Doha c. Dar es Salaam or d. Wherever the plane takes us.

Later.

Nice Timing

Five more sleeps until we get on the plane and...

I have a cold.

That's right, in a act of pure, wilful defiance my normally iron-clad immune system has gone on strike and let the children's colds come screaming in.

I don't think I can handle any more grapefruit juice, Advil, exposure to Kleenex, sniffling etc... Really, it's getting old. Considering when I do get colds they hang around for three to four days and this one's been really stuck on for a day and a half, I should be feeling great by Thursday. However, if my immune system doesn't pull it together, the two of us are going to be having a serious talk.

On the upside, if I still have a cold when I get on the plane, at least I can infect 200 or so other people. Misery loves company. Right?

Ten Work Days Left

So, there are ten work days left until we climb on the plane and fly from Calgary to London, London to Doha, Qatar, Doha to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Thanks to everybody who helped make getting to Africa possible. You are (in no particular order), the Ward family, the entire Waskasoo Park Interpretive Program staff, Rotary International District 5360, anybody who's helping Shannon while I'm gone, my folks and of course Shannon, Kaden & Ainsley. If the'dy once said "Don't go", I wouldn't have gone. But they didn't, they've been amazing. Thank you.

So, to keep you all up to speed, I along with four team members from Central Alberta, am spending May 5 - June 19 in East Africa; specifically Tanzania and Uganda. We're travelling under the Group Study Exchange program, sponsored by the Rotary Foundation.

There's still a bunch to do both at home and at work so this first post is deliberately short.

Later.