Thursday, July 31, 2008

WE'RE HOME!!!

Just as the bells were chiming telling everyone it was noon on Monday, the Blue Moose came roaring into town telling everyone that we were home. We all had a blast in our two and a half weeks of fun. I have over two hundred pictures on my camera, a lot of which are of "The Little Man," Jesse. I got to spend some good quality time with my Dad, Mom, my brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew. I read almost ten books. After four nights on the bus I figured out I can sleep almost anywhere! ;) Over all it was a wonderful vacation. We are all glad to be home in our own beds though. God proved himself strong through our whole vacation, and I would just like to say a big thank you to him for getting us to our destinations and home again safely. Here are a few pictures of our vacation, I hope you enjoy. (Joanna, I hope it won't take forever for you to load this page with your slow connection, just let me know if you have problems and I will take some of the pictures off.)
One of Jesse's favorite games is to say "AAAAA" really loud and have us all yell right back, he always gives us really big grins!
After the bus broke down we were all pretty tired, here is Isaiah proving that we can sleep anywhere. ;)
Looks like Cabela's doesn't it? Well, it isn't, it is Trina's uncles living room. It is one of the most impressive living rooms I have ever seen. In this picture it looks really crowded, but in real life it doesn't look crowded at all. It must be my camera that crowded it altogether like that. ;)

This is everyone stuffed in a little corner in Starbucks chatting with Joanna. Everyone looked at us really weird, and we even had a lady come up and tell us that nothing was that interesting, we all said, "Yes, there is!" Joanna I thought you would really enjoy this picture.

On the bus with a few extra kids, they all sat on the back bunks waving and yelling at people and cars that we went by.
Hosanna isn't she the cutest. This ones for you Sarah. ;)
The night we left we all went out for ice cream. Nineteen of us rushed out of the bus and into a little ice cream shop ten minutes before they closed. The poor workers thought they were going to have an early night until they saw the Blue Moose!
Trina was really enjoying her chocolate milkshake, can't you tell?
This is a picture of me and my hairstylist Gracie. If anyone wants their hair done too, I can give you her number. ;)
This is a picture of Jesse which I have titled; "The Weary Traveler"
I can just hear him saying, " I can't believe the bus broke down again."
I still have many more cute pictures of Jesse, I told you I took a lot of him! :)

"Look at all the windmills!"
On the way from Iowa to Wisconsin we passed hundreds probably thousands of these windmills, out of many pictures this is my favorite one of the windmills, and I thought it an appropriate ending to a vacation post. Riding off into the sunset, looking for our next adventure in the Blue Moose.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Obedience is the very best way...

I thought that I would take this time to share with you what the Lord has been teaching me recently. I suppose that you would call me a goal oriented person, if I have some where to go or something to do I like to go and do it and not leave it for later, which in most cases I would say is a good thing but when it comes to life and the process of God's work in me it can be frustrating.
I mean if I'm on A and the ultimate goal is Z then lets get through all the other letters as fast as we can so that we finish. That is not God's idea though, he has all those other letters in there for a reason and they are just as important to him as A and Z are.
I was reminded of this truth the other day while reading "My Utmost for his Highest" in my devotions. Oswald Chambers says, "We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end.
What is my dream of God's purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. If we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."
So let me encourage you that no matter what you are going through to give it to him and let him lead you as he wills. Stop and enjoy the process of life and don't always want to rush ahead and get onto the next thing. Well that what I have been learning, I hope that it helps you as much as it did me.

Friday, July 25, 2008

A Post From Curtiss

Joanna's first Romanian Hamburger.




Joanna hadn't eaten since breakfast. I think she was either enjoying it or just really hungry.




I sometimes have the knack for taking pictures when one least expects it.


Just in case anyone wants to try out the same culinary delight.

A Drive to Cluj

Hello everyone! No I haven't disapeared or forgotten you but my days have been full of everyday happenings that I have already told you about but now I have a subject worthy of a post;) I believe I have told all of you about Sora Aneta, one of the ladies in the church here, she has a daughter that due to a sickness as a baby has lived most of her life deaf. A while back she had the opportunity of trying some one elses hearing aid and was able to hear and yesterday Curtiss and I had the opportunity of taking her and Sora Aneta (and another guy who happens to have a daughter who works in the clinic, is the one who had Mina try his hearing aids and due to these things knew how to get where we were going;) to the city of Cluj (a three to four hour drive depending on traffic and what you are driving) where there is a clinic that tests and makes hearing aids. We left here a few minutes to eight yesterday morning and since it has been rather rainy here and since the forcast called for rain all day we were loaded with umbrellas, rain coats of various sizes and descriptions and a change of clothes in case all else failed. The trip out was uneventful with only one stop for gas and a pepsi for the driver, the conversation a mix of Romanian and English. We arrived on the out skirts of the city after only three hours drive and proceeded to make our way to the clinic, and once we got there had to find some where to park which proved harder then it usually is in any of the other cities I have been to here (probably because it is the biggest) eventually we found a parking garage which we scared the Romanians by parking in it as they had never even heard of such a thing let alone use one, it was so funny to listen to them, even I who really can't understand a word that they say knew exactly what was going on and that they were doing some thing that was completely new for them. After that it was off to the clinic which is actually a large hospital for diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of things, at least that is what it said on the sign. Once inside we all made our way to the bathrooms where there was no toilet seat, toilet paper, running water or soap (which I guess would be useless without water) but it met the need and I can't complain since I had some tissues and hand cleaner in my purse (Curtiss said that the most important thing you can have in Romania besides your passport is hand cleaner;) By now it was almost noon and Curtiss and I were getting hungry so we exchanged phone numbers so that they could call us when they were done and we went in search of a restaurant. Now in Romania it is not an easy matter to find some place to eat in a city that you have never been in before in a country where eating places aren't plentiful in the first place and the local people tell you not to eat any where that hasn't been recommended to you by some one you trust. Now when you are in a foreign city there is no one around that you trust to recommend some place and so we just started walking to see what we could find. Scary you might say but definitely invigorating:) (I think I should mention here that all the preparation we had made to stay dry wouldn't have done us a bit of good as we left it all in the car, so I guess that it was a good thing that it didn't rain all day we were almost back to the village before running into any, but not near as exciting) At first we weren't too successful as we went the wrong way and there were no eating places any where in sight, we did find a very pretty park though that had a nice big pond with ducks in it and rowboats you could rent, mind you they looked like they would sink if you set out in them but they were there and the grass had been cut at some point and the walks were well cared for all in all not usually what you find when in a park in Romania. We then headed back the other way and within five minutes of going the other way from where we started in the first place we came to a little diner that served burgers and things of that sort. As it was getting late and we didn't know when we would get a phone call we decided to try it so in we went. Now picture a hallway that is about ten feet wide, tables set for four running down each side with a small aisle in between them and you have the restaurant. As it became increasingly hotter the further you went into it and because they don't have non smoking areas here (by the time we left I think every other person who ate there smoked at some point or another) we sat at the table closest to the door where I ate my very first Romanian hamburger(after praying really hard that we wouldn't get sick from them). Allow me to decribe: a beef patty (I think, it didn't look like beef) shredded cabbage and french fries all on a large bun dripping with (Romanian)ketchup and mayo. Yes, the french fried were on the burger. It was quite tasty. Curtiss got almost the same thing only his patty was breaded and fried. After leaving the restaurant we came across a sight that was quite surprising and that Curtiss and I are both kicking ourselves for not getting a picture of, I guess we were too shocked to be thinking cleary. A band of Native Americans in full costume playing on the sidewalk! Not a normal sight in Europe. And from there we went and looked at a huge stone Catholic cathedral that had it's beginning in the 14th centery, you can't ever find some thing like that that old in America, it was beautiful. While we were in there we got the phone call that Mina was done and that we could meet them at the gate of the hospital and we could then go to the car. The only thing to note on the way home was eating our second lunch;) Aneta had packed a lunch for everyone that we didn't know about until we got to the city but as we didn't know how long the apointment was going to last we still went and got those burgers but since the others hadn't eaten and because Curtiss was hungry again we stopped at a little road side park that had a few tables and ate lunch for the second time;) because I knew that we were going to be eating again I only ate about half of my burger and then half of my sandwich and so again I was able to avoid the overly full sick feeling! Exciting isn't it?

Now for a brief update on Mina. She was able to get hearing aids but can't really use them until a part is made that had to be ordered and she goes back to get them fitted to her. But she will be able to hear!!!! and we get to make another trip to Cluj in a week or so:) How fun! Please keep Mina in your prayers as she adjusts to life with hearing aids, she does have a very small amount of hearing in her one ear so she can speak a little but not much, and she has kind of lived her life in the background not taking part in much that has gone on around her so this will be an adjustment for her, but I think she is excited and looking forward to being able to hear what is going on around her.

Friday, July 18, 2008

A Picnic

You all may be wondering when in the world did that happen? after looking at the last post or maybe you are thinking I knew it all along and it sure took them long enough to get around to it but regardless your reaction we all know that God's plan and timing are perfect and Curtiss and I are working in the bounderies of his timing and discovering his plan for us.

Yesterday we went on what I guess you would call a date as last Sunday Curtiss asked me to go some where with him just for fun and I accepted at the time neither of us (especially not me) sure where we would go (not a good idea for just any one as it could get a little dangerous depending on who you go with but completely safe for me at least until Curtiss reads this;)
Eventually it was decided that we would go to the Eastern Europeon headquarters for Precept Ministries as it is a beautiful drive and there were a few questions about the books, that came from there, that we are using for the Bible studies that we are doing. And some where along the way we would stop for a picnic. The headquarters are located near a man made lake a couple hours away from here and so we thought that it would be nice to make it to the lake and eat somewhere where we could see the water. Once we got to the area we started driving around looking for the perfect place for a picnic, do to the fact that there are houses all around the one side and because there aren't very many places to park not even a shoulder on the side of the road we ended up driving most of the way around the lake before finding a little dirt road not heavily used where we could park the car in the ditch and eat in an orchard from which we could see the lake. We got the blanket out and I started getting the sandwich fixing from out of the cooler bag when I suddenly remembered something... we didn't have any bread! kind of an important element for sandwiches. We were suppose to stop somewhere along the way and get some but it had slipped both of our minds so we loaded everything back up in the car and headed back to the nearest village (only about a mile away, if that) as bread is a staple almost anywhere and especially in Romania it wasn't long until we found the little town store and got a loaf of bread then back to the orchard we went. This time we had more success making lunch as we now had all the necessary items and we had a great time sitting on a blanket in the sun eating turkey sandwiches, Lays potato chips, peaches and drinking Coke (at least I was Curtiss already drank his, he had water) a very Romanian meal don't you think? Anyway onto what you all are waiting for. After eating and while we were talking we discovered that both of us weren't going to use the terms boyfriend/girlfriend with out first consulting with or having the other do it first and that neither of us minded if the other did. So there you have it, it's really just that simple.
Precept Ministry headquarters was very nice and when we got there we met some one that the Archers knew who was there taking one of the courses and she needed a ride back to Hunedoara that day. She said that she had been planning on staying there until Friday but that she had gotten a call from her work and she was going to need to go in Friday morning and she had just finished praying asking the Lord how she was going to get home when we walked in the door, which I thought was cool. She was thrilled to meet me and the whole way home she would reach up and rub my arms or play with my hair, which I thought was funny. And that was our day for the most part the rest you will have to come up with on your own as I'm not sharing;) I'll just say it was great and Curtiss is already saying we need to plan our next one.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Weep with those that Weep and Rejoice with those that Rejoice

This is going to be an interesting post as I have very opposite things to report, one sad and one very happy. I'll start with the sad. Yesterday morning we got the news that the night before one of the guys from the village fell over dead (we think from a heart attack) while he was in front of his house chopping wood. I have never met them and the Archer's don't know them well either but we have been keeping up with what is happening, small village life everybody knows what everybody else is doing. He was only in his mid thirties and he leaves a wife and child. We were told yesterday that his little girl (she's about 5) hasn't been told anything about what is happening or that her daddy isn't ever coming back. The family is a very Orthodox family and they believe that the only way a person can be saved is if the people that are still living do things for the dead like how the funeral is done, lighting candles, ringing church bells and paying the priest. I don't know exactly how funerals work here but I do know that right now the family has the body in their home and people are going over there and sitting with them, the actual funeral is tomorrow sometime so the body will have been dead for over three days by the time it is burried. The whole thing is just so sad to me, please join me in praying that this loss will make the others become dissatisfied with the emptiness of what they have and that they will start to look for the truth, for Jesus.

Now for more happy, exciting news. Please join the Archers as they welcome Nathaniel Curtiss Archer into the world. Daniel and Whitney Archer (the Archer's oldest son) are now the proud parents of an 8lb 3oz 20in baby boy. Whitney is doing well and both mother and baby are healthy. It is so much fun to see the excitement as Grandma and Grandpa celebrate, they have gotten to see a couple of pictures and they are definitely very proud. They are very thankful for Internet that allows them to get the news so quickly that he is here and doing well and can even see him.
Well, I think that about wraps it up, this was definitly a most interesting post to write, it is an amazing thing that one family can be grieving and the other rejoicing over the loss or gain of life and we as christians can (and should) feel for both even though what they are going through is so vastly different. Our god is awesome.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Pictures

I thought that you all might enjoy some pictures,
hopefully it won't take all day to upload these
I resized them so it should be good. Enjoy!


Here I am napping in the garden


deflating my bed :)


The first baked goods that I made in Romania


The cake that we were served we all got a piece this size



Rachel (Rahela) and me


The roses that one of the English students brought to us
and that I got to arrange

Eat, Sleep and Drink Coffee

Yesterday we were invited to go and have a picnic at the Simion's garden, it was my second time going there as I went there last year when here with Susan. It was the perfect day for it as it was a little bit too warm to be comfortable in the sun but under the trees with the breeze blowing it was very pleasant. Mr John met us at the gate when we pulled up and asked me how I was to which I tried to answer him in Romanian but I don't really understand which word for "good" is used when as near as I can figure it there are at least three different ways to say it. But he understood what I meant and after asking whether Curtiss was a good driver or not he ushered us into the garden. They already had the fire going and the food frying (not that they would've let us help anyway) and after saying hi to Mrs Simion and their daughters mother in law who was also there we were told to sit down. They started us out with appetizers, sliced meat (like a salami) cheese, cucumbers and a fish egg spread that they put on bread. I must admit that I had never had fish eggs before and I was kind of glad that I had already taken a bite before I knew what it was as it would've been harder to take the first bite otherwise but it really wasn't bad and if you think about it what is the difference between eggs from fish or chickens? I ate as little of the appetizers as I could as I had gotten a glimpse of the pan of fried potatoes, there was more then last year when we had to eat them all, also I saw the pan of mici (meech, Romanian sausage) and knew that I was going to get a plate full. Mr John tries to get me to eat just as much as he possibly can and I on the other hand try to avoid most of the food that he tries to get me to eat, so it is most amusing, whenever we get together, for everyone else to watch our maneuverings to see who conquers who, and yesterday was no exception. They filled our plates down by the fires (there is no go through the line and take as much or as little as you'd like here) and brought them to us, a soup bowl full of potatoes with the meat on top. I ate about half of it and gave the rest to Curtiss (who I think felt very full for the rest of the day) after my plate was empty Mr John tried to get me to take more food and I said no that I was full so he reached over and took some of the salami and cheese and put it on my plate, I let him do it (I think he was surprised that I wasn't fighting him) and then I took my plate and put it in front of him, he good naturedly ate what he had put there but said that it wouldn't have made me any fuller to have eated them as you would just take two bites and it would be gone, that I think depends on who is taking the bites:) After eating comes coffee and I of course got a cup (thankfully I got to put a extra spoonful of sugar in it and it went down the easiest of any cup yet;) and Mr John told me to drink up as there was digging to do in the garden, so after finishing my cup I asked him where I was suppose to start digging and he said over there on the far side where the corn is, start there and work your way across the whole garden, there are hoes in the shed. So I went and got a hoe wondering how far he was going to let me go, I got the hoe and was on my way to the corn when he called me to come and when I got there he said he was going to teach me how to use it so he took it in his hand and held it out in the air and took my arm and turned me around like he was going to paddle me and told me that if I didn't go and sit down he would show me how it was used;) While all of this was going on he had been busy blowing up a inflatable flat beach tube that after he was done he lay on the ground next to some mats that they already had laid out and called me and everyone else over so that we could lay on them. That was a first for me to go and over to some ones elses place and have them bed you down after feeding you. So we all lay there resting and chatting while Mr John continued to work, cleaning the cooking pots and picking raspberries that we were suppose to eat. After spending most of the day there doing absolutely nothing but eating and resting it was time to go, as the Simion's garden is a couple of miles from their home we gave Mrs Simion and the other lady whos name I don't know a ride back into the city (Mr John rides his bike there and back almost daily) and of course we had to come into their house and have some juice and cookies. While we were there the Simion's son came in (who they had earlier offered to let me marry if I wanted to) and after shaking hands he asked me how old I was after answering him he went into another room and we didn't see him again (we weren't sure if I scared him or if I was too young so there was no use hanging around) By this time it was after six and we had a few groceries to get so we headed out the door, on the way out Mr John tried to get me to take the last cookie saying "one more just one more" and I told him that I had already had one but he instisted and finally he picked it up and set in on the top of my shirt so that if I hadn't grabbed it it would've gone right down my shirt. So the moral of the story is when around Mr John wear turtle necks :)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

How much wood...

On Tuesday afternoon wood that the Archers ordered several weeks ago arrived (it was suppose to come well Dad was here so he could help cut and stack it but such is life in Romania:) so yesterday and today were spent trying to get it off the road where the truck unloaded it and into Frata Saul and Sora Dora's courtyard. Armed with a borrowed chainsaw we went to work. Now picture this, a bright summer morning with the birds singing and the breeze blowing, some one with a chain saw cutting into a pile of freshly felled trees and two people walking with large pieces of wood on their shoulders down the road into a gate and onto a pile, well there wasn't much of a pile as we weren't making much headway with carry every piece by hand:) thankfully a neighbor took pity on us and let us use his wagon and that sped the process up considerably. The wood came on a log truck and because of their length had to be unloaded on the side of the road. The Archers requested smaller trees as they knew that some times when logs were delivered there would be huge monsters sized trees and the guy did a great job of bringing managable size logs which was very good considering the work team they had to work with.


Let me introduce you to the workers...first is Mr Archer, chainsaw operator, next we have Curtiss, log mover, wagon puller and the guy that runs around trying to not let the ladies do to much:) next is me, wagon loader or in other words some one that does as much as she can with out hurting herself and getting into trouble with said guy and wagon pusher, Tabita (Rahela's mother) wagon loader and pusher, wife and mother of seven so doesn't care a hoot what said guy says. And then a few others who came and gave a helping hand (mostly ladies by the way;). It was most interesting and amusing to say the least. Yesterday we got about half of the pile done and then called it a day, after being fed of course and then today we got almost all of the logs moved into the yard when the chainsaw hit some thing so that it wouldn't cut any more so Curtiss left to get a replacement chain and he and Mr Archer are out there now finishing up. I on the other hand am here writing to you all because I am under strict orders, I was told to "take a bath and relax" and "you aren't allowed to do any more work today!" So here I am smelling better and sitting down, though I don't know if it would be considered not working and relaxing:)Now to end the post I will give a detailed account of our wounds... first being one very ______ I'm just kidding even if we did have some bad injuries I know that some of you wouldn't be able to take it;) Actually we didn't have any major injuries, thankfully, the worst one being Curtiss getting his finger in between a log and the side of the wagon, other then that we just have the normal sore muscles, bruises and scratches that come with working with heavy pieces of wood.
(there that wasn't too bad was it?)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

TTFN; Ta Ta For Now!

Our suitcases are packed, our curtains are up, and the diesel tank is full! We are almost ready to take off in the Blue Moose! We are headed off for the Midwest for a three week vacation! Hooray! I am so excited! So goodbye for now, and I will see you again in three weeks. ( Except for you Joanna. ) :( If you would like to see pictures of the Blue Moose you can go to Trina's Blog.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Eat, Eat

Well it's been a busy week with English classes on Thursday, shopping trips and another picnic.
Classes went really well and the kids don't seem to be to shy around me;)
The youngest kids seem to really enjoy their time here and their favorite thing has become a song that some of you will recognize (I don't know how to spell it so you will just have to sound it out) Waddelly Atcha. They love it and when I go outside they ask me how it goes again;)
Friday I went with Curtiss to do the grocery shopping, it seems that you need experience doing such things here:) you never know what you will or won't find so it makes it exciting. They keep threatening to make me do the shopping and cooking by myself for a while which would be most interesting as I would have no idea what to make! If any of you have any ideas of things to make while in Romania using Romanian products and unsure of getting the supplies you need please let me know, I will gladly take any tips or recipes.
Last night (Saturday) we had a picnic with the lady that the Archers call their Romanian grandmother, she is in very poor health and because of that actually accepts help. So we brought the salad, the potatoes and the dessert, and her son got and cooked the meat so the meal was very good and I at least got out of it with out overly stuffing myself, though part way through the meal I wondered...
We got there about six and they had just started the wood fire where they were going to fry the meat. Ionny (Johnny), Grandma Veres's son, invited us into the house to wait for the meat to cook. The house is quite small and you walk into the kitchen where every one had gathered so I was standing at the door way just watching and listening to what was going on around me when I felt hands pushing on my shoulders propelling me into the room and into everyone in front of me, it was Ionny being a good host and getting me to a seat, he had me, Mrs Archer and Curtiss sit down on the couch in his room (it's the only room on the bottom floor besides the kitchen) We stayed in there laughing for a while and then one of the daughters asked us if we wanted a drink to tide us over until we ate and if we wanted it in the room or to sit outside, we preferred the outside as it was very pleasant out there and the room that we were in smelled like cigarette smoke, and I don't think it would much matter whether we wanted a drink or not we would've gotten one;) Ionny tried to get me to eat more then my share by telling Curtiss to just fill my plate as I would probably be to shy to do it myself and he said I was just playing with my food, a statement that I beg to differ I was eating but slowly as eating very small bites and chewing slowly is part of my strategy to leaving the table without being unpleasantly full. The food was delicious, we had chicken and steak along with what I already told you that we brought. All in all we had a great time, I thoroughly enjoy life here with all the people and their hospitality:)
I think that brings you all up to speed on what I have been doing, and gives you another taste of Romanian culture. Until next time, this is Joanna H- signing off:)

Thursday, July 3, 2008

What does your heart beat?



My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue.


~Author Unknown




Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Goodbye!

Well as far as I know I am now the only H- in Romania now, yep Dad is on his way back home. Actually he may be in U.S. air now as he left here hours ago. Yesterday was a day of going around so that he could say goodbye to everyone. Sunday night we were invited to Frata Saul and Sora Dora's home for a surprise at noon yesterday and what was our surprise when they had lunch all ready for us;) It was all left overs from the picnic on Saturday and they were just as good the second time! After we finished there we headed for the city of Hateg so that the Archers could get a few gifts to send back to people with Dad and so we had a nice relaxing time of walking the street looking in stores and finishing our time out with ice cream:) Because of the fact that Dad's flight left at 6:00 in the morning and since the airport is three hours away we had to leave in the middle of the night. I wasn't going to go with him because I knew that it would be an all night thing and that I would be kind of dead today and Tuesday's are English class here but the Archer's decided to postpone them until Thursday so I decided to go along and spend a little bit more time with Dad. But between shopping and trying to get a little sleep before leaving we had one more goodbye to make so at about 6:30 we headed over to the F- home and they served us HUGE pieces of cake, several different kind of soda, mineral water and coffee. And because of the fact that I didn't think that I was going with Dad I drank my whole cup of coffee and as it went down so did any hope of sleeping before leaving;) Anyway we had a great time with them and they are all waiting for Dad and any one else to come and visit:)
We left there just after 8:00 and then I decided that I would go along to the airport so we all lay down to try and sleep until midnight. I think that I kind of dozed off for the last hour but I never went into a deep sleep and at about quarter after twelve we all got up and those going had something to eat since we weren't hungry at supper time due to ice cream and cake. So we ate and said our goodbyes to those staying behind and we were off. The trip went very well and we had no delays either going or coming back and due to a couple of stops for caffeinated drinks grogginess never hit. We got to the airport at 4:00 and left at just before 4:30 and made it back to the apartment just after seven. I went to bed at about 8:00 and slept until noon so if this post makes no sense at all that is why:) it is now 9:00 and I think that I should soon hit the hay as you never know when the next adventure will hit and you have to be ready for anything in this life, I speak from expierence:) Anyway if you could all be praying for Dad he hasn't gotten much sleep in the last 24 hours and after he lands he has a six hour trip to drive home before his journey is done and he will be traveling by himself. Hope you all have a great day! Goodnight;)