...Three to get ready, and Four to GO!

It's been a bit hectic and stressful trying to get final details arranged for everything, but I think we're ready to hit the road.

Ty's ankle is improving, but not good enough for baseball, so he's going along camping in northern Minnesota (Grand Marais) with his grandparents and Sam.  Karin will join them for a while, then join me in Scotland.  I'll be heading to Scotland on Wednesday night.  We've got a house-sitter to watch over things (including the cats), so everything should be secure.

I've been working on trying to fit everything into my one waterproof (for Iona) bag.  I'm under the weight limit, but it's going to be a challenge to fit it all into the bag.

I'm excited, and I'm anxious.  It's an adventure, and I'm ready to go....

I'm not sure when I will next have Internet access to update this blog, but I'll do it when I can!

Wie geht es Ihnen?

One of the things that I had hoped to do before our trip was to learn some conversational German.  I worked at it some, but the last month before the sabbatical were very full, and my study of German was put aside.  I'm now trying to cram a bit -- it will be interesting to see how much I will actually be able to learn before we get to Frankfurt, and whether or not I will be able to get us around the airport, hotel, restaurant, and train station before we meet up with the Schuenemann family.

We had great excitement last night, as Sam's Little League team was in the semi-final round of the tournament, and Sam, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the last inning, hit a ball over the centerfielder's head for a 2-run, game-winning single!  He was so excited!  Then he was sad, because we planned to have him go camping today with his cousins (Karin would join him next week) and that would mean missing the championship game.  He chose to be at the championship game and wait to go camping until next week.  We'll see how his big game goes!

Tyler comes home tonight from the mission trip with the YACS to Minneapolis.  It sounds like he's had a good week.  We've heard little from him, so I assume that's good news.  It will be good to see him.

Week Two Update

I'm into the second week of the sabbatical, and I'm enjoying a relaxed pace.  I've been doing some reading, some watching of baseball and Wimbledon.  I've also been getting ready for traveling to Europe next week (getting electrical adapter plugs, for example).

But we're also a bit concerned, as Tyler is getting his ankle checked out at a hospital in Minneapolis this morning.  He was hit by a baseball last week, and was dealing with bad bruising and swelling.  The initial diagnosis was a bad bone bruise.  But it's gotten worse, and is causing him a lot of pain, so we're getting it checked out again.  We're hoping for good news.  It's not easy having family spread all over...

Afternoon Update:  The x-rays on Tyler showed no break or fracture, just a bad bruise.  Ice and heat and rest and it will heal...

And Then There Were Three...

We sent off our third of four children today.  Tyler left this morning with the YACS (our church youth group) for a week-long mission trip to Minneapolis.  I've gone with the YACS on two similar trips, and was disappointed that I don't get to go along this year.  But Tyler left, and so it's just Karin and Sam and I.  (And the two cats.)

We worshiped at Pella I this morning, as Ty and the YACS were commissioned.  Pastor Scott did a good job, and it was a good day of worship and rest.  But it was also a hard day, since it was Father's Day, and for the first time, I couldn't call my Dad on Father's Day.  I miss him.