Days 55 & 56...Kind of

Hey all, this is Devin. I didn't want the posting to get way behind so I am throwing something up.
A few updates:

Elizabeth made it, after a 15 hour flight and 2 hours sitting in the plane on the runway waiting to take off. Not the best experience, but then what do you expect from American Airlines where customer satisfaction is low and the charge 300 bucks to send your bags with you?

After arriving and getting settled in to her palace... I mean hotel room...she got a few hours sleep. It was night when she arrived so she didn't go to bed until late her time. It was about 5pm ours!
Around 9:30pm here she called and told me she had watched the sun come up on her marble floors and had a grand view. She was getting ready for her day and going with a group from Apria to the Taj Mahal.

I told her to take lots of pictures, so maybe at some point we'll see a few here, as I believe in the blog command center I saw a way to post them!

Anyway, that's all I have. She can't get Internet in the hotel without paying for it and was too tired to look into all that after unpacking. So hopefully sometime today (it is night over there as I write this) she'll be able to look into that.

Have a great day. More updates from Elizabeth will be coming soon, with much better detail than I can provide!

For now,
Devin

Day 54: T Minus 22 Hours...

Honest answer... I'm so tired! As my last night at home in the states until after Christmas draws to a close, I think I'm starting to come off the emotional high that I've been on for a few days. It has been a roller coaster of feelings, but I'm at peace with my trip and I'm looking for the this amazing opportunity with great expectations.

I will miss Devin like crazy! But I'm so thankful for a husband that is supportive of me taking this wonderful career move. And for a church that has promised to take amazing care of him while I'm gone.

Ok, I realize that tonight's blog is quite short, but I still have to actually put stuff in the suitcases, currently its just all over the guest bed, and I would like to spend these last few hours focusing on my hubby!

I love you all and will blog from the airport tomorrow!!

Eli

Count Down to India: 1 day!!!!!!!!!!

Day 53: Let The Serious Packing Begin!!

Work today was, well, work. And lots of it! One of the branch guys came in and asked my supervisor to do a "small favor." In an effort to be a team player, she agreed and got started. HaHa on the small part!! It took three of us till almost 7 tonight to get it finished!!! Boo Hiss!! But at least, one, its done. And two, it will help all our numbers go down which is a good thing, a really good thing since end of month is Saturday!

After work it was a race to Target to get my anti-Malaria and Delhi Belly Antibiotics from the pharmacy before it closed for the night. I get there at about 6:59 pm, run to the pharmacy counter, praying they won't be closed yet, and....

They are open till 9! Haha! I guess that is far better than me having the closing time wrong in the other direction!!

Now I'm home and my wonderful husband is cooking dinner for the second night in a row! I think I'm going to start telling him I'm leaving for India a little more often! Just Kidding! He is being so sweet and cooking so I can work on packing two months worth of life into a couple of suitcases. I can't believe how much room 15 shirts, 7 bottoms, 2 swimsuits, a bunch of undergarments, and just a few (wink, wink) pairs of shoes take up in a suitcase. And I still have to pack my entertainment library, toiletries, and emergency food supply. Folks, this could get interesting!!

Ok well back to the packing and preparing!!
With Love,
Eli

Count Down to India: 2 days....

Day 52: And Then There Were Three...

So today was my last Monday in the office. Its rather crazy to think I only have two days left at the office here. I will say, however, today was quite a day! I got a call and a second interview for that promotion! Exciting!! Wonder what it will be like to do a phone interview in India...

After work, I ran over to my new friend's apartment to "shop" for books and movies. I'm borrowing Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks, and others, plus several dvds. Yay for great new friends with the same entertainment taste! There is NO WAY I'll be board while I'm away! Lonely, possibly, but board, never!!

My wonderful husband fixed an amazing dinner tonight! Rosemary Chicken, Rice, Broccoli, and sauteed baby bella mushrooms. Can we say yum!! Maybe Devin won't starve while I'm gone.

With a full belly and many additions to my miniature traveling library, I started working on the actually packing part. I'm not sure how on earth I'm going to get all this stuff into one suitcase, one carry on, and one personal item. Oh and the one suitcase is suppose to weight less than 50 pounds! I foresee a $50 secondary bag charge in my future... I wonder how much they charge for a third and fourth bag....

Ohh... So much to do and so little time! Until tomorrow...

Eli

Count down to India: 3 days....

Day 51: They Adventure in the Everyday

I love Sundays! I love being able to see friends and fellowship. I love praise and worship and hearing God's word. I love a day of family time and rest. I love Sundays! And today was my last "normal" one for awhile...

Pastor brought Devin and I up on stage this morning and prayed over us both. Me for safe travels and time while India and Devin to not be too lonely. He prayed for the whole experience to be a positive one for both of us. It was so sweet, all the folks that promised to feed Devin and help "take care" of him while I'm gone. It was all very, very special.

After church, we came home and watched my Phillip Rivers put a whoopin' on the Chiefs! I hate that the Chiefs are having such a terrible season, but I loved watching my old college classmate do so well. Too bad is was such a slaughtering and not that much fun to watch, but anyway...

I am happy to report that I have NOTHING left to buy for my trip. I'm pretty sure Devin would tell you I have one of everything Target sells and two of the things that count. But seriously, I have a small pharmacy, a well stocked convenience store, and miniature library to take with me! Thank the Lord for some good deals! Otherwise, this trip would cost more than its worth! ;-)

To wrap up this lovely Sunday, Pastor and his beautiful wife took us to a fabulous restaurant called "Paulo and Bills" as a going away dinner for me. I had an amazing Tilapia dish with an out of this world potato cake and roasted green beans! Yum!! Beyond the great food, the discussion was quite riveting. We talked about everything from the state of today's church to mouthwash provided in restrooms. I love people that you can have intellectual conversation with but can also make you laugh till your sides hurt with silliness.

Ok well I think I will call it a night. Tomorrow should be quite the busy day with only having three days left in the office. I probably need all the rest that I can get! Until tomorrow...

Eli

Count down to India: 4 days..... Must start packing!!

Day 50: The Big 5 - 0!!

So here it is, my fiftieth blog! I can't believe that much time as already passed. It really seems like last week I was driving from St. Louis to KC talking with Aunt Fay about starting this thing, and now I'm on day fifty! Honestly, I'm kind of amazed that I have made it this far, but I'm glad I did!! ;-)

Actually, I'm quite glad I did. Today, I went shopping with my new friend Hannah. I wanted to get some books to take on my upcoming trip. I went to Barnes and Noble (thanks to a birthday gift card from Aunt Jane and Uncle Butch I have been saving for just such an occasion) and bought a GRE study guide as well as a couple Karen Kingsbury's books. There are two writing sections on the GRE, so I'm hoping that all this time I'm spending putting my thoughts on the proverbial paper will come in handy!!

In addition to the bookstore, Hannah and I also went to check out a store called Half of Half. The concept is that they have name brand clothes for half of half price off retail. In other words, everything is suppose to be at least 75% off what you would pay at a regular department store. I'm sure this would be a shoppers dream come true if you have some extra free time on your hands, and I can't say that either of us walked out empty handed, but it was a little to all over the place for my liking. I think I'll stick with the outlet mall, Marshall's, and TJ Max!

Before all this shopping, Devin and I had some quality adventure time, starting at 8 am! The Fall Fest this morning went GREAT! We had amazing weather, not a cloudy in the sky and the temperature, while not short weather, wasn't too bad either! There was a good turn out and fun had by all!

One the way home, we swung by Costco's for a bite and to pick up my nonperishable food for the trip. I got dehydrated veggie chips (Thanks AF for introducing me!), Simple Fruit Roll-ups, and Fiber One bars. At the very least, I won't starve. And actually, if the packaging can be trusted, I will get a serving of veggies or fruit with each serving! Plus, Fiber One bars really are packed with fiber! I should survive!!

Well, tomorrow is my last Sunday service for awhile. I'm glad I will be in service and can just soak it all in. Other than Devin, I think church will be what I miss the most. Not having people that I know share my faith will defiantly be different...

Ok I'm off to bed!
Eli

Count Down to India: 5 days.... And nothing is packed....

Day 49: So Prepared!!

I had a India Culture presentation today at work. I feel so much more prepared. They gave us important information that I didn't even know I needed to know. Like don't mess with the cows, don't make eye contact with the beggars, and have some Rupees (India money) with you when you get off the plane. I will need it to tip the guy from the hotel that takes me to my new home. Oh, and not to . hi, this is Devin. let anyone other than that guy with the sign from the hotel and my name on it to take my bags, I might not seem them again otherwise!

I also learned that my laundry services are reimbursable! HUGE YAY!! I was really thinking I was going to be washing clothes in the sink of my five star hotel! Or wearing dirty undies!! Neither sounded fun, so I think we will call this the highlight of my day! No, no, the highlight of my day was when my hubster brought Chick-fila and had lunch with me! But clean undies for two months is a close second!

Needless to say, while my day was not incrediblly productive as far as my work goes, it was amazingly informational for my trip. After days of fretting over all my questions, I truly feel like I am prepared, other than the few things I still need to buy. Now, all I have to do is pack! Good thing I have six whole days left! ;-)

Tomorrow is the big Fall Fest at church so we have to get up early in the A.M. I think I will call it a night! Until tomorrow...

Eli

PS Please excuse the interruption in my first paragraph. Devin just wanted to say hi!! ;-)

Day 48: One More Week....

So today starts the "official" count down. Lift off can no longer be counted in months or even weeks. This time next week, I will be flying out of the USA, India bound! I'm not so sure I'm ready, but ready or not, India, here I come!

After work, I went to get my LAST shot! It hurt worse than all the others, but I'm done! That's all that matters! Next, it was off to the mall for round two of shopping. I was able to find several lightweight sweaters, two pairs of jeans, two pairs of dress pants, and a super cute denim jacket. Oh yea, and I got a make-over and joined the Bare Minerals club. I decided that if I was grown up enough to be sent cross country by my job, than I was probably also grown up enough to look professional. I still need books, a lap top bag, and a few other items, but for the most part, I'm done!!

Dee left this morning with the babies. They are now safely in IL with Grandma for the next two months. Devin keeps thinking its time to take them out to go potty. I keep looking around the house trying to figure out what trouble my little puppies are getting into. Both of us are missing them terribly and trying to remember that this is the best thing for all parties, but man I miss me some puppy kisses!!

Well, I think that about sums up my day. Tomorrow will be another long day at work, so its off to bed! Sweet dreams to all!

Eli

Day 47: Amen! Wow, I Have a Raccoon!

My trip to India becomes more real everyday! My Blackberry arrived today. I feel so grown up! My phone has internet, email, and more things than I will ever learn to use. It takes pictures and lets me load them on to Facebook too!! The only problem is I had to call the IT guy to show me how to turn it on. You would think that this would be an easy task, however, the end button doesn't function as power button on this one. I sent a message to the IT guy that said "either my blackberry is busted or the operator is." Turns out the operator was the problem! The power on button is on the side, but you still use the end button to turn it off. Go figure!!

After work, it was the regular Wednesday race! Fortunately, Devin's mom is here and she made a delicious dinner. After which, it was off to church to hang out with some of the coolest kids I know! We continued our study for Exodus, western style, and learned how we each have our part just like the children of Israel in building the tabernacle.

Before snack, we always ask the kids for a volunteer to pray. One particularly cute little kid volunteered this evening. He said a very sweet little prayer. Immediately following his amen, he announced to the group, "WOW, I have a raccoon." We were having animal crackers for snack, but how he knew he had a raccoon when he was praying, I'm not exactly sure. This was probably one of those things that you just had to be there for, but I got a good laugh! And ask Devin to help me remember to use that phrase as my blog title. Anyway, it really was funny, at least for those there!

Well, Dee leaves tomorrow with my babies, I won't see them again until next year. :-( I'm going to call in a night and spend a little time with a couple of pups!

With Love,
Eli

Count Down to India: 8 days!! AHHHHHHHHH!! So much still to do!!

Day 46: So Much To Do... So Little Time...

As the days tick away to my trip, I get more and more busy. Home life is crazy with packing, shopping, cleaning, etc. Work just seems to keep piling up with things that I need to get done before I leave. I did get my hotel reservations (check out https://www.theleela.com/hotel-gurgaon-the-club.html to see my room) and it really looks more like a vacation place than anything else!! Everything about the hotel is luxurious! At least maybe I will be able to relax once I get there, since I have been so uptight and stressed in the effort to get ready to leave.

After working a little overtime, I headed to Costco's to finish up the grocery shopping. I still need to go shopping for traveling snacks, but other than that I shouldn't have a grocery trip again until I get to go India style! ;-)

For dinner, it was beef strogonoff! Thanks to Edie for the amazing recipe, its become a favorite in this house hold. Its quick, easy, and delicious!

Ok well tomorrow is going to be another busy one with church and long hours at work. The good news, Mama Dee is here and has promised to fix dinner!! Gotta love it!

Sweet dreams!
Elizabeth

Day 45: Panicking Doesn't Solve Anything

So I leave for India is 10 days! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by as my departure date grows closer. I'm starting to get a little stressed about all that still needs to be done before I leave. There is shopping and packing, work stuff and home stuff, and all I want to do is spend time with Devin and the puppies!

Devin's mom is here for the week to visit and help with the babies. She is actually taking them home with her on Thursday to keep them while I'm in India. Devin's schedule is so crazy, its just not fair to leave the puppies alone that much. So Grandma Dee to the rescue! The hope is that in addition to being taken incredible care of, they will come home better behaved!! Devin's mom is amazing with dogs and I know Brooks and Addy will be well taken care of, disciplined, and loved on!

Work is going well. The days are flying by as I have so much to do. I got the email today that my blackberry should be here this week. Things are coming together, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get everything done before I leave. I'm giving it my best effort though!!

Ok well I'm going to go back to being social with the family!

With Love,
Elizabeth

Day 44: Another Perspective Pt. 2

Hello again all. This is Devin coming to you tonight from my still comfortable (but no longer new smelling) sofa! Elizabeth had such a hard day 'working' yesterday that she couldn't find the energy to blog tonight...so she asked me to continue my once a month commentary.

So, there are 11 days until my wife leaves me for another country...one that is warmer and doesn't have frost in the mornings when you walk outside. Can't say i blame her a bit! It was cold enough this morning to make me want to move to Florida. Yesterday Elizabeth had her friend Amy here from St. Louis. They spent more money that I thought was possible in the tame they had...and that was purchasing stuff on sale! Thank God she didn't decide to shop at Nordstrom's, or we'd have to leave her in India until 2020.

Seriously? she had a good time with Amy. That is until at church today some old guy went crazy in the hallway on her because I set up a table to advertise my Fall Festival (which I left her to run). Apparently, he had 'claimed' the table for something and felt like he needed to reclaim it. Some times I wonder why people go to church if they aren't even going to ACT like a Christian.
That reminds me of a story...but you'll have to talk to me in person for it, because voice and facial inflections are important to appreciate the humor in it.

Anyway, she leaves soon. Too soon if you want to know the truth. To be all alone here in the apartment for the rest of the year kinda seems like a bum deal. I mean, I'll have my new Assassins Creed 2 video game in early Nov. But video games only do so much. Not having my wonderful wife around to ignore while I'm playing it really just takes all the fun away! :-)

If you want to know the truth, I am sad that she's going, because I'll miss her and don't look forward to the holidays alone, even with great Church Family that has all promised to keep me fat and happy while Elizabeth is away. I know she doesn't like the idea either. So, why do it, you ask? Well, the answer is that sometimes God provides in ways we don't expect. And last time I checked His plans and My plans often don't exactly line up. I'm always playing catch-up trying to get myself lined up with Him. This is one of those times. In a sense, its about the money. But its not a dollar amount. I mean, if we were hard up for money I would just call my dad (hi dad!). Seriously, we're not poor (or rich!), we aren't struggling to pay bills...well, we will be now that my wife bought the entire mall, but that's beside the point.

We both want to be able to do a few things. In no particular order they are:
1)start a family. Although, I guess since we ARE married we kinda already did that. We do make a couple, ya know!
2) Get Elizabeth back into school. This requires us to pay off some other debts (cars, old student loans, etc...) so she doesn't have to work and can focus on her studies.
3) Be more supportive of our church and other ministries. We really want to support a few friends on the mission field and give strategically to the church for special projects and events.
4) Get the Condo rented out!

That last thing has nothing to do with India, but since it's STILL not rented, we are actually looking at making my wife's stay a semi-permanent one until we reach the $100,000 bonus mark... in July of 2051! (ok, not really)

Some people ask if I'm worried about her safety. I don't want to sound like a bad husband... but why should I?
'It's dangerous over there!' I am told.
Today in the KC metro area, according to the Internet and local news, there were over 200 car accidents. There were over a dozen people killed through random senseless violence. On person was hit by a car while walking their dog...the dog was ok. There were 7 home invasions and burglaries...do I really need to keep going? I mean really, should we just close I eyes, lock ourselves in a closet and not come out unless we have to pee? It's dangerous walking the dogs with frost on the ground, for heaven's sake! You get 80 lbs of puppy pulling you on slippery ground and you'll understand way.

In India, she'll have a personal escort everywhere she goes, who is trained and armed. She'll be in a secure facility to work. She'll be in a very nice hotel-which is no less safe than any hotel in Chicago, Miami, New York, or Nashville. The biggest problem she'll have is if she drinks the water! So trust me...it will be OK. I'm letting my wife go to work and get an amazing experience, I am not sending her to war in Hell with a water pistol!

Oh, and I get to go spend New Year's in India with her anyway...so really, it's all about me! :-)

Well, that's all for now. Hope you have a great month, and I'll see ya in November!

DR. K
(those are my initials, in case you are wondering!)

Day 43: Shopping is Hard Work!

Who knew one could have this much of a work out spending the day shopping? And that is exactly what has happened today. Amy and I started with an amazing breakfast at this place called La Peep. It’s a GREAT brunch place with amazing omelets!! I had one of my favorites, spinach, mushroom, and bacon and a side of fresh fruit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed with the $4.50 latte! From now on, I’ll stick with my good ole $1.99 cup of joe!

After breakfast we were off for a shopping spree, Dixie and Lovebug style! It started with the first trip to Target for all prescriptions needed while I’m away as well as a travel pillow for the plane ride. Next on the list, a very productive trip to Old Navy. I was able to get two dresses, eight shirts, and a pair of yoga pants for less than $100! I love 50% of clearance! After such productivity, it was off to countless number of shoe stores with absolutely nothing to show for it. I hate having big feet and a strong memory of them being called ski’s when I was a kid. But alas, the redemption was found when Amy and I stumbled upon an outlet mall!! A few hours later, we left with brand new unmentionables, three pairs of shoes, an eye mask, and some Bath & Body Works goodies!

Quick trip to Radio Shack for the converter and adapter for India, and then off to dinner with Amy. We found a Sweet Tomatoes, which was one of our favorites back in our Raleigh days, and enjoyed soup, salad, and amazing muffins! Just like the old days!!

One more trip to Target produced a two month supply of all things beauty, zip-up sweatshirt, and a small pharmacy worth of over the counter drugs. Still on the list is a computer bag for travel, a couple lightweight sweaters, and lots of books. Good thing I have 12 more days! LOL!

Ok, well back to spending time with two of my favorite people! Amy leaves tomorrow, sad day, but I’ve had such a wonderful time and I’m so thankful that she was able to be here today to help me stay on track and keep my head from exploding!

Good night to all!!
Eli

Day 42: BFF are the BEST!!

Work today was work, although it was very productive and I think by midweek next week, I should have things caught back up. Just in time to leave for India and let them get all behind again... Oh well....

Really this weekend is about one of my dearest friends coming for a visit. Amy got here just after 8. Devin and I took her to Dos Realas for some delicious spinach dip and quesadillas. It so nice to have company and get to show off my new city! I love it! I had thought about heading down to "the Plaza" that I keep hearing people talk about, but I neglected to find out where it is or how to get there. Maybe tomorrow night...

Tonight we played it pretty low key with a trip to the Redbox for some DVD's after dinner and then home to enjoy the new furniture! Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with brunch, shopping, and possibly a trip to the movie theater. I'm so excited to have time with the BFF!!

Back to girlie time!! Poor Devin! But really, he is a great sport!
Eli

Count Down to India: 13 days!

Day 41: I'll be safe!!

Today was a super long day at work. It was incredible productive though, so that's a step in the right direction! I'm still not caught up from being off for a couple of days, but things are looking up.


Other than watching a great episode of Grey's Anatomy, I don't have too much to share about my day. So with that being said, I am going to use the topic that Aunt Jane suggested, my safety in India.


My company has done a great job preparing me for my upcoming trip. They have held multiple teleconference to prepare us both for the culture as well as the job we will be doing. On top of that, they are providing me with a personal chauffeur/body guard. And of course, I won't be over there alone, and there is always safty in numbers.

In addition, they paid for me to have a travel consultation and shots with a company called Passport Health. At Passport Health, they not only talked me to me about watching what I eat and making sure I use lots of deet product to ward off the bugs, they also talked about staying safe and not being a tourist victim. Also, they went over the US Embassy and how to get in touch with them if needed.


I know, India is not America. There are little children wandering the streets begging and cows running free through the city from what I have been told. But I've also been told by everyone that has gone before me about how incredibly nice everyone with our sister company is! I've been told about how well the hotel and chauffeur take care of you while you are there and what an amazing experience everyone's time in India was. While I will have to be smart, I'm well prepared and totally looking forward to this trip!

I think Devin and I are going to give the pups a bath before Amy gets here tomorrow so I'm out!

With Love,
Eli

Count Down to India: 14 days

Day 40: Thought for the day...

Today was another busy, busy day at work, with church afterwards, so I don't have anything terrible exciting to report. However, I've decided to follow my dear friend's advice, and I'm writing on a random topic of discussion. Also, I would like to open this up for suggestions. I'm sure over the next 325 days there will be other days that I don't have anything worth sharing so, please leave a comment with topics you would like me discuss. Not that my opinion is really worth reading, but at least this will be better than reading about how boring my life was that day.

So today's thought for the day comes from the tonight's lesson with the kids. Tonight's topic was the ten commandants. It was boiled down to this, "Love God, Love Others." This got me thinking, do I really do this? Do I really show my love for both God and others?

I mean, I show up to church every Sunday and Wednesday and occasionally I put a scripture on my Facebook page. But do I show God I love Him through my actions? Do I obey His Word all the time?

As for loving others, sure I love the ones that are easy to love. But what about the homeless guy on the side of the road? Or the obnoxious co-worker that constantly gets on my last nerve? Or the rude cashier at the grocery store? Pretty sure the Golden Rule isn't "Treat those that are nice how you would like to be treated!"

While this isn't my usually humorous take on an otherwise uneventful day, I hope it has gotten you thinking, as it has me, about how you can better live out the two greatest commandments. Again, please offer suggestions for other random topics that I can use on days like today. As always, thank you for reading!!

With Love,
Eli

Day 39: Busy, Busy Bee

What a busy day! After being off for two days, I had to play catch up most of the day at work. Also, there is a new lady that is coming up today from Tulsa and will be training with me on how to work OK Medicaid. She will be working my stuff while I'm in India. She seems really nice and I'm excited about the possibility of making new friends.

Since I ended up working late, Devin fixed dinner for us tonight. He made pasta and used some of the homemade spaghetti sauce that was given to us while we were in IL. Who cares about the pasta, the sauce is AMAZING!! So very, very good! I made a casserole for dinner tomorrow night since it will be yet another late night at the office and tomorrow is church.

I realize this is a poor excuse for a blog today, but I was genuinely super busy at work today and don't have much else to share. Sorry for the lame-ness, hopefully tomorrow will be better!

With Love,
Eli

Day 38: There's No Place Like Home!

I don't exactly understood how it works, but some how after doing not much other than sitting, all four of us are exhausted! Devin and I don't want to do much other than relax and Brooks and Addy have been a sleep since they finished their dinner. Addy is currently snoring!!

Our trip went very well. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends. This morning, before we headed out, we met up with Devin's dad and stepmom for breakfast. We went to one of my favorite breakfast spots, La Peep, and I had the best omelet in the world. They do a spinach and bacon omelet and use cream cheese in the middle. It is amazing!!

After breakfast, we went to another one of our favorite places, Curtis Orchard, and brought home the best apples ever, honeycrisp!! We also bought some apple and pumpkin butters to ring in the fall. And for the ride out of town, a cup of fresh, hot apple cider! Great morning!!

The rest of the day was spent trying to keep each other awake for the drive home. Did you know that it takes approximately 21 miles to sing the entire "99 Bottles of (Root) Beer on the Wall" song? Yes, Devin and I sang the whole song, all 99 verses, while driving home. We also played countless rounds of 20 questions with answers like wind mills and body armor. Needless to say, we did the best we could to make the trip home as much fun as possible.

Alas, we are home! Seeing as we are all so tired, I leave you with a line from the Wizard of Oz...
"There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"

Eli

Day 37: I Fell In Love All Over Again!!

I had the most amazing morning. About seventeen months ago, I married Devin, knowing that he is a children’s pastor. I also knew that he loved to preach to adults too. But I had no idea how good he is!! My husband tore it up this morning! I finally truly caught vision of how God is going to use Devin and me! I’m so excited!! Honestly, I sat in the front row and feel in love with the speaker all over again.

After this morning’s amazing message, we went to Devin’s pastor and wife’s house for lunch and quality time. They are very in to gardening and had quite the harvest this year. For an appetizer, we had mini-stuffed sweet peppers and zucchini bread, all from the garden. For lunch, we had corn, squash, Brussels sprouts, green beans, mashed potatoes, and turkey. The only thing not from the garden was the turkey. It was all so delicious! But to make it the meal complete, an apple, berry pie a la mode! It was one of the best pies I have every had!!

Once we had visited the afternoon away, it was off to Devin’s mom’s house to see the puppies and spend some time with her. She and Devin also took on the task of cleaning Brooks’ ears. My poor little boy has ear mites, which luckily, Devin’s mom uses to be a vet tech so she is so very helpful in helping provide Brooks a little relief. We are going to have to take him to the vet next week to get him treated, but at least she was able to help some of the irritation.

Well we head home tomorrow morning so I needed to get some rest for the drive. It has been a wonderful visit, but I’m ready for my bed and my shower! ;-)
Sweet Dreams!!
Eli

Day 36: Happy Beginnings!

YAY!! Today was full on sunshine which made for a lovely wedding. The vineyard was beautiful, the ceremony sweet, and the decorations perfect. They used a simple fall theme and it was gorgeous! They even had a pumpkin with their initial carved in it. The food, while not as good as last night was nice too!

We were almost late for the wedding though, which would have been terrible. Devin asked the bride last night after the rehearsal what time she wanted him to be there. She said 4pm. So we arrive at about 3:55 pm and everyone is already seated!! Turns out she misunderstood and thought he had ask what time the wedding was. Luckily, they were running a little behind schedule, besides the fact that the officiant wasn’t there, so it all worked out, but ahhh, I was so embarrassed.

Other than the wedding, today was not incredibly eventful. We did run up to the church Devin grew up in and he got ready for service. We also took Devin’s mom to this amazing little pizza place for lunch. We had mushroom pizza, salad, and breadsticks! It was thin crust pizza and it was wonderful!!

Well, I’m a little worried that I’m coming down with a little of a cold, so I’m going to call it a night. I don't want to be yucky feeling tomorrow for Devin preaching. Sweet dreams to all!!

Eli

Day 35: The Land Of Corn

I have decided that there are a lot of people in Missouri that do not know how to drive. While driving from Kansas City to St. Louis, Devin and I saw at least six different accidents, most of which the scene had been abandoned. We saw a Dodge Ram with a camper attached jack knifed into the ditch, a tractor trailer "attached" to a telephone pole, and a significant number of cars in the median or along the shoulder, facing in the wrong direction. I'm not sure exactly what went on last night, but I'm glad it seemed to be over to allow Devin and I to make it across the state in one piece.

After arriving and getting the puppies settled in at Mama Dee's, we headed off to the rehearsal. Devin did a fantastic job getting everyone lined up and ready to go for tomorrow. Its an outside wedding, but has done nothing but rain for days. We are praying for everyone's sake, that it does not rain tomorrow! Even if the bride and groom don't believe in an Awesome God, Devin and I do and we don't like being cold and wet!!

After the rehearsal, there was a lovely dinner at a local resturant. It was fantastic!! For an appetizer they have a cheese plate and meatballs, but they also had a goat cheese spread and amazing homemade cracker toast. I realize that goat cheese my not make your taste buds dance with anticipation, but this stuff was AMAZING. The salad was lettuce, but at least it was good lettuce, and the bread was wonderful, as it should be seeing as the resturant includes a bakery. But the true test was the entree.

Devin and I both had the steak....WOW!! It was a thick cut filet with a cheesy crust and wonderful sauce. It was served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and sauted green beans. It was tender and cooked to perfection. For someone who doesn't usually even like red meat, this steak was awesome! Dessert was a pumpkin walnut cake, with other choices of lemon bar or brownie. All in all it was an great evening.

Ok well its getting late and tomorrow if another busy day with the wedding tomorrow night and visiting all day! I'm off to sleep...

Sweet Dreams,
Eli

Day 34: It's Official!

For as boring as the past couple of days, today more than made up for it. First off this morning, I get an email with my flight info for India. Its official! I leave in THREE WEEKS, on October 29th. All along I've know that I'm going, but now its really real. I'm really, really going to India!! The interesting part, the plane ticket is to Delhi, not Mumbai. At this point, I'm sad that I won't be able to see Mumbai, but I'm excited about seeing the Taj Mahal.

Once this thought had actually sunk in, I get another email. This email asked me if I will be willing to stay an additional six weeks, past the four I have already committed to, and go to Mumbai after Delhi!! I'm so excited! I get to see both places and who knows what all between the two. I'm so excited and feel so blessed. There is even a chance that Devin will be able to come for the week between Christmas and New Years! Which brings me to the sad part, I will miss all of the Holidays from Halloween, which isn't my favorite anyway, to New Years. I will make the most of it though and I look forward to sharing Christmas with new friends!! Not to mention getting to have another Christmas in January when I finally get to come home!!

After work today, I had to go get my 2nd of 4 Hepatitis boosters. OUCH!! I'm not sure why, but for whatever reason, the shot today hurt worse that all four of the ones I got last Friday combined. It hurt when she stuck me, it hurt when she pushed the medicine through, and it even made my arm hurt for a few minutes after the fact. To make matters worse, since I did so well the first go round, I didn't bribe myself with the promise of a treat so I didn't even have that to look forward to! Blah...

With a sore arm, I raced home to meet up with Devin to grab some dinner and run some errands. We decided to grab dinner at the food court since we couldn't decide on anything we both wanted and I needed to look for a pair of warm dress pants for the wedding this weekend. The mall that is literally walking distance from the apartment is very nice. There is a Nordstroms, although after looking at the price of one pair of shoes I decided that is probably not the store for me, Macy's, Dillard's, New York & Co, Bare Essentials, Aveda, and so many more! Devin was amazed by the "covered parking" (also known as a parking garage) and I loved all the boutique type shops. They also have a nice food court with lots of choices, everything from Subway and Sonic to Thai and Mexican.

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for IL for Devin's stepbrother's wedding. As a heads up, I'm not sure how much internet access I will have. I promise to post when I can, but write everyday, even if I have to save them to Word. Ok well I better go get everyone packed and in bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day!

Until next time...
Eli

Day 33: Fifteen Hours Makes A Day...

Today was such a long day! It started way back at 5:30 this morning and is just now starting to wrap up at 9:45 pm. I left the house at 6:30 this morning and didn't get home till after 9!! Luckily, Devin made it home to feed the babies dinner and take them out. But that isn't really the exciting part of my day, although I'm sure it was for Brooks and Addy!

My excitement for the day, my visa for India is here!! Per Fedex tracking, my package with my passport including visa was delivered on campus and signed for yesterday morning at 8:55 am. When I didn't have it by lunch , I started asking about it. When I left last night and still didn't have it, I started worrying about it. When I still didn't have it by mid-morning today, I got busy looking for it.

First, I was told that it was sent back to Fedex and to call them to find out where I can pick it up. When I called Fedex, they didn't have it. After getting mad, panicking, and realizing neither of these solved anything, I called the campus mail room again and explained Fedex didn't have it. FINALLY, they found my package, and guess what, it was in the campus mail room all along! After walking all the way across campus, with a map and directions this time, I got my visa/passport! YAY!

This trip across campus was much better than the last. First off, I didn't walk in circles, always a plus. I also managed to make it there and back in less than 20 minutes as opposed to 45 minutes. On top of these two, I also saw more of the beautiful campus and realized the circle I walked in the last venture. Need less to say, 100% better experience!

Tonight's lesson with the kids was on being thankful and not complaining. Once again, I found myself needing to be reminded of this valuable lesson. I am truly blessed with an amazing husband, a fantastic family, great friends, both new and old, and a job I love and is allowing me to see the world! Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond imagination!!

Eli

Day 32: If Wishes Were Fishes...

I wish we lived in a world where people thought before they spoke. I wish we lived in a world where others feelings meant more than your own. I wish we lived in a world where everyone knew the exact truth, not a mumble choice of stories that they catch along life's way. I wish that for each of these wishes there was a fish to feed a starving child! But unfortunately, we live in a fallen world and until Jesus comes back, these wishes will not be fishes!!

Well, as you can tell by my start, today was my favorite day. However, I am going to choose the higher ground and not dwell or go into details. I'm really trying to live up to my own wish and think of others more than myself.

On a much happier note, my sister just uploaded a bunch of pictures from our childhood on Facebook. I was such a dorky little kid. But she, as always, was adorable. It's so crazy though, all the pictures of her as a little kid look like my nephew, her son, with a wig on. Devin thought it was him instead of my sister!!

Other than that, my day hasn't been that exciting. Full day at work, very productive! My visa should be here tomorrow and then its only a matter of days before the flight it booked. I can't believe I will be in India is less than a month!

Well tomorrow is another 11 to 12 hour work day, so I think I'm headed to bed. Have a great night and thanks for letting me vent my wishes and fishes!!
Eli

Day 31: Just Another Manic Monday...

I should warn you that tonight's blog isn't going to be terribly exciting. One doesn't have that much to write about when their day looks like this...

5:30 am - Get up, take puppies out, get ready for work
7:00 am - Clock in to work
1:30 pm - Clock out for lunch
2:00 pm - Clock back in from lunch
6:45 pm - Clock out, drive home, fix dinner
8:45 pm - Write blog

I fixed spaghetti and salad for dinner and I'm currently watching Tom, the Hammer, dance with a stress fracture in each foot. Next up is Kelly Osborne, that should be interesting... Although, I suppose its a miracle that she can focus enough to dance growing up with her father!!

This whole week is going to be about this exciting. We are leaving on Friday morning for a wedding in IL, so I'm working crazy hours at work to make up my time. Plus I got asked to work a little bit of overtime to help cover a now vacant position.

What can I say, busy, busy week! Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting!!
With Love,
Eli

Day 30: Beautiful Sunday!!

One month down, only eleven more to go!! I can't believe I have been in Kansas for a whole month! But more importantly I can't believe I have kept up with my blog for that long!! High five to me!! ;-)

Service was so much better this week, it was beautiful!! The kids were so well behaved and really listened. I did the question and review part and it was great to hear the kids tell me all that they learned! Thank you for all the prayers!!

After church, Devin and I went to do a little shopping. We finally broke down and got a digital antenna. Yay for no more broken signals! I got a pumpkin spice latte, which always makes my day a little brighter. And we got to restock the prize store for the kids at church. One never gets too old to enjoy shopping for toys!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the open windows and fall weather. My body is a little against all the vaccines that I got shot up with the other day and have left me a little of the tired side, but nothing major. Just enough to make me not want to go run around and do a lot. I did fix Chicken Marsala for dinner tonight, its one of Devin's favorites. And got to have wonderful phone conversations with two of my favorite people today! It really has been a beautiful day!!

This week I will be working crazy hours to make up for having Thursday afternoon and Friday off so I think I'm going to head to bed! Until tomorrow...
Eli

Day 29: Parcheesi, The Royal Game of India!!

Yet another flea bath occurred today. We have discovered that I was quite off in my thinking of the last time our little ones received their Frontline. They are now over due, and with the weather turning cold, all the little critters are attacking our babies. We are terrible puppy parents, but attempted to redeem ourselves but spending the morning giving them another flea bath and then literally hand picking any ones we could find off. Tomorrow we are heading to the pet store to get something to take care of any that might be left and something to treat the house. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this time.


As for learning our lesson, I think its safe to say we have. I'm going to mark the calendar with when to give them their medicine. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might find ourselves in the same predicament again. And I really hate being a bad puppy mommy...


The afternoon was spent going to the grocery store (where I managed to buy a weeks worth of groceries for $50, I love this place!!) and then fixing salad and apple crisp to take over to some friends for dinner. One of the other pastor's and his wife had us over for ribs, chicken, and a board game. We had tons of choices, but since I'm leaving for India in a few weeks, I thought it was only fitting for us to play Parchessi.

Now I had never played this game before, but it said on the box that it is the royal game of India, so it just seemed like a must. For those that have never played, its a very similar to Sorry! with a larger board and a a few variations in the rules. We had a blast sending people back to the start point and seeing who was going to win. At the beginning it looked like Pastor Doug had it by a long shot, but the rest of us were able to hold him off for a while. In the end, he did end up winning, but we had a ball in the mean time and the last half of the game was much closer of a game than the first.

Now Devin and I are home giving the puppies some much needed attention and scratching, trying to make up for being bad puppies parents. Tomorrow's church so we need to get some rest! Hopefully the kids learned their lesson after last week and things will go a little bit smoother!!

Sweet Dreams to all!!
Eli

Day 28: Daddy Wow!! I'm a Big Girl Now!!

No doubt! Today is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. Right up there with graduating college and marrying prince charming. I managed to sit still, not throw up, not pass out, and not even cry while I received FOUR shots, back to back, in a row, with in minutes of each other!!

Luckily, I was up-to-date on my Tetanus, thanks to when I got a little chunk of brick in my foot in college. And that MMR that Daddy had to hold me down to get, saved me another. Lastly the Typhoid Fever is now available in an oral vaccine, leaving me with Hepatitis A and B, Meningitis, Polio, and Flu. I opted out of Yellow Fever and Japanese Encephalitis. I also have a prescriptions for anti-Malaria pills and an antibiotic for Travelers Diarrhea.

Needless to say, as someone who HATES shots, sitting through four deserved some kind of treat. Seeing as it is now cold outside, the old ice cream bribe was out. Luckily I've grown up and found something that is almost as good as ice cream... Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks!! After my proud moment of personal triumphant I headed to Starbucks and my three pump, skim milk, no whip, no sprinkles latte made it all worth while... Well at least until it was gone and I realized how sore my arms are! LOL!

I shared my treat with the hubster and brought him home a hot chocolate. My price charming had cleaning the entire apartment, done all the laundry, including washing the sheets, AND fixed a tasty pasta dish for dinner! I think that deserved a little something special!!

After eating dinner, it was off to a ladies coffee night at the church. This wasn't just the young women's group I've talked about before, it was the entire women's ministry. It was a lot of fun to just sit around and chat. A huge shout out to Dana for the mixer! It was a GREAT way to get conversations started and gave us all an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Lastly, and the reason I'm writing my blog for today (well actually yesterday) at 1am, I "swung" by the youth pastor's wife, Des, house on my way home from the church. The men are on a men's retreat, so Des was having a couple friends over and she had invited me to come too. The intention was to hang out for a few minutes and then head home. Well, I was having way to much fun with Des, Amber, and Rachael to leave after a few minutes. My apologize to the three of you though, I'm sure your ears are about to fall off after listening to be do all that talking! But seriously had a blast and it was really nice to just hang out, even if it did keep me out way past my "curfew"! Hehehe!!

It is so nice to be making friends. I feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people in the month I've been here. I look forward to getting to know each of my new found friends better! I miss my old friends so much, but its like the old saying says...
Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold!
Thank you to all the silver and gold in my life!!

With Love,
Eli

Day 27: Being Angry Doesn't Solve Anything!!

So I have a true story to share this evening...

While waiting for the elevator to leave work today, there was another lady getting ready to leave as well. She is probably a little younger than me, but not much. Anyway, she huffs and says how it always seems to take the elevator forever at the end of the day. Now mind you, it only took about a minute, but anyway. Once on the elevator, she makes a random comment about how tired she is. Realizing I'm going to end up listening to her complain the whole way to the parking garage, I say "yea, but its Thursday so Friday is almost here" or something along those lines. She says this is true but she has school tonight. This is where things start getting good...

In an attempt to derail the complain train, I ask what she is going to school for. Her response, keeping in mind she has no idea who I am or what my role is and we've had big wigs from corporate here for the past couple of days, is "I'm working on my associates in administration so I can get the hell out of here." (Pardon the language, but it is a direct quote.)

I had to bite my lip to keep from busting out laughing. I thought about telling her I have a degree in Chemistry and this is a fantastic job, but the company doesn't need people with her kind of attitude anyway. I did however slow down walking to the parking garage in an effort to allow her to mosey on past!!

So it's Thursday. Which for the past four years has meant one thing, Grey's Anatomy. I have been in love with this show since it premiered and have seen virtually ever episode. Last week I had the scavenger hunt on Thursday night so Devin and I watched the season premier Friday night on the computer (gotta love abc.com) but its just not the same as watching it on the the tv when it is actually on. I was really looking forward to partaking of some Grey's, but the wind is blowing so the antenna won't work, so NO GREY'S!! Folks its a truly sad day!!

Devin and I do not have cable, nor can I justify having cable when we aren't home that much to watch tv, and there are plenty of free channels out there for when we are. But our antenna gotten broken some how, and it isn't a digital antenna anyway, so literally if the wind is blowing or the clouds are out or if you don't hold your mouth just right, it DOES NOT work. And of course, since there was actually something we wanted to watch tonight, it couldn't possibly work. Devin has been trying to get me to let him get a digital antenna, and I kept insisting that this one works just fine, but I'm realizing, alas, I am wrong. I think I foresee the purchase of an antenna in our near future!!

Ok well I think I'm going to see if I can find an antenna online!! ;-)

Until tomorrow...
Eli

PS Count down to India ~28 days...