The mission is getting closer

The last two weeks of January we traveled to California by train to see family. We stayed with my 96 year old mom and enjoyed being with her. I have two sisters and their husbands in California as well and we had lovely visits.

My youngest son and his family came down from Oregon. They had planned a trip to Disneyland, and we spent three days immersed in all things Disney… and in grandchildren hugging and visiting with my son and daughter-in-law. They also brought the other set of grandparents and they are lovely people, too. So it was a great few days riding on rides, standing in line, and racing from one event to another. We walked about 9 miles a day. Hopefully that will put us in shape for our mission.

We worked hard for a while to learn Croatian. Then we ran into trouble with our internet connection. As we traveled by train to visit my mom there was little internet service. At my mom’s the connection would go in and out. And now that we are back home, we have no internet. That’s really just an excuse. I learn better when I hear the words, but I can still learn by reading.

We continue to work on the paperwork. The state of California sent our authenticated wedding licenses while we were gone. They needed a signature on delivery. Since we weren’t there, they were about to send them back! So we quickly called a friend and he signed for them for us. We got our criminal background check reports. Phew. So relieved to find out we are not criminals. Now we need to get those “notarized” by the secretary of state, called an apostille, and then we will have all the paperwork needed for our visa.

I have finished one of the last two writing projects I have. And I’ve passed off three other projects to other copywriters. I had hoped to be all done with writing by now and totally focused on mission prep. But alas, it’s not to be. Tom still has a rental to paint, flooring to put down in one room… fencing to install… an antique settee to tie springs in… and I don’t know what all else. We need to decide what to take and pack. We also need to clear out the downstairs for our house sitters to live in. Fortunately kids will come and visit during the month to help with some of this.