i'm still backtracking a bit -- this is kind of 2 weeks worth in one (i didn't quite catch it all in last week's post). our God is a great gift giver!!!!
- case of cookies from Kayleigh (yummy sugar wafer cookies that were oh so good in pai katanga!)(only one package from the case actually made it out of Ghana...the rest were eaten before we left)
- african dancing (the kids were amazing at the school's farewell celebration for us)
- feeling the wind come through the bus as we left the village
- the glory of God on disply in nature (and the Jesus Calling devotion to go along with it - July 30)
- colored pencils
- pizza at the mall in Accra
- a bathroom that smelled like chocolate chip cookies
- emma took her nap at the mall (we were walking and i told her i would give her $1 if she fell asleep. she did. i owe her.
- trashcans & plastic bags at just the right times for caroline to be sick in at the accra airport....poor girl.
- time with God in the middle of the night (reading isaiah 50:5 ish to go along with it)
- a whole roll of only pink mentos!!!
- one less carry-on this round of flights - much more manageable!
- eli's face when he got his field service completion certificate
- new normal and routines are coming
- watching nick and caroline look at pictures on the ipod.
- got the coffee/cream/sugar ratio just right on the flight from Accra to Madrid
- fruit cup (and the cute little fork!) in the airport from penelope
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- michelle deneen's attitude. incredibly positive, encouraging, helpful and wonderful.
- emma riding around on the airport cart
- playing on the moving sidewalk
- mcdonald's!! (never thought that would make the thankful thursday list) and the fact that you can get grapes in the happy meals!
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- little bag of mentos from nick
- seeing the Africa Mercy for the first time from the Fred Olsen Ferry (thankful josh captured it with his handy dandy camera!)
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- we are HOME.
- kids happily playing, swinging, riding around on deck 7!!
- lovely run smelling ocean air
- strawberries & cream
- emily trappnell's kindness to caroline
- lucky charms. they ARE magically delicious.
- mary lou & roses' kindness
- our cabin's close proximity to....well, everything. especially the laundry room, 2 ice machines & play area.
- time with nick. real conversation & connecting.
- strawberry blow-pops (they are only a penny!!!)
- cinnamon toast panini (new favorite creation)
- cash family church
- package from molly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so amazed by her forethought)
- dryer sheets (they smell so good!)
- new commission chart for the kids
- i like it here.
- running with nick - showing him the special view
- calling card -- $10 = 1000 minutes (or something like that)
- lemonade from the dining room
- i survived an entire day without coke (there will me lots more of those to come)(i'm not "off" of them. just greatly limiting them. it's about time.)
- God's creativity in the creation of animals (on display at Loro Parque)
- the box of hot tamales fit perfectly - i mean perfectly! - in the jar
- tuesday morning's view from our window. there aren't many things i'd rather wake up to than watching the sun rise over the ocean.
- sitting in bed, laughing and making tents out of the sheets with eli, caroline & emma
- the ghana blog post is done
- the sweet responses and encouragement from the blog post
- that amy was in columbus for nick's grandpa's visitation. what a wonderful sister!
- romans 5:1-11
- emma's birthday message/video for molly (i only wish we were able to load it....)
- celebrating God's creation of my friend Molly. what a gift she is!
- having things laminated
- easiest, most peaceful kids-going-to-bed-time yet
- singing hymns to the girls
- attaching magnets to all sorts of things (little stuff animals...clothespins...bottlecaps...pens. i really like having magnetic walls and ceilings and doors - even the undersides of the beds are magnetic!)
- God sent a taxi to bring me back to the ship after my excursion to the "spanish wal-mart"
- got most of the stuff on our list (finally!! a successful shopping trip! between me and nick we were about to strike out)
- eli's early birthday presents for caroline
- eli and caroline got to talk to yaya and grandaddy today!
- the cuteness of emma this morning during our fire drill - lifejacket hugs are quite fun (pictures will be on the family blog sometime soon...i hope!).
- eli's prayer that mr. dave and mr. nick would know that he still has time for them
- found a cherry coke for nick!
- knowing we are right smack dab where we are supposed to be.
- the fact that a plate of reese's cups were the dessert someone brought to the "new crew member welcome party." way to go somebody.
- resizing the pictures really does make loading them so much easier & faster!!!!
- how clean deck 7 smells. it really is the best smelling deck on the whole ship
