Almost there....

I can't believe I'm leaving for Africa in 8 days!!!  I loved my trip there with Carrie back in 2010!!! We were in Kenya then and it was Amazing, Wonderful, Moving!!!  I just know this trip to Tanzania will be equal, if not better!

I'm excited of course, yet also nervous.  I'm so going to miss Steve, Amanda and our family of critters (Shilo, Onyx, Amber and Jasper).  Steve is my one true partner in life!!!  I'm lucky he never really stopped loving me and is now by my side for the rest of our lives!  Then there's Amanda, my "Bonus-Daughter".  I'll miss tucking her in at night and just spending that time just us girls.  Ok, and I know I'll sleep like crap without my Ony cuddled on me at night!!!  LOL, yes, I am that pathetic!!!

I'm not worried about work, they know what they are doing, are damn good at their jobs!  Also I will be fully reachable by them.  So that helps a lot!  I really am proud of the company my father built!  It's amazing!!!  

So this weekend I got the rest of my clothes together and got a better rolling duffle suitcase.  My Lens I sent for repair will be back the afternoon of the 21st... of course my plane leaves at 1!  So I'm going downtown on Wednesday to a place that I'm renting 2 lens's from.  I didn't really want the extra expense, but it will be worth it to have the flexibility they give me along with my 2 camera bodies.  Flip flopping lenses all the time rather was a pain last trip!!!

Today I picked up a bunch of children's books for the Book Program we are participating in as well.  I wanted to find the best price so I could get the most books for the money.  That and keeping in mind they needed to be light weight as I'm the one lugging them through the airports and such!!!  That is one of the first things we will be doing though, so that helps!  Then it leaves room in the suite case for all the gifts I need to get for people!!! It's so hard to pick stuff because there are so many unique, beautiful things!!!

I've been thinking about love a lot lately.  I'm a very lucky woman to have Steve's Love!  I was listening to someone tell me how her boyfriend was her soul mate, even though they fight, her kids don't really like him, her whole family doesn't, most of her friends don't like him either.... She cries a lot, and is alone a lot because he doesn't want to be around her family either and is rather un-sociable.  To me, that's not love, it's like an addiction, not healthy, but you can't stop... the habit is too long ingrained.  I don't know if it makes him my Soul Mate or what, but I'm so blessed to have so very much more with Steve in our 2nd incarnation of our marriage.  He truly is my partner, friend, love and lover!  He's there for me through everything!  I can't imaging a day without him in it!  He listens to the things on my mind, and even when he might not agree, he's still there for me.  Although we work together, we are not together all day, so our evenings are together.  We do things with Amanda and around the house as a family!  This family of mine is such a wonderful blessing!!!  I hope Amanda sees the right of that and someday finds the same for herself!!!  

Ok, enough for today... unless I stress out and need to vent.  LOL

Jan