runlindsayrun

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Geoff, Briony, and I leave for Vancouver in the morning and we'll be out on the west coast until May 20. I'm really looking forward to it... Of course, it will be tough to be away from my family for that long - especially my mom - but it will be really good family time for the three of us.

We've had so many answered prayers about this trip, from finding a really amazing seat sale to having a friend offer to let us borrow a jolly jumper, an exersaucer, and a gym for Briony to use while we're there (and another friend dropped it all off at Geoff's parents' place last night so it's ready to go when we get there). They are her absolute favourite toys, but they're all slightly different than what we have at home. She's going to be *so* excited! I can hardly wait to watch her explore these new toys :)

Here's my list of things you can pray for:
- That Geoff and I will stay healthy-ish (he's experiencing some serious allergy symptoms after working on the yard on Wednesday and I'm fighting an RA/fibro flare-up)
- That all our packing, etc goes smoothly today
- That Briony will do really well on the plane again
- That we'll arrive safely and without incident in Abbotsford tomorrow
- That Briony will adjust well to her 'new' surroundings (and the time change!)
- That Marilyn will travel safely out east
- That Geoff and I will have lots of grace and patience when dealing with his dad
- That we'll have lots of warm and sunny weather, of course!

I'm specifically concerned about my own health, outside of the RA/fibro junk that's been going on. I've been seeing a massage therapist here in Winnipeg who's been trying to help with all the damage done to my back, shoulders, and arms as a result of having such a big baby to take care of. I'm hoping that we'll be able to find someone good in Abbotsford so I can continue my treatment, because I'm just starting to feel some benefit now. I'm also waiting for test results to find out what's been making me so sick over the last two or three weeks. My doctor ordered a massive blood test this past Tuesday to check all kinds of organ functions, etc but I won't get results until *next* week Tuesday - and I won't be having the abdominal ultrasound he ordered until June or July. I know these are all just precautions, but it's hard not to worry sometimes. I just wish that I felt better. And I want to find out what's causing me to feel this way so that we can fix it. But I'm a little concerned that - if the blood work identifies a problem - there's likely nothing that can be done before we get home at the end of May.

We don't have a whole lot planned for the next two weeks - just hanging out in Abbotsford and taking care of Geoff's dad while Marilyn is away. We have a few friends we'd like to see, but I think that we'll mostly just occupy ourselves with lots of walks and family time. Marilyn returns on May 11, which is also the day that my two new courses start, so we'll be a lot busier after that. We're planning to spend four days in Victoria with Rob, Vicky, and baby Ava around May Long Weekend, which will be one of the highlights of our trip. Oh, and of course, there's the big Ikea shopping spree for Aaron & Cait's shower. (They really wanted to be registered at Ikea, so we've collected money from the shower guests ahead of time and they 'registered' by marking up a catalogue, so now I get to go to Ikea and get as much for them as I can and wrap it before the shower on May 31. They are *so* excited.)

In the meantime... We're already checked in for our flight tomorrow morning and my dad has graciously volunteered to do an early-morning airport run (we had a heck of a time fitting all our luggage + baby gear into a taxi last time, and we're bringing along a play pen this time). All we really have left to do is to pack and time care of a few last-minute details.

The stress I'm experiencing right now is totally my own doing - trying to pack and spring clean at the same time. Yesterday was Laundry Day, but I also managed to top-to-bottom clean the kitchen and bathroom, and I dusted and cleaned all the non-carpeted floors in the house. Not everything I'd hoped to accomplish, but probably the most important stuff. I just really, really hate knowing that I'm coming home to a dirty house. It's positively magical to come home after a trip and walk into a sparkly clean house. But I know that I'll need to let go of some of the things on my 'want' list... The people who are housesitting and checking in here will just need to deal with a little bit of dust :)

Labels: Family, Prayer Request, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 8:08 AM