Thursday, October 24th;
Today started with Kerry and I being
up before the kids. Even Steph was sleeping in. I asked Kerry how that mattress
cushion I created for her from that comforter worked and she said that she had
a much better night's sleep. I was pleased.
Our making
coffee woke Steph up and within minutes, she was scrambling into
Mother-getting-the-kids-ready-for-school mode. We remember those days, only
twenty something years ago, when Kerry and I were doing the same. In some ways
we miss those days and in other ways, we feel like we have paid our dues and
the relaxation of retirement is our well-earned rewards. We smiled as we sipped
our coffees, watching the organized chaos of the week day morning routines.
When Daisy
got up her energy was contagious. She got herself dressed then grabbed a bite
to eat while running back upstairs to fix her hair while doing five other
things all at the same time. It was exhausting to watch. After she was taken to
school Brandon slowly made his way down stairs. His morning ritual was a lot
more sedate. He simply did what he needed to do, in a calm, controlled manner.
This is why
we were here. God wanted us to share these precious morning moments with
Justin's family and we were doing just that; savoring each and every moment.
How precious are the youth? We were being blessed in so many ways.
The day was
like any other for the family, except that their Grammy and Grampy were there.
When Daisy finally had her days responsibilities behind her she sat with us and
shared wonderful things with us, like her gymnastics, her school day, her
looking forward to Halloween and yes, let's not forget her boyfriend Luke (who
I like to call Floyd...inside joke).
While
enjoying this time together I noticed her finger nails were all done up for the
upcoming Halloween celebration. I told her I loved the skull she had on her fingernails and I asked her if she would do that for me. She looked at
me, somewhat puzzled and replied, "Really?" I said, "Yupp."
and with that she took off upstairs to get her tools (white polish, black
polish and some clear coat).
She sat next
to me taking my left arm and tucking it under hers. My hand was in position. She
asked me which finger I wanted or if I wanted them all done. I suggested that
we just do my pinky. She began her work, while continuously apologizing for the
poor quality of her workmanship. I assured her
that she was doing a great job and I made sure she knew how impressed I was.
Kerry watched while asking if she could be next. Daisy was glowing.
After she
put on the first coat of white, she gave it time to set while she did the same to Kerry. A few minutes later a
second coat was applied. Once that was dried, she used a very fine brush and
started painting on the details with the back (2 dots for the eyes, one dot for the nose and
a few small lines for the teeth). Now, all we needed to do was wait for it to
dry before applying the clear coat, a protective layer that would help the
artwork last.
Kerry and I
were pleased with our nails and Daisy beamed with pride. Brandon thought it was
all just too weird.
It was now time
for the regular 9pm Skype with Justin in Qatar. Right on schedule that laptop
came alive. We all enjoyed those few cherished moments. I even got to show off
my left hand pinky finger and the design his daughter created for me.
It wasn't
long after the call ended that Kerry and I decided to call it a day. Tomorrow
Kerry and I planned on getting out to see the area. Where exactly would we go,
we weren't quite sure. That was the fun part about being on vacation, we could
just get in the truck and head off, without knowing exactly where we were
heading. Some destination would show itself...it always does.
As we surrendered
to the night and the sleep awaiting we pondered quietly various destination
options. We will figure it out tomorrow, for now (yawn) we say good night.
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