There haven't been many posts lately and its all Leah's fault.
Our house is usually quiet and peaceful, but when she comes home from college its full of noise, music and laughter. That's not a bad thing. She has enjoyed staying home with us, NOT practicing violin, and cooking a lot in the kitchen. The Food Channel and Martha Stewart are apparently favorites of her college crowd, and she is constantly coming up with little food fact tidbits that are funny or surprising.
Our tradition is for me to take my daughters out shopping, for their Mom, on Christmas eve. I was on call that day, so we went the weekend before. As they've gotton older, we bring Vicki along also. We went to our favorite restaurant, Sushi Popo, in Iowa City, then to complete the day, took in The Last Samurai for our holiday movie. It was a great day. However, it led to some fallout later in the week when the girls made Christmas cookies.
True to form, this was the LAST Samurai cookie to be eaten.
We kept Christmas simple, staying at home. We've wanted to spend a lot of time with Leah since we won't see her for 6 months.
Liz did most of the Xmas decorating- her "5 minute" decorations could give Martha a run for the money I think.
We ARE getting ready to go. There are a million things to do. Spent last weekend doing financials and backing up data from computers in the house. Doing a lot of cleaning and organizing. Going to the store for last minute things, or ordering them express on line. My electronic stethescope went on the fritz last Friday, so I had to frantically order a new one rushed, so it wouldn't arrive the day after we leave. Found a good deal online, and it arrived today.
Leah and I did have time to sneak away Sunday for an hour to see the new IMAX movie here in Cedar Rapids: Shackleton's Antartic Adventure. I'd read South a number of years ago. Ernest Shackleton, the explorer, was an unsung hero who is only now, almost 100 years later getting the recognition he deserves. His book is very "matter of fact"; when you see the size of the ocean, icebergs and mountains he survived, it just takes your breath away. This is the kind of film the IMAX was invented for. The views of the icebergs, wildlife and seas of the Southern Ocean and South Georgia are stupendous and have an otherworldly beauty. I don't think I'll ever get to Antarctica, but I do hope to at least see some penguins in N.Z.
Everyone has been asking me if we're packed, ready to go, feeling excited. I would say that we're excited but also a little terrified. Vicki's dislike of flying, the terrorist alerts and the distance all make it a little daunting. I can find new things to worry about every day. I think it is natural, with only a few days to go, to wonder what we've got ourselves into. The Shackleton film was helpful in maintaining perspective. New Zealand is a civilized and friendly country. It helps to remember: "No matter how bad a fix you're in, its never going to be as bad as the one Shackleton encountered." And he brought every man back alive.
