Saying Good-bye to Colombia

We are actually back home now, but I didn't want to leave this blog just hanging. It is now quite difficult to find a few quiet moments to think. I thought I had journalled (apparently that's not a word because it's not in my spell check) the last day there and the first days home, but I didn't. So I'll try to recall them the best I can.

Of course nothing is easy. After I shut down and packed up the computer ready to leave, we had a little "incident" in the hotel. After dinner that last night in the hotel the boys didn't want to go upstairs right away. They were playing a game and having fun. All of the other families were milling about, so I went upstairs to send Darin a quick email confirming my flight time the following day. My middle daughter Miranda popped up online to chat. So we sent a few comments back and forth. I told her that the boys were downstairs playing and she said, "That's cool that you don't have to supervise them 24/7." I said that I probably should be down there but wanted to pack up the last few things. Not 45 seconds later I hear a CRASH...breaking glass. Parents come running out of all the rooms and down the stairs. There stands Miguel beside a riding toy which had crashed into a glass door. He had no blood, no cuts, not even a scratch. He didn't even seem particularly shaken up. Great! I'm leaving tomorrow and now I have to pay for a glass patio door. That just sent my bill a bit higher. So I take the boys upstairs and send them straight to bed. Miguel is still acting rather chipper, but Mauricio is being very quiet and compliant. As I was talking to Miguel about the incident he said, "But Mauricio...." Mauricio's face fell and he started to cry. I don't know how long he was going to let his brother take the rap, but he did confess. God is GOOD...the door only cost about $75, Mauricio apologized to the owner the next morning, and we were off!

The boys thoroughly enjoyed the plane rides, the headphones for the movies, the food and drinks, the lavatories, the air vents, the reclining chairs,...they watched intently as the pieces on the wings moved as we took off and landed. Mauricio even checked under the seat cushion to make sure that it was indeed a flotation device. From the time we left the hotel to the time we got home was a 16 hour day of travel. The boys were wonderful. They helped with the luggage, they were fairly patient as we waited in customs and again in immigration and again because our flight to Chicago was delayed.

WE'RE FINALLY HOME!!