Thursday, October 9, 2014

Our Last Full Day in Colombia

Today was our last full day in Colombia, sort of.  Technically, our plane doesn't take off until 12:30 am Saturday morning, but we will be at the airport by 8:30pm tomorrow evening, so today seems more so like our last full day here.

The day was really cold and drizzly, meaning everybody except me slept in.  It was nice having some peace and quiet while everybody was snoozing.  Lilly Grace was the first to wake up, and so we were able to spent some time together reading several books.  It was precious because we haven't had much time for just the two of us since we arrived to Colombia.

Brent was feeling a little better today, but still has room for a lot of improvement.  He continues to have some body aches, head and belly pain, and tummy troubles, but he says he isn't miserable like the past couple of days.  It seems he is heading in the right direction, and has a little over 24 hours to recover enough to feel well on the plane.  Thank you so much for praying for him, and for all the texts and messages checking on him.

The kids all seemed like they needed some special time today.  Brent had oodles and boocoodles of work today, so while the kids each had their one-on-one Mommy time, we did out best, unsuccessfully, to not bother him.  I am sure he will be delighted to be in an office and be able to work without four family members running around being loud.

Alex had the first turn.  I painted her finger nails and toenails the colors of her choice.  She is a girly-girl and truly loves this.  She giggles every time the polish brush touches her toe nails.  We then read three books and chatted while her nails dried.

Samuel's turn was next.  The rain had mostly stopped, and we bundled up as best we could and went to the small soccer field by our apartment.  We had a great time playing futbol for several minutes.  Let's hope nobody was watching, because I got out-gamed by a four year old.  It was a lot of fun!  We then came in and sat on his bed and read some books.

Lilly Grace was last.  I also gave her a pedicure and manicure using the colors of her choice, then we read a few books together.  It is such a joy chatting with her!  When she is with her siblings, she is quick to take charge and be bossy, but she truly has such a beautiful heart.  It's a true blessing to get to see the soft, sweet side of her.  This morning when it was just the two of us, she chose several Bible stories to read.  Her love of Jesus at such a young age is precious, and she has such a remarkably wise understanding of salvation to be barely four years old.

By then it was lunch time, and we all had sandwiches and fruit - which has basically become our regular here in Bogota.  Brent said he would prepare breakfast in the morning, which meant that was the last meal that I had to prepare in Colombia!  Woohoo!  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to cook - but I like doing it in my kitchen with my appliances and cookware that I know are clean and working.  The kids went down for nap while Brent worked diligently and I rested and perused Pinterest while salivating over non-sandwiches and non-Colombian food.

Brent had a lot going on today, so we left for the evening way later than we had planned in order for him to take care of business.  We went to an area of town known as Zona Rosa.  It is upscale, and seems to be where the people with money hang out. The people dressed much nicer than others we have seen in the different areas of town.  The mall was quite ritzy and only had fine dining restaurants.  We walked down the street and only found bars, and finally settled on a chain Italian restaurant.  The kids were famished, and hungry kids are not happy kids.  For that matter, hungry adults are not happy adults. We all needed some grub in our bellies! 

Dinner arrived, and Brent reached across the table to cut one of the kid's meals.  He evidently forgot about the candle in the middle of the table.  All of a sudden, he was flapping his arms because his arm was on fire!  There was nothing to put it out with, and it seemed like he was on fire for an eternity!  He got the flames out, while his shirt smoldered for a bit longer.  Unfortunately, it was his favorite shirt.  Additionally, his skin below the shirt is burned.  (Linda, don't worry - we will put silver on it Saturday ;) ) There is a silver lining to the situation.  He has worn a Columbia jacket almost every time we have left the apartment, and wasn't tonight.   That material is highly flamable, and his entire arm probably would have been engulfed in flames and it would have melted on his skin.  I am so thankful the situation wasn't worse than it was, but it is so sad that after feeling so sick for a while, he burned his arm!

After dinner we immediately went home. We put the kids down, and we are currently sitting in our apartment freezing.  It has been in the 50s all day, and with no insulation or heat, and a few broken windows, it isn't much warmer inside.  We layer the kids up really well for bed here, and cover them in a handful of blankets.  Tomorrow night we are sleeping first in an airport, then on planes. Though this won't be too comfortable, hopefully it will at least be warmer!

We can't wait to board that plane tomorrow night.  Hopefully we won't be too excited to sleep, but we have some medicinal help available if that is the case.  Tomorrow morning we are going to a petting zoo and park with a precious gal that partners with Lifeline, then we will get ready, nap, and pack for our return home! 

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