News from the Persian Gulf and San Juan

Last night as I was heading to bed I checked my e-mails for one final time and noticed that Jon had sent a message just a couple minutes previously. I got on my computer and sent a quite note to see if he was still online and saw a message pop up before I had even sent mine. We spent the next twenty minutes sending messages back and forth. It's a rather weird way to be connected, but it's better than nothing. Fortunately we both type fairly fast.

Sometime today (our time) he should be making his final flight to the destination where he'll be for the next 13 months. I'll let you all know when I hear that he has arrived.

I have received a few e-mails asking for an update on the mold situation. When the worker came out to address the problem he wanted to use a special solution to wipe away the mold. He showed me, "Look the mold is gone." Yeah, right! (deep sarcasm) When I didn't agree he asked, "So you want me to cut out the drywall and put in a new piece?" Yes, that was exactly what I wanted. He was eventually convinced when he took off the baseboards and saw the mold on the backs of them and that the wall really was damp. He cut everything out and left space under the walls so air could circulate through both cupboards. We'll wait at least a week and then see if things are dry enough to replace. I have also been instructed to keep an eye out for any signs of more mold. Everything is documented and I have been assured that if something shows up in the future, it will be covered, even if the warranty is over.

On to a lighter note. Two years ago, the night before Jon left the first time (February 16, 2006), Joshua lost his first tooth. Sunday morning (two days after Jon left this time) Joshua lost his 5th tooth. Maybe this demonstrates how we fall apart a bit when Jon leaves. Or maybe this is a reminder that losing baby teeth is a normal part of life so that a new big tooth can grow in, like it is supposed to. I'm not going to say that a family being separated for a year is a normal part of life, but everyone has times of great difficulty to deal with and THAT IS life. The trick is learning to allow a new healthy life to grow up instead of a bitter, angry one. So Joshua and I will both be losing baby teeth and growing new big ones this year. Hope you do too.

Sheryl