Joy for Joi, Week 19

Today marked the day that I got to #500 on my "Joy Dare" thankful list!  Also, as of today, there are 50 days left before we go back home.  And my favorite number is 5, so this is just a good day.  :)

Here are a few of the things that have reminded me of Joy this week:

# 476:  Our trip to MallDova (gotta love the name), which involved having American food-court food and finding public restrooms that were clean  (even Colsen commented on how astounding this was).  This was our first public restroom experience in 5 months that offered toilet paper.  The kids proclaimed our lunch (Sbarro pizza, Happy Meals and california rolls) the best one EVER.  And Colsen is suggesting we go to the mall "4 days a week from now on."  It was a nice mall... very large and beautiful, but incredibly expensive!

# 479:  Waking up to a thunderstorm

#483:  Pete getting to speak at a conference designed to teach high school and college teachers how to teach.

#485:  Strider baking Banana-Cherry Almond Bread all by himself -- very successfully, I might add.  He did forget the cherries at first... but corrected the situation without too much trouble.

#486:  Playing Imaginiff and eating American-style pizza with friends on a Sunday night

#487:  Strider facing a challenge and completing his first long race -- an international one at that!  And watching him play with the local boys in the soccer/shooting game before the race.

#496:  Rayna's spelling abilities

#500:  Pete making it safely back from his trip to the nether-regions yesterday.  When he called part-way through the day to inform me jubilantly that they had actually "made it across the border with no trouble!" I just hoped that he would find similar success on the return trip.  And he did.

#501:  Rayna and Colsen brushing my hair as I read to them


Half-way to 1000!