getting ready...

We're at less than 4 weeks until we hop on that plane...and I do mean hop! We will surely have a little pep in our step--at least at the beginning. It will take us 2 days to get back to Atlanta (about 9 hours to London, where we will spend the night and then another 10 hours to Atlanta the next day). We are happy to be staying the night in London. It will help us (and Zoe hopefully) to adjust a little to the time difference. We took the same flight when we went home last year for vacation. Nate ate so much McDonalds in London, he was sick for like a week when we finally got home. He said he will be more careful this time (we shall see!)

We have been spending the past several weeks starting to pack stuff away into boxes. We figured a little at a time would be better than everything all at the end. However, something put a halt on our progress...

Yeah...if you didn't see on Facebook, Nate broke his finger close to his hand, so he has had a cast on for a few weeks now. He was playing volleyball and somehow (not-so-gracefully) fell into the wall and broke his finger with his own elbow. Not many people have done that, eh? Anyway, he has been a really good sport about it. In fact, he wasn't planning on teaching at the University this semester since school just started and we will be leaving in a few weeks. But the director of the program loves Nate (and knows how qualified he is to teach) so he has asked him to teach an "intensive course" before we leave. So he is teaching basketball practicals twice a week and theory once a week. So proud of him! This picture was on his first day of class this semester. Except--oh!--nobody told the students they had classes so nobody showed up. TIA. They started the next day and have been going strong ever since. They frequently ask Nate to lengthen class so they can stay and learn more. 

Back to packing...he is still able to do lots even with his cast. Zoe loves to help by pulling things out of the boxes we have already packed. Yesterday we tackled our bedroom closets. Nate found the pile of clothes he had bought in the market to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro last year with our friend Chris. He was modeling for us...

Zoe thought it was really funny when Nate had on the hat, it quickly became not so funny when we put the hat on her...

She looks like the the mean elf that brings the kids to Santa on "A Christmas Story," right??