Ten days!

I can't believe this journey is about over. Honestly, I never expected to have these feelings: complete excitement that Sammi's almost home (OK, OK...that one I expected!) but at the same time,complete sadness that this adventure is almost over. We have received amazing blessings as a family, individually, and as parents watching our daughter grow into a wonderfully faithful daughter of God. Bittersweet is the best or only word we can come up with to describe the past few days and the ones ahead of us. I told a friend of mine who has a son out with six months left: "Be prepared! The last two weeks are almost as hard as the first two." When she asked why, my reply was back then, you wanted them to serve but didn't want them to leave. Now, you want them home but you don't want the experience to end.

Last night, Bob and I really struggled to write our last official email. Neither of us could think of what to say. He finally figured it out and wrote one of the sweetest, most touching emails I've read. Of course, as he let me read it, I got all teary-eyed. Then after I read it and looked at him, he was all teary-eyed as well.  We stood them and cried together. This morning, as Sammi and I 'chatted' during her email time, we both cried. It's been as hard for her as for us and for similar reasons. CRAZY!!

So,  the final details are being taken care of. All of the jobs on the last post have been completed and we've started several other lists,  crossed off the "Things to Do" and created even more lists. Now it's down to final cleaning, getting the carpets and couches cleaned, getting Charlie groomed and the other puppies bathed, finish baking, buy the rest of the food for her homecoming, get the signs put up, etc., etc., etc. It's all so exciting yet so surreal!

Ten days is not very long at all!