Overwhelmed

Jessica and I went for pedicures today from Hannie, which are always wonderful!! We were finishing up, getting up from the massage chairs, when my phone beeped. I had a text message. It was from Cory saying that I should check my email. I assumed that it was something having to do with insurance. We had an argument last night about sending me emails about insurance leads, him not being specific enough, building enough urgency.... blah blah blah. Anyway, I asked him which email. He told me my sctigger.

So I checked my email on my phone, thinking that if it WAS an insurance lead it would be perfect timing since I was on my way to my reserve class. I'm scrolling through the emails and see "Travel to Ethiopia - Nanneman (misspelled) Family". I opened the email and see a reaffirmation that all of our information is up to date at the Embassy in Addis... Big deal. We get these once a month. And it would not be the first time that Cory got overly excited about one of these. I'm thinking you JERK... Ready to kill him, then I realized that there is something about that title. Its just different. Scrolling further, trying to read the email on my phone.. Yell at Hannie and Jessica to shhsh I'm trying to read............. Then I'm telling everyone in the room, Oh My God, we are going to Ethiopia, We have to be there the 20th - of December!!!! My hands are shaking I am trying to read the email. Jessica is impatient to hear so she holds my hands still to read.

Lots of screaming, excitement. I called the district manager at Farmer's, tell him I won't be coming in for class today, I have to start making travel arrangements. So since 2:30 I have gotten our reservations at the Sheraton - the end of the December was the only time within like a five month range where they had starhot rates by the way - dogs reservations at the kennel, and decided on a flight, which will hopefully be booked tomorrow - I just happened to decide to try another agency last Wed. The woman at the new agency had left for the holiday, but got back to me yesterday with a quote, and she just happened to use the dates 12/17-27 in her guesstimate. The exact dates we ended up wanting. And Cooking Light has a section on Ethiopian cooking this month. Strange. I don't know why I felt the need to put all of that out there right now.

So, barring any mumps outbreaks or CIS hold ups, we will be leaving in just over two weeks from today.

I am 99.9% sure that it is okay for me to post a picture now and give his full name, but since I am slightly paranoid of government agencies in general I want to double check.

I also have to say that I am very disappointed to be missing Christmas. I know, everyone keeps saying its the best present ever, and it is, but given the updates and info that we were getting from our agency, I had put a lot of time into convincing myself that it would not happen this month and that I was actually happy about it. And I am pretty damn convincing, so now I have to completely switch gears and get out of the mind set that "Cory and I will have this great one last Christmas just the two of us - go to plays, go to dinners, go to tea at the Grand." Plus Christmas IS my absolute favorite holiday and missing it just bothers me in a ridiculous way. We went to the Bahamas one year and I said I would never go on vacation for Christmas again. The things about the holidays that stress everyone else out get me excited. I love the baking, the parties the slight rush, but mostly I love it when a Christmas Story starts its 24 hours on TBS, and we sit down to shrimp and whatever else we found at Market Street and a couple of good bottles of Champagne on Christmas Eve, Santa comes, and then we get up and spend the day having cocktails and taking our time opening presents - With a Christmas Story still on of course. Anyway, just had to get that out. I know its kind of selfish to feel this way, but like I said, I spent a lot of time convincing myself in the last month, that this scenario was going to be the best EVER because I was so convinced that we would not be traveling this year.........

Don't even get me started on how stressed out I am just thinking about what I am going to do about work when we get back...... Oy!