Morning all:

Boy oh boy, we just beat the storm. Marcia and I had waited way too long to take a bit of a vacation and use it to spend some time with the Florida gang. Missing the whole crew, truth be told we really were very eager to hug Derek big time. Finally it was Thursday and our day to pack for a six something flight in the morning. The weather forecasting misfits/prognosticators promised a few snow flurries in the morning and then clearing. The flurries started as promised and did not stop.

Fast forward to three a.m. and I am on the phone with US Airways. I had gotten up to check the flight status on line and realized that since we were scheduled to connect through O’Hare we were in for a whole day of wandering airport hallways. Some discussion and small talk and we were rebooked on a later flight heading for Charlotte and on to Orlando, arriving earlier and absolutely no delays! Thank you US Airways!

Two hours after arriving I was sitting in a big chair, Derek in my lap, reading him a book – Kijk, Dit Is Mijn Mama! (Look, this is my mother!). Yup, we’re off on a fine start.

Just a few odds and ends, Pieter, I love your “week’s update”, thanks for taking the time for all of us to reflect a bit. For those watching for an Adrianne update, we got a short note from her, saying: “Sorry for the lack of communication. All phones and the internet have been down in the whole country for the last week. My cell phone is now back on, but it won’t let me call the States. ………I wrote a post but his computer won’t let me access my floppy. I’ll try again soon once the other internet cafes start working again. Things here are slow to start up again.”

Lastly, very Happy Birthday to Joel V, Cathy, and Kirstin, may this be a wonderful year for all of you. Also, it’s a good time to remember Grandpa Kik and all he passed on to us on what would have been his 95th.

Have a great week, think great things (even while digging out).

Cheers,

Dirk