Almost there!

I feel like I can finally breathe. I finished up with my last student this afternoon. Tomorrow I am helping with Samuel's "winter" party. Then I will take him out early and we will go deliver presents and make cookies with some of my younger students. One of my little girls, lives in a house with at least twenty people. Her mother is in jail. She has a disorder where she has brain bleeds and seizures. She is repeating the first grade because she has forgotten everything she learned last year. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she said a Barbie. So we are going to bring her a Barbie and make cookies at her house. I think it's good to take Samuel with me. Firstly, to see what I do and secondly so he can see how other people live.

I'm hoping to leave for the Dominican Republic sometime in the next few days. A student's father, who is a Delta pilot, has given me some buddy passes. Because of this, we have to wait until the last minute to get our tickets. Let me tell you, this has not been easy. This is a very stressful time of year anyway. This added stress has not been easy. But yesterday, after I got an e-mail for my pilot friend saying that he had to fly to Brazil last minute and we'll look at flights when he gets back, I decided to relax. I will go. I just don't know when. And forget about the part of my flying with two very small and very active children by myself. And forget about trying to plan when to have our family Christmas before we leave. No, I am not going to freak out. Even if my Christmas cards don't get sent. Even if my gifts don't get wrapped and I don't make all the Christmas treats I want to.

Life will go on even when what I want doesn't happen. So hopefully, I'll be with my family in a few short days. And I'll have some pictures of all of us on the beach. If not, I'll post pictures of the kids and I trying to swim across.....