update & O.O.C.

Well, here it is, July already, and I feel as if half of my summer is spent. As of tomorrow, I will be slightly out of commission until late July. I am leaving Maine to visit my relatives in Michigan and say hello/goodbye next week. I really only have two other free weeks this summer, so this seems to be the best time for it. After my *rock-star* tour of the midwest, I'll be headed straight from Chicago to Maryknoll, NY, where I'll spend the following three weeks at an intensive cross-cultural orientation program. I am very excited about this, and I'll tell all the K people what the CIP leaves out of their presentations ;o).

This week has been tough, though, with many appointments and much organizing and mild panic attacks as I feel my free hours dwindling, and wonder if everything will get done (I mean, I don't really need to be vaccinated against yellow fever again, right??) and to top it all off, we lost our family dog yesterday. Angie had been with us for 13 years, and was the sweetest, gentlest, most loyal sheltie that ever herded a pickup. She was a tireless fetcher, and was a great friend and slow walking companion to me when I was recovering from mono last fall. It was my first experience watching anything or anyone I love pass from living into death right before my eyes and under my hands, and I'm sure I will never forget it. If there was ever such a thing as dying with quiet dignity, Angie had it down.
Angie-love, love to you, always.