The week before...

The week before we left was fantastic. I am obsessive about packing early. It's a little crazy, but, I'll tell you that when you pack early, you get to do things like this:




do some cleaning with friends and then sit down and have coffee and desert;





practice your flute in front of friends and family while eating New York bagels;



have parties with friends that love you even when you are a punk;



hug new friends that have encouraged your soul;



go paintballing and then proceed to recollect when you encroached the enemy lines for the next week and a half;



hold babies and oooh and ahh at their cuteness;


wear Mardi Gras beads and giggle by the pool;


speak at an amazing conference filled with passion and vision for the Lord.

That my friends is why you pack early. So that your last days with friends and family can be spent with laughter and peace and not late night trips to Wal-mart and yelling at your husband like a crazy woman.