The Past Week

I returned to Egypt from South Africa a week ago, so it’s about time I got caught up on the blog.

All went well at the airport last Monday. It was rainy and foggy all day in Port Elizabeth, and apparently the weather wreaked havoc on the airlines' schedules because it was a madhouse. Because of delays, British Airways was just trying to get all the international passengers to Johannesburg on time, and they ended up putting me on an earlier flight for some odd reason. So I boarded a plane at 4:45 and we took off at 5 instead of having to wait until 6. That gave me a little extra time in Johannesburg, which was perfect because the check-in line was huge and they made me check my carry-on bag. I did have to claim my bag there and re-check everything. What a pain!

The flight was uneventful but a little late coming in to Cairo. I got to Andrew & Nancy's house at 7:45 Tuesday morning and decided I'd better try to have a little nap before Rachel woke up. She came in my room at 9:15 and said, "Grandma--you came back!" And she's been by my side ever since. It was hard to convince her to let me take a shower (and that wasn't until about one that afternoon). I brought matching shirts from South Africa for us--too cute!

So I had a wonderful vacation in South Africa with Dorothy and Raymond. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and I’m so thankful I was able to do it.

On Wednesday we headed over to Maadi House to play, go swimming, and pick up some lunch to take home to share with Andrew.

  Yes, that’s a fly on my thumb – they were everywhere!

On Thursday we had the chance to go to CAC (Cairo American College) where many of the children in the branch attend school. The school hosts an annual Egypt Festival where many traditional arts and crafts are demonstrated and displayed, and we were there in time for the “closing ceremony,” the twirling dancers. Rachel was fascinated with the dancing and music, and it was fun to look around (and even buy a couple of things).

Friday was church as usual, except that I had to give a talk. The branch is small, so it was inevitable that I would have to speak at some point. I’d much rather sit behind a piano or organ and participate in that way, but speaking in front of this branch wasn’t so bad. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many of the people, and I appreciate the service they continue to give to Andrew & Nancy. The gospel is true everywhere!

Friday afternoon is nap time. This is what my newest granddaughter looks like at six weeks:

Saturday was the branch Christmas party. The winter weather here reminds me of growing up in Phoenix. It’s been around 70 degrees during the day and gets down to about 55 at night. So it didn’t surprise me a bit to have Christmas dinner outside. Different families were assigned to decorate tables, so it was all very festive. Santa even came, but Rachel was less than enthused about seeing him in person.

So now we are in countdown mode waiting for Grandpa and Jacob to arrive. They leave Salt Lake tomorrow morning and will arrive here late Thursday afternoon. Rachel reckons time in “sleeps,” so now we have just TWO MORE SLEEPS until they get here! We are so excited!