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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

24 hours and Counting

Today is the day before we drop our oldest boy off at the MTC in Provo for a two-year mission that will take him half way around the world and only allow me brief visits via email and 2 phone calls per year. There was a LOT to get done today!

Son and hubby met me downtown for a quick lunch. Blocks from our destination my car konked out without any warning. Just a slight whimper and she was gone. Gratefully my strapping 19-year-old didn't mind pushing an over-sized SUV through downtown traffic to the one available parking spot. Did I mention that it was pouring rain?

That put a slight damper on the day, but hubby graciously waited for the tow truck and son and I dashed off to our new favorite dining spot, Bruges Waffles and Frites for a delicious 'last lunch date.' Oh my, it was good. I ate at least a pound of potatoes that I dipped in this amazing fry sauce (something mayonnaisey with a bit of kick) and more than my fair share of the most delicious caramelized waffles. T's new home away from home promises to treat him well in the food category!


We found out the fuel pump on my car needs replacing...not exactly how we wanted to spend $500, but grateful it was nothing more serious. We took just enough time to grab a second waffle for kind dad (who took pulled the short straw so we could have our lunch date) and ran to pick him up and rent a car for the big day. Somehow, cramming the family into the Honda Prelude, not to mention the two big bags that is holding all of my son's earthly possessions for the next two years, did NOT sound like fun.

We were moments from our freeway exit when traffic came to a screeching halt. The first few seconds of waiting weren't bad, but as the minutes ticked on it became painfully apparent that we were not going anywhere soon. As i sat there thinking of the things were were supposed to be getting done, I started to nimble on the waffle that I so lovingly held for my better half.

It took more than an hour, but traffic finally started moving again. We got to the school in time to rush in for an end-of-year recital. We made it the bank to take care of all the important paperwork that we left until the very last moment. We ran by several friends homes for quick last good byes.

All in all, I'd say our day was better than this poor driver's!
I was NOT driving when I took this picture. T was behind the wheel!!

Hug the one's you love and let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life!

7 comments:

B's Mommy said...

Congratulations T! We are so happy for you. Looking forward to your letters.
BIG BIG Hugs to you all!!

Beth said...

We're so excited for T and all the wonderful experiences he will have!

samnarene said...

Your son will be blessed as he serves his mission, and your family will also be blessed; so keep that in mind tomorrow when the goodbyes bring on those inevitable tears. :-) We send best wishes and love to T.

BelgiumBarb said...

I just happened upon your blog, and was surprised to see info about Belgium. We've been living in Belgium for 2 years now, and have one more year to go before we are off on another adventure. The locals here are some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. Most speak English, and they are very patient with us. And yes, the food here is AMAZING! You son will love it. If you get a chance, try to visit him at least once. It's a beautiful little country full of wonderful people. Have a great day!

Stories by Me! said...

thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement. I've survived nearly two weeks. Just another 102 weeks to go :-)

Belgium Barb - I can't wait to visit Belgium to see the tulips, eat the food and meet the people that my son will love getting to know.

Mary Jane said...

A great looking missionary looked me up today at the MTC in the immunization area! He came up and said "Hello, Sister Stewart" and I looked up but didn't recognize him. He said his mom told him to say hi! Then he said his mom was with Stories by Me and I was so excited to see him. I was sorely disappointed my camera was not in my bag as I had taken it out for pics of a new grandbaby and didn't put it back. He looked really good and is excited to get to Belgium. I told him he had a very talented mom and then everyone wanted to know what Stories by Me was all about which I gladly told them.

Sister Stewart
Immunization Floor at the MTC

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