I'm so excited for my trip!!

At first I was feeling kind of disgruntled about my upcoming trip to Ghana. But as each day goes by, I'm more and more excited to go. I have to admit, I'm still dreading the trip in general, but I'm really looking forward to spending time with Raymond. He paid for an apartment for us today, he said it meets all of my requirements and is in a safe neighborhood. He had already purchased an air conditioner but he decided to exchange it for a more powerful unit. AMEN! He also purchased a small refrigerator for "my food stuff" as Raymond calls it. It's weird that the average home in Accra doesnt have a fridge!! Where do they keep their food? And what about a nice chilled Coke? You cant leave any scrap of food out because the bugs completely infest the area. i learned that the hard way during my last trip. I left some biscuits(cookies) in my bag overnight. The next day the bugs attacked me while I was wearing my bag! Ouch!

Last night I went to Kim's going away party at Talarico's, and then the party moved to the Redline bar. Jason Yano(WS summer enrichment staff) performed with his band, and Alice Kitchen(assoc staff) accompanied him in a few songs. I cant remember what the band is called but they play blues/rock music. The show was great, Jason and Alice have great voices. I havent gone "out" like that in so many years i cant remember when. Thanks to Kim Hood for talking me into asking my babysitter if she could stay later. Debbie T hung for awhile, she MAY think we were a little wild.................... I could have lived without the cat fight that almost happened. It was so ridiculous. I cant mention the participants, but it wasnt me!!! Or Kim!!

My nephew is home from the Army for a visit. His Mom had a barbecue for him today! He looks like a grown man now, he gained about 25lbs in muscle. He said being home was so relaxing and comforting. He thinks he'll be in Afghanistan by the end of August.

On the job front, I'm still submitting my resume to several jobs each week. There are still a lot of jobs that interest me and are in the pay range I'm looking for. Take care friends!

George and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary last night at the Metropolitan Grill over Chateau Briand for Two.

Guess i'm taking another trip to Ghana!!!

I'm starting to think that the only way Raymond's visa is going to be approved is by traveling to Ghana and going to his next visa appointment with him. I'm tentatively planning a trip for Aug 17- Sept 2.

PROS: Spending time with Raymond, good possibility of getting his visa approved, small possibility of Raymond traveling home with me, we would have time to do things we wanted to do, as opposed to last visit his family pretty much dictated what we did, my plane ticket is about $700 less than my last trip.

CONS: What if I get terribly sick again? the agonizing 24 hr flight, the heat, the bugs, the garbage, the smells, the lack of toilets, power outages, the expense, the terrible disappointment if he doesnt get his visa, leaving my kids, missing out on a job interview possibility, leaving my pets, the food, no diet Coke, safety concerns, I could lose a job opportunity when I mention the need to take 3 weeks off in August.

I think, all in all, the pros out way the cons. Raymond is sinking into a terrible depression and he cant take much more of us being separated. I have a few mandatory requirements in place in order for me to travel to Ghana. We will not be staying at ANY of his family members homes. We will be renting an apartment for about $200-300 for a month. This apartment will have air conditioning, with a back up generator, regular shower and toilet, and a refrigerator.

So, now I'm in the process of figuring out my plans for all 3 children, and all 4 pets. YIKES! It's a good thing I'm not working so I can have the time to figure this all out.

My Third Day as an Unemployed Person

I was asked to create a blog for Joan, Jackie, Joyce, and I to update with all the exciting happenings going on in our lives! So, hopefully it doesn't bore anyone to death! Here's a picture of the old(but young) West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA Admin crew at our last luncheon. What a fabulous group of ladies.

Thank you to Molly for hosting our goodbye last Friday! I dont have any good pictures to share but I really hope Joyce can post a picture of Wendy drinking from her flask!!

Regarding my job search: I've turned down one interview, after realizing the job wasnt a good fit. I had a phone interview today with Planned Parenthood! I would REALLY have loved a job with Planned Parenthood but it turned out to be an entry level position.

Today was my first day in sweats all day!!! I could get used to this! I miss everyone!