It’s hard to believe that our time here in Phoenix will be done in just 2 weeks.  Tiff and I have discussed several times how the time has gone both fast and slow at the same time.  Our time here is nearly done but our changed lifestyles will go on after we are home.  We now talk often about the changes that we need to make to be successful after we get back to our regular lives.  We will all have change at the end of this and not just in how we eat or live physically.  Hannah will have an organized house that is all cleaned up and she just has to stay on top of it.  Tiff is going home to a less cluttered home with a wall repair, floor repairs and hopefully a new living room floor. I am going home to a house that I have never lived in before but Greg has been working tirelessly to get to a point where we can live in the lower level until the upper level is completed.  I’m anxious to see my house!!

Today’s weather was hot.  We got our sunshine and I decided to “bake myself” a little bit longer than normal and my skin got a bit redder than I like it to.  I’m slathering on lotion and coconut oil to keep from peeling.  I didn’t burn badly or anything. This is a good reminder that I need to keep a closer eye on my time in the sun.  Tiff did the standard 15 minutes on each side and did just fine.

I went to Tempe today to have lunch with a friend from Iowa.  Diane and Scott are snowbirds here is AZ.  They are usually back up north by now, but a few little things are keeping them here a little later than normal.  They have a new puppy that needs to be spayed so they will head home shortly after that is done.  Diane and I met at a vegan place in downtown Tempe and the food was good.  I don’t think that she has eaten vegan food before.  She seemed to like it – what she ate anyway.  We had a great visit that involved tears and laughter.  We shared some very painful stories with each other about our daughters.  Today’s visit was a good reminder that we, as Christians, need each other.  We are designed and encouraged in scripture to assemble together. It was good to share with a sister in Christ the pain we each have been through and see where we are each at in our healing.  It’s also good to remind one anther that the day will come when we will be with our loved ones again.  We have that hope “In Christ Alone” (a great song).

I love that Tiffany loves to try new recipes.  I wasn’t gaga about the carrot hot dogs, but the other things that she has made have been very good.  This evening, she is making “mock lobster rolls”.  I don’t know where she gets her recipes from but they’re good.  I think that my sister, Vicki, served real lobster rolls at her 60^th birthday party – those were really good.  These ones are made with palm hearts in place of the lobster – I’ll report how they taste.  Truth be told, Tiff is doing most of the cooking.  I have made a few meals, but I’m not very adventurous.  She cooks and I clean up.  This is the arrangement that Greg and I have.  I do the cooking and he cleans up – this works well for us since Greg hates to be the one to plan and cook a meal.  I want to encourage her husband, Bruce, to make this arrangement with her, he’ll get some good meals out of it.

The path that Tiff and I have been walking in the morning takes us by a school.  We have noticed that these young people are dressed in long sleeves and pants, for the most part.  We are out walking in our tank tops and shorts to keep cool.  We also notice that when we see workers out they are also wearing long sleeves and pants.  It’s hard to understand how they can dress so warmly while we’re so warm that we dress cooly.  Oh well, they must be more acclimated to the weather than we are.

Day 28 is done, day 29 is on the way.  “But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun” – The Beatles

PS: The mock lobster was pretty good – I won’t mind having it again.