FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

New chinking vs. old

Today I decided to follow in Jen's footsteps with a Five Things Friday post to wrangle all my thoughts...

1. Africa. The 16-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo I've been so busy preparing for the past few weeks has been postponed as of this morning. The colleague I was supposed to be traveling with had a freak socks-on-slippery-hardwood accident last night and fractured a vertebra in his back. Since he's the photographer, I'm the writer, and the purpose of the trip was field reporting, we decided it didn't make sense for me to go without him. Now we're looking at January as a possible timeframe, depending on his healing process. I'm disappointed for sure, but I am also sympathetic to his injury (he was hilariously hopped up on oxycontin when I talked to him this morning), and since I've been praying about this trip from the start, I feel okay that our departure date is pushed back. Which brings me to point 2...

2. Holidays. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday -- it's simpler and less commercialized than Christmas -- and though I'm sad about my trip, a silver lining is that I don't have to feel rushed and stressed on Thanksgiving Day. (I was supposed to leave early the next morning.) Hooray -- another thing to be thankful for!

3. House. There's SO MUCH going on I can't keep up on the blog. As of today:

• The powder room floor is tiled and grouted! 
• The stone foundation, which is original to the house and had lots of old paint covering it, has been sandblasted. When the process was over, I could almost hear those old stones' cries of FREEEDOOMMMM! 
• I've hired a sweet teenage babysitter from our church to play with Johnnie tomorrow morning while I spend a few hours priming the master suite. 
• Ez's childhood friend Chris is working on the chinking in the dining room. It's amazing how a new coat of Permachink makes everything better.

4. Eyes. Today I'm going to a surgeon to see if I'm a candidate for corrective laser surgery. Wish me luck! I'm nervous he'll tell me I can't do it because I have the world's driest eyes... My regular eye doctor once said my tear productivity was "pathetic," and I keep a bottle of eye drops on my desk next to my glass of water. It's all about hydration, people! Except my eyes are still red and bloodshot all the time. 

5. Johnnie. This is my favorite age so far. I am mourning her babyhood just a little, but holy cow is she FUN now.  Some Johnnie quotes I've been saving up from the past couple weeks: 

While playing catch... 

Me: [gently pushing her backward] Johnnie, back up a little bit. You're too close!
J: [scolding] Mama, keep your hands to yourself! 

When she bit her tongue at dinner... 

Me: Oh no! You poor thing, I know it hurts.
J: [crying] My tongue! Kiss it mama! [Sticks her tongue in my mouth before I can process what's happening.] 

While being tickled and teased by Daddy... 

J: [between giggles] Don't bend my face! ... [more giggling] Don't get me, okay Daddy? Okay? Say yes! ... [starting to get annoyed] Swiper, no swiping! 

Playing with her very favorite Jellycat bear named Harvey... 

J: Aww, you're crying. Do you miss your mama? It's okay Harv, I'll hold you nice and tight. [squeeze] Do you feel better now? 

Have a great weekend, everyone! Any big plans?