My Summer

This summer I will be doing something that most people who know me would be extremely surprised by...babysitting.  I will be watching an 8 month old little boy, Ethan.  He is extremely laid back, probably one of the best kids I know.  He is very bright and inquisitive.  I am hoping he'll be walking soon, but he sure does crawl around fast now.  I really am enjoying keeping him so far; it is tiring, but at least it is only for a few hours.  I'll probably talk more about him later on, but surprise, surprise I still cannot believe I actually said yes to babysit.

Also, next week we get to vacay at the beach!!  Nick's grandparents have a great little cottage.  They built it back in the '60s and it still looks exactly the same--vinyl sofa and chairs, orginal matresses, vintage serving/diningware, and formica dining table and chairs.  I love it just like it is (although a new matress would be fabulous).  It is like stepping back into a time where life made more sense and you could actually relax--no computers, ipods, or cell phones.  I am really looking forward to going.  It is going to be the last time for a couple years so I really want to each it this time.

Also, Friday will be exactly four months until we begin our adventure with the Peace Corps.  It is still scary to think about leaving everything for two years but it will be a literal once-in-a-lifetime experience.  We did receive some language audio and pdf files this week.  It covers basic Turkmen--abc's, numbers, and basic phrases (ex. where is the bathroom?).  It seems pretty easy to learn, although there is more use of consonants making some words harder to understand.  Overall though, I think Nick and I should do very well with picking up the language.  On a side note, we do have to get dental exams redone.  So please pray with us for the money to be provided to cover this without having to use our savings up again.

Lastly, my garden is looking good.  We have five watermelon sprouts, my zucchini is making a comeback, and there are flowers on the hot banana pepper plants!  The only thing that has not been sucessful is my cilantro which is this one thing I was most excited about.  Oh well.