Summer Happenings

Since my last posting, a lot has gone on at Casa Story. We took a family vacation to Argentina to snowski in late June. Sadly there wasn't a lot of snow, but we had a great time anyway. More will be coming on that trip later.

We arrived back in Sao Paulo on June 30, and Mac and I left for South Carolina on July 1, so it was a quick turnaround. Thankfully you use dramatically different clothes for winter and summer vacations.

Mac and I have had a good time visiting with family and friends. We spent some time at my mom's mountain cabin, and we've just come back from 12 days at the beach. Now that I've started packing up stuff, it seems like any other time was spent shopping. Photos will be forthcoming from the beach once I get back to SP next week.

Our biggest summer news has been the semi-finalization of Jimmy's onward assignment. As you know, Jimmy thought he would have been going to Afghanistan this summer, but our move to SP bought us an extra year. Time is nearly officially ticking now as it appears he's off to Afghanistan next summer. He was to be paneled for the job this week, and I haven't heard whether that happened, but if and when it does, it will all be a done deal. Tentatively, he is planning to leave SP by mid-April after which he'll enjoy a couple weeks at home before reporting to Washington for Pashto language training on May 1. Mac and I will stay in SP until mid-June so that Mac can graduate from Kindergarten there. Jimmy will then leave on August 1 to head to Afghanistan where he will be the political advisor to a military unit. It should be completely different from anything he's ever done before, and I know he'll make the most of it. Mac and I will spend the year in SC to be near family, which is the only way we'll be able to make the most of it!

So that's the news of the month. Mac and I leave next week, so we're busily filling our days with things like dental appointments and trips to the local aircraft carrier museum and of course, the last-minute shopping! Hope you're enjoying your summer wherever you are!