Dear 7 loyal readers and the rest of you lurkers who don't want to tell me who you are,

I just wanted to touch base to say hi and to tell you I've missed you. Life has been a whirlwind and there's so much I want to share with you.

1. Jimmy got home safe and sound and his year in Afghanistan is officially O-V-E-R! Hurray for prayers answered.

2. Mac, my mom, and I had a great trip to Las Vegas with the extra-special and extraordinary BB(razilian)FFs, which we then followed up with a side jaunt to the Grand Canyon. I have some photos I want to share but they're on my laptop and now that we're at my mom's and she doesn't have wireless, it's just too time-consuming to move them to her desktop. So that will have to wait.

3. We picked up Jimmy in Washington, DC last Monday and had a few days there as a family doing some State Department housekeeping as well as sightseeing. Other than it being about 112 degrees and that one pesky parking ticket (that I am fighting because the machine was broken and I left a note in the car window explaining this), it was a great trip. We got to visit with newer friends from Afghanistan, old State Department friends, even older Georgetown grad school friends and practically antique USC friends. (Obviously new and old are used in terms of length of friendship and not actual age.)

4. We've spent the last week here in Moncks Corner, visiting with friends, eating lots of good food, running errands, etc.

5. The newer Mexican restaurant in Moncks Corner, Cinco de Mayo, is very good. Just in case you happen to be in Moncks Corner sometime and you've got a hankering for Mexican food. The carnitas are almost as good as the ones Jimmy used to buy at a roadside stand between Guadalajara and the town of Tequila. Just fyi.

6. Our family beach week starts Friday and I hope for a nice ocean breeze to combat this horrible heat. I either am unable to take the heat and humidity in my dotage or I'm suffering from hot (or sweat) flashes. The 60-degree temperatures of Bogota are never going to be as inviting as they will be when we land there.

7. Speaking of Bogota, we fly out on August 8.

8. Speaking of Bogota, we found out some details on our apartment and good news! It's big enough for any of you to come visit. Maybe just not all at once. And it's in the neighborhood I wanted - walking distance to restaurants, movies, grocery store, etc. Hurray for more prayers answered.

9. Speaking of Bogota and because some of you have asked, Mac will have testing at the American School on August 10 and at the British School on August 12. Jimmy and I will also have our "testing" with the school psychologist at the British School on the same day. I hope we have the right answers.

I feel like there should be a #10 but I really can't think of anything, so I'll close for now. More to come!