South Florida Welcome

Tuesday August 29, 2006-Our return flights were uneventful. The only "problem" was that when we changed our booking with Lufthansa, we did not realize that the flight would depart at 3:30 AM instead of 1:30 AM. We had arrived at the airport at 11:30 PM, and thus had to wait 2 extra hours at the Almaty airport. Security at the Frankfurt Airport was extremely strict, due to the recent terrorism scare. All passengers were patted down and their bags searched. People with electronic equipment and medication were pulled aside for further security checks. Thankfully, both flights were on time and the layover in Frankfurt was only 3 hours.

It was a soggy welcome back to South Florida, with Tropical Storm Ernesto threatening the area. Like trained bears, despite the jet lag and lack of sleep, as soon as we arrived home we began removing the patio furniture and plants and closed the accordion shutters on the second floor. Thankfully, Ernesto was more like a typical summer thunderstorm, just a bit windier. The best part was that we were finally able to get some well needed rest. I never realized before how much I LOVE my bed. After sleeping on the most uncomfortable and lumpy bed for the past three weeks, our bed was a welcome relief. It took about three days for me to overcome the jet lag. I used the rest of the week to start preparing for the nursery and the play room downstairs. We decided to give Kristin the room that is closest to our bedroom. This room is currently Gary's office. We also decided to change the flooring in Gary's new office to wood. The nursery will be carpet, and in the playroom downstairs which is tiled, we will put an area rug. My sister and her husband gave us the crib/toddler bed which we put together on Monday (Labor Day). The wood flooring was completed Wednesday, so now all we have to do is start moving the office furniture and the other furniture in the" soon to be" playroom.