trying to catch up

O.K., so I'm sitting here knowing that I need to do some "catch up" work on this blogging thing. I am way behind on my Africa posts and I promised a slide show from my first mission. I am about half-way on the slide show. I discovered that my first disk from that trip - which is the one with all of the medical stuff on it - is broken in half! I am having to scan in my pictures, save them in my computer, download them from the computer to the slide website and then post it to this blog site. On top of that, I am going to have to re-scan ALL of those pictures and save them to my computer and then transfer them to another disk so that I won't have to go through all of that again just to send or post a picture somewhere. Whew! That made me tired just typing it.





I will write this part in green because it is Michelle's favorite color. Michelle is my new daughter-in-law "to be," alias Michael's fiance'. He met her in Zambia in 2006. I took a picture of them together (sort of - they were sitting beside each other) on the river safari in Chobe, Botswana. We were finished and on the way back for lunch. They were snoozing a bit. I thought they looked cute, so I snapped a quick picture. I guess Michael could sense my gazing, because after I took the picture, I saw him smirking at me. They sat together some on the plane ride home, but I didn't think anything of it. Later on (weeks? months? ), I asked Michael who he was talking to on the phone. Michelle. Michelle who? Neese. From Zambia? Yes. Why are you talking to her? We talk all of the time. ...Hmmmm???


Later on (I don't know how much), they are talking - dating - going out - whatever that means. Then Michael starts talking about going to visit her, you know fly up there. Spring break... the visit. When he got back home I asked him if this was a serious thing. Maybe. Do you think she could be the one? Possibly. (you can't see the sheepish grin.)


Then summer comes and this time Michelle is going to come visit here. You know this is all running together in my head. I don't know what happened what trip. Somewhere in there, they decided that they loved each other.


She went to Zambia in 2007 - Michael didn't. She sent a card or present everyday. I told him that her mother must be sending them for her. (Sandy - Michelle's mom - said that Michelle left explicit instructions on what was to be mailed and on what day.) Michael received cards that had one puzzle piece in it everyday until the picture took form - the two of them sharing a sweet kiss. There were other gifts and sundries.


Michael went up there before school started. He went for Thanksgiving. She came down just before Christmas and Michael went back with her for Christmas up there (Peoria, Ill.) He went for Spring break. Then from spring break until July 4th they didn't see each other. I can't believe the world kept spinning!


Michael got a job to keep him busy and to make some spending money. Then he looked for and picked out her engagement ring. Beautiful, feminine, and dainty - just like Michelle! Then he worked and worked until he had it paid for. He was so proud (and so was I). He brought it home and then took it to the safety deposit box until he could take it and place it on her finger.


He took just the perfect picture of the ring (after many, many tries) to have with him to show her after he proposed. He later accidentally deleted it - while in Africa/ring in America. A few emails later, a friend named Beau with a nice camera and photo set up - at the safety deposit box - emails back to Africa...


I don't know a lot more from here because I still am hearing bits and pieces from the mission trip.


I do know that I kept waiting to see a blog about an engagement of ZMM team members - NOT. I kept waiting for an email from my son - NOT. Any kind of post from anyone on Facebook - NOT. A phone call (even collect) from overseas - NOT. I finally called Michelle's family to see what they knew - NOTHING. I was beyond growing impatient. I was getting frantic. Did he ask her? Did she say "yes" or heaven forbid "no"???


Finally, while looking on Facebook, I saw people online, that were in Zambia with Michael & Michelle. I left emails, I tried to IM, etc. Nobody was staying at the same place they were. It was the night before they were going to fly out. HOW FRUSTRATING! At least the people I communicated with let me know that Michael did ask Michelle to marry him - he did ask her at Victoria Falls - she did say YES! - and someone did get pictures. Yea!!!!!! Now I can breathe, eat, sleep, not feel like throwing up and relax.


I am going to have another daughter-in-law (and this one is sweet also, just like my sweet Sarah).