Hi Everyone --

I think this is a big day -- it's Michelle's birthday -- and she's 30! I can't believe that she is that old, or that I'm that old plus enough to be her mother! I mentioned this to someone recently, and they said, "Wait until your youngest is 30!" I suppose time only keeps marching forward, and we're all getting older!

Doug is going to post pictures of our new trunk. It's really fun and beautiful. The many carved doors and compartments are so intriguing, that Doug thought we should hide treasures for the grand kids to find in them. I have been searching for fun treasures all week. I will continue to search -- meanwhile, we are having fun playing with the treasures behind the many doors. Heather's kids came over and they had a blast discovering all the fun things.

(Lucinda trying to decided which trunk to buy. Can you see the hidden beauty?)

We had 6 at church today. I wore my fancy new Indian outfit. I'm sure I don't understand why Indians put all this beautiful bead work and fancy stitching on the front of their outfits then cover it up with a scarf. Actually, I do understand why, but it doesn't make sense. It's really fun to wear wild pants to church -- Doug says I will never be able to get away with it in Waterloo!

We are still working on our China trip. The John Deere travel desk is going to help us get our visas. I think we are going to have to postpone our trip for a month and go in April.

It is getting very hot here. The temperatures are going up to 37-38 C. I remember 37 C because if you go to the doctor's office and they take your temperature in centigrade, normal is 37. That gives you an idea of how hot it really is. We have to remember to take water with us when we are out and about and be sure to drink extra water during the day. Our house is cool (the cement and marble and tile keeps it that way all year round), and we have lots of large trees in our yard that give lots of shade. There is probably a 10 degree difference between our yard and the main street a block a way.

We hope you've had a good week. We love you and miss you!
Love, Lucinda

Did we ever share the picture of our new stool?