It arrived!

Before I tell you what I am referring to, I need to say that God always knows what He's doing. My day started out quite lovely when a friend came and picked me up at 7 am to go to a traditional market. Turns out it was no big deal so we didn't stay (nothing like the wet market I went to a month ago). Instead we went to Janet's to watch the rest of a dvd we'd started yesterday. For the record, we've been trying to have a 'girls' morning when the kids are all at school where we just sit and watch a movie. However, yesterday we mostly accomplished this except that Janet was doing my ironing and I was making stew for the crock pot (yes, I bought a 2nd hand crock pot and I love it!); we were able to watch about 5/8 of "Shall We Dance" before school got out. Today we were able to finish it while we also did some stitching...she was cross stitching and i was sewing rips and tears in my family's clothes. We had more time than movie so we ended up starting to watch Pride and Prejudice as well, and laughed at how closely our lives resembled those of Jane Austin's characters. Instead of chatting around a piano or stitching together near a fire, her and I were doing the same around a dvd player! Weird.

After this we went to the post office to mail off some birthday cards/treats. I was so angry by the time I left because the fellow was ripping me off big time...he was charging me 'bule' prices and I knew it, yet he insisted that they were the regular prices. This happens a lot here and so it gets very frustrating. Needless to say I walked out without mailing letters to my neice Lucy or my nephew Tristian. We are not supposed to be rude or show anger here (don't want to insult the Indonesian people) but it was very difficult not to show my frustration. Sri is going to take the packages/cards and see if she cannot mail them at local prices for me.

When I returned home the rat man was there and had put out a trap for the rodent in our ceiling. Unbeknownst to me, he was also spraying for bugs....ants, mosquitoes, spiders...and never warned us. Not sure where he got the idea or permission but as I was in the house he started bombing the outside/backyard with this huge plume of white smoky spray, and it came into the house (the house doesn't close securely...there are vents everywhere). I told Sri to leave the house and I ran out with Janet, headed to school and now I"m on the library computer waiting for the smoke to settle. Do I sound ticked off? Now when I go home I have to rewash all our dishes and any food that was left out has to be turfed.

On that note, when I got home from the post office there was a lovely yellow package, very beat up, on my dining room table. It was my parcel that was mailed July 15 by Dale!!! Yeah!!! I unloaded the package and Janet gave me a big hug, knowing how at the moment I needed the package more than anything. I had just said JUST before seeing the package "I hate it here sometimes!!" I've told Dale over and over again not to worry, that God would provide the package when I most needed it, and I think today was a great day.

When the smoke started billowing into the house I threw the package into the fridge and ran out. Unfortunately I forgot the letter that was included so I'll have to read it when I get back home. What a treat! Thank you Dale!

I have to go and have lunch with Tris now. Spontaneity is fun sometimes!!

Thanks for reading.