Christmas Letter 2010

2010 has been an amazing year at The Hillman House!

God continues to pour out his blessings on us in so many ways - but most importantly, through good health and great relationships.

As you know, we are truly passionate about travel, and are so fortunate to be able to do so. Nicolas is following in our footsteps...to an extent. He absolutely loves to travel, but if we are in Cape, he is a true homebody. It's so weird for Lee and I - since we both like to 'go' ALL the time. But, Nicolas keeps us a little grounded...although it is sometimes maddening for us:-)

So, we started off the year with a quick trip to Vegas in January with friends (Nicolas stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Jamerson for that one). It wasn't for my birthday, it was for Lee Schlitt's, but as I'm typing this, I can't remember doing anything special for my birthday...so we'll call this trip my birthday trip.

February came and went pretty quickly, and with it went Nicolas' first 2 teeth. As I'm typing this, he is wiggling his top front tooth. He's almost 8 and still hasn't lost any of his top teeth. I think he was the only 2nd grader who's school photo didn't have big gaps in his smile:-) He's lost 4 teeth, but all on the bottom.

In March, Nicolas turned 7, and for his birthday, we took a 4-day cruise to Cozumel. The first 3 days were awesome (first time on a cruise that I did not get sick!) - the last day the weather was REALLY bad and people were literally throwing up all over the place. Lee was sick the entire time (sinus infection, etc, not motion sick), so Nicolas and I hung out and played lots of mini golf. Nicolas discovered Carnival Kids Camp and loved it, so I had lots of time to just hang out on the deck reading. Lee saw more of the inside of a cruise ship room than anyone should ever have to see, but that's the breaks:-(

In April, I was able to go on a mission trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico. What an amazing week - I got to meet and hang out with lots of really neat people, but the coolest part was definitely the deepening relationships that I developed with the team that went from La Croix.

April also provided what turned out to be a short-term career change. Lee decided sometime after the first of the year, that he didn't like managing Beef's - he liked shaking hands, kissing babies and hanging out with people, but he didn't like telling people what to do. (He's way too nice:-) So, in April, with 2 managers in place at Beef'O'Brady's, Lee went back to AT&T.

Fast forward 8 months, we learned the hard way, that nobody loves our business as much as we do. It's just a completely different atmosphere when one of us is in the restaurant every day, particularly Lee. So, in November, Lee went back to Beef's full-time (and is improving daily on the "telling people what to do" part of his job...and loving the relational part more than ever).

All that being said, in May, my entire immediate family (Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law and nephews) invited us to go on a family vacation to Orlando, Florida. Because Lee had just gone back to AT&T, he was unable to go, but Nicolas and I flew down over Memorial Day weekend and joined them. It was beautiful and it was neat to have the opportunity to go on vacation with my family (although, by the end of the LONG drive back in a 15 passenger van...well, I'll leave it at that:-).

In June, I went on another mission trip, this time to Milwaukee with our Jr High Youth. What a great group of kids! We had a phenomenal trip...if you want to read more about that, you can check out the blog I did for that at www.423lacroix.blogspot.com .

Lee's birthday was in July, so we took a quick weekend trip to Tunica with friends and got ready for our 'travel drought':-) Nothing for the month of August or September. However, Nicolas was playing soccer and made the All-Star team again, so that, along with flag football, kept us plenty busy. His All-Star team played in 3 tournaments this fall, and took 1st place in all three! (Nicolas is, no doubt, just as competitive as Lee and I are, so it was a good month at our house:-)

So, October came and with it, Lee's 6 month anniversary back at AT&T hit, so he was finally able to take some vacation time...and he couldn't wait to go somewhere...anywhere. We planned a very last minute trip, and because of flight time options at that point, decided to go to Jamaica. We stopped there once years ago on a cruise, but we had never been to Jamaica...we're kind of Mexico people. But, since we could get there before noon, we went with it.

Jamaica was OK - but it wasn't Mexico. 'Duh?', you say. But, really, we thought that being in the Carribean on the ocean would be about the same anywhere. But there were a couple of distinct differences. The first was that there were no chips, salsa, pico or guacamole. I know, I know. Should have been obvious, but we failed to realize what an important part of vacation food is. The second big difference is that Jamaicans like to 'take it easy', they are 'easy going' and 'laid back'. What this, more or less, translates to is that they are very lazy and give really bad service. In other words, the Hillmans will most likely not go to Jamaica ever again. Of course, we've said that about cruises and we keep going back for more...

I do want to point out again, though...this was the first time we ever even considered Jamaica and for some reason went with it. The SAME exact week we were there, a hurricane hit in Cancun and Cozumel. Had we gone to Mexico, like always, it would have been a miserable week. Coincidence??? I think not...

November proved to be a great month! It started with Lee, Nicolas and I going to Lambeau Field to see Green Bay play the Cowboys (they killed them, BTW), which was followed by the highlight of my year (which would probably not be true for Lee, as it was 10 days of single parenting on his end:-)...I was able to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands! I went to Jordan and Israel (Tiberias, Bethlehem, Jerusalem) - what an unbelievable and unforgettable experience! I blogged during that trip, so if you want to read more about, just look back at November entries on this blog.

Then, here we are in December. Last weekend, I was signed up for my first ever 1/2 marathon...but if you read about the Holy Lands trip at all, you will know that I ended up coming home in a wheelchair. So, the 1/2 marathon wasn't quite in the cards for me at this time. My ankle is doing much better, however, and the whole point of the race was to complete it in honor of turning 40 (this coming February), so I have all next year to still meet that goal.

Christmas is just around the corner...and Lee's parents are officially 'snow birds' (I'm so jealous!)...they get to head south for the winter. They went to Florida in October, came home for Thanksgiving, left again the following week, and will be back some time in April. Thus, Lee, Nicolas and I will be heading south for Christmas. We will spend Christmas Eve in Cape (so I can sing with Chris Nall one last time:-(, hang out with my family that evening, and head out the next. After today's little show of snow and freezing winds, Florida can't get here quick enough!

Well, that's about all I've got for now. If you like the Christmas letter, you can get more details on what's going on with us throughout the year right here on the blog. I always promise to write lots, but then I don't...so I'll just say...if you subscribe to receive the updates, you will definitely get more details than if you wait for this letter again next year:-)

We wish each of you a great Christmas and a healthy, prosperous 2011!!!

Love,
Angel

I'm home...and Ariel and Fabio don't have a lot in common...

Well, you've all been ever so patient...and I'm sure you've just been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how my trip ended.
First, let me say that Ariel...well...not Fabio. Very nice. Very helpful. But not Fabio.
I did not take a picture of him but several of the people on the trip snapped photos of us...so I'm sure I'll run across one at some point that I can post for you.

So, let's back up to Jerusalem...
The 45 people I'm traveling with are leaving on the big tour bus for the airport (see back of the bus video for a bird's eye view of what that is like...) at 8pm, so my new friend, Nurse Ariel, is picking me up at 7:30pm in the lobby of the hotel. He is supposed to show up in a taxi...which happened to be a Mercedes. The beginning.
Since I have my own personal assistant at this time (which I rather enjoy, I must say), I decide to take the opportunity to get some McDonald's (not something we can do easily on a tour bus, but definitely something I was craving after 2 weeks of falafels). Turns out that the whole theory of McDonald's being the same no matter where you get it...well, it's not so true.
Ariel explained to me before I ordered that it was a "Kosher" McDonald's. ??? I'm looking at him like he's crazy. I'm American. I like pickles just like the next guy...what in the world does that have to do with my cheeseburger?
"So, yes...I'll have a double cheeseburger and a large diet coke, please." (BIG smile here...I'm already tasting the food...my mouth is literally watering)
"No double cheeseburger, sorry."
"OKaaaaay...how about a cheeseburger and a large diet coke?"
"No cheeseburger," McD boy says, as he looks at Ariel with a disgusted look.
"It's Kosher," he whispers to me...
"What does that mean?" I'm getting rather annoyed at this point.
"It means we don't mix dairy and meat."
"Who is this WE you speak of???"
"Orthodox Jews, it is custom." says Ariel.
"Oh Ariel. I'm SO very sorry. This is a sad, sad travesty...you mean to tell me you've never experienced the beauty of a melted slice of cheese on your burger??? Seriously, this brings tears to my eyes! Get this boy a slice of cheese!!!"
He is not amused.
I ate a burger - no cheese - and I'm not sure it was beef.

Later, we meet up with my group, who is all waiting in line after line, while I am being whisked around in a wheelchair. Now, at first I felt really bad about this. It is, after all, a sprained ankle. Again, I'd like to reiterate that if I had crutches, I would have been fine moving along with everyone else. But since the insurance insisted otherwise, I decided to sit back and enjoy my royal treatment.
At this point, the rest of the group has come up with a nickname for me..."Queen April"...queen, for obvious reasons, I was totally being treated like royalty...April, because I swear Carolyn called me April for more than half the trip. At some point, I decided to not respond to the name, and finally I snapped..."I refuse to talk to you if you keep calling me April," I said. Well, apparently, the rest of the bus found this rather amusing, because for the last two days of the trip, I was very lovingly referred to as Queen April:-)

So, that's about all I've got for tonight. I was back at work today and did not have my foot elevated at all...so it's rather swollen at this point. Time to lay down and prop it up.

But, at the request of several of you, I've decided to go ahead and keep posting stories about the trip...since I didn't even come close to sharing everything while I was there.

So - don't get confused. I'm back. But if you want to hear 'the rest of the story', keep checking in...tomorrow...I'll tell you of the trials of traveling first class...oh woe is me.
Love,
Angel

The Countdown...

Last day in Israel. Today the group will be going to the Upper Room, a replica of the room where the Last Supper took place, and the Garden Tomb, where I was supposed to be speaking. I'm totally bummed to be missing it - but continue to remind myself that God will make something good out of the mess I've made...He always does.
Yesterday, they walked the actual path that Jesus walked while carrying the cross. As I read through the corresponding scripture, I was overcome by emotion just thinking about it...and overcome with more emotion feeling sorry for myself for missing out on the experience. After 39 years, I still don't quite have this walking thing down...

But, if all goes well, in just under 24 hours I should be on a plane flying home.
I've gone round and round with the insurance people - last night was really challenging for me. I've handled this whole ordeal with as much patience and grace as I can muster. It's my fault that I can't seem to walk without getting hurt and I certainly don't want anyone else from the group to suffer and miss things because of my clumsiness.
But, after talking to the insurance last night for the umpteenth time and being told that their medical team has decided that I cannot fly alone...I about lost it.
First of all - I am not flying alone. I am with 45 people - granted, I may not have known all of them that well at the beginning of this little journey, but 10 days later...and we're pretty tight. I don't think they are going to leave me flailing around in the airport.
Second - it's a sprained ankle for crying out loud!!! I need crutches, not a medical escort!
I don't understand the big deal about getting me some crutches. When they wouldn't give crutches in the hospital, I thought there was some sort of language barrier. Later, I figured out that the doctor might have seen something in my eyes and realized that if he had given me crutches that day, I would likely have gone ahead and gone out on the tour yesterday (smart man). But, not giving me crutches at this point, for me to get back home, is absolutely absurd.
My medical escort, Ariel, whom I have not yet met...will most definitely have his hands full. If they won't give me crutches, I will be forced to spend the entire travels in a wheelchair, except while on the plane...where I will inevitably have to go to the restroom, as it is a horrendously long flight.
Maybe the insurance people don't fly much - but I did inform them in so many words, that no one is going to fit in that bathroom with me...if I don't have crutches...this could get ugly.

So, the big stink, as of 7:40p last night was that the doctor's release says that I must fly first class with my leg elevated above my heart. But, there was only one seat available in first class.
"So, what's the problem?" I ask.
"There is no seat available for your medical escort." Juan / Amy / Tom replied. (I tried this route with multiple people).
"So, I'll sit in coach, where I'm already booked."
"We can't let you do that, as it would be going against the doctor's orders."
"Do you have the orders in front of you?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Perfect...because so do I. Could you please point out to me where it says that I must have a medical escort?" (they are totally pushing my buttons here).
"It doesn't say that, ma'am."
"So, you're going against the doctor's orders?" I ask.
"No ma'am, it's just a precaution."
"Well, let your precaution sit in coach." Problem solved.

This went on and on, with their solution being that I would stay an extra day (23 1/2 hours to be exact) in Jerusalem, waiting for a flight where Nurse Ariel can sit with me in first class.
"Could you please put your medical department on the phone?" I request politely.
"No, we don't let the patients speak directly to the medical department...that's what the discharge papers are for."
"Well, you are reading something into the discharge papers that is not true...and I want to speak to the people making that determination." I persist.
"It will not do you any good ma'am, they have already determined that you cannot be alone."
"Put the medical people on the phone, Juan. Now." I say.
"Hold please."

After holding for awhile, I get to talk to Juan's supervisor, Amy, who is as sweet as molasses and is definitely gifted in handling upset people. She was so nice that it made me really sad once I realized that I was going to have to get ugly with her too.
By the time I finished with Amy, I was on the phone with the medical desk.
And they were right - they weren't budging.

"Ms Hillman, you don't understand. If we allow you to get on that plane without someone there to assist you, and you should happen to fall while trying to go to the bathroom, we would be liable for not providing you the help you need."
"Dude - having an extra person on the plane is not going to keep me from falling! If it could be prevented that easily, I would have never fallen in the first place!"

I realize quickly that I'm getting nowhere. And I can't understand at all why they would want to spend all of this extra money on getting someone to fly with me all the way to Cape, PLUS pay for me to stay in Jerusalem an extra day with all of the expenses associated with that...when all I want is a lousy pair of crutches. Unbelievable.

"So, that's it? You're telling me that in order for you to cover my claim, I have no choice but to stay in Jerusalem an extra day, while the 45 people I'm here with leave to go home, so that I can fly home with some stranger, in order not to be 'left alone'?" I ask.
"Yes, ma'am, we have no other options."
Something in me decided to give in (and something else snapped...all at the same time...)
"OK then. I guess that's what I'll have to do." I secede.
"So what time will the nurse be here?" I ask. (this is Tuesday evening, mind you)
"You're flight will be at 11:30pm on Thursday and you are approximately an hour from the airport, so he will meet you at your hotel at 8pm."
"8pm Thursday?" (remember, the rest of my group leaves the hotel at 8am Wednesday for touring, then leaves for the airport at 7pm Wed)
"Yes ma'am, 8pm Thursday. He will meet you in the lobby."
"Great. What time will he be here tomorrow?" I ask.
"Tomorrow is Wednesday, ma'am."
"Yes, I'm well aware of that. But if I can't be left 'alone' on a plane with 350 people without medical assistance, I sure can't be left in this hotel room for 36 hours by myself. If I can't go 3 steps from my seat on the plane to the lavatory, I don't know how you can expect me to be going to the bathroom in my hotel room alone. I need a nurse here immediately." I say, quite calmly, I must say...although my angry tears had already mustered their way to the surface.
"I don't think we can do that, ma'am, it's not very realistic."
"No - what's not realistic - is you telling me that I can't fly alone, when I will have 45 people with me that I know...but I can stay alone in a foreign country, unable to get around on my own because you won't supply with me with a flippin' set of crutches, for 36 hours!!! That's not very realistic. I'll do it your way. But I want a nurse. Now."
"Let me see what we can work out, ma'am. I will call you back."

Three hours later they called back...and miraculously were able to get me on the same flight as everyone else. I don't know any of the details of how they made this work, but I will be flying home first class, with my lovely male nurse, Ariel, who will not only pick me up from the hotel tonight, but will escort me all the way back to Cape Girardeau, MO. They insist.

I'm finished arguing. It's a sprained ankle. But, whatever. I'm coming home.
Praise God.
I know a lot of you back home are praying...and it's working...so keep up the good work:-)
Love,
Angel

2010 Holy Lands Tour - Petra (33 photos), by Angel Hillman

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If there's something to break...I will find a way to break it...

So, today, I took a little tumble on a fairly steep, VERY slippery slope on the Mount of Olives. At first, I was just embarrassed, since it did occur in a main tourist area. But, as soon as I tried to move, I could tell my left ankle was in some serious pain. Not your normal - "wow, that's gonna leave a mark" sort of pain...but more like "wow, something might have just snapped in two" sort of pain...Several of the guys helped me up and as soon as I put the least little bit of weight on my left foot, I had excruciating pain.
We were on the slope down the side of the mountain, so not even close to the bus, and there was no way I was going to be able to walk down. There was a car pulling out of a nearby driveway and our guide was able to get them to stop. A couple of the guys helped me over to their car and they drove me back to the bus. Once there, they were so nice - even though they did not speak English - and they helped me get back on the bus.
I waited on the bus for a bit - thinking I'd hold out until the rest of the group got back. But Avi (tour guide) called the bus and asked if I could stand on it all. Not a chance. He wanted to know if it was swollen. Only to about the size of a softball...about twice the size of my other ankle.
Thus, he made the decision that I needed to go to the hospital.
I won't bore you with the details of how that happened...but I got there. Luckily, Charlie Wilson made the decision to leave the group and go with me. Thank God for Charlie - he was so calm and handled everything. I'm pretty calm - but couldn't have done a lot of what he did for me (getting cab, walking all over hospital trying to figure out where to go, etc) since I couldn't walk.
The ER experience was actually quite nice. Unfortunately, they're not much into drugs, so I got nothing for my pain. But once we got to the right spot, they took me right back. After looking at my ankle, they sent me for x-rays, then sent me back to wait for them to read it. The longest part of the entire process was getting to the hospital and getting picked up from the hospital to get back to the hotel...but the entire process was about 3 hours.
X-rays showed no broken bones, but the doctor did point out that many times hairline fractures don't show up right away. He asked what my plans were for the next couple of days.
Hmmmm.
Let's think about this.
I'm on a tour of the Holy Lands...sooooooooooooooo, my plans are that I would be TOURING the Holy Lands.
"Well," he says..."you see...dis is going to be a bit of a problem, because jew mus keep jur leg up ober yer head fer de next sebenty two hours."
"I can use crutches," I said with a smile. "I'm practically a professional at it...seriously."
"Jew may not understand. No crutches fer jew, because jew will not be getting out of jer bed. Jew understand now?"
Clearly.
Are you freaking kidding me?
I'm in the middle of the Holy Lands. I have been on a pilgrimage now for the last 7 days. I've been through the desert...climbed mountains...walked in places where Jesus did miracles...seen where disciples lived...sailed on the very water that Jesus walked on...touched the very spot where the manger sat with him in swaddling clothes...the list goes on and on. And ALL of this has been leading up to the pinnacle of the trip...going to the Garden of Gethsemane, the path which Jesus carried the cross, Golgotha and then the Garden Tomb.
Today, at the top of the Mount of Olives I actually got to SEE the garden and these areas from afar...but apparently, I will not be going through these sites unless there is some miraculous healing between now and Wednesday morning. Tomorrow's tour sites, I will definitely miss, but that's OK. Wednesdays sites - I will be TOTALLY bummed about missing:-(
Aside from feeling a little sorry for myself (and feeling like a complete loser for being the youngest person on a trip with 45 people - many over the age of 60 - and I'm the one who gets hurt!!!), I'm feeling a bit like Moses. I went through the heat and hiking and deserts, etc, all to get to a mountaintop where I was able to see the "promised land"...yet, I'll not be crossing over. Luckily, I did my wandering in 7 days, not 40 years. And hopefully, just because I'm not crossing over to the promised land does not mean that I have to die now and hand off my legacy to some new young whippersnapper.
It just means God has something else planned for me over the next couple of days. Maybe there will be a spiritual awakening of some sort...right here in my hotel room overlooking the city of Jerusalem. Or maybe, I WILL be miraculously healed (stranger things have happened in these parts...for real). Or maybe...
Well, who knows. Guess we'll all find out soon.
Fortunately for you all (because I know there are so many of you reading this [ha, ha]), I will be laying around in the hotel atleast all day tomorrow...so I will have PLENTY of time to Facebook and blog and upload pictures.
For now - I should probably get some rest.
Love,
Angel

Last leg of the race...

Oh yeah...it's not a race. But seriously, it has a lot of similarities to the Amazing Race if you watch that. We are most definitely racing the clock here. We are trying to soak up every last site possible and there are STILL things that I wanted to do that we are not going to have time for. (mainly floating around in the Dead Sea)
Today was another day packed with adventure. We saw so many different sites directly out of the Bible that things are starting to blur together. Rob says I have a really bad short term memory (maybe because I constantly ask...so what happened here???), but the truth is it is information overload. Davenda and I sat down last night and read through most of the book of Matthew and part of Acts, taking note of every place that we've actually visited since we've been here. It's unbelievable!
Couple of big things today - in Acts 26, when Paul was defending himself in front of Agrippa - we were there...on the very stage he stood! We also got to walk in the Meditarranean Sea - although not everyone was interested...it was really one of the highlights of my day:-)
Something I didn't mention yesterday (of course, I don't even know if I remembered to blog yesterday) we went to the River Jordan, to the area where Jesus was baptized...several people on our trip were baptized in the river and I actually got in the river to collect some souvenirs;-)
Well - that's about it for now. Tomorrow we go to Bethlehem and other places.
Talk to you all soon...and don't forget (or maybe no one has told you) I can get unlimited texts over here, I just can't reply without incurring crazy charges...so feel free to communicate with me!
Love,
Angel

So much to see...so little time...

I can't believe this trip is half over!!! The days are crazy long and CRAM packed with stuff to see, yet there are still places we are unable to stop because we don't have time. The last three days have been somewhat of a blur...LOTS of places with rocks and ancient ruins and villages...I have some great pictures and am trying to write down a little bit of detail around what we are seeing.
Unfortunately the hotel we are staying at - I am paying by the minute to use the internet, so I won't be posting lots of details right now.
Tomorrow we leave Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) and head towards Jerusalem. We have lots of stops along the way and end in Jerusalem tomorrow night, where we will stay several days. I am super excited about what's to come!
Couple of highlights...yesterday, we sailed the Sea of Galilee and Ron preached on the boat...it was amazing! Today, I walked on roads that Jesus walked on and went to the spot where he healed the blind man!!!
Too much to process...
Anyhow - hoping for free internet in Jerusalem...check back tomorrow:-)
Love,
Angel

Too Much Sand...Not Enough Ocean...

Thus, my major assessment of the Middle East at this point...too much sand...not enough ocean:-)
Sand, sand...everywhere there's sand. Spending the last couple of days walking has made me come to appreciate and perhaps understand why it took 40 years of wandering around in this place! Walking on sand is tough and doing it in 85 degree weather and trying to keep a pace that 45 people can keep up with is even tougher. So, think about hauling babies, sick people and everything you own, along with...oh say...about 2 million of your closest friends, and you can see real fast how that would wear you down in a quick sort of way.
I, for some reason, cannot get my Petra blog entry to upload, so I'm not going to retype it all now - but I will try to post it at some point later on...but in the course of hiking up a mountain, a total of over 10 miles, in the sand, heat and ROCKS (lots of rocks)...more than once, I thought to myself, this is stupid...we should have stayed back at the bottom where it was comfortable. Sound familiar to anyone??? ('this hiking around out here in the middle of nowhere sucks! We should have stayed in Egypt! Let's stop this craziness and turn around and go back!!' --- AHV {Angel Hillman translation})
Anyhow - today we are staying at the Sea of Galilee and I'm anxious to see the sun rise, so I'm gonna stop for now. But, all is well, all are tired...and we're just getting started:-)
Love,
Angel

I'm here!!!

OK, since I don't blog ever like I promise...you might be wondering where "here" is exactly. Because last time I blogged, I believe I told you about several upcoming travels. Well, the Hillmans (Lee, Nicolas and I) went to Jamaica the week before last...went to Green Bay (go Packers!!!) this past weekend...and today, I have arrived in the Holy Lands (not Lambeau Field:-).
I flew out of Chicago yesterday morning and met up with the rest of the group taking the tour in New York City. From there, we flew out at 8:40pm last night and arrived in Amman, Jordan today around 2:30pm. The flight was rather bumpy, but went by really quickly. There were lots of things to do on the plane...from your 2x2 seat space, of course. But seriously, they had a great selection of movies, TV shows, games and music that you accessed individually from your seat, so it really did go by rather quick.
Once we got here, we had to go thru Immigration and get our bags. About 1 1/2 hours later, we were leaving on a big tour bus (I think there are about 50 of us). We have a guide, Ramsey, who is giving us details about Jordan as we travel over the next couple of days. Today, we drove from Jordan to Tibet...about a 3 hour bus ride. Tomorrow morning we will go to Petra.
So, working off very little sleep here...and Davenda, my roomie for the next 10 days is already back at the room (it's 9:30pm here...but we haven't really slept since Sunday night) so I don't want to stay out late. But I will definitely try to keep blogging each day to keep you posted on what's going on over here.
After we got to the hotel and checked in our rooms (not a typical hotel, but a former village of homes that each home is a room...really cool...pics later) we had dinner, which was very different but really good. Then we had the privilege of listening as Dr. Tuttle gave us about a 1/2 hour intro to what Petra is about. We will be getting up and going at 6am, as there are other tour groups here too and we want to 'beat the crowd':-)
So, stay tuned...
Love,
Angel

A sad P.S. to the last post...

So, after I posted the last entry, I noticed...I can barely read that!
That's right...I'm approaching 40 and I swear that SUDDENLY, in the last few months, my vision is playing blurry tricks on me!
So, I apologize to any of you who have been trying to read this blog in the crazy small print that I've been posting in for the last few years. I don't know what I was thinking.
Selfish...purely selfish.
That's all I can say about that.

World travels in the very near future!!!

I seriously have big intentions every single time I write on this blog. Those intentions basically entail me thinking...'wow, that was easy...I'm going to do this more often'. But, as usual, life happens and you may not know it from my lack of posts, but things actually stay quite busy around the Hillman house!
I'm posting now because we have some pretty exciting travels coming up and I DO anticipate that during one of them, I will blog regularly for anyone who cares:-)
First, in just two short weeks, Lee was able to get off work for a few days to take a family trip (our first since March for all three of us). So, we are heading to Jamaica! It'll be somewhat short - we'll leave on a Saturday and come back on Wednesday...but hey, when it comes to beach time, I will totally take what I can get!
Then we'll get back for only a week and a half before the three of us head out again...this time for Green Bay! Now, I know what you're thinking...why in the world would you go to Green Bay??? (OK, seriously, anyone who knows us shouldn't even think of asking that question!) We have tickets to see the Green Bay Packers (my favorite team) play none other than the Dallas Cowboys (Nicolas and Lee's favorite team). Aside from the incessant badgering someone will be taking (whoever is losing!), we are totally psyched!!! Lee and I have been to Lambeau before, but Nicolas has never been (yes, I know he's only 7, but he doesn't seem to know this...ssshhhh).
On the way home from Lambeau, Lee and Nicolas will be dropping me off at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where I will fly to New York and meet up with 51 other folks from La Croix, where we will fly together to Israel for a 10 day tour of the Holy Lands! I PROMISE (no, for real!!!) that I will blog during that trip. If for some reason, I am unable to post while there, I will post all of my blog entries when I return, so if you are interested in my point of view and thoughts while I traipse all over Israel, Jordan and Jerusalem...I invite you to please 'tune in'!
Well, that's all I have time for right now.
I have to start thinking about packing. And unpacking. And packing again.
Oh yeah - we're all doing fabulous:-)

First day of golf...

Well, the day arrived. Nicolas played his first game of golf today.
Lee said he loved it...so that's another expense we can add to the list (ha, ha).
He actually got a set of his very own clubs when he was born. Although he's played around with them some in the yard, today was the first time using them on a course.
Turns out...they're already a bit short.
Go figure.
I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for a mission trip with our Jr. High students. I suspect by the time I return, someone may have a new set of clubs...
These boys are expensive.

Long time, no updates...

So, I have nothing overly exciting to write, but as I'm writing on Ken's awesome blog, I realized someone might actually click on my name and check out my very neglected blog.
Needless to say TONS of things have happened since my last post, since it was forever ago. But the most recent excitement around here is that Nicolas finally lost his first tooth on Jan 20. He was the one of two kids in his class that hadn't lost a tooth yet, so he was pretty excited. Last week he lost his second tooth...so he officially has a super cute gap at this point.
Lee and I went to Vegas for a few days last month and are anxiously planning our next getaway...I'm thinking Mexico in March. Just rolls off my tongue nicely...
I'd say I'll keep you posted (whoever "you" are), but that would probably be a lie...just look at my blog history.