Mission Postponed

We got off to a decent start this morning. It was really hard to say goodbye to family, as always, so it was a slow departure. These trips back home are always busy and whirlwind and expensive, but they really make us feel the love and connection of family that spreads across the continent. We thought about staying an extra day, but it didn't seem like it would make it any easier to leave.


We got through the border with no difficulties and ended up in Bellingham before lunch. This gave us enough time to tour around Bellingham before meeting Aaron and Jess (and Noah!) for lunch. They bought what could euphamistically be called a "project home" (apparently it was a running joke for local realtors for years) and they gutted and rebuilt it, from plumbing to electricity to roof to flooring and heat. They just moved in in the past few days, concurrently with Irene's (Aaron's sister) wedding. During lunch conversation we talked about all the things that needed to be done yet, and we really wanted to stay and help to show our support for them. So I rewired the dryer to match the outlet, worked on installing the dishwasher, and we made dinner. After dinner Aaron took us on a tour of the Bellingham harbor on his sailboat. We finished the evening with good conversation over ice cream. We'll stay here tonight and head east tomorrow morning.