yeah, Leah, my boyfriend Andy is always amazing at all the stuff we have around here even like more focus on natural foods and soaps and stuff compared to there. I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do about laundry soap while I'm there because he's not sure they even sell the scent free ones. Even one of the scent and dye free ones we'd been using here recently changed their formula and I started itching like crazy.
I'm hosting an online memorial service for Jess this Sunday evening at 5:00 Pacific time in this private chat room:
http://www.chatzy.com/61006421691155 Any of you are welcome to come. I keep starting to text Jess, and then remembering she can't get them where she is.
I've had a busy week. Tues I hung out with some of my Deaf friends and then Wed was a going-away party for my friend who is a doulah. She's going to the Philippines for a two year college program training to be a missionary midwife. I'm so proud of her and excited for her, but sad for myself. I feel like I'm losing two close friends this week. I will be able to be some in contact with her through email, but she'll be crazy busy. And even after the two years her goal is foreign missions, so she may not ever be permanently back in this area.
Anyway, after the business I was sick Fri and then today we had a family reunion on Mom's side of the family. Was good to see some people I don't get to see often. Crazy to sit around with my great-aunts and compare medical stories.

One of them and her granddaughter just got diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder and another of Mom's cousins has similar symptoms. So that confirmed our suspicions that the genetic disorder my sisters and I have comes from BOTH my Mom and my Dad's sides of the family. The geneticist thinks we have a vascular type from Mom's side and the classic hypermobil type from Dad's side.
I leave Tuesday night and haven't started packing yet. For a month-long trip. Actually, what I wanted to accomplish by now was cleaning up my bedroom so I could pack easier, and my family will have to be in there some because it's the only room inside the house my cat is allowed in (due to allergies of other family members). But then we found out my aunt from Indonesia will be staying here for a few days while I'm gone so she'll be sleeping in my bed.
I wish I could just arrive in Maryland without the packing and traveling bit.
Becky, hope you are feeling better.

Hugs.
Okay, I gotta try to get a little sleep since I'm going to attempt church in the morning. I'm supposed to interpret the sermon but have someone on back up in case I'm not up to it after the busy week, but I'd really like to go since I'll be gone for so long.
Shann, I just got a notification that you posted while I was writing. I thought you were trying to sleep.

Says the kettle to the pot. I'm excited you got your other testimony in. I was thinking about writing one about Jess but didn't get it done.