Houston, we are prepared for takeoff....bring on the Tang

Less than a day to lift off and we are finally starting to feel ready. Wow, what an experience these last few weeks have been. We are very disappointed that our group has decreased by 25% but grateful to know that everything is in God's hands and his will is perfect, even if it doesn't make sense to us now. We are already looking forward to sharing our memories with Joyce when we return.

Don, Jamie and I are packing, stuffing and weighing for our 3 week journey into the unknown. This year homeland security (the one mobilized in our living room, thus the lack of capital letters) has instilled a new countermeasure to deter theft and other forms of transgressions against our possessions and person. After discussion in the rectangular office, M&M's will once again be a part of this measure but security has decided to kick it up a notch this year with the addition of a duct tape and twine string combo. Careful consideration was used in not putting these items together in our carry-on, however. Then again if I have an unruly seatmate who does not know how to share the armrest, the duct tape would come in handy to tactfully remind them that if they cross the duct tape line (a standard which would hold up in any court) I will tell the stewardess on them- in adult fashion, of course. Additionally, the twine might also work nicely as restraints should a peanut disappearance offense occur. Otherwise morally bound citizens can lose their moral compass when in a confined, dark space for 16 hours. Perhaps I should pack extra of these deterrents if I need to use them on someone other than Jamie.

The kitties have made their contribution to the packing by ensuring we do not leave without an adequate supply of fur on our belongings. I am hoping that the scent of their fur will emit neutered atoms so that the big kitties over there don't deem us as a threat. Then again, I would think one would not come across many neutered kitties in the wild so this may be unfamiliar territory to them. I guess it all comes down to whether the big kitties deem us as traveling companions to the sources of the neutered atoms or the cause of them...

We have had plenty of warnings regarding Mugabe and his men whilst trekking around Zimbabwe so we are hoping photos of him will not be in our travel album upon our return. Perhaps this year the elephants will offer us protection instead of chase should we encounter this political clan. I'm sure even a young elephant would offer all of us adequate height cover if we duck behind him so long as Don does not pair his hot pink socks with his shorts and give us away.