Goodbye For Now

Everything is calm. The house is as quiet as snow. Joie and the kids are asleep, and I'm the only one left awake. The cab has been called for a 3:30 pickup, the bags are packed, Sammy is checked into his favorite kennel. Tomorrow morning we start off for Florencia and our Kelly. We fly first to Bogota to spend two nights, and then on Sunday AM I think we fly on to Florencia.

Florencia is a about 80 miles north of the equator. To put that in perspective, it's closer to the equator than Singapore, and further south than Sri lanka. It's as close to the equator as Mount Kilamanjaro, and twice as far south from Portland as Hawaii is. Yet there's only a three hour time difference between Florencia and Porland. My mind can barely comprehend the time difference Reed and Erin have to deal with right now. Is it Friday afternoon there, or is it breakfast time on St Patrick's day? One of the two.

For pictures of Florencia, go here: http://www.micaqueta.com/Album.php?op=vercat&cat=5. I'd like very much to see the sights of the only town KJ has ever called home, to get some sense of what her memories contain, but we've been asked not to wander about too much. (This is just one of many possible interpretations of the phrase, "Don't leave your hotel." Joie and are on opposite sides of what this might really mean, but I think she might win.)

When we leave Florencia, I'd like to think that KJ is embarking on an adventure that might allow her to go back someday if she wishes, if only for a visit. But I also know she might never return. It makes me nostalgic for her, makes me long for a place I've never been. I wish I could send her one more email. It would say, "El Querido Kelly: Venimos a traerle a casa." Dearest Kelly: We're coming to bring you home.

Thanks, friends and fmaily, for checking in with us. I hope we get to add to this journal frequently. Maybe there'll be internet service where we're staying in Florencia, maybe not. We'll just have to see.

We love you all.