Yay for Monday!

So Jim is home, and my mood has definitely improved.  After a crazy week of him prepping for his trip to Nicaragua and then him being gone and me playing the single parent role for a week, it is so good to have him home!

He got back late Saturday night, Em and I picked him up from the airport.  I recognized his backpack from the other side of the baggage claim area as we were walking in and so did Em, she bolted, ran across the baggage claim area and tackled him.  The group Jim was traveling with thought that was quite a welcome home greeting. She missed her Papa no doubt!

So we've been just catching up, letting him try to get some rest, and talking about his experiences from the trip.  He took over 600 photos in the 8 days he was gone.  From hiking a volcano to spending a day on a private beach on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, he had some gorgeous shots of the local landscape.  Also several days of more health care related things, visiting a local orphanage and working on PT with the kids who were physically and mentally handicapped.  He spent a day in the local woman's hospital and helped care for new babies, post-partum moms and high-risk pregnancies. The pictures of the kids are just amazing, from babies to toddlers to school-agers their eyes are just so gorgeous.  You just want to scoop them up through the photos and smooch them.  Gorgeous kids who are so happy with so little. We sent a backpack stuffed with toys and goodies that Jim took to the after school program that the organization runs and Jim said it just about caused a riot the kids were so excited.  The backpack went to a child that had just received a scholarship to attend 7th grade.  The government only offers education through the 6th grade and then it's only from 9 until 12 noon each day. So going to school beyond that is a huge privilege for them.

Jim finally got around to listening to his missed voice mails on his cell on Sunday evening and found he had 2 from the nurse manager of the surgical ICU at the hospital he currently works in, wanting him to come in and interview for an RN position.  That was a FABulous way to wrap up the weekend!