We’re all really excited — my wonderful friend Pam is coming to visit us later this week with her 4 year old son, Joshua.  Benjamin is particularly excited — it’s the first time that we’ve had an overnight visitor here in Austria who is about his age.  I guess that really makes it the very first time he’s hosted a sleepover — and it’s going to last a week!  He’s planning which movies they should watch and what toys they should play with . . . and he’s been telling me for days that he promises he’ll remember to share and play nicely.  (We’ll see . . . )

I’m impressed with how well I’m handling the preparations . . . in that I’m actually not doing very much at all and it isn’t stressing me out completely.  I had designs on getting the house ready — by which, I mean I was going to take down and put away the Christmas decorations.  We have vacuumed and done a general clean up around the place.  Oh, and the toilet works again — this is a major bonus.  It just wasn’t possible for me to prepare more thoroughly — both the boys have been sick on and off (mostly on) for nearly two weeks, including this entire past weekend.  Benjamin has only made it to school one day so far this week (Monday) and he came home after an hour (he threw up after snack time).  So, there just hasn’t been a lot of straightening up or errand running time.  However, it does look like everyone is feeling better just in time.

I know Pam won’t mind — I’ve known her for nearly 25 years and she’s seen my varied living quarters in significantly worse shape than the apartment is in right now.  But I’m really surprised at myself — that I’m able to be ok with the fact that I didn’t get more done, and that I’m able to really focus on what’s important.  They aren’t coming to Austria to be amazed by my housekeeping skills (that would sure be a wasted trip).  What’s important is that we’re going to have some time together, after much too long, and that our boys are going to get to play together.

We are so very excited to have them come and stay with us.  And I am so grateful that I’m making progress on focusing on the really important things.  If the worst thing about the trip is the Christmas decorations, I think it will have been quite a success.