Almost there...

Now it is getting close. Summer is absolutely in the air around here, and I don't mean in just the temperature sense! Everything and everyone is focused on upcoming departures. Classes are wrapping up, grades and comments are completed, goodbye parties are all over, and now it is a matter of surviving the next three days.

We have had a lot of fun these past few weeks attending various end-of-the-year celebrations. Many of the male teachers honored our departing (and mustache sporting) director by growing our own versions of his distinguished facial hair (and even colored them white in the spirit of true imitation). 

Yesterday (Sunday) evening we had a barbecue and pool party with the rest of the campus residents. This is our closest community here and it is a really great group of people. We live 10 months a year in pretty close quarters and still manage to have a lot of fun together. Life here would be much more challenging if we were not surrounded by such a wonderful community. 

Looking ahead to summer (which no longer needs long-range vision!) we have roughly laid out our plans. June will be quite busy - we will spend the first two weeks working on Momo (our project list is already much longer than we could ever hope to complete), followed by Ted sailing to Bermuda (on a different boat). He will return on the 20th and a couple days later we will head up to North Haven for a week with the Lawsons. This will take us near the end of June. July has been set aside for sailing, with the hope of launching Momo as close to July 1st as possible. (Providing, of course, we complete at least enough to-dos to make her seaworthy...)
Cruising plans in July are still up in the air. We head back to Delhi on August 4th, arriving at 2am and only 6 hours before our first faculty meeting!

In between our set plans for this summer, we hope to:
-see as much of our family and friends as possible
-live in the moment and be present
-remind ourselves how lucky we are
-recharge the batteries
-clean our lungs with fresh air
-get dirty in the garden
-get fit (again after drastically reducing our physical activities outside due to the pollution)
-be on (or in) the water as much as possible
-soak in the good food, sights and sounds
and appreciate all the wonderful things we can do, see and be a part of while being home.

4

It is hard to imagine Lucy is 4 years old!  It occurred to me this year to think back on Lucy's actual birth day from the perspective of what I was doing 4 years ago on May 15th.  We made it a point to share the story of Lucy's birth with her, which she loved.  The focus was on where we were and who was present or came to visit soon after.  (We were lucky to be able to skip the delivery details, again.  I don't know how I will explain that part, someday.) 

It was a happy but simple birthday.  She shared cupcakes with her friends at school, got a new bag and Indian outfit from Didi and "big kid" legos from us.  

Counting down the days.

It seems like we have been completely focused on May 30th for a few weeks now, checking off each significant occasion as it happens - our first Indian wedding, some goodbye parties for friends, our last PD day this school year, etc.
In between, we have spent A LOT of time at the pool, as we are now well into the 100's each day. As a friend recently put it, we are officially in the "feels like a hair dryer blowing on your face all the time" weather.
Our last school function of the spring will end around 2pm on the 30th, and five hours later we will head to the airport. While that is the focus for Amie and me, Lucy is much more consumed by the 7 days left until her 4th birthday!

 Below are some images from the past few weeks.

Heading to a farewell party for the AES director.

Our first Indian wedding.