lori

[Guest guest]

lori, i think i just sent this to you privately, in response to your private

e-mail, but i've had another thought, after reading your post, so here we go

again :-)

by the way, the way this PSC group works is great -- i ask a question, and

the answer provided is an education for ALL of us in the group. i love how

that works! :-)

i can certainly understand how mark wouldn't want to entrust such precious

cargo to our daughters (who are essentially total strangers to you). the

way i'd suggest you go about this, if you are interested, would be to have

jessica rose... or jillian... or both of them... come to the hotel and

" meet " you, so you can get a feeling for the idea and see how india " sizes

them up. " (hee hee). they could provide you with our phone number, it's a

local call, we only live about 5-7 minutes away. then you can call if you

decide you're up for an adult night on the town (such as encinitas would

provide!), and it could be as simple as india being watched in the comfort

of her own hotel room. my girls could bring dinner in for the three of them

(or two, if one daughter can't make it), and then you and mark are free to

do your own thing... grab a bite, catch a movie, go for a romantic stroll

barefoot on the beach.

jillian, our soon-to-be 17 year old, has always (since preschool!) had a

" mother's heart, " babying preschoolers smaller or younger than her... she

has an amazing heart for children. jessica, mind you, has just spent the

better part of the last 5 weeks caring for children in guatemala at a

physical therapy site, she's especially going to be missing this baby she

bonded with, named gloria... so this could help her a little, over the

homesick-for-little-gloria hump. :-)

this would be an EXCELLENT way for you and mark to just take a well-deserved

breather. that's so important in a marriage! of course i understand

completely if this is outside your comfort zone... perhaps you could tempt

mark by saying it wouldn't cost you two a penny?! if you agreed, you'd be

helping US out, too... jillian could count her time with india as bible

service hours. to explain what i mean by that, she attends a private

Christian K-12 school (she will be a senior this school year) which requires

40 hours of community service over the course of the school year. in order

to be able to successfully meet that requirement, one must be

service-minded, CONSTANTLY.

i've been thinking... if i have the time, i would love to put together a

little gift basket for india and leave it with lorna, prior to our

departure... and prior to your arrival out here next week. or, if jessica

& /or jillian are agreeable, having them be your " welcome wagon. " could you

help me out here by suggesting the types of things india would like? art

supplies? crayons and drawing paper? a bottle of bubbles she can blow from

your hotel balcony? maybe she's into little-girl pink nail polish, or would

like barrettes for her hair. does she like beanie babies? perhaps a

pint-sized version of a board game that could occupy her AND mom and dad as

well? i'm not sure i remember her age, and i know you can give me some

ideas... her favorite snack foods? does she like puzzles? what is her

reading level (what sort of books does she like?)

this could be soooo much fun, but i'd need your help to best approach the

contents of the basket.

let me know!

all the best,

maureen