4 years 6 months 17 days

Day 1661. This morning the alarm went off at 7:15 as usual, but Sammy was up before that, and Randy got up to get him out of bed and then make breakfast for everyone. I had a second alarm set for 8:45 am, but they kept coming to me before that. I then got up, got them and myself ready, and at 9:15 Randy, the kids and I left the house. Only Sammy was not with us, as Randy had taken him to kindergarten.

We took the 9:32 train to the main train station, then walked to where all the rental car agencies have their offices. We have rented from two different agencies there before. When we reached the office, it was closed and there was a paper that said that they were located on a different level. And so we took the elevator down to the garage, but saw no offices there. Thankfully they had put their phone number on the old office door, so I could call them and find out where they were. Then we finally found them.

We had to wait for the previous customer to finish, then it was our turn. Randy wanted insurance on the car, which ended up costing us considerably more, and we had already paid quite a lot as it was a big car. It all took a while to get it all done, then he gave the kids candy and us the key, and we left to find the car.

Randy had brought two car seats along on his little cart that he then put into the car. Tammy and Emmy sat down in their seats, then we finally drove off, leaving the parking garage to drive home. I directed Randy so he'd know how to go. I would have rather stayed home to pack, but he couldn't pick it up without me.

By 11 am we were back home. Randy dropped us off, then he had to go find a parking spot. As soon as we were in the apartment, I started packing. I've never waited this long before before getting started. I opened the suitcases and started packing one for us and one for the kids, as well as the kids' little dog suitcases, one for their snacks and one for toys and diapers. After a while Randy returned. I continued, also making sure I had all the stuff for our info table at the conference. Even though I was extremely tired after another short night, I was in turbo mode, getting it all done. At noon Randy left to go get Sammy, while the three of us also ate, as we were hungry. When they returned, Randy and Sammy ate. I was nearing the packing finishing line. Randy then started loading the car up, while I got all the kids and remaining stuff ready. Then we also left the apartment to go to the car. Everyone got on board, the last bags were put in, and it was finally time to start our 2+ hour trip. It was 2:15 pm.

The kids were all sitting next to each other behind Randy and me, and they all had their tablets. Sammy dropped his after half an hour, but there was no opening to reach back, so it was impossible for me to pick it up for him. He then took a little nap after complaining, and I also got some sleep because I couldn't help it.

We never stopped and finally pulled up by our friends' house at 4:45 pm. It's become a tradition to visit them the night before the conference starts; that's when we see them, once a year. And the kids always have lots of fun there. Only two of their three children were home, but they both played with them the whole time. At first they played with some toys they had out, then we had some cake, but they soon went back to playing. I got to talk with my friends, while the kids were busy playing. And they had so much fun, laughing and running  and playing wildly.

At some point we all sat down at the table to have dinner together, but Tammy and Emmy hardly ate anything, only Sammy. Soon they were up playing again.

At 8 pm we started saying our good-byes and took a group picture before leaving. The kids were sad and didn't want to leave, but we had to. We put our coats on and walked to our car, then started our 25 minute drive to our Airbnb that was going to be our home for the next four nights. It was night, it was dark, which made it hard to find the place. Then I discovered I had the wrong house number. We corrected it and found the place just a little further down the road. They had told us to park in the garage, but our car was too big to fit in there. So we all got out of the car, picked up the key, and went into the apartment building. However, they had not given me the apartment number, so I had to text them to ask. Thankfully they replied immediately, and so the kids and I went into the apartment, while Randy was unloading the car.

I really liked the apartment right away, much better than last year's. It was small but perfect. The kids' bedroom had a two-person bed and a cot, and our bedroom also had a big bed for the two of us. It was late for the kids, but they were  excited. As soon as the suitcases were in the apartment, I started  getting them ready for bed. I put Sammy's mattress on the floor, so he can't fall off, prayed for him and then lay down with the other two in their big bed. I read them a short bedtime story, prayed for them and then lay down with them. I stayed for a while, then left. It was after 10 pm.

And it was time to turn the computer on and work on today's pictures and my report. Now it's after 2 am and time to go to bed. Thankfully we have the morning off tomorrow, then we go see other friends.