Merry Christmas!

 Okay, so this is a little bit late. Make that almost 2 months late. But oh well. Better late than never, right?

When we got to the capital, awaiting us were a couple packages. Actually, they spread themselves out over the next several weeks, so we got to get goodies over the span of 4 weeks, one at a time. Not a bad deal.

First arrived a package from Zambia. Yep, that's right: Africa. Matt's parent's live there and they wanted to contribute to making our first Christmas abroad special. It only took a few weeks for this one to arrive. This bad boy made it before we went to our meeting. Check out all the stamps that it took!

Inside were several food goodies, like coffee, tea, sprinkles, and icing, as well as some seasonings and reminders of Zambia.

Next we received the Christmas presents from my parents and sister. Though it was mailed before Matt's parents mailed theirs, it took a few weeks longer for it to arrive. Go figure. Guess that coming from a third world country is faster than from the good ol' US of A. Go figure!

So my family, though we don't think of ourselves as having many traditions, has traditions. In keeping with such, each present was neatly wrapped and labeled with a "to/from" sticker. Marvelous packing job guys! It didn't look like anything shifted at all.

 My parents also sent another box that had a HU-MON-GOUS stainless steel french press/carafe from REI and a container of coffee creamer. Needless to say, both have been put to good use every morning since they arrived.

Last, but definitely not least, is the box that my sister sent. Matt's Kindle died once we got here (of course it would), so he was going without. But below you will see the happy man reading electronically once again (current selection: Is That a Fish In Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything). He was so excited about getting the Kindle out and checking it out that we completely forgot to take a picture of the goodies inside. But the socks are my bedtime socks, the chocolates have been consumed...completely, and the other goodies have been put to good use or are waiting the perfect time to use them.

Thanks family for all you're doing to stay connected while we're over here. The e-mails are priceless, the phone calls are fabulous, and, well, anything tangible is simply fantastic (though if we had to choose something to drop, it would be the stuff...we like communication!!).

Love you all!!!