The "Wedding"

Alright....we've kept you guessing long enough! Thank you for your patience as we pondered, researched, decided, reconsidered, and confirmed our "wedding" details. We are both really happy with the FINAL plan and we hope you can share in the excitement with us!

As many of you already know, Phil and I have decided to ELOPE. Our special day is intended for two, and so we will be getting married at an un-announced location, at an un-announced time in early summer. (Dear parents, you will be the FIRST to be contacted following the ceremony)!

We know that the "non-wedding" is a bit of a letdown for some, but we are hoping that the "honeymoon" will catch your attention as equally as a white-dress affair would. To celebrate the start of our life together, we will be participating in the San Francisco Half Marathon. Training for this 13.1 mile event started today, as did fundraising for our team, "Parkinson's 4 Parkinson's". On behalf of my soon-to-be new name (LINDSAY PARKINSON!), we will be raising money for Parkinson's Disease research as we prepare for race day on July 25th. Our fundraising goal is $1000.00 and we are hoping that our friends and family can make a donation to this cause in lieu of any "wedding" gifts or gestures. To support us in this PARKINSON INITIATIVE (eeeeeeee!), please visit our team website at: http://team-parkinson.kintera.org/sf10/parkinsons4parkinsons. Once loaded, you must click on either Lindsay Parkinson or Phillip Parkinson and follow the on-screen instructions to make your donation. Selecting either Parkinson (eeeeee!) will contribute to our Parkinson's 4 Parkinson's fundraising goal.

We hope you choose to be apart of our ideal "wedding" plan! We could really use some cheerleaders over the next 12 weeks of training!

Tonight's Laugh.

During our walk through Al Azhar Park...

Dana: Some guys told me that "HOITO" translates into "one night stand" in Finnish.

Phil: Ya, that's why Lindsay is changing her name to "PARKINSON". Noone ever laughs at a disease.

Sunset on the Nile.

So good.

Dear Daddy

I need to fill you in on TWO incidences that happened on Thursday...

1) I caught Phil reading about the Toronto Maple Leafs during his prep period. He was very interested in the goalie deal headlined on CBS Sports.

2) At the end of the school day, I asked Phil, "are you ready to leave?!" and he responded with, "what about the Leafs?!".

Baha - BUSTED!

Both incidences prove Phil's internal desire to chant "Go Leafs Go". He's a closet fan for sure.

Love,
Lindsay xo

Sometimes, I Tell Ya!!!!

It has been a stressful couple of weeks, as our new post in Kuwait has repeatedly requested that we send them just about every piece of identification you could imagine. They need diplomas, they need University transcripts, they need passport photos, and the list goes on and on. The scariest part is that this request is merely "Step 1" of the Employment Procedures booklet we were sent.

As Lindsay and I were gathering the items off of the list it became apparent that we were in a bit of trouble. First we had to have Lindsay's sister Dana photocopy her diplomas and bring them overseas (which was delayed an extra week thanks to volcanic ash). Roadblock #2 was that Lindsay was sure that her University transcripts needed ordering from Trent and Queens as they were nowhere to be found. Online ordering was attempted but quickly deemed a failure, as Student ID #'s were needed which we didn't have. We finally decided that we'd deal with the consequences of an incomplete information package, whatever they might be.

Before heading to Fed Ex to send the package, I asked Lindsay to get me her passport photos for the envelope. She headed over to the chest in our living room which is filled with all of our important paperwork, and began snickering. "Phil, you're not going to believe this!" she said. As I turned around, she slapped copies of her diplomas, transcripts, medical information, and just about every piece of ID she has onto the table. It turns out she had them all along thanks in large part to her father preparing her for living abroad no doubt. Don't worry Doug, I have filed the documents appropriately, and promise to deal with these kinds of issues from here on out :) Organization is not her strength!!!

A Job Well Done :)

Today Phil hosted a U16 girls soccer tournament at the school. Our girls placed first in this year-end event, beating five other teams in their division.

Congratulations to Phil for a successful day on the field!

She is HERE!

After a wait for the record books, Dana has arrived safe and sound in Cairo. Stories of her visit to date:

1) Thanks to Phil, Dana has been "adopted" into the Survivor: Micronesia phenomenon. Despite her rep as an avid viewer and frequent giggler, Dana made an "I don't really care" decision to cheer for Natalie who turned out to be a witch.

2) Oscar has a new best friend forever. He has charmed his way (or annoyed his way...) into hours of playtime with Dana. Dana is impressed with his "fetch" skills yet disappointed by his "tug of war" effort.

3) On Monday night, we went to our favourite restaurant to treat Dana to a nice Egyptian meal. She ordered the special - pork.

4) Last night our teeny, tiny kitchen grew to fit all THREE of us. I tell ya, it was as miraculous as the Grinch's heart enlargement! Dana, Phil and I worked together to make soft tacos for dinner. Dana worked hard as the frying pan lady, Phil filled the role of meat man, and I was the dishwashing kid. It was exceptional teamwork and a delicious first meal as a trio.

5) Tonight was marked by a long trip to the Travel Agency. Dana is headed on a Nile Cruise in May and to Tanzania in June. This weekend will be enjoyed touring the city and cheering on Phil at the ball park. On Saturday, we will go for sister injections at Dr. Ghaly's - B12 for me and Yellow Fever for Dana. Should be fun.

More stories to come - it's Cairo.

How Does She Do It?

As Lindsay has pointed out, I have been flying through "Survivor" seasons faster then Oscar chews our couch when we head out on an extended holiday. I am currently completing Season 16 "Micronesia" which will be my last one that I need to view before being up to date with the show since Season 11. (The first 10 seasons that I had downloaded weren't good enough quality unfortunately to watch). Each time we complete the "Reunion" show for the season, we throw in the first episode of the upcoming season and I watch attentively while Lindsay is in and out of sleep beside me. Upon completion of this episode, I wake her and force her into my ritual of selecting four participants each in a "Survivor Fantasy" pool. I'm not impressed that her picks have repeatedly out dueled mine, or that all four of her picks last season made it to the final six. The only possible explanation is that she is secretly awake at all times when I put on the show, and that she is in fact an even bigger fan then me! It doesn't bother me one bit knowing that is the only possible explanation to her characters constantly making it further then mine!

FUN is ON THE WAY!

Provided natural disasters don't obstruct airspace this evening, my sister (or as Phil says, "our" sister) Dana will be landing in Cairo tonight! Fingers crossed for an on-time arrival!

Pathetic or Admirable?

Survivor: China is finished. Survivor: Micronesia has begun. And by "begun", I mean that Phil is on episode seven.

I suppose I should be quiet in case he ever does win that million dollars. Imagine all the lululemon I could purchase with that....