Post office and Hotel!!

We just left Jeanne and Mitch's house in Palmer and are now in a very nice, very quiet, very paid for by someone else hotel! We seriously cannot have really had a better trip thus far. Everyone has been amazing!! We are extremely grateful to the Lewis' for all their hospitality. FOr those of you that do not know the Lewis Family, picture the Stepford Family with a hell of a lot more personality. All six kids (out of seven) that we met are freakishly loveable! We discussed our theory of how Mitch and Jeanne have some sort of indoctrination chamber where these children have been subjected to countless hours of behavior modification practices. This is the best explanation of how this family is so damn enjoyable to be around.
We did go to the Post office today and mailed ten 18 gallon tupperware bins to Adak, along with a crockpot and a suitcase. Unbelievably cheap to mail packages inside the State of Alaska. The cost was a pleasant surprise (thank you, Brad!) but what was not a pleasant surprise was the line to get to the counter at the post office. I felt like I was getting bread somewhere in a former communist country. It was about the time that I entered the building that I realized that I really had to use the restroom. I have redefined the term "Going Postal" in a way that I had never imagined. Cassidy is very happy to have most of our stuff on the way or actually on the island. I am very happy to not have to hear about getting everything to the island.
We are pretty excited to get out to Adak and see what awaits us, but also very excited to just relax for a couple days. I have inservice Monday through Wednesday and we fly out on Thursday.
The dilemma that we have is that tomorrow is actually Isabel's birthday. Just to recap:
-Family birthday party in Tucson
-Private birthday Party/Dinner in Tucson
-Birthday party at Danas in Palm Springs
-Presents at Mike and Michelle's in Stockton
-Family Birthday Party in Anacortes with Tim's Family

So...now I am reminded of when I was a child. I was always confused because it seemed like every six weeks there was a Bob Hope birthday special on T.V. I was angry (jealous) that someone had so many birthday celebrations. Isabel is one USO trip away from matching big Bob! I think we are just going to have a quiet little party in our hotel room. That is to say that Cassidy will wake up with every intention of keeping it simple until about noon when an uncontrollable and unnecessary bout of guilt will force us to the nearest children's store and Bakery. This will result in another trip to the Post Office to ship toys/clothes/books to Adak and us asking our neighbors if they would like to come over and eat some cake.