Between Fog and Ash...

Between fog and ash travel conditions are not too great for any of the Tullahoma Dorrells.  Woody is off in the fog tonight taking his friend to Franklin, TN for a sleep study and our neighbor Dorrells are having to deal with ash from Volcano Taal on their return trip home from the Philippines.  I'll know in a couple of hours that Woody has made it through his travel obstacle, but it will probably be a bit longer till I know about our neighbors' travel obstacles.

Nathan and Kathy and family have been doing school programs 8 or 9 hours north of Manilla.  They were not experiencing any of the repercussions caused by Volcano Taal's rumbles and spews.  They are due to fly out of Manilla tomorrow, but it will all depend on conditions.  But since they were a 8 or 9 hour bus ride away from Manilla, they had to get underway today to head to Manilla to find out the fate of their travel plans.  As I type this they are still heading in the direction of Manilla...getting nearer at every roll of the bus tires!  Some flights had been allowed in and out of Manilla yesterday and today so I guess time will tell if the Dazzling Dorrells will get to head back tomorrow.  Life is always an adventure for them!  Elijah and I had been doing a study about volcanoes before Christmas.  We never dreamed that something like this would allow him to experience one in quite this way!  I have been capturing facts about what is going on with Volcano Taal so he and I can learn more when school resumes!  Everything in life is a learning experience.

They have had a good trip to this point.  Isaac has gained a year while there and got to celebrate his birthday over two days...his birthdate in Philippines and his birthdate here in the states.  There is a 14 hour time difference between there and here.  Right now it is Wednesday morning. And, I imagine they are beginning to see evidence of the ash fall-out over the area around Manilla. They have presented programs mainly in the schools in the city where they were located...large schools. I think that they did 6 or 7 school programs.  What is interesting about school programs there in comparison
to here in U.S....the gospel can be shared in Filipino schools...here they have to present an anti-
bullying or anti-drug or self-esteem program when they juggle in schools.

We're just praying that Volcano Taal will settle down and not erupt...because up to the last I have heard it is just spewing and acting like it will blow at any time...causing a lot of ash in the air and rumbles of earthquakes under the ground.  I hope to hear from them once they are situated at the airport and know a little about what is going on...can you imagine trying to get 9 family members back home safely in these circumstances?!  Most of their travels add in unplanned for excitement.

I have continued undecorating and I can say that 8 days into this endeavor I have things back in the boxes and boxes all stacked upstairs except for the Christmas tree and ALL its ornaments...a good achievement in my mind.  I look forward to touching each of the memories on our tree one more time as I put them away till next Christmas. Pictured below are the last two places in the house to get dismantled today.