And an update...

We have visa! :D Alex's visa issued today - best Monday news I've had in weeks.

So now we wait for the travel call. Could be tonight (very unlikely), could be next week. And there's not a darn thing we can check on, either. While the wait has been challenging, this is the really hard part, because we (I) jump every. single. time. the. phone. rings.

Last night we packed all the gifts we're taking to various folks - we filled one of our 3 suitcases, and it's heavy. We weighed it - less than the 50 pound limit, thank goodness, but I'm now nervous about the clothes we need to pack. We may need to buy another suitcase to separate things out. Mental note to check the airlines we're likely to travel to confirm that we're entitled to 2 suitcases apiece.