I had the best time today! Helena and Debbie came over around 11:30 and we spent the afternoon chatting and eating brownies and rhubarb pie. I always laugh so much when the three of us are together — at one point I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt and I could hardly catch my breath, but I just couldn’t stop. It’s so much fun to have the two of them as friends … I think our personalities mesh really well together and we seem always to have a good time. Oh, we (well, mostly they) also made chai. I’d never had it before, but it was sooooo good. They brought me a gorgeous wood basket with three packages of tea and a great new milk frother (or whatever those are “officially” called) for my birthday. I’ve been really spoiled for my birthday this year.

They really gave me a fright when they came over, though. For some reason, neither of our doorbells is working and I didn’t hear them, even though they were standing outside for quite a while. I was getting ready to take Asbjørn and Tage outside, and didn’t even know they were there, when I opened the door and Debbie was standing right there! My heart gave a huge jump, and I’m pretty sure I said a not-very-nice word. I recovered fairly quickly, but it’s a good thing I don’t have a weak heart!

My husband-less week is coming to a close, thank goodness. He’ll be home on Friday, and finally I can tell myself, “he’ll be home the day after tomorrow,” which doesn’t seem like so long at all. I was saying earlier today, though, that this trip of his has been easier for me than some of his shorter trips because when he’s gone for only a couple of days it seems that all I can do is focus on the fact that he’s gone. During longer trip like this, I have to go about my daily life and don’t sit around just missing him so much (not to say that I don’t miss him like hell, but it’s a different sort of missing).