Brad is on his way to Philly right now from Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, when he checked in this morning, the large suitcase that I packed for him was WAY overweight - 79 lbs!! So it cost $50. They were nice and did not charge him for the other bag even though it weighed 50 lbs. (Yes, I can really pack some suitcases!) He has some changes of clothes with him in the carry on just in case the luggage does not get to Catania at the same time he does which is a distinct possibility with all the different airlines.

The next hurdle is that he only has an hour for his connection in Rome and they did not check him all the way through to Catania. According to the travel office here, there is a baggage agreement between US Airways and Alitalia and he should have tickets and baggage claim all the way through.

After speaking with every airline and the travel office, the only option appears to be that he try to get another Alitalia flight from Rome. We do not yet know if USAirways can do it in Philadelphia or if he has to try to make it happen in Rome. Prayers are desperately needed for a smooth transition.

Josh rode with me to the airport this morning - I was really glad that he decided to come along. It is always hard for those two to say goodbye since they have done it for so long - but it has not happened since Josh moved in with us in Virginia. They are really close. I know it was hard to say goodbye for them, but we agree that this is the right thing and that God is in charge.

I decided to search for some scriptures on saying goodbye. Instead I found this lovely write up: http://crookedshore.typepad.com/crookedshore/2006/08/little_deaths_t.html