As you have heard from Noah and Anna, we have spent the last week on the coastal shore of Kenya, about 45 minutes north of Mombasa. My Dad had visited this house before and knew it would be a great fit for the seven of us. My parents work long, hard hours almost all of the time and truly deserved a week of rest and relaxation. That is exactly what this place has given us. Within steps of the Indian ocean, this house very comfortably sleeps all of us, employs a cook (we have to come up with the meals and buy the groceries, but the rest is looked after) Ishmael, a housekeeper Asha, and a gardener Swaleh. All three are lovely Kenyans we have enjoyed getting to know. There is an open porch on the second floor with two hammocks in which Anna spends most of her time. The first floor has five sets of double doors that open up the view to the ocean and provide an amazing breeze throughout the day. The four adults spend most of the day reading in the cozy couches placed everywhere, and Noah and Mollie get waterlogged in the pool. We are all content and at peace with life and for that I am grateful. It is a blessing to spend this week before Christmas in this state of mind.