We have one very small load in the basement of the old house to get out, and then we are history! Woot! I mopped, vacuumed, scrubbed and steam cleaned that house. I hope the new owner likes the effort. In the meantime my new temporary house is starting to take as much shape as it can.

We close Wednesday. After we close Bryan leaves. There is a lot of stress in our home right now. We are not fighting, arguing or any such nonsense like that. We just have a tension about us. I know it is the pending grief. The dread of saying good bye, and knowing it is not just for a quick weekend or a jot over the mountain to NC.

I did hear from Mike today. I got a quick note from him. He said he hasn’t slept in days. He is working a lot these days. I never ask what he is doing. To be honest, it is such a relief to hear from him, and I am so excited that I forget. I really just want him to talk and rest while he talks with me. Maybe talking about his little sister’s newest saying or phrase is a wonderful escape from life in Baghdad. I hope he got his care packages and that he and the guys can use the stuff contained therein. They are packed with much love!

Let me leave you with this sweet note:

The history of chocolate

The Olmecs, the oldest known civilization of the Americas, were the first users of cacao. Cacao is, of course, used for making chocolate, a word said to derive from the Mayan “xocolatl.”

Hernando Cortez was the first European to note chocolate when he visited the court of Emperor Montezuma of Mexico in 1519.

The first chocolate house in Europe was reputedly opened in London in 1657 by a Frenchman. In the early 19th century, after the introduction of cocao powder in 1828, the English developed solid eating chocolate.

The first chocolate box was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868, when he decorated a candy box with a painting of his young daughter holding a kitten in her arms. Cadbury also introduced the first Valentine’s Day candy box.

In 1875, after experimenting for 8 years, Daniel Peter of Switzerland added milk to chocolate to create today’s familiar chocolate. His then sold his creation to his neighbour, Henri Nestle.

The 17th century French Cardinal Mazarin never traveled without his personal chocolate maker. King Louis XIV of France established in his court the position of “Royal Chocolate Maker to the King.”

The chocolate chip cookie is invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1933. M&M sweets were launched in military ration packs in 1940.

In 1973, Swedish confectionery salesman Roland Ohisson was buried in a coffin made entirely of chocolate.

Chocolate is the number one foodstuff flavour in the world, beating vanilla and banana by 3-to-1. The pleasant feeling of eating chocolate is caused by a chemical called anadamide, a neurotransmitter which also is produced naturally in the brain.

Tags: Shack Pack news, family life //