Can we just chip him???

Let's begin by saying we love him. He's easy to love, but OMG!

Three weeks ago Jeff sent a text to me saying he had business in Milan. "Would you like to go?"

Sure, I would like to have gone, but I also thought this would be a great opportunity for Jeff and Ellis. Ellis is 16 and can navigate a city well, so we knew he would be fine touring around during the day while Jeff worked. We thought this would be good for Ellis who has spent his first year without Forrest and is only days away from losing his best friend to his family's move to the US (and Ellis has had other losses in the past two years that have been really tough). We also knew Ellis would happily tour around Italy with only his thoughts and his camera. He's our deep thinker. Good plan.

So, they arrived on Tuesday morning and had the day to get settled in the hotel and take a quick stroll around Milan. Jeff went to dinner Tuesday night and Ellis asked the concierge for a recommendation for dinner, and off he went. Easy.

On Wednesday, a bus picked him up at 6am and then he took a train to the Swiss Alps. He was gone for 13 hours touring northern Italy and St Moritz. Easy.

On Thursday, he took a tour around Milan with an organized tour group (making sure to see The Last Supper). In the afternoon, he booked a professional photography tour that consisted of Ellis and the guide, so they were able to tour around the lesser known parts of the city. On Thursday night, Ellis had a bike tour around the city. Fun and Easy.

And, on Friday, Jeff was free. They took a train to Florence and spent the day touring that beautiful city before taking the fast train back to Milan. Easy.

On Saturday, the passport, the HKID, and his HK sim card were gone. GONE, GONE, GONE. And, on Saturday the US consulate is closed. Not easy. Jeff called the duty officer and learned Ellis could go to the consulate on Monday morning and get a temporary passport. Not cheap.

Great for Ellis. Bad for Jeff, who needs to be in Taiwan on Monday morning. Now what?

Back story. Just before Jeff and Ellis left, our great friends in Hong Kong told us they have good friends in Milan who would be available if anything came up. Our friends even sent a quick text to make sure they were in town during this week. "How sweet, but we'll be fine." Famous last words of the Holcombes.

Yep, we called that friend and connected our family to the other and asked for that assistance. The Milan family happily obliged.

Jeff flew to Taiwan and left Ellis with the family. The sweet dad drove Jeff to the train station. The sweet mom took Ellis to the consulate. The sweet daughter took Ellis on more tours of the city. Ellis is like a cat, just landing on his feet. Honestly, he just found three more days in Italy.  Easy.

CAN WE JUST CHIP HIM? We have Hank chipped. It's the future for humans, and I'm ready to sign up.