We're Here!

No - we have not fallen off the face of the earth. Just moving households and it's amazing how much time and effort and falling into bed at night is required. Maybe I'm just older. Maybe there's just more to do. Maybe it's because the former residents of our house didn't really clean up after leaving (really? the microwave is dirty, drawers not vacuumed out). Maybe because moving back to the States is as time intensive as moving to Switzerland - and we're citizens!

So we are camping in the house - one regular bed, one air bed and one dining room set - with odds and ends that have come out of Iowa storage.

The funnies of overseas moves:

• Purchased some instant coffee so I can survive and was assured we had a travel mug or two to put it in. Before bed, realized we had nothing to heat the water in!


• Purchased a couple candles to light and get some of the stale house smell disguised - "Bart, do we have any matches?" Uh, no.


• Raiding our old camping gear for kitchen accessories such as a can opener.


• Realizing that we should participate in the neighborhood garage sale coming up even though our container won't arrive until August - there's enough in the IA storage that should/must go.


• Dropping husband off at train station (commutes into SF via BART - yes, Bart rides BART Bay Area Rapid Transit) each morning since we had only one rental car


• We've purchased two new cars within 2-3 days of each other. Even when budgeted for, this can be quite a shock to one's system. And the poor girls: "keep your feet off that, don't bring that drink in the car, don't eat that 'til we get home" the new-ness will wear off soon (just not in "Bart's" car).


• Taking CA drivers license tests (half of the written is required when re-newing from out of state) and having our old numbers returned to us - very convenient.


• Meeting new neighbors on our small street - one family had been in S. Africa for 4 yrs recently (yeah, Expats!) and the other we realized went and still attend the church we were at when living in the area before.


• Enjoying that we are in a familiar place (our first house is about 7-8 miles from our current) but learning a different part of the community.


• Kendra is startled by the automatic sprinkler system.


• Our friends in Fresno sent us home with a bottle of wine and an opener - Bart stared as I poured some in a plastic picnic cup and I said "this is all we've got!"

I have a long list of to-do's so had better get moving but very happy to wish you a Happy 4th from CA.