Minor adjustments

Adjusting back to life in the US is not as extreme as it was ten years ago, but it is still a bit rough at times. There are times throughout the day where I feel completely emotionally spent. Arriving on a relaxed holiday weekend did help tremendously to ease us in to "normal" life. I think we are just about over the jet lag and are sleeping through most of the night.

Driving on the right side of the road is still a little weird and still requires quite a bit of focus. At long last, Russ got his driver's license so I don't have to drive everywhere. Fred and Liz are loaning us one of their Subarus, which helps a lot.

I was not overwhelmed by being in the supermarket or Target, but still slightly blown away by how quickly things add up. We are using up our traveler's cheques which became obsolete overseas rendering them useless, but are incredibly helpful back home.

We are enjoying catching up with everyone. Russ and I set out the calendar yesterday to plan visits and get-togethers. It's so good to see people again.

We are staying on High Street in Russ' old bedroom. We find that we are already walking more, being in the center of town. That is a good thing as we both went a little soft and squishy over the past month. Everyone we talk to asks the same thing - "you are the healthiest people we know so how did this happen?" Well I think we are not as healthy as I believed, even though our diet seemed pretty balanced. Seems to be a relative thing. We can do better.

Hmmm, that is hard to do as I have been working on our taxes this week in the dining room of my in-laws, snacking away. We are rolling the dice for a big return this year but I am baffled at how complicated taxes can be when you throw in rental and foreign incomes. Thankfully, I have TurboTax, but even they cannot answer everything.

The girls are as tall as I am and Freddy is not far behind. Is it possible to grow this much in such a short time? They have all certainly grown up in the past eight months. Zach will be a senior next year which is just ridiculous.

I am recovering from what is possibly the worst haircut I have ever had. It's really awful. A reminder to be careful what you wish for - I had been wanting a change, something lighter and springier, and got something that will take a VERY LONG time to grow out. Thanks goodness for hats and hair ties.

Blogging is such a catharsis. I think I will probably keep writing on this site until we make a decision about what we are going to do next in our lives, and then go from there. Stay tuned. I'm headed for more ironing now.