Being Back

We've been back in the US for 7 weeks now and it's beginning to sink in that we're actually staying. I just started sleeping really well a few weeks ago because I don't think my body trusted that we were going to stay in this time zone long enough to relax.

Already we miss a lot of things about Perth, like our dear friends, the beach, and the best coffee. Definitely miss the wine and Tim Tams (best cookies EVER...why didn't I pack a carton in our shipment?). Even miss the drains in the bathroom floors because the kids seem to love getting water all over the place. I miss how exciting every day things could be, like driving down a new road and finding a cool park or getting stuck in a line of cars because swans were busy eating in the middle of the road.

What DON'T we miss? Paying $4-5 dollars a cup for that wonderful coffee, flying 29 hours just to see our parents and then carrying back hundreds of pounds of loot we "couldn't live without", planning our mornings around catching said parents on Skype and hoping the kids would cooperate. I don't miss deciphering accents and foreign lingo over the phone, making insurance claims and following up with all the paperwork, constantly converting currencies and time zones in my head. I won't miss reading maps "backwards" because you have to consider the traffic is on the other side of the road.

The list of what we're excited to have in our everyday lives again could go on forever: Cheetos, Dr. Pepper (in every store and less than $2/can), Chick-fila, REAL Target and even Super-Targets(!), Wal-mart, barbeque, gas stations with pay at the pump technology (although the kids keep asking me to go inside and come back with M&Ms). The grocery store is almost overwhelming with all its choices and variety, and we can buy things in bulk again! Even better, the kids can sit in a cart and watch Disney TV shows while I shop. Doesn't mean they're perfectly behaved but I don't have to buy them a bribe at the bakery and run through the store before it's gone anymore. And you can buy wine right inside the store. We're excited to see the pediatrician again and have him chart our childrens' growth and not look at me funny for bringing my kids in while they're healthy. It's nice to be back in the Bible belt and see churches on every corner WITH kids programs and several options on service times. And connected to most of these churches is a cute little preschool, one of which Alex will start attending in August (yahoo!!!). We get to call people during the middle of the day and I can send my sister text messages any time the mood strikes. The best part is that we get to visit our parents any time we want!

It's still an adjustment and we're enjoying a new side of Houston, but until we see all our furniture and have the comforts of home the adjustment won't be complete. Our shipment has finally arrived in Houston and we should be unpacking sometime this week and finally living in our house. We're really looking forward to the last move!