Why Hello There

It has been a very long time since I have written.  I have thought about this space, and what to do with it.  I like that it exists here, detailing the trials and tribulations (let's face it--mostly trials, because I never write about the good times, really--this blog is fueld by too much coffee and lots of anxiety!).  We spent essentially the last year living in what I call the "in between"--we moved back to the U.S., but we knew that we were in a place that we would live only temporarily, and we knew that we would move again at the end of the school year.  When you are living like that, in a place that is not your own, with the ending just over the horizon, it is hard to feel settled.  It is, in fact, quite unsettling in some respects.  On a positive note, we were living in a city we know well, and got to do all of our favorite things again, as well as fall in love with some new ones.  We also had friends there, which made it emminently more bearable.

One might think that I would have written more in this year of much transition, but honestly, I think it is just that I was busy surviving, and unlike many other points in my life, it didn't feel like writing about it was going to help.  It was not a bad year.  I did interesting work.  I started learning French, and have an okay level of fluency--it's still a work in progress.  T went back to his old job, and has been fairly satisified professionally.  The girls had a decent year--particularly SB, who settled into a new school nicely (her fifth, and she is six years old!), and made many wonderful friends.  Miss M had a bit of a more difficult year, shockingly enough with a mean girl in her class who bullied her a bit--a dynamic that other parents tell me has been going on with this child for several school years, and of which the school is well aware.  She was anxious to move on again, actually, which was a first.  But still, she was relatively happy, on balance, and we started to learn some important life lessons, whether we wanted to or not.

And so, after school ended in June, we packed up yet again, and moved internationally for the third time in 18 months.  It sounds horrible, but while there have been some bumps along the way, it was actually wonderful to move past the "in between" space of the last year and get settled again.  We are in a safe place--well, as safe as the modern world can be.  Our new house is fabulous.  It is sun-drenched and in a wonderful neighborhood, and we have a small yard.  We are getting a dog in a couple of weeks--the girls' first pet.  The girls had a wonderful summer, and made a bunch of friends.  They are happy, and that is the most important thing.  They have also been able to spend a fair amount of time with family this summer, which is particularly important to Miss M, who deeply values her roots. 

I still have way too many unopened boxes in this house, and I am weary of unpacking.  Our things showed up in drip and drabs, so it feels like I have spent the last six weeks doing nothing but washing move-dusty things and finding new homes for them.  But it is coming together, and it looks pretty good.  And now, I am off to organize the playroom, as all of the toys have arrived, and are in a high state of disarray.  I still have not found the lamps, so organization of the room must be done during daylight hours.  Or maybe I just need to break down and buy new lamps!