The waiting game

HG and K Bear enjoying the fountain

Obviously it's been quite a while since I gave any kind of update about what has been going on with us...as in since late May. Yikes. Just a little has happened since I posted last. I think we were about to leave for Florida with BK's family. We had a great time at Rosemary Beach with everyone. It was a nice getaway and provided us some great quality time to catch up and spend with BK's family as soon as we moved back.

K Bear has been busy with lots of other activities this summer

Ah yes, then came the moving. I really don't even know how to start to explain the process we've been through- let's just say it hasn't exactly been easy. After we returned from Florida, we moved into our temporary apartment and the work really started on both our new house and our old house that we were hoping to get on the market soon.

In reality, our new house was totally move-in ready, as a family of five was previously living here. But when we bought our house we knew this would be our house that we raised our family in, and we wanted to really make it ours and make it feel like home to us. So we've pretty much painted every surface in the house, have redone the master bathroom, added some things to the kitchen...and then there's the furniture- a story in itself.

As you may or may not know, we got an air shipment and sea shipment when moving from Switzerland. Our air shipment arrived shortly after we did with no problem. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the sea shipment. Somehow water got into our sea shipment container and nearly everything had mold or some kind of water damage to it. They immediately threw away our couches, mattresses, and a number of kid things. Then we were left with a huge pile that needed to be assessed as to whether or not they could be cleaned or not- in the end, most could not be cleaned and were thrown away.

Not what you want to see when they unwrap your stuff

It was really unfortunate, but ultimately you quickly realize that there's really not much that is irreplaceable. Somehow only two of the paintings we'd been collecting were not salvageable, and all the others made it. Additionally, Kate's baby book and all of our wedding pictures somehow made it as well.  There were some things they marked for disposal that I could not bring myself to part with, and others they attempted to clean that I can't bring myself to use, so have been thrown away. Obviously we made it through, but it was a process to say the least! And to get back to the furniture, needless to say, we have pretty much gotten all new furniture for the house, as nearly all of ours was ruined.

Abbs, Lala and K Bear with Mimi and PopPop for the 4th of July

K bear has been a trooper to say the least, pretty much rolling with the punches and adjusting really well. I'm not quite sure what she would do if we had to go back, as she' so used to seeing Cookie, Mimi, PopPop, Abbs, Lala, Nani, Aunt Linds, Mawmaw and everyone else, we would have serious withdrawals if we weren't so close. BK and I love it though, and it's exactly why we wanted to move back. I have a little guilt that we haven't gotten out and been social with all of the neighbors, but we have had a lot going on to say the least, so the time will come, and we'll be friendlier neighbors.

Sometimes we miss things from Switzerland, like kid-sized grocery carts

Right this second we're pretty much just playing the waiting game for Baby H to make his appearance. If he doesn't come before, he'll be coming into the world sometime on Monday. So now I'm to the point where I'm crossing random stuff off my list, that in theory I wanted to get done, but I figured they'd eventually get done somewhere down the line. I never thought I'd actually get them done before Baby H arrived. For example, updating my resume and cover letter for when I would like to start looking for work at the end of the year and picking out a bridal portrait for BK's parents' house (11 years later, but that's beside the point).

It's been quite a whirlwind to say the least. And now that we're settled Baby H is going to come along and do his thing. I hope to post again soon, but we'll see how that goes. I'm sure the next time I post we'll be a family of four!

Bonjour, Texas!

Our little traveler has done great!

When I last posted I think I was sitting on the floor of our house in Montreux while movers packed everything around me. I mentioned that I wanted to post before we got swept up in the craziness of relocating to Texas. And that is exactly what has happened!

Empty Montreux house

K Bear and I have been here for about two weeks now, and BK has been here for almost a week. I would say we're settling in, but that's not exactly true just yet. When K Bear and I arrived, we had two nights and one full day in Fort Worth, then turned around and left for Ole Miss, where TR graduated from college. And yes, for those of you who went to college with me, this is the same sister who was five when we started college. I would say more, but I think that about sums it up...let that sink in for a minute.

Aunt Tay and the babies

Anyway, we stayed at Ole Miss for a few days, then got dropped off in Kilgore to visit BK's family, including going to our niece and nephew's softball and baseball games. Even though it wasn't a long visit, it was really good to get to see everyone for a couple of days when we first got here. Papa dropped us back in Fort Worth after a couple of days, and since then we've been doing all sorts of things to get back into life here.

H1, Nani and K Bear at the baseball game

I would say I'm not sure what we've been up to, but just to name a few, we have...

• Spent lots of time with family; K Bear is currently obsessed with her cousins.
• Been accepted by a new doctor and had the first appointment; all is good with Baby H.
• Started a new job- BK, that is.
• Closed on a house; and yes, we were under contract before seeing it in person.
• Started updating said house.
• Received our air shipment from Switzerland, so we do have some of our things now.
• Bought two cars.
• Slowly gotten into meeting friends out to socialize during the day at the zoo, museum, and other fun kid places in Fort Worth.
• And tomorrow we're headed to Florida for a week-long vacation with BK's family!

Fun with little MG (Swiss friend, also from Fort Worth) at the museum

I say we're not quite settled not only because of everything listed above, but also because we're about to make a number of moves in the next month. We've been staying at Mimi and PopPop's house for now, are now going to Florida for a week, will be moving into a furnished apartment for a few weeks while we wait for the rest of our household goods, and finally will move into our house sometime around mid to late June. Whew!

K Bear has handled things pretty well. She's been a bit clingy at times, but it's a lot of change for anyone to handle, much less a two-year-old, so over all, she's done great. One other report as well- Tobs arrived the same day as K Bear and I a few weeks ago and has been great with everything. He's showed PopPop's dog who is boss, and is generally happy as long as his people are around.

So that's the latest for now. As I mentioned, we're headed to Florida tomorrow for some sun and sand, but hopefully I'll have more to report soon.

Two questions we always get-

How life has changed with her in it and since living here!

Before we leave Switzerland and get all caught up in everything happening when we arrive in the US, I thought I would share two of the most common questions we get from people when they hear we're leaving Switzerland and returning to the US- and more than that, we're returning to where we came from. Most often people want to know: What will you miss the most? and What's the most significant thing you think you'll take back with you?

What will we miss the most?
I can honestly say I think we will miss the lifestyle, including travel, the most. I have really come to love that you're forced to live more intentionally. From costly trash bags that force you to recycle more to all the stores being closed on Sunday and having to plan ahead for that, you have to think about what you're doing in your daily life much more than when you're in the US and everything is open all the time, every day, nonstop, and always available. You also think more about the food you consume, as there are not really a lot of options between McDonald's (at least double the cost as in the US) and a sit down restaurant (also about double the cost). Additionally, you can't get everything all the time at the store. You typically eat fruits and veggies that are in season and meat is extremely expensive. Again, it just makes you think.

I also love that you're pretty much forced to be more active in life, especially in our case, when we didn't have a car for the first-year-and-a-half we were here. Even if you take public transport, you likely have to walk to the bus/train/tram station from where you live, then also walk to your final destination upon arrival. Whereas in the US, it's a struggle for me to get any walking in. The beautiful scenery you're surrounded with in Switzerland doesn't hurt either. On Sundays when everything is closed, often people use it as an opportunity to get out and enjoy the outdoors, hiking, biking, strolling along the lake, kayaking, or whatever suits them.

Ah yes, and I can't forget the travel of course. BK and I obviously love to travel and I can truly say I think we made the most of our time here in that respect. Switzerland is so central in Europe, and you can get nearly anywhere on about a two hour flight. And a cheap flight, at that! I will definitely miss exploring new cities all over Europe, discovering new cultures and sites in those places.

What's the most significant thing we'll take back with us?
This question is not asked in terms of physical thing, but more in the way of, how have we changed and what will we carry back with us. This has a lot to do with my answer above, as far as what we'll miss the most, but I hope we are more intentional in our lives in general.

Again, from thinking more about recycling and our usage of things in general, to being more conscious of how much food we buy, where it comes from and how it's produced, I hope we're more mindful. We've also talked some about how we'll live a few blocks from the park, and there's no reason we can't get out and walk or be active in some way in the mornings and on the weekends. I want K Bear to be outside as much as possible, regardless of weather.

And again, the travel. I'm looking forward to traveling in the US like we have in Europe, and looking forward to it even more because now there are grandparents and siblings near us who can keep K Bear and Baby H! Woohoo! There's no reason why we can't travel in the US just like we have in Europe. Like we've done while living in Switzerland, in November I fully intend to sit down with BK so he can map out when he can/wants to take time off from work so we can go ahead and get some trips and long weekends away on the calendar for the next year. I also have my mind made up that he and I will go on a kid-free trip before the end of the year, but I'll have to keep you posted on that one.

The movers arrived this morning, so things are getting real and the move will actually happen. They'll be done tomorrow and then K Bear and I leave the next day. Wow! See you soon, Texas!