First Weeks

Our first two weeks back in the US have been crazy busy. There have been a few moments to breathe, but there is so much to do that it is difficult to justify hours or days off.

On our first day back, we went car shopping. After all, transportation is pretty important. We left the kids with their Farmor and Farfar, and headed out to the car dealerships. Four dealerships later, we found ourselves the proud owners of a new F-150 pick-up truck. A far cry from the minivan we set out to find, we were happy to have something the five of us could fit in.

Day two, Timo headed over to the storage unit where the movers loaded up all of our boxes, furniture, and toys that had been sitting there for 3.5 years. Afterwards, we all drove to the city of our current residence.

Day three, I saw our new house for the first time, and the movers arrived with our stuff from storage. We started unpacking, and I commenced the tedious task of washing every single dish we own. Our realtor was kind enough to bring us lunch, bottled water, paper plates, plastic silverware, and more. That evening, we ordered our washer and dryer, ate at Olive Garden, and shopped for fishing gear for the kids.

Day four, I spent much of the day unpacking and washing. Once Timo was off of work, I went to the OB/GYN to establish myself with the doctor as early as possible for this pregnancy. Afterwards, we went shopping for some household basics. This was also the first night we spent in our house.

Day five, we ate breakfast in our new home, unpacked, shopped, unpacked, washed dishes, and unpacked. Did I mention that we unpacked?

Day six was Sunday, and I really felt it as we got ready to go to a new church. I missed my church, my friends, and Sunday morning worship in Swedish.

Day 7, I spent most of the day in the house, unpacking and cleaning. That evening, I attended a homeschooling meeting, which was a great source of information.

Day 8, I headed to the park with the kids first thing in the morning, afterwards, we visited the library, where K and I signed up for library cards, and we checked out a few books. I am really going to like the library, and the kids are already asking when we are going back. In the afternoon, the guy came to install our Internet, phone, and television lines. After he left and Timo came home, we headed out to the Toyota dealership to see if we could find a minivan for me. I test-drove a Sienna, but it was only a 7-passenger van, and I really want an 8-passenger vehicle. Honda had next-to-nothing on their lot, and we ended the day no better off than we started, vehicle-wise.

As I got out of the shower on Day 9, K informed me that they boys were getting into trouble. Sure enough, they had clogged the toilet by using too much toilet paper. Shortly afterwards, I realized that our sewer had backed up into our utility room downstairs.I tried to use a squeegee to push the dirty water into the drain as I was waiting for the washer and dryer to be delivered. My house smelled like a sewer. Oh, joy. Timo was a doll and called a plumber, the washer and dryer were delivered, the plumber didn't find anything wrong (but he explained that this sometimes happens when a house has sat empty for a while), and Timo cleaned up the rest of the mess downstairs. Somewhere in there, I managed to do three loads of laundry and pack for our trip. We left late that afternoon on a four-plus-hour-drive to attend a family event that had been planned for months.

Day 10, Timo had to attend a couple of meetings while the kids and I went shopping for shoes, visited their Farmor and Farfar, and I returned and exchanged some maternity clothes my mil had purchased for me.

Day 11, Timo had more meetings, and we tried to do some more last-minute shopping. I needed shoes and make-up, Timo needed ties, and the kids needed clothes for the evening. Timo joined us intermittently, and we somehow managed to get everything done before the family dinner that evening.

The dinner was a beer-pairing dinner. I abstained, of course, but the family brew of root beer was available for the occasion, and I happily downed some of it. AJ remarked that the root beer was better than what was available in Sweden, and I agree (especially since only some generic brand is available there). We sat and chatted with various immediate and extended family members while the kids got to eat in another room and were entertained by coloring books, movies, and toys.

Day 12, I walked around the downtown Golden area with some of my brothers-in-law and my kiddos. It was fun (and strange) to see how it has changed since living there. We ate lunch at my in-laws, and then we headed to Heritage Square for an afternoon of fun for the kids. K rode the Alpine Slide with Timo, AJ drove the kiddie go-karts, and H enjoyed the train.

We rushed from Heritage Square to my in-law's where we had left some clothing. After some stressful moments of trying to locate lost clothing, we finally left for the hotel to get ready for the evening dinner. We missed the shuttle and had to drive ourselves, but the evening turned out fine, and I am hoping we got a good family picture out of it.

Day 13, we packed up and checked out of our room before heading to a family breakfast. Afterwards, we wandered around an old family residence before heading to lunch and swimming with the rest of the extended family members. The root beer was available again, and I drank my share before we had to head home. Almost 5 hours later, we pulled into our driveway, unloaded the bags, and let the kids unwind before heading to bed.

Day 14 was Timo's first full day of work, and I put in a full day at home as well. I did 8 loads of laundry in my new washer and dryer as I tried to play catch-up on our clothes, get the towels and bedding from storage washed, and get all the new sheets I ordered washed before the mattresses came the following day. I felt like I barely made a dent in my mountain-range of laundry, but the piles did start to disappear. Because of our trip, I had two suitcases to unpack in addition to a garage full of boxes. I only tackled the inside of the house, leaving the boxes for another day. I also managed to get some curriculum ordered and two of the kids' schoolroom chairs assembled. It was a productive, but tiring day.

So, those were my first two weeks in a nutshell. I am hoping that the pace slows a bit as we get settled in and establish a routine.