Saturday, July 23rd
Stephan wanted to start packing the week before we left. It seemed to early for me. I wasn’t ready. I had some projects I wanted to finish first and was still compiling lists of what to bring, but we used all Saturday to pack and it was a brilliant idea. It took longer to pack than expected, as usual, but then we had a week to finish up. In the end, the night before we left the house was spotless and the neatest it’s been since moving (even the fridge was wiped down!), we were all packed and ready and it was early enough to enjoy a little time together before going to bed. It was such a wonderful feeling!
Flights with a one-year-old were not easy, but Joseph was as good as anyone could have hoped for. It took forever for him to fall asleep on the long-haul flight and I ended up sleeping at the foot of my seat because he was sleeping in my seat. Needless to say, it wasn’t a resful trip, but we arrived savely and on time in Orlando Saturday night and enjoyed an Outback meal with Grandma and Dad-o before unloading our stuff and crashing to bed.
Sunday, July 24th
We had a full day planned with church, croissants, shopping at Penzey’s, grocery shopping (yippy!) and friends over for dinner. It was a lovely first day!
Monday and Tuesday, July 25th+26th
I buckled down to work tearing through all the stuff in my room in hopes of eliminating a lot of the junk that Mom and Dad have been holding onto for me. We also managed to fit a few hours of errands in each day as well, plus I got a haircut (US rates!). Stephan and Grandma entertained Joseph freeing me to work, and though it was tiring, we were all impressed with what I was able to get done. I went through all of my stuff and marked 1/3 to ½ of it for disposal/donation. Later Mom reminded me that they hadn’t gotten down the stuff in the attic . . . We’ll have to go again, but this was a major hurdle accomplished.
Wednesday – Friday , July 27th-29th
Still a bit worn out from travel, we got in the car with Mom and Dad for the three day drive to the Maggie P. where we’d have our main vacation. Joseph did incredibly well in the car considering how much he used to hate car seats and how unused to car travel that he is. It was work for me and Grandma, but we made good time each day. The first night we were in a hotel, the second we spent with NMKB, making sure to play double sol and eat great food (the eat good food part lasted all trip – yum!). On Joseph’s 13-month birthday he decided to walk with a purpose! Before then he’d only done a few steps and didn’t seem so interested, but this time he purposefully walked from person to person – still only a few steps or more, but it was purposeful!
Friday, July 29- Monday, August 8th
We spent a lovely week and a bit at the Maggie P. enjoying beautiful weather for the most part and plenty of great company. Joseph adores his cousins, especially the closer in age they are to him. One day they took a day trip and he was depressed all morning, sitting in the sand but not moving – he was so sad his playmates had suddenly disappeared! He didn’t seem to have stranger anxiety at all and took only a little time to warm up to people. Joseph went for a first sail with Uncle Jon and Stephan. We played games and ate good food and had such a wonderful time I didn’t make notes in my planner. Pictures are up in the usual place. It was so wonderful to be back at home with family. The move to Emmen has been harder on me than I had expected, and I’ve really been feeling like a foreigner and a stranger, misunderstood and insignificant. How wonderful it was to be around people who know me and love me, focusing on my strengths and being gracious with my weaknesses. I miss you all so much!
Monday-Friday, August 8th-12th
The long trip back to Orlando. Mom and Dad flew home and generously left us their car so we could make a longer trip back down the coast visiting with more friends and relatives. We had another nice time with NMKB and got to visit with the T’s. We spent the 9th in DC visiting with a number of friends from various stages of life for both of us. We spent the night with friend’s I’d known since birth! It’s funny how many of them ended up in DC! Most of the folks we’d seen the last visit, but this time I met up with a friend from middle school, KT. Our children are of similar age and it was great to see her again!
The next day we had a long drive to Summerville, where Stephan’s relatives are. We made it in time to enjoy Great Grandma W’s pool before dinner. Joseph loved it! It was the perfect temperature for him and he had a blast practicing everything he learned at the Maggie P., mainly swimming underwater between Mom and Dad which he asked to do over and over again. He also started jumping off the pool edge from a seated position while holding onto my thumbs and getting submerged before I pulled him up. It was very exciting for me that he reached this step. Though we’ve been going to the pool regularly I haven’t seen much progress, so I was thrilled that he did so much at the Maggie P.!
We spent the whole next day in Summerville and visited Great-Grandpa W’s grave with Great-Grandma. We had dinner at Sticky Fingers with the whole crew and very much enjoyed our time there.
Friday we drove to Orlando and were very grateful that we had no major car trouble the whole trip. We got back in the afternoon so there was time for more cleaning-up, packing, swimming in the pool, and a good dinner before trying to get some rest before more long hours of traveling. We left the house at 5:30am the next morning and didn’t get back to Emmen until the following day in the afternoon. We were very grateful to have Grossvater and Grossmutti waiting with their car for us at the Zurich airport. By some miracle we fit all five of us plus five bags and carry-ons into their 5-seater car. I very much enjoyed coming home to a clean house, though it was soon a mess again of stuff, but imagine what it would have been like if it was already a mess from before!
Thanks to everyone for making it a great trip! We love and miss you all!
And we miss you too! If I didn't have so much keeping me busy, I'd be like Joseph sitting on the sand. Sometimes I am, anyway—but then I'm reminded that there's work to do....
Enjoyed reading this summary, Janet! (Alaina sat on my lap and "read" it, too! :) ) Aren't home and family a wonderful balm!
