Are You There Normal? It's Me, Willian.

Well, I think we started making a turn towards normal yesterday. Bailey woke up at midnight, expecting it to be party time and I spent the next two and a half hours threatening her with a trip back to her own bed if she didn't go to sleep. It took a long time, but it worked. John ended up in bed with Audrey again (she woke up with bad dreams) and I got to catch another three hours of sleep after Bailey finally zonked out. Working with twice as much sleep as we've been getting lately isn't necessarily ideal, but I'll take it.

We were planning on riding back out to the VIC with John in the morning for his first day of work--I was also going to try to take the girls to a park called The Prater on the way back, but Audrey slept in until 8:30 and it was pretty cold and yucky out this morning, so we stayed in and got some stuff done around the apartment. 

After a full day without grocery shopping *gasp*, we seriously needed some provisions and I took the opportunity to pop over to an organic market that I've had my eye on. I loved it; I carried Bailey in the ergo while Audrey pushed her own kid-sized cart. The isles were roomy, the store wasn't crowded, the staff was friendly. It was a nice break from the usual supermarket scene. Now, the flip side of that is that everything is more expensive; until I find something better, I'll take it. 

Now, I know I implied we were taking it easy... Because I was on my own with the girls for the first time here, but that's not really the Willian way. I tend to start things as I mean to go on and adjust accordingly to my inevitable mistakes. I see it as a pleasant combination of independence and a humbling learning experiences. 

Since it was raining and we're staying in an apartment that is comfortable, but claustrophobic for kids, I decided to find somewhere we could go that was out of the elements. There are plenty of options in Vienna as far as that wide-open criteria goes, but I find myself hesitant to go to any of the many excellent museums and exhibits until I know I'm well rested enough to enjoy them. Wow, that wheedled down my list significantly, so after we dropped off our groceries at home, we headed right back out the door to explore a mall I had heard of and also figured this would be good practice changing lines on the U-Bahn, as this particular journey required riding on three lines. It was also an experiment in carrying all my gear alone, so you can see how I suspected I would have precious little energy to enjoy whatever lay at the end of our route; I have my bag, full of provisions and changes of clothing, an umbrella stroller for when Audrey's tired and the ergo for The Bear. And let's not forget two umbrellas.  It is quite a load. Now imagine pushing through crowds with it. Luckily, I've always been something of a bully when it comes to keeping my place in line or making sure people understand that "I'm walkin' here!". I actually enjoyed the challenge of finding my route and traversing the public transportation scene with my girls. I even got a little cocky once we got off our final U-Bhan stop and headed a few blocks in the pouring rain to the mall; Audrey was in the stroller with a death grip on her umbrella and I actually figured out a way to attach my umbrella through the tie on my jacket and the chest clip of the ergo so I could push the stroller with both hands free, thus essentially wearing a giant umbrella hat. I got quite a few baffled stares, but inside I was laughing maniacally: I got this! Willian:1 crap weather: 0! 

All that pink is burning my retinas!

Coming off of that high, imagine the steady deflation of my ego as I realized I got just what I asked for in our final destination; it was nothing to write home about. Because I didn't have the energy to be appreciating anything of worth, that's what I got. The girls had a good time though; they got to run around and I even let them ride a cheesy mini carousel. Audrey almost died of happiness when she found a Claire's and I let her get some hello kitty flip flops since she doesn't have any yet for the summer...and with all these overcast skies, God knows I need a little hope for summer. 

The girls were starting to wilt as we made our way home and since we're still not doing naps, the rest of the afternoon was quite a battle to keep them conscious. If I get a good night's sleep out of it, it'll be worth it. 

Watching yet another movie in an effort to keep these two conscious

John came home overwhelmed with information and with the news that the girls and I will be going in to get some stuff squared away at the VIC tomorrow. I'm excited to check it out and hopefully get the ball rolling on our more permanent life here. The new normal is certainly starting to show it's face. 

A Marathon Day

After a rough morning, we put Bailey down for a nap at 5:30am and let her sleep until 9....this means she got the most sleep of all of us with a whopping six hours under her belt.  Luckily, in the mean time, I was able to get an hour-long cat nap and also a shower, free of the interruptions that seem to flow from Bailey being conscious and aware that I desire privacy. After another cup of strong coffee and a cliff bar, I was feeling like a new woman. Booyah!  Ready to face the day (have I mentioned that I'm a morning person?)

We knew that the Vienna City Marathon was today--the start point was actually where we had first visited yesterday--outside the  UN Center. The streets that had been so eerily deserted yesterday morning were now filled with over 36,000 runners and countless spectators (this explains the plethora of porta potties I found oddly present yesterday). The marathon route starts on the eastern edge of the city, goes across the Danube, through the city center and wraps around the Ringstrasse in the first district, so we decided to head out of the apartment half an hour after the race began to catch runners as they came down the Ringstrasse. 

As some of you might have gathered, most shops and stores are closed here on Sunday; it's mostly bakeries and cafe's that are allowed to open, so even though this was the latest start we had made out the door so far, the streets were empty...until we neared the first district. And saw a glimpse of the runners in the half marathon. It was just an overwhelming steady stream of bodies. I'm assuming you have to have witnessed a massive marathon to understand the seemingly unending flood of people running down the street. One can't help but be caught up in the festive spirit, hearing people clapping, cheering, excitedly screaming for runners they know. It was infectious. For me, the best part was the setting; the fact that people were lining the streets, en masse, to watch runners when some of the most beautiful buildings I've ever set eyes on loom in the background. It's just Vienna; fabulous is normal. But, enormous street-closing marathons? More of a once-a-year thing. 

 

We hoofed it all over the first district past the Vienna State Opera House, The Burggarten, the Hofburg, the Spanische Hofreitschule, the Austrian National Library, The Albertina and back to the Opera House again. In between, we stopped for some brats with mustard and bread. And we even got to see the leader of the full marathon come through the course before we conceded defeat and headed back to the U-Bahn; John and I were operating on precious little sleep and were starting to lose our spunk. We took the train back to our stop and walked to a little playground close to our apartment to let the girls stretch their legs--the crowds for the marathon were so crazy, we kept the girls either in the Ergo carrier or contained to the stroller all morning. 

When we got to the little play area, there was a gang of kids excitedly yelling about the hot tea their mother had brought with them to the park: "Heisse Tee! Wir machen heisse Tee!".   I've never seen kids get so excited about tea, delightful though it may be.  Our girls gave these kids the standard skeptical stare before heading on their merry way to the play equipment. Audrey and Bailey were contentedly playing in the sand when John jokingly leaned in to me and told me the only thing he could understand the kids in the park saying were the numbers 1-12 and the word 'star wars'. These were a bunch of typical boys--running rampant, hiding in the bushes, leaping out and felling one another with their light sabers...pretty standard stuff. Audrey and Bailey watched them for quite a while and kept talking about them when they would go hide in the shrubs. Eventually, this led to Audrey and Bailey actually engaging them in play (a first in Audrey's book at least). Bailey ran over yelling "Hey guys! Hey guys! Whatchoo doin'?" to which they actually replied in English. And thus began an absolutely hilarious exchange between my girls and this silly group of rough-and-tumble boys. Bailey bossed them around and Audrey chased them like she was one of the gang. It was honestly the first time I've seen either Audrey or Bailey do something so overt amongst unfamiliar people and it makes me happy that there is hope, even if we don't have regularly scheduled play dates, these girls will still be learning skills in socialization.

John and I were dragging by the time we got home, but we were determined that no one was napping this afternoon, so we let the girls watch a double feature of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.  For the record, I'm totally cool with rotting my kids brains in an effort to get a good night's sleep.  If movies would've made Audrey sleep through the night as a baby, she would've had a TV in her bedroom.  Just sayin'.

To add injury to surly sleep-deprivation, I discovered when we got home that I had somehow pulled a ligament in my hip while walking this morning.  Seriously?  I  was now supposed to be staying awake, but could only manage a painful hobble around the apartment. So there I was, laying in bed, attempting to relax my legs and somehow not fall asleep after a mere four hours of sleep the previous night.  It was bleak.  The following six hours were some of the longest in my life.  The girls were both sleepy, crabby and high maintenance.  John was attempting to wash dishes in an effort to remain conscious.  I (The Bad Cop) actually gave the girls candy to keep them from falling asleep.  Who does that?!  It was crazytown around here.  And now that the girls are asleep...in their beds...not on the floor like they would've been if I let them. I'm praying for a significant amount of sleep for all of us. This morning we might have gone to see people running in the streets, but this afternoon was our marathon; it was not pretty, but we made it!

Now to see if it pays off; John's first day of work is tomorrow and it'd be super if he didn't look like a zombie.  His first day of work will also start the ball rolling for actually getting integrated into our new lives here; apartment searching, setting up bank accounts and new cell phones...the works.  I'm thankful we've had the past few days to adjust and am optimistic that we will turn the corner tomorrow.  Now, I'm off for some well deserved sleep!

Trains, Churches and Jet lag, oh my!

Saturday was a long day. It started, yet again, at 3am with the murmuring protests of my two-year-old. We decided to stick to routine and made toast and eggs for breakfast--which after my underwhelming dinner the previous night was a welcome taste of familiarity. We whiled away the morning getting ready, doing chores and reading books before heading out around 7am on an adventure. I cannot express how much I love that Audrey refers to every outing as an adventure...and they truly are. We stopped by the bakery at the end of our street where Audrey devoured a marmalade turnover and the rest of us savored some sweet rolls. Then we headed down the deserted streets to our U-Bahn stop. 

Vienna has one of the best public transportation systems I've ever seen--there are underground trains, trams and busses that all operate on the same system of payment. For example, John and I bought 8-Day passes, meaning, every day we use public transit, we validate our card and then are allowed to ride any form of public transportation until 1am the next day. It's pretty nifty stuff. We're planning on purchasing a year-long pass shortly so we can ride anything any time and don't have to worry about it for another year. 

Now, if the girls thought our playgroundpalooza was exciting, they were over the moon to find out we would be train hopping all day. We rode the U-1 out to the VIC (the UN center where John will be working) He wanted to get a feel for how long the commute would take and Audrey had been asking where John's new job was, so we killed two birds with one stone. We got out and surveyed the area--the UN Complex has quite a unique presence; it is really more of a mini-city, composed of several tall, curved buildings forming a complex.  John will be working for the IAEA, but there are several other organizations located within the VIC.  Most of these are UN organizations dealing with anything from international trade laws to outer space affairs. (Go ahead and take that and run with it, Mom)

Since everything one would need is actually located in the UN Center (a commissary, dry cleaners, hair dresser, and medical clinic to begin with), we hopped back on the U-Bahn towards the first district.  The girls insisted on sitting next to each other on the train and laughed hysterically all the way to the center of the city where we got off at Stephansplatz. Understandably, this is a busy U-Bahn stop, even on Saturday morning when most shops are closed. We took three escalators up to the ground level and I just about fell over as we rose up to the street. For the most part so far, we've been focused inward, making sure our bodies are adjusting, grocery shopping and getting to know our temporary neighborhood in the 4th district. So, even though we've been here a few days, we were still overwhelmed by this gorgeous sight.  I knew when we got off the train that the Stephansdom would be there, but BAM! it might as well have slapped me in the face. "I am Vienna!" it seems to proclaim. Gorgeous, richly detailed and enchanting...yet totally at home amongst the surrounding architecture. Majestic seems to be the norm here, and oh, how I love it. We slowly walked the perimeter, openly ogling the grand facade as we went.  We also took advantage of the early hour to slip in to view the interior of the church. And this is where sightseeing with two youngin's gets tricky. There are many places in Vienna that are child friendly, but an operating church where people are praying is not one of them. It was all we could manage to keep Bailey quiet--I don't blame her--she was just expressing what the rest of us were exclaiming in our heads: WOW! Look Audee! LOOK!

 

John was absolutely enthralled with the building and I've given him free reign to stop on his way home from work, without kiddos, to stop and gawk some more. We may not have a host of babysitters over here, but I know that John and I are committed to making time to see the sights and adequately soak up the culture. I have a feeling that solo jots about town for both of us will soon become the norm. I have an overwhelming desire to find the best coffee houses in town and John will have his fill of incredible historic sights to see. A lot of them will be suitable for family outings, but it's nice to know our heads are both in the same place. 

By the time we got back to our apartment, it was only 10:30, but in our little jet-lagged world, that means we were well overdue for some lunch. We fed the girls and put them down for naps and I headed out on my own with my umbrella to explore a few stores I had seen on our earlier outings. 

I stopped into a natural foods store to check out the lay of the land. I grabbed some green tea, which I neglected to pack (the horror!) and I also found organic Canadian maple syrup, which I'm told is a rarity over here. True or not, I decided to give into my hoarding urge and bought some. And because supermarkets are closed on Sundays, I hit up one that claimed to be 'gourmet' on my way home. I know I was whining about my shopping experience the other day, but I'm honestly determined to adapt, so I've decided to scope out as many different markets as I can find. And since I'm only buying what I can carry home, it's easy to work these little visits in quite frequently. I'm starting to get the hang of the fast-paced check out process and am also coming to realize that these places are so small that people are just going to be all up in my business and I need to get used to it. 

When I got home I made a little lunch for myself out of some cheese, cold cuts and big fat olives. Everyone else in the apartment was dead to the world, sleeping, so I figured I could afford to take a quick snooze. 

Sigh

I don't know why I can't learn from these things. My body thinks that mid-afternoon is night time...and collectively, the four of us ended up taking a five hour nap. 

*headdesk*

This jet lag thing is quite the challenge. We started with a firm, schedule-oriented plan that didn't work, so the rest has been trial and sleep-deprived error. We're hoping to make Sunday our hardcore transition day. 

Because we slept so long, we decided to just hang out at home for the evening, make some dinner and get everyone as drowsy as possible with the help of some sleepy time tea for the girls and Valerian for John and I. I had a glass of wine with dinner too, so I, at least, was good and drowsy by bedtime.

We also decided it'd be best to split up the girls for bed time-Audrey slept with John and The Bear and I were paired to spar with each other for the night. We got about three hours of sleep out of Bailey before she woke up at 1am. She then proceeded to wrestle, cry, laugh hysterically and demand everything from "Me back hurtin" to "Me go see Papa!" and my personal favorite: "Me watch a movie!". We finally threw in the towel around 3:30 and let the girls watch a movie while John and I drank coffee in a half-comatose state. 

Our game plan for today (which is obviously subject to change) is to let Bailey nap in the early morning (I'm talking 5:30 here) and skip our usual cluster bomb of a nap in the afternoon. This could be a really great idea or a miserable failure...and probably both. 

We're determined to keep a positive spirit; I mean, we may be sleep deprived, but we're in one of the most culturally rich cities on this planet...life is good.  

Wish you were here.

...so you could watch my kids at 3am.  

Parks and Pancakes

Long before our actual move date, John and I were talking strategy...about everything involving the move.  And one of the most important aspects was how we were going to transition our two lovely-when-well-rested children to an entirely different time zone after an international flight.  When daylight savings time can alter your household schedule for over a week, these are the kind of things it's important to have a game plan for. 

Pancakes!

In the end, we decided we would attempt to model our normal daily schedule right from the get-go and combine it with plenty of sunshine, exercise, nourishing food, lots of water and rest.  (Isn't this what we should be doing anyway?)

Well, we went to bed around 8pm last night and John was the first one up at 1:30am, followed immediately by Yours Truly, Audrey around 2:30 and Bailey close to 3am.  So that was it; it was on like Donkey Kong!  We started the day out right with pancakes and fruit...because muesli doesn't actually count as 'nourishing' in my book.  We obviously took our time getting ready for the day, played and rested a bit before heading out for our first walk in Vienna around eight.  We chose a general direction and headed out for some reconnoitering.

Karlskirche

The sun was shining and the air was brisk.  Both of the girls wussed out after about a mile of walking and were plopped in the stroller or a parent's aching-from-overuse arms.  We found a quiet playground in a residential square for the girls to play in and then continued on our little adventure.  We scoped out the Underground station John will be using to get to work and purchased 8-Day passes so we won't have to worry about tickets for a bit.  And, as I suspect most walks will go in Vienna, we decided to hop over a street or two to see the Karlskirche.  You know, just one of the MANY impressive landmarks in Vienna that are just a short walk away.  We didn't bother trying to go in since we know we've got time to savor these things...and besides, there was yet another playground (complete with small children playing bocce ball) to be discovered just across from the church.  We let the girls run around and play until we decided it was time to hit up a grocery store for some rations to supplement the crap I brought from the States.  (I have recently learned there is a reason I avoid the non-perishable, center isles of the grocery store)

Chasing the pigeons outside Karlskirche

I know I'm going to sound like an American, but the shopping experience in Europe is so much different; it has potential to be my back-breaking straw of future culture shock.  I knew this going in.  The markets here are small and plentiful.  People shop for only a day or two at a time.  You weigh and label the produce before checking out.  I was prepared. I have even mastered the old coin deposit for a shopping cart gig, but the feel is so much different. I feel rushed...rushed to read the labels in a foreign language, which I understand just fine, but being a conscientious shopper, it's very difficult for me to simply toss out my normal process of evaluating each item I purchase, where it was grown/produced, whether it contains GMO's, organic ingredients, High fructose corn syrup...you get the point.  So when Hanz--the man who has no personal space--follows me down every isle, sighing when I pick up an item only to read it and replace it on the shelf, I start feeling those old reliable I-want-to-punch-you-in-the-face urges start to surge.  This could be a problem.  Just sayin'.

See the hysterical gleam in her eyes? Raspberries to the rescue!

Unfortunately, the girls started to unravel in the middle of my first market experience.  John ended up taking them outside to wait for me and by the time we got back home and walked up the two flights of stairs, we realized we hadn't practiced (or realized the need to practice) unlocking our apartment door before we left.  What?  I had two kids dissolving into a puddle of hungry, sleep deprived goo and I thought I was going to have to call our most excellent Landlady to demand why on God's green earth our door wouldn't unlock.  Well, we didn't all end up dying of dehydration out there on the stoop.  Our key just has to be turned THREE times to get the door open.  Guff.  Once inside, we promptly gobbled down some cold cuts and bread for lunch and passed out for nap time.


...three hours later

We woke up.  And I knew we had blown it.  Normal schedule, what? Everyone had transitioned from nap time to night time.  I felt eerily like my own mother, somehow convincing everyone to go for a one-mile walk directly after eating Thanksgiving dinner.  No one in this place wanted to move, much less crack an eye lid.  Enter: Bad Cop...forcing nutritious snacks down children's throats, playing loud obnoxious, dance-inspiring music and asking incessant, asinine questions.  NOBODY was sleeping on my watch! As soon as the three sleepy goons showed signs of life, we were back out the door to get some much needed blood flowing and fresh air.  We discovered yet another park in our neighborhood and then walked another mile or so to the best park and play area we've seen so far.

My pea-coated pirate

Scheupark is surrounded by gorgeous, altbau balconied apartment buildings.  This great green space is ideal for dog walkers, people watchers, basketball players, and children of any age.  There are several paths winding around the many play areas that range from a tall wooden castle that even I wouldn't have the guts to climb to an excellently diverse little kid's area.  The girls played in the sand, rode a wooden horse, swung to their hearts' content and Bailey has started climbing like the little pirate that she is.  I really feel like both the girls can benefit from learning some more independence in their physical abilities and I'm very excited to have so many easily accessible, beautiful play areas for them to discover.  I'm pretty sure that if you asked Audrey what Vienna looks like, it'd be described as a large playground with buildings inconveniently placed throughout.

Here, Audrey is modeling what will be quite similar amenities for future guests

Now my worn out kiddos are snuggled up in bed and it's where I also should be if I'm to adhere to my own strict schedule.  Overall, we are obviously still adjusting, but those girls have floored me with their ability to adapt to a completely new situation.  John and I may have our difficulties, but things in their little world are just going swimmingly...and that's all I ask for. 

The Schweighardts Take Wien

The last two days have been crazy...crazy awesome.  And I can say that because I've now had more than 1 hour of sleep and didn't have to haul all our worldly possessions up two flights of stairs.

We left the Tri-Cities Wednesday morning at 9am, took a puddle jumper to Seattle and had a bit of a lunch break and an opportunity for the girls to run rampant before boarding our plane for the ten hour flight to Frankfurt.  At this point, we were all a bit giddy; we were on a fantastic adventure, we were feeling good and couldn't believe our unbelievable good fortune in scoring four business class seats.  Now, I understand that there's a difference between business class and first class, but I could care less, because I got to LAY DOWN on an airplane. I had more than enough room for my luggage and my mile-long legs.  Bailey could easily fit in my seat with me while sleeping and our flight attendants were amazing.  They also somehow managed to make all the food taste good and presented it well.  I felt like I was allowed to sleep in a full service restaurant. So, yes, I am probably spoiled for life.

Bailey only got about an hour of sleep on our international flight and Audrey racked out for nearly the last two hours of our flight.  John and I were both pretty much running on empty, but there's absolutely no complaining after that experience.  We were on to Frankfurt!  We really had no idea what to expect from our airport experience.  We knew we would have to go through passport control and security yet again, but we were totally unprepared for just how absolutely crazy busy the Frankfurt airport is.  Thankfully, fortune smiled on us yet again.  Because we had a stroller, we were directed to a family screening process involving about ten persons, who all loved and doted on our dazed girls while John and I tried to pull all our liquids and electronics back out of our disheveled bags.  It was a pretty hilarious experience for the girls--here we are at what should've been 11pm to their little bodies, entering a sea of babbling strangers who are rooting through our luggage, asking Mom to take her boots off, all while crooning, laughing and asking a million questions.  It was the jolliest bunch of airport personnel I ever did meet.  Even though it was an incredible ordeal, they somehow had us coming out of it feeling like we had the royal treatment. 

Our flight from Frankfurt to Vienna was only supposed to last an hour and twenty minutes, but we ended up waiting at the gate for an additional hour for an oxygen canister...don't ask me details.  At that point, Bailey was screaming from sleep deprivation and I was trying to keep my eyes open.  Thankfully, the flight attendants on this flight (also business class!) were fantastic as well.  They saved the day with a seat belt attachment that allowed me to buckle Bailey to my seat and let her sleep on my chest instead of having to move her once we eventually took off.  We were served yet another amazing meal on that flight and I actually got to relax a bit since both Audrey and Bailey were sleeping like angels.

Now, the catch with traveling with a seemingly angelic sleeping child is that when you arrive at your final destination and have an UNGODLY amount of luggage to see to, they never wake up refreshed and ready to greet any new situation.  We somehow made it to baggage claim with the two crabby monsters, I figured out the baggage cart system...and I tell you, those things appear soooo much smaller when you have a Mount Everest of luggage to put on two of them...two carts for thirteen bags and two car seats.  We drew quite a few gawking stares while we arranged everything and hauled it all to the arrivals gate in search of our driver.  Luckily (again) our driver was fantastic, if not flabbergasted by the amount of stuff we had--he even helped John lug it all to the curb across from our apartment building once we arrived.  Then, in a Herculean feat, John carried all thirteen bags and two car seats across the road, into the building and either up the lift or the two flights of stairs.  I was supervising kids...it's a very important job.  And, yes, I know what you're thinking.  I did my part; I rolled the bags from the lift (two yards) to our apartment door.

Understandably, John immediately passed out once his job was done.

I, in a crazy rush of adrenaline, proceeded to unpack all thirteen bags and started making our little temporary apartment a home.  The girls were excited to see the toys I had brought for them and played contentedly for several hours while I organized.  It was fantastic.  Our landlady left some toys and coloring supplies for the girls to play with and Audrey has pretty much been stationed at our dining room table coloring ever since. 

Since we initially thought we would be arriving on a holiday weekend, I had packed plenty of nonperishable food, so we hunkered down in the apartment for the evening and hit the sack early.

Really, I cannot imagine our trip going any better.  There were bumps and set backs, spills and crying...pain and bruising, but that was all expected.  The most important detail is that the Big Guy Upstairs was obviously with us through it all.  I'm going to go ahead and give any kind of kudos for success to Him, since I really don't think I've got much to do with it.  For the past year He has been demanding that we just sit back and surrender EVERYTHING to Him and this is one example of how He saw us through an event better than we could've ever managed for ourselves.  His plans are perfect; someday I may be able to convince my ever-loving soul of that.  Until then, I suspect He will just keep sending me challenges to get the point across.      

Hangin' out Tough

We've been taking it easy these days, and I kind of feel we deserve it.  We're tired of waiting to leave, so I, at least, am pretending I'm on vacation and that makes a convenient excuse for the logical part of my brain wondering why I'm living out of suitcases.  Also, at this point, everyone else is getting tired of saying goodbye to us.  There's really only so much Hey-we'll-miss-you-ing you can do before people start wishing you would just leave the country already.


We had our last goodbye shindig Saturday night at Kathryn and Jeff's house; they hosted a phenomenal weenie roast in their new place, complete with Bavarian folk music and cheesy German techno.  We ate sausage, drank beer and watched the rug rats run around the back yard until they were covered in sidewalk chalk and soaking wet and freezing from playing in the ice tubs for our beverages.  That's the good stuff, man.  The best part was that everyone present had already said goodbye to us about twelve times already or was coming home with us...so we've got that going for us. 

We came home and had the girls leave their Easter bunnies out before bed...and I'm going to straight-up admit that I was LAZY with Easter this year.  Remember how much effort I put into Saint Nicholas Day?  Well, I appear to be fresh out of inspiration, because the girls were lucky they had baskets this year.  In all fairness, I had expected to be in Vienna for Easter and didn't want to pack a boatload of stuff for it, but, honestly, my brain really just couldn't handle orchestrating anything else--we're lucky if I get lunch on the table in a timely manner these days.  I did, however, manage to take pictures of Audrey and Bailey in all their finery on Easter Day, which is a first for me.  High fives all around!

Otherwise, we've been enjoying time together in familiar surrounds.  Since John is off work, the four of us have been going on long walks to see the geese at the river, the playground and, especially, the girls' favorite hill.  I have no idea why the little grassy knoll at the end of our street is so enticing to small children, but it has been a favorite play area for the girls since they were old enough to run.  They scamper about attacking dragons (i.e. evergreen trees) with their sword-sticks and meatballs (i.e. pine cones) and rub dandelions on their subsequent dragon bites to heal them.  It's the stuff of childhood.


On our last particular visit, Bailey wormed her way around a sign that we usually only see the back-end of and we realized, after all these years of driving past it and playing near it, that it said: Welcome to Kennewick, Washington.  It's where both our girls were born and the only place they have lived in their short lives...and we're leaving. It was kind of a perfect farewell.  We're off on a brand new adventure that will open our children up to the concept of life outside one's hometown.  Coming from a small town of my own, I can understand how important it is to feel the safety of having roots, but, also living with a wandering spirit, I know how much more important it is to discover on your own how big and beautiful and diverse this world is.  I want my girls to know that they are not only a product of the small, safe microcosm they were born into, but also a citizen of God's great earth--and seeing how overwhelmingly amazing this world is only makes Him more amazing. 

Rest, Faith and Patience

We're all a little pooped these days

Rest, faith and patience; these have been my Rx for the last six months and I can tell it ain't gonna change anytime soon.  Lately, we've been pretty busy, which is understandable when you think you only have two weeks to pack, organize and say goodbye to everyone in your life before moving to a different country.

Well, given all that, God has still had some pretty intense plans for us.  John received his contract two weeks ago and the following eleven days were filled, quite literally--morning, noon and night--with errands, play dates, farewells and orchestrating details for a move that was rapidly approaching. I have felt overwhelmingly thankful that we have had so much time these past months to prepare our household items and general affairs, because I was completely unprepared for the outpouring of love and invitations from friends to get together once we were certain our move was approaching. 

Breakfast with Jackie!!

Now, I think its important to understand that John and I consider ourselves borderline hermits; we think it's a pretty far departure from our comfortable introverted existence to commit to meeting with our small group on a weekly basis, much less spend every night out of the house for well over a week. 

Reagan and Audrey...two peas in a pod

 

I spent a lot of that time reflecting on what exactly it means to be an introvert suddenly left adrift without time to recharge my batteries in solitude, as is my standard practice. Every dinner, every play date, every cup of coffee with a friend was precious to me, but what's a loner to do? Well, I started with prayer...because I knew that a nap wasn't remotely possible, and God did something really cool.  For this introvert, He showed me how to actively rest--how to live in the moment and draw energy from the joy in a meeting of friends. Although I'm still physically exhausted, I have been able to really enjoy the time I've had with friends and family, which has been an unspeakable blessing. 

In other news, Kathryn and Jeff have recently moved into their new home in the Tri-Cities; we were fortunate enough to have them and the D-Man staying in our house for a little over a week while they were closing and settling details with their new place. And no sooner had the moving van pulled out of their driveway than the invasion occurred; there has been a pretty steady stream of family in and out of that house ever since--I'm sure they can relate to the need for solitude and rest. 

This picture has been two years in the making

The culmination of all this socialization was supposed to be our last big shindig at a local pizza joint last night. Friends, family and coworkers came out in great numbers to wish us well--all that love was overwhelming, but we were so happy to see each and every person who made it out. I know that's the standard happy speech after one of these things (usually spoken through a plastered-on smile) but those cheesy words are truth; it was something special. 

Those who were able to join us know that the past twenty four hours have been pretty intense; we've been busting though the paperwork and checklist of items to expedite our move, yet still had not received our itinerary for our requested travel dates. Normal bureaucratic policy, plus the time lapse between emails and a lag in communication or two had suddenly landed us back in limbo; with the holiday weekend looming (Easter is a four day weekend in Austria) we had exactly one day left to see if we would be leaving the country within the next 48 hours. 'Intense' doesn't even begin to express the crazy range of emotions I went through yesterday. I spent a lot of time talking to God and getting my heart right with His plans, whatever they might be. 

Luckily, Gary is on spring break and he volunteered yesterday to take the girls to Kathryn and Jeff's house so I could have time to pack and get my ducks in a row. I spent the morning packing everything possible and dragging luggage back and forth between the bedroom and the scale in the bathroom; I may be a master packer, (thanks for those genes, Mom) but these 50lb. limits on luggage are killing me...and my back. So, John, wonderful man that he is, booked a massage and chiropractic treatment for me. It was much needed and appreciated. When I finally went over to the Payne residence that afternoon to see my children, they could've cared less that I had been missing for most of the day--they had a host of cousins running amok, playing in moving boxes with them. Just call me chopped liver. 

Kennedy loves John...I think the feeling is mutual.

After our pizza party extravaganza and wrestling our sleepy kiddos into bed, John and I collapsed in exhaustion and then woke up at 1am to see if our travel plans were solidified yet. As fate would have it, there was no HR miracle capable of pulling off our trip that quickly and we are now committed to a travel date of Wednesday the 11th. Not that we will have details or plane tickets until the day before, but we're starting to realize that God doesn't want us getting comfortable with this...and if that's His plan, then it's perfect and we're cool with it. 

 In the mean time, we're so prepared we now feel like we've got a mini vacation on our hands; John isn't working and our schedule (although it is rapidly filling) is obviously much more free than it was a week ago.  We're hoping to find some more traditional rest in the days leading up to our move and I now have a deep, resounding peace that we are on the right path.  God is good, folks. This life is crazy, but He is constant.