So, now I'm here.

After hundreds of miles of traveling over continents and mountains of stress, we've made it back to the Pacific Northwest.

And btw, I did not mean to make that rhyme.

It's been a long journey.  And though I've been back in the U.S. since July, I'm still working on getting home.  Settling in to a new house is not easy for me.  I'm a creature of habit and routine so creating familiar grooves in a new environment is full of stress and uncertainty.

Maybe over time I'll share stories of the multitude of things that have happened over the past few months, but right now I don't have the time or the energy.  Homework is calling my name (as always) and I've been up since 5 am with a sick dog.  So here is a bit of a summary of our time back in good ol' 'Murica:

We left Frankfurt at 10 am and arrived in Seattle at 11 am on the same day.  Cezar surrived.
Moving in with my parents was not as awkward as expected.  Many Friday nights were spent drinking wine, playing games and laughing over my dad's attempts at charades.
Jon got a job as a security officer after just 3 weeks of being home.  He's working full-time in Seattle with a radio and bulletproof vest.
Just a few weeks later, I got a job in the financial aid department of a medical vocational school.
We moved in to a 2-story house in a nice neighborhood just 30 minutes away from Seattle.  An entire weekend was spent learning that there's no way our German furniture is going to fit in the living room.
We've since enjoyed cable (real commercials!), a Sam's Club membership and Domino's pizza.
Jon's BFF moved in last two weeks ago.  I've learned he's quite proficient at making chocolate chip cookies and fried pork chops.  Also, he and Jon have acquired Nerf guns and regularly have wars throughout the house.

Now, here's an overly large amounts of photos from the day after we landed until now:

Signing off for now.

XO

Jenni