one week later

Well, it's been a full week since we left England "forever." (In quotes because I've left "forever" twice before now.) So I guess I should blog something. :-)

The trip over was about as expected. Hassle, hurry, and wait in the airports; mostly behaving but restless in the plane; smooth flights; just squeaked through on our flight change in Chicago; met by more family than expected in OKC; nice ride home where we stayed awake until Oklahoma bedtime (22 hours awake for Bob and I; slightly less for the children). And yes, each of those phases has a story to tell, but I'd never get caught up if I told them all.

One that was pretty funny (and short) is that Cedwryck ended up next to a stranger on the long flight. She was very kind. After a little while of visiting, she turned on a movie and settled back. Not long after that, Cedwryck was asking her a question. I leaned forward and told him to leave her alone to watch her movie, and he replied, "She wasn't watching it - she was asleep."

We adjusted to the time change pretty easily, though I did get silly tired a few evenings. The weather is a little warm, but what's weird is the heat and a/c running everywhere. In England we'd just open the windows. Bob and I borrowed my dad's truck and went van shopping 2 1/2 days. It was a frustrating search. We ended up with a cheap old Suburban that is simply a stop-gap measure. It's nice for the age, but only 8 official seats.

My brother Wil came up to visit Saturday night, so all my nuclear family was together for the first time in a few years. He called last night with a prayer request, but as he has his own blog I won't go into detail. Just lift him up.

We looked at 4 houses for sale in the area. One was on a hill with sand-burrs and mesquite trees - may as well be in Texas! Plus it needed siding, fascia, a septic tank, and probably foundation work, as an Elm tree was sending roots under the house. One was in rough shape, as the roof had leaked and the ceiling had molded and was falling down in several places. Two were trailers (double-wide): one of those was right on the highway, with no yard to speak of, no foundation, no price posted (and they won't answer the phone). The other shows some promise, but we haven't been inside yet. It's on a foundation, on 10 acres off the beaten path, and is a newer, large house. Next week we may go back with a real estate agent and look closer.

Today we are going to Tulsa to meet my step son at the zoo. After dinner we will go on to Arkansas to my mother in law's house. We plan to spend a week up there looking at houses and visiting family, and then come back here for Bob's appointments on base in OKC, and my birthday.