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So I’m sitting here listening to the US National Anthem. Why? Because our new home is very close to a military base, and every morning at 8:00 AM it blares through the neighborhood as they raise the flag. I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.
We Are On US Soil
I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written a catch-up post. It’s just been so crazy. An international move is no easy task, and I can’t say it was smooth sailing the entire time, but we are here in our new home nearly 3 weeks to the day. I wish I could say I am on top of the world, but I am too damned tired to be excited. Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy – so happy, but the last 5 weeks have been a whirlwind, and I am absolutely exhausted.
Hemorrhaging Money
So let me catch you up. We have spent more money in the last few months than I have in one go in my entire life. First, we had the move, and now we have to replace everything from silverware to cars so you can imagine the cost. My first trip to Target cost $550, and that was just for the essentials! Don’t even ask how much the trip to Cosco cost! I will tell you the best time to buy a washer and dryer is when severely jetlagged. I walked zombie-like into the store, saw that the display models of machines I researched were being sold at a great price, and said I’ll take them. I never even made it into the appliance department. I was in and out in 10 minutes!
My Boy
My son is adjusting well so far. He misses his friends, but he has the best room a kid could ask for. We gave him the entire upstairs with a 42-inch TV, his PS4, and a gaming PC. We may be buying his happiness, but we’ve ripped him from everything he knows to a new place where he has zero friends, so the least I can do is give him the room of his dreams – He LOVES it!
Alfie
Oh! Alfie! My 15-year-old cat that had to take an 18-hour journey from London to Newark – He’s absolutely fine! He’s sitting on my lap as I write this (purring away without a care in the world). I didn’t breathe normally from when he left me until I knew he was okay, but he’s adjusting well.
Getting My License
So last week, I took the written test for my driver’s license. I didn’t drive in the UK. Apparently, driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road (and tiny roads at that) was just too much for my brain to handle, so I never found the confidence. My NJ driver’s license expired 6 years ago, so the written and driving test is required to get my to license back.
I passed the written and was shocked to find out that the driving test couldn’t be taken right away! They gave me an appointment for 3 weeks later and sent me home with nothing more than a permit.
Here’s something we didn’t think of – You can’t buy a car without an in-state license (because you can’t register a car without insurance, and you can’t get insurance without a license). My husband is waiting for his social security card to arrive (it may take up to 4 months), which is also required to get an NJ license, so the rental we’re driving is going to cost a small fortune.
Last but not Least
I haven’t had much time with friends and family because we’ve been so busy, but last week I went food shopping with my best friend (of 34 years). Although I miss the few good friends I had in England, and I can’t tell you what doing the most mundane thing with my best friend in the world meant to me.
My sister lives around the corner, and we see her and her husband a lot. There have been many nights of laughing so hard I cried, and having them so close has been wonderful. She took me out driving the other day, and boy, did we laugh!
On Easter Sunday, I had my first family dinner with all of us together, and it was surreal to know this is how every holiday will be from this day forward – Sitting at a table surrounded by loved ones. What more could you ask for?
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