USA

Third of January, 2012--

We made it. We have officially arrived in the United States and beaten jetlag to a pulp over the last few days. After a full 27 hours of travel (this included flights from Newcastle to London, London to TX and TX to Salt Lake City) we touched familiar earth at approximately 1 am on 27 December 2011. Thank you, Dad, for risking the perils of sleep depravity in order to collect us. We arrived sore, headache infused and knackered beyond all reason but so happy to be in one peice and to see that giant of a smile on my dad's happy face.

The journey wasn't without a few hiccups here and there (Andrew falling asleep on the floor in the middle of yet another security checkpoint, four hour layovers, not being able to have our buggy in London--note:toting kids and carry-ons across a massive international airport=backbreaking hard work--being delayed in Texas for 45 min because a group a skiers arrived late and needed to have all their equipment loaded, and nearly losing the most important peice of carry-on luggage) but to be fair the whole kabubble (my word for our experience) went about as good as you could expect, really.

Although I should mention that my body has had more protests about our adventures than my two children. After having the flu for about a week, I ended up traveling with what morphed into Bronchitis (never-ending hacking cough and such), pink eye (a result from taking care of poor Abby who was the original case) and a strange and mysterious rash all over my right arm.

Nevertheless we are now much better and happily installed in my generous parents basment while Mike completes his final clincical placement in Saratoga Springs. The kids have toys and a nice, spcaious room, Mike and I have our nice bed, and it's like Christmas every day as we go through our old storage boxes and re-discover our belongings. It's made leaving so much behind an easier transition.

Now, there is still a lot to be said. We need to talk about our brilliant stay in England with Mike's parents over Christmas and the adventures leading up to our move from Aberdeen. But that will come soon enough. Right now I need to cough up a lung.