Leaving Houston :-(

The last couple of days have been a blur. The movers came last Thursday and packed and loaded everything - so quickly in fact, that they were done before either one of the kids came home from school. The next few days were spent buying last minute things for our trip or shutting down the house.

We all said our goodbyes - it was hard.

As we were all set to leave on Sunday, B and the boys were getting the car packed up and I took one last look through the house. My chest got heavy and I started to breathe really hard. I didn't want to upset the boys, so I pulled it together and locked up the house. The minute the garage door shut, I started to cry. My head was screaming "TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND!!!" I didn't think it would be that hard.

It was a quiet ride until we hit the airport. Then the comedy began.

Our large bag was WAY overweight - 15 pounds to be exact. In all efforts not to pay TSA to buy a new bag, I pulled my bags over and started shifting weight. After dropping various pieces of lingerie on the floor - I finally got it.

We checked in 6 bags and left in the biggest fit of laughter - I think the weight of the sadness we were feeling finally cracked.

We get to security and B is pulled aside WITHOUT his shoes and belt and bags to be checked. They very sternly take him into a little room to interrogate him and he leaves having made 2 new friends - how he does it, I'll never know. It turns out that the forgot that he had a Leatherman in his old bag that we brought along. Someone in TSA is enjoying it now.

The flight was wonderful - no glitches.

We get to Schipol airport early Monday morning local time. We have so much luggage that we cannot all fit into the rental. S and I take a train and decide to meet up with the other 2 in Den Haag at our rental apartment. We end up being separated for about 4 hours - a lifetime when you are in a new place with no phone to call them by. B and V got lost WITH a GPS - it turns out the street was not on any navigation system.

The long and short of it is, we are settled... Jet lagged, but settled. We have spent yesterday and today getting groceries and toiletries, applying for our residence permit, getting passport pictures taken for various other government applications, and getting to know the lay of the land.

Tomorrow, we get to go the the school for orientation. I am excited for the kids and have very high expectations for the education that are about to receive.

The weather here has been typically Dutch - rainy and about 42 degrees.

We don't have our phone hooked up yet as the apartment does not have one. Once we buy one, we'll let you know. I was more concerned about not having a hairdryer - that was my FIRST purchase!

Love you all - till later...

S