Posting from Texas

Hello Friends!!

Long time no talk too!  Sorry about the long pause on my end.  I thought I'd be able to get in an update sooner than this.  But things always have a way of popping up when I sit here for a minute to get something typed in.  Then my computer memory is zapped out, drained, gone.  So I have not been able to upload any new pictures. 

Anyway, we arrived in Texas a little less than 3 weeks ago.  Things got really hectic at the end in Germany.  I can't believe how quickly we moved!  It just went by in a flash.  We ended up squeezing in one more short trip to France after the movers left.  I am soooo glad we did.  We visited Lille, France and then took the kids to Disney Paris for a couple days.  We all had a blast and it was just such a great pause in the midst of all the hectic.  On a sad note, we had to put our cat down to sleep unexpectedly.  She was with us since 1992.  Actually with hubby since then.  He adopted her when she was just 6 weeks old back in 1992.  It is a long/short story, and a sad one, but turns out she was very sick and quite old.  Her heart and kidneys were failing.  It was a huge shock, because she still seemed so happy...we knew she was slowing down.  But she never showed signs of pain and discomfort.  It was a super hard decision, but the vet convinced us it would be quite cruel to try to ship a cat in this condition half way around the work again.  We miss her terribly.  We sometimes feel like we here her meowing and we have to remember she is not here with us anymore.  We decided not to jump into getting another pet too quickly.  But that did not last long.  We picked up a frog two days ago.  

We still don't have out belongings from Germany.  The house is 90% empty.  We have some rental furniture so we are sleeping on beds and we have a sofa and dining table.  So no eating on the floor either.  But I am getting sick of this.  I want my own bed and all my books and my fabric!lol   Seriously, it is not too bad.  Better than a hotel.  And better than nothing, that is for sure!  As far as our belongings, I am quite nervous...the shipment was supposed to arrive by boat in Houston today.  But Ike has been causing problems, so we have no idea where our belongings are.  We are praying it is safely docked along some sure out of the path of Ike, waiting out the storm.  I am realizing I should have maybe brought all our photo albums with me and some other important personal things, just in case.  But I was just not thinking about all this when we were packing up the things we'd bring with us.  I am just praying all is okay.  Cross your fingers, please!

Speaking of Ike....what were we thinking by not considering the Hurricanes before jumping into this move???  We were definitely under a sun coma.  Because the tropical storms/hurricanes never even crossed our minds.  I would be lying if I sad I was not nervous.  I am feeling uninformed and unprepared.  And since we don't have our belongings, we were needing to get alot of stuff..flashlights, batteries, stocking up on dried/canned items in case of power loss.  So many things.  We live far enough inland here that they don't expect too much flooding.  But the winds are expected to be quite bad.  I don't even know what to think.  With the previous storm a couple weeks back, no one seemed nervous.  But today, there was a tension in the air for sure.  The store shelves were half empty.  We could not find alot of the things we needed.  Schools and alot of work places are closed.  And they have instated forced and suggested evacuations not that far from us.  So yes, our nerves are on edge a bit.  I'd love to drive up to Austin personally, but they want us to stay put for now.

Aside from Ike, we are loving it here so far.  Loving the warm weather and sunshine.  Both kids have started schools and have made fast friends, though they miss their friends from Germany terrible (and I miss mine also!!).  But we are transitioning quite well, overall.  We experienced a couple hiccups with the internet and phone installation at first, but we got it all worked out as you can see.  I am still finding (or not finding) my way around here.  We actually live West of Houston.  Man, everything is just so spread out here.  I need to get a navigation system so I can explore without ending up hours away from home with no idea how to get back!

In my next post, I'll share lots of pictures.  I took some pictures of our place in Germany to have for the scrapbook and I'll share some of those. I also will share some pics from our trip to France and then some first images of home here in Texas. 

I hope you all are safe and happy.  And don't forget to stop and take some time to remember all those who lost their lives or loved ones in the attacks on September 11th. 

Peace,

Sheree

Comments

[amandajean]

I hope you get your belongings soon! It's so hard to live in limbo. good luck with the rest of your transition.

[lucy]

Well, HELLO! Glad to hear you're here safely and settling down. Wish you well in all this process!

[Elena]

Welcome back!

Elena

[Mama Urchin]

So glad you've safely arrived. Now I'll just pray you weather this storm safely too and get your stuff soon.

[Mary]

I'm so excited to see you back online and now you're here! In the States!

Sorry for all the rollercoastering of your move, especially for your sweet kitty. And I'm hoping y'all stay safe and dry as Ike plows through.

[Missy Severson]

Welcome back! Hope the settling in goes well!
missy

[Alison]

I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE OK!!!! I DON'T LIKE NOT HAVING ANY CONTACT WITH YOU LIKE THAT. I WAS SO SCARED! CALL OR EMAIL ME WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE!!

[sheree]

Hello,

We are safe and sound after IKE. We lost power at our house early Friday afternoon. It is still not restored. But we had very little damage to our house and no one was injured. We were scared beyond belief, though. We hope to have power restored in the next day or two. But we'll see. No complaining though. We were super lucky and we know it. We are praying for those more seriously affected and hoping most people were able to stay safe through all of this. Please keep these folks in your prayers, too.
As soon as our power is restored, I'll get back on. We drove into hubbies office where they have power and are just recharging batteries and stuff. This is my first chance to get online and even see the damage that IKE caused. I'll chat with you all as soon as I can.

sheree

[Penny]

Hi Sheree, so glad you made it to Texas safe and sound and that you made it through Ike safe and sound!

[Mona]

Hi there Sheree, I am so happy that you finally have posted something, I was a bit concerned during your absence. Hopefully you will get your belongings soon, I know how that can be. I lost a whole storage looker full of my furnishings, purses and clothes. It is good to reflect during times like this and look at the things you do have, such as your family, your health and your ability to think. There are people without a home or a pillow to rest their heads, I was just recently thinking of this when I lost power to my home, it is no fun to not have power.....Take care and it has been lovely hearing from you, I am glad you and your family are well and hopefully you belonging will show up soon! :)

[sheila]

Hey Sheree!! Super glad everyone is safe and sound...I am sorry about your kitty cat...super sad losing a family member. I can't wait to hear about your new adventures from Texas.

Sheila

[lizzy]

i hope you guys are OK. My Mom is in Houston, and she still doesn't have power.

I'm so sorry about you cat, I know how it goes :(

be well!

Lizzy

[Lisa]

So glad you've landed safe and sound. I figured you were knee-deep in the move.

It will be so wonderful when you get all of your belongings in one place (especially your fabric-lol).

That's great that the kids are doing well and making friends already. Kids are so resiliant, they'll be fine.

Congrats on all the progress so far. Moving is such a BIG deal and so much falls on mom's shoulders to find all the activities, doctors and other vital services you had before.

I'll e-mail you soon so we can catch up even more.

All the best for a smooth transition!