Afloat.

We are home.
our new home.
Yesterday was quite an experience.
Our little dogs, Bailey and Gibson did wonderfully on their cross country flight.
Making nothing more than an occasionaly whimper despite the fact that they
were stuck in small softsided carriers for more than 7 hours under our plane seats.

I've never traveled with so much luggage!
Four suitcases, 2 dog carriers, a book bag and my purse.
A cab dropped us off in front of our apartment
and our apartment manager was waiting for us at the door with key.
Once inside we dropped everything to the floor.
We were beyond exhausted.

But our excitement overtook our exhaustion and we grab the dogs leashes
and went exploring.
up and down the streets around our home,
criss crossing here and there.
Look! A Paint store!
A coffee shop!
A vet hospital right around the corner!

All the while, Gibson and Bailey were prancing on the sidewalks
as if they had spent their whole life in a city.
We ate lunch in a coffee shop/sandwich place/bicycle store.

Then we got down to business.
We had nothing in our empty apartment but our suitcases full of clothes and books.
and we knew we'd be needing somewhere to sleep for a few days until
our furniture arrives.

A taxi took us to Bed Bath and Beyond where we bought a single sized airmattress
(we only need one for three days and spending $150 on the full size one seemed excessive)
We bought a soft blanket, a pillow, and an ipod speaker station so we'd have some tunes.

Once we got it all set up we both stood there in silence.
Man, a single bed is really, really small.
We laid on it in the middle of the living room listening to music
and debating what to do next.

Brent suggested a bottle of wine to celebrate our first night home.
Minutes later, we found ourselves lying on our single mattress again,
sipping a really nice sonoma Cabernet straight from the bottle.
Our wine glasses have yet to arrive.

We debated dinner. It was 7:30pm, (10:30pm Eastern Time)
and I could barely hold my eyes open any longer.
We fell asleep when there were still bits of yellow sunset on our walls.

The two of us and our little dogs, all packed so tightly on a single sized airmattress
in the middle of an empty room.
Like refuges afloat on a life raft in the middle of an ocean.

I woke up in the middle of the night freezing.
It gets so cold here at night.
and I've yet to wrap my head around the fact that from now on,
my Junes and Julys will require scarves and occasionally gloves.

I am writing to you from a little restaurant across the street from our house.
We are all safe and sound and deliriously happy to be here together.
Today's adventure: paint the kitchen, and buy a portable space heater.

I miss you all already.

Love,
M