After packing up 3 months of clothes and toys and life things, we headed back to the US. We drove to London last Sunday to avoid the unpredictable yet generally horrific traffic. After a semi-eventful time in the airport (changed baggage weight limits on us, increased security for US flights, etc), we made it to our gate at mid-boarding. Whew. The 9 hour day flight was no where near the comical terror of flying back from Lebanon but was not the breeze of our night flight heading to England. Overall though, it was fine. We were thankful for kids movies on board!
It's been a few days since getting back to the States and we're adjusting pretty easily. Our last few days in Sheffield were such a mix of emotion though. We felt so sad to leave friends and what felt like the life we had made there. We were comfortable with our pace of life and had figured out the basics of navigating this very different English culture. We really really loved the church there and miss our church family in Sheffield already.
most of our small group in Sheffield the day we left for London to fly back
Jacks sleeping in my arms on the flight...thankful for these moments!
We made it back to MSP and were so thankful for this kids area after the flight!
That evening we came back to a cleaned and fresh house thanks to some good friends who scrubbed our house, cleaned up after renters, and even left us some dinner in the fridge! Wow, that was such a blessing...especially when it felt like midnight UK time! Gray and Jacks did well though and managed to stay up until their "new" bedtime at 8 (felt like 2 a.m. for them!). Jackson was asking to go "night night" and kept wanting us to put him to bed, poor boy! They slept through the night and have adjusted pretty well. Last night was the first night for me that I slept through the night, so on the whole we're all through the jet lag now.
There are several things that feel different despite their familiarity though. We know we're having some reverse culture shock: driving everywhere, huge stores, warm, sunny and humid weather, things open 24 hours, not seeing our UK friends, having a bigger house with so much space!, finding exactly what you need at the grocery store and not having to figure out of to make some things, not constantly converting money, oven temperatures and the weather. I could go on, but every day there are a few things that I just notice about life that seemed so normal before and were completely unconscious. It does just seem easier to live life here. I forgot how easy it was! And I don't mean that anyone or myself should feel guilty about having more or bigger things. It's just that American culture has been engrained in me for nearly 30 years so of course it will be easier and so many things will be unconscious. Being in a new culture can be overwhelming in part just because you have to think or learn and be conscious how how you do everything!
the boys finding "new" toys (and boots) they hadn't seen for 3 months!
Enjoying our spacious back yard with our neighbors Zoe and Violet
Going on a walk and then meeting up with Daddy after his bike ride. He's been dying to get cycling all summer.
our local MN park! The boys were needing help even climbing stairs before we left and today they were on their own completely going up and down and trying out all the slides!
Gray and I had a some one-on-one time while Daddy and Jacks hung out. We wanted to restart getting special individual time with our little guys since it's been a while!
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