Home Sweet Home

Well, I arrived around 1000hrs on Sunday morning, October 7th, 2012. Andrew was at Schiphol to pick me up. Because there was construction going on at the airport we weren't able to park the plane in the usual area, and we had to wait on the tarmac for a spot. So, when we finally disembarked we had to walk quite a ways to get to the Baggage Claim area. I went through the Passport check area, then through Customs, then finally out to meet Andrew. All of that took about an hour.

It's good to be home! When we got home, Andrew and I took Sammy for a walk in the woods. I noticed while walking that instead of being better, the cobblestone and shadows in the woods bother me more now.  Rather than say anything, I just endured the walk......remembering the therapists words to confront the dizziness and I'll be that much closer to it stopping-when in actuality I just wanted to run back in the house where the world isn't so dizzying! Maybe it was because I was exhausted. I will have to ask the therapist about it. I am working on my eye exercises, so maybe that will help eventually....After our walk, I took a nap-for about 3 hours! I had asked Andrew to wake me up after an hour....He said he tried to wake me, but I didn't even budge.  I was so exhausted...it felt good to get a little sleep.

Andrew and I went to dinner at our favorite spot in town-Cafe Doria. We had a nice relaxing dinner together. Our waitress told us she had taken a six week vacation in the summer to Indonesia....by herself. Oh my, that's on the other side of the world. She told us she wished she hadn't gone so long, and probably should have gone elsewhere because being a woman alone in that country was uncomfortable.

After dinner, we went home and relaxed.
I love traveling, but this trip was exhausting. It sure was great to see everyone!

Yesterday I walked to the grocery store and stocked up on fresh food, did a little cleaning and some laundry. It's nice to be home! There is a definite chill in the air now....winter is coming!  I'm still able to wear my spring jacket, but I don't think it'll be long before we're putting on our down coats!

This morning the Postman rang the bell. Now that he knows that I'm usually home, he'll leave packages for the neighbors with me. He left one package, then tried to deliver another one....they weren't home either, so he left a second package with me!

Well, I must say the pace of life here is certainly slower. Even though we live in a small city, it's much slower than the Bay Area where I spent more than 30 years living. It's not just that I'm no longer working........life it just more relaxed here!

Andrew had a doctor appointment this morning at 0800hrs. Rather than taking the car, he rode his bicycle there!  It is actually easier and faster to ride the bicycle if you're doing something in town, since you can take shortcuts and don't have to worry about parking. He found the doctor to be very friendly.

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I must say, though I am enjoying living in the Netherlands......I LOVE THE U.S.A.! There is no place like it in the world!  When I first got back, the first thing I noticed is how big everything is......you can find anything you want there...and the prices (even though high in some areas) are less than in European countries. We will enjoy living here for a couple years...then find a new place to call home somewhere in the United States........

In the meantime, we are planning more trips!  We're hoping to go somewhere over the holidays....and then need to plan something for spring!