We have been in the new house for just over a month now.  Things are starting to really look like home here now.  I have my knickknacks for the most part where I want them. Of course that will change all the time.  You know how girls can be.  For the most part I am just about as settled as my knickknacks. As in I am aware of my surroundings and I am starting to like them, but things are always changing.

Let me tell you something, moving during the holiday season has sucked. That last sentence is also an understatement.  I don't think you can actually quantify the level of suck that moving in the November/December time frame actually contains.

First off let me preface this by saying, I knew I was going to have to leave England at some point.  I got that. I for once am not actually complaining about moving away from England.  I am talking about the other aspects of moving one's entire family overseas and to the middle of blinking nowhere during this festive time of year.

I made it to North Dakota. The last month or so has been quite the whirlwind. There was the flight here. That was a nightmare with pets in tow. The packing and repacking and locating and relocating. That sucks for the record. Seeing family and friends. Always a good time. The drive across the USA from the east coast. Wasn't as bad as expected except for when we got stuck less than 100 miles from Minot due to the "dusting" of snow. I guess in ND a dusting is three inches? However that even lead to meeting the sweetest motel owner in Harvey, ND. 

I fly back to America on Saturday. I can't stop it and it is all coming too fast. My face has been leaking tears every time I turn around. Honestly I can't stop it and it is getting annoying. I don't normally cry. It is odd and foreign to me. I don't like it.

Saying goodbye sucks. Like not in the "oh gee that kinda stinks" kind of way but in the "Oh my Lord I think my heart is being ripped from my chest and I might actually die" way. I didn't think it would be this hard. Not only for me. My kids have now realised their world is going to be flipped upside down as well. They're not keen. Seeing my daughter cling to our neighbor and tell her that she loved her and that she would miss her terribly was one of the hardest things I have had to witness. There are no words to say how much it kills you as a parent to rip your child's world out from underneath them.

Right before I moved to the UK I earned my BS in Technical Management. It is a pretty general business degree. I haven't used it in the 7 years that I have lived here. At the time I was earning it I wasn't even sure what I would do with it. I was just determined that I would have a degree. It was a little short sighted of me. I have saddled myself with student loan debt, and have very little to show for it other than a piece of paper that confirms that I have an education. Meh. I am just going to chalk this one up to being young and pig headed in my determination.

Often times I sit around an think about what sort of influence I am really having on my children.  They are fed, clothed and supported by my husband and I, but are they really being molded by our actions? What sort of influence are we having on them in comparison to their peers and the culture that we live in? Are we making a big enough difference? These thoughts bother me when they are doing things that drive me mad, such as fighting me about chores or homework. Then I have moments where I am relieved because I see them do amazing selfless acts of kindness with no prompting. 

The one thing my husband swore he was going to do before we left the UK was go to see an outdoor music festival.  When he heard that Metallica was headlining the 2nd day of Reading Festival, well, needless to say he was determined that we were going to go to Reading Festival.  Metallica is his favorite band of all time and we last saw them in concert right before we moved over here.