May 24 2008
Hoosiers
Well, we’ve unofficially moved to South Bend, Indiana. I say unofficially because we haven’t changed our drivers licenses, but we have moved everything we didn’t sell or give away into my parents’ house. The trip Tuesday went as well as can be expected. I got up around 4am, showered, ate the last two mini-cannoli from the empty fridge, and got the kids ready to go. Check-in and airport security went smoothly, and the only flaw was that our tiny Air-Tran terminal did NOT have a Dunkin’ Donuts. We had Luna bars instead. The plane ride was also easy - Jacob slept the second half and I figured out that when travelling solo with all 3 kids, the middle seat really IS the best place for me.
We flew into Midway and 35 minutes after landing had retrieved 2 bags and 3 carseats, changed diapers and pottied, installed said 3 carseats, and were on our way through the southwest and south sides of Chicago to a pancake house in Hyde Park. It was wierd to be back in neighborhoods I had once driven through daily but hadn’t seen for years- nothing had changed. We waved to Visitation School where Daddy had worked, saw where Mama lived when she was Jacob’s age, and watched the Metra train go by as we went into breakfast. After stuffing ourselves with wonderful pecan pancakes and bacon, we headed to South Bend.
As for Michael-John, he’s started a class at a local university in “communication between cultures” and will also be doing an independent study to complete his Fletcher graduation requirements. He/we really enoyed Fletcher graduation weekend and our time with his family. He survived the 20 hour trip driving the truck and hauling the car, and gets lots of props from all of us.
Last but not least, my sister Katie has joined the ranks of post-graduate degree holders, and as long as she passes the bar will soon become a full-fledged lawyer. Yea, Katie!!!!!
Yay!!! I’m SO glad to hear that you guys all made it to South Bend without too much trouble. Marc and I actually had every intention of surprising you guys on Tuesday morning with coffee and donuts, but with everything that was going on with Cristina, we were up late into the night and slept right through your departure time
We’re in Moldova - you can see updateson our blog - and things are going well. It feels much like you described South Bend - the same, that is. The thought of returning to Medford/Somerville without you guys is pretty sad - but I think we’ll be able to make it through June. Anyway - this is suppoed to be a comment, not an update. Ooops. Hope all is well. Keep having fun. And definitely post a video when Maggie starts crawling… forward!