Welcome

Welcome to my new blog.

To say that life has been chaotic lately would be an understatment. Check out my previous blog, Dinks in Deutschland, for more on that. In brief, we lived abroad for a year. We traveled a lot and saw amazing things. We were constantly on the go and enjoyed it. But, hubby couldn't find a job which made him a sad boy, my job and some of my colleagues got just plain weird, and everything seemed very complex. So, we decided to move back to the States. So far, things haven't been much less busy.

Here's the recap:
Friday: Drug our cat. Ride in Mercedes Taxi at 220 kilometers per hour to the airport. Ride on plane. Arrive at Dulles.Drive to Frederick. Get keys to apartment over tattoo parlor. Go to Target and buy cleaning supplies. I missed Target. Clean apartment over tattoo parlor while husband meets with contractor. Did I mention that the first contractor deal fell apart a week prior to closing, but let's not dwell on that. Drink wine that husband brought home after a good meeting with the contractor. More cleaning. And wine-drinking.

Saturday: Wake up at 4:00 because that is 10:00 in Germany. More cleaning. Walk to get husband a cappuccino at one of the many, that's right...many, cafes in town that sell european coffee. Errands. Meet with contractor again. Decline invitation to see Dracula at the local theater. Grocery shop at Trader Joe's and rediscover that I can EAT so much more here than in Germany (due to my increasing food allergies). Go to bed at 8:00.

Sunday: Wake up at 2:00 because I had too much wine and chocolate Saturday. Drive to the in-laws to pick up the car that they generously let us borrow. Drive home to our now clean if not slightly cluttered apartment. Do errands and wait for husband to return after picking up clothes from his friends' house where he had been staying and checking in on our rental property. Drink wine, research home stuff, pray that the contractor comes through, watch a movie, and for the first time in a while, simply enjoy one another's company.

So that is the background. I'm now living in a town that I love, near the family that I love, with the husband that I love (oh, and I cat that I love, too). I cried at the beauty of it all yesterday. Walking on the cobblestone and brick sidewalk next to the 19th century homes with the setting sun casting shadows through the autumn leaves. It was just too much. Pinch me. I am a happy girl. And my husband is a stressed, but happy boy. For what it's worth, I think that our cat is happy, too.

I am looking foward to settling down. After moving around for the past 10 years, both hubby and I are ready to be in a place where we can really LIVE. Not just reside or work or sleep, but really LIVE. I want to walk in town...everyday. I want to buy local and eat local and make local friends. I want to be involved in local community and maybe even local politics (gasp). I want to be unabashedly myself, my quirky, happy self. And I want to chronicle the journey here.