Back-to-School Edition

Ahem.

We moved to the Washington, D.C., area. We are still surrounded by boxes but the place looks a little more put together every day as each box goes out. Mike started his job. Muffin has started school. I've started two volunteer jobs and a part-time job.

I'm still marathon training, slowly but surely. I have to run nineteen miles this weekend, my longest run ever. I ran seventeen miles two weeks ago and I have no reason to believe I can't complete a marathon in, what, seven weeks? Six weeks? I'm measuring my time by days between long runs right now. Nineteen miles, ten miles, twenty miles, ten miles, etc., for the next few weekends. It looks like the heat has broken, so that's something. There were many miserable miles run this summer by me and others and I'm ready for some cooler weather. You can still contribute to my fundraising for Soldier On, if you'd like. Click here.

Muffin has been in public school in Virginia for all of two weeks and we are dealing with a kind of culture shock. I feel like we have to be on top of everything to keep politics, gender stereotypes, and helicopter parenting at bay. I feel like we are definitely the weird parents with the weird kid because I don't care that Muffin pokes around in the dirt at the bus stop (other parents don't let their kids play before school) but I'm concerned about political parties handing out leaflets on school grounds. (I posted about my encounter with that on Facebook -- in the near future I'll modify it for posting here.)

I've got an idea for NaNoWriMo this year, too. I'm researching and planning right now. More to come on that later, as the event grows closer. It starts two days after my marathon. I'm a sucker for long, slow, arduous tasks, apparently.

And that's about it for now. How are you doing?

Book Review: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

After you've read something, please consider leaving a line or two on Goodreads and Amazon. The authors appreciate it!

Here's my review as it appears on Goodreads.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first Sarah Vowell book I ever read and while I've read all her others, I've come back to this one several times to reread. We move in and out of the Washington, D.C., area every few years and I usually read it when we're heading back there in anticipation of seeing some of my favorite monuments and hearing some of my favorite stories. I of course had to read it again this summer since I'll be starting a job as a tour guide with our next move there this fall. I wanted to refresh my memory of the funny and interesting observations Ms. Vowell shares.

Assassination Vacation gives us a look at the assassinations of three presidents -- Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Students don't learn much about he presidencies of Garfield and McKinley these days but they are definitely worth a look. At the time she was writing, Ms. Vowell makes comparisons to the McKinley and Bush administrations. I'd make similar comparisons to a possible Trump administration this year.

Ms. Vowell makes American history accessible and points out how American history and politics have always been mired in scandal and downright silliness. I love how she goes into the lives of the assassins as well. Everyone knows John Wilkes Booth, but Guiteau and Czolgosz rarely get much mention. Ms. Vowell points out that many people were relieved to hear that Czolgosz had a foreign name because it made them assume a foreigner had shot the president. But Czolgosz was an American citizen, born in the Midwest to immigrant parents. Sound familiar to the fears one of our presidential candidates is helping to fester this year?

I do not want a presidential assassination. But I think it's worth learning about what drove others to do it in the past and take a look at the atmosphere of politics and the entire country surrounding those events. I recommend this book to anyone who has even a passing interest in American history, politics, or current events.

View all my reviews

• And, yes, I'm really going to be a tour guide in Washington! I'll be with City Running Tours. I'm so excited. I'll share more details once I'm down there getting started.

The Importance of Apple Pie in Running

Recently Facebook reminded me that about two years ago my friend Running While Mommy shared this article with me, The REAL Best Foods for Runners, with the note that number eight reminded her of me. Apple pie. I'd had apple pie for breakfast one morning before we ran a ten miler together. And I was just fine. I ran the miles at a decent pace and I didn't get sick.

I thought of saying here, “I wouldn’t recommend this breakfast for every long run,” but I won’t. It’s none of my business if you eat apple pie for breakfast. You (hopefully) know your body better than I do.

I love reading about sports nutrition. I devour cookbooks, articles, research. But I can’t bring myself to follow all the advice, all the meal plans, all the tips about how to increase kale in my diet. I’ve tried that. I’ve monitored, written down, and analyzed every bite. I’ve counted my servings, measuring them on a kitchen scale. I’ve kept food journals.

It’s frickin’ exhausting. It takes the fun out of eating. And it takes up time I'd rather spend sleeping.

I’m forty and I’ve been running since I was fifteen. I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t. I’m willing to try new things but I love my old habits. I know that after a run of ten miles or longer, my favorite enchilada platter and a margarita will be waiting for me at the neighborhood Mexican restaurant. I stick with my old-school lemon-lime Gatorade for exceptionally long runs in warm weather. I'll take real chocolate milk, thank you very much, rather than a shake with chocolate-flavored protein powder.

My attention turns to food now for two reasons. One, I've put on a few pounds from winter comfort food and while I am in no way dieting, I am cutting back on my portions of chocolate and potato chips. But, two, as I've announced on Twitter and Facebook already, I'll be running my first marathon this this fall and it will take a lot of food and miles to get me to the starting line.

I entered the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon and I got in. So you can expect more running posts from me here as my training gets underway. You all know I don't count calories and blog every bite. You know I don't track every mile, every mile split, publicly on this blog, and I won't start now. But I will increase the number of my posts about running as I get into training and need a platform to hold myself accountable.

I started planning to run this marathon last October when I was reading about other friends and acquaintances running it. I already knew we'd be coming back to the United States in 2016 so I made it my goal to run it as a "Welcome Home" event. Sure, I came home several months sooner than planned, but this is still my year of being back home. I'm excited for the race.

Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a huge ball of fresh mozzarella in the fridge with my name on it. And I need to make an apple pie for this week's long run.

Ocean's Run and Running by the Ocean

Two days after my most recent half marathon -- the Ocean's Run from South Kingstown town beach -- I was still lurching around like Frankenstein's monster. But I knew Running While Mommy was planning to run today and while I couldn't join RWM in person I decided to join her in spirit. I hoped a short run would shake out my legs a bit and relieve some of the aching but it didn't really.


I ran fast (for me) in Sunday's half marathon and I'm proud of myself. My previous half was two hours and fifteen minutes; I was hoping to be faster than that and I was, in two hours and eight minutes. Mike and Muffin joined me early in the morning and my mom had joined them by the time I finished. After all the cold weather long runs RWM and I had done with some other friends, the weather on Sunday was almost shockingly warm once we got moving. It was still chilly, though, with the ocean breeze. While I ditched my mittens the first time I saw Mike and Muffin, I'm glad I kept my hat. Every time I warmed up a bit I'd turn a corner and the wind would hit me, freezing me again.

So, that's one more race behind me. I'm trying to decide which races to do next with my shrinking amount of time in the US. I'm shopping around for a treadmill to take with us to Mali. I signed up for the Spring Bootie Buster Challenge to keep me on track while the craziness of spring cleaning and summer packing gets under way.

We're Moving to Mali

The title about sums it up.

Our plans have changed from what we thought would be happening last year at this time. But we're happy with the change. I've been tired of the United States for a few months now. I'm certainly done with winter. Muffin asks every day if we're moving back to India. If we're going to Pakistan. If we're going to Chad. If we're going to Mali. She hasn't been in one place for so long without getting on a plane and traveling somewhere (although that changed las week when we went on vacation); she assumes every morning we are waking up early and going to the airport. My aunt told Muffin she has itchy feet and Muffin agreed, although in the sense that her feet are literally itchy because of her winter dry skin.

We haven't even unpacked all the boxes from India yet and my project for the next few months is to decide what goes to Mali and what doesn't. I've already got lists for consumables, for our suitcases, for the air shipment, and for the boat shipment, based on two overseas moves already and on the basic nonavailability of so much stuff in Africa (Mali may have slightly more to offer than Burundi, but I'm not taking any chances).

I've started speaking French to Muffin. We're hoping to enroll her in a preschool program that will prepare her for full-immersion French kindergarden. She doesn't seem to remember any Telegu or Hindi but she is taking to the French very well.

She is so certain that we still live in Hyderabad. I think there's a lot about Mali that will be familiar to her and make her feel at home.

Mike has been working in various African places the last few weeks. He said landing in Africa felt like being home again.

We all have itchy feet that are ready to be back in Africa.

Time to Clean Up

Last year was a year of change, transitioning from India to the United States. This is going to be my year of cleaning and purging while we stay put in one house for a while. I got a good start during the packing and unpacking last summer and fall but now that the holidays are over it's time to get back on that project.

I went through my stash fabrics and I used this tutorial for a tree skirt for the Christmas tree, this one for a scrap skirt for Muffin (photo to come once I've completed the whole outfit), and this one for a Lego bag. I have a couple winter clothes projects planned, for which I had to buy some new fabric, but once they're done it's back to the stash for spring and summer sewing.

I've put a number of books up on PaperBackSwap.com and have resisted the urge to use all my new credits to receive a bunch of replacement books.

I've been cleaning out my closet. On Friday I put a ton of clothes up on Freecycle.com and by the end of the day half of it had been picked up. Anything that's not picked up by the time Muffin goes back to school on Tuesday will go into one of the many donation bins that we pass on the drive between home and school.

I gave a little TLC to the vacuum cleaner that was put into storage in 2008 and not used since then. The filters are supposed to be washable, but they weren't washed before going into storage (whoops!) and they are beyond washing now. Black and Decker no longer makes them but still has some for sale on their site so in lieu of buying a new vacuum I bought new filters so I can delay a vacuum impulse purchase and research a good one.

I realized that now that I'm driving around in winter with a kid in the car, I really should get things checked out in a timely manner because I really, really don't want to break down in bad weather with my little companion. On that note the car is going into the mechanic shop again today.

I joined a gang... of other moms who are training for the same half marathon that I am in March. Once the kiddos are all back in school we hope to start running together again. I need that. My lungs are all dusty from the cleaning. I need fresh air on a regular basis but without motivation I won't go outside when it's cold.

Right now it feels like my full-time job is to get ready for the next move and whether I'm cleaning out my closet or getting the car fixed, everything contributes to that goal. We don't even know when the move will be or where it will be to but it is always looming. I'm still unpacking boxes from the last move. I'm making trips to the dumpster every day. I'm spending time in various stores trying to decipher the best storage solutions for things like all my stash fabrics and sewing supplies so it's more organized for the next move. I'm reducing clothing and toys and books. We put every single DVD and CD into sleeves in binders and threw out all the plastic cases, reducing our next move by several boxes and pounds.

It's going to be a long, cold winter and I resolve to put my indoor time to good use. 

Rainy Days and Mondays

I know it's Tuesday, but with school starting today it feels like Monday. (This is the first set I ever made on Polyvore, four years ago! It has very little to do with my post; I just like it.)

Rainy Days and Mondays by rabbitrabbit featuring Topshop

It's the second rainy, dark day in a row. Yesterday there was too much thunder and lightning to go outside and play but I'm hoping to get Muffin outside today (although I just heard thunder, so maybe not). I'm too tired to fight with her right now about turning off the television. We're both tired of coloring, Play-Doh, Legos, and unpacking and we don't have our full repertoire of toys and activities. And I can't fully unpack the bedrooms yet anyway (see below).

We had a rough morning at the first day of school and we both need a little quiet alone time. She doesn't seem to understand that I need to work while she's at school, so I can't stay there with her all day to play. Today was supposed to be my day to start working and running regularly again and it didn't happen and I'm a little grouchy about it. Tomorrow there's no school and I'm not optimistic about Thursday and Friday going my way, either.

We moved into the new condo last week, warily. Some parts of the carpet smelled brand-new while others still seemed a bit off, but I was tired of not being in a real home and I think all my moving helpers were tired of loading and unloading my stuff, so we moved in. Then, after a couple days of rain when I had to close the windows for long periods, causing some stuffiness, I realized that not all the carpeting had been replaced. They'd only done the stairs and the hallway, not the bedrooms. The bedrooms still have a funk, not to mention the carpet looks older and has sort of sticky feel when I walk on it barefoot. They're coming back on Thursday to do the bedroom carpets so what little furniture and other belongings we have in them I have to move out.

We had a nice weekend with Mike home, though! Lots of playground time for him and Muffin. We used our "welcome to the neighborhood" coupon from Lowe's to buy a grill and patio furniture during the end-of-season sale. Mike ate home-cooked food while I started to feel at home in our new kitchen.

The next few days are going to continue being rough. But I'm trying to remain positive that over the course of a few weeks things will smooth over. She'll get used to school. The carpets and a couple other maintenance issues will be fixed. Mike will be home for a long vacation. I may even be able to run that half marathon at a slow-but-sure pace and then set my sights on a Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell Run.

I'm not even asking the rain to stop and let out the sun. I'd just like the thunder and lightning to stop so Muffin can go outside in her new raincoat and rain boots.

We Didn't Move In

We didn't move in to our new house over the weekend and I am so tired, annoyed, spent, and tired again.

On Friday I stopped in to pick up the key, do a walk-through, and drop off a carload of stuff we'd been collecting from Target and Kohl's throughout the week -- new towels, shower curtains, that sort of stuff. I stopped in the leasing office, got the key, and drove over to our new parking space. I unlocked the door, admired the new flooring, and smelled a familiar, but unwelcome, smell. Cat pee. Pet odor, to put it politely. In the newly renovated condo we were leasing, they failed to rip up the old carpet and replace it with something less smelly. I went back to the leasing office. They said they'd clean the carpet that day and it would still be ready for moving in on Saturday. I wasn't optimistic. But I was tired of living in our hotel so I let myself believe that it would be possible to still move in on Saturday morning. And if it wasn't I'd stay at my dad's for a couple days and/or check into a different hotel if it looked like a long-term necessity, a hotel that was closer and more convenient to where we need to be.

On Saturday morning my mom came to the hotel to help Muffin and I finish packing our things and load them into our cars. Friends and family members gathered at my dad's house to await word from me as to whether they should start loading our stuff from his garage into their pick-up trucks.

We arrived at the condo and it still smelled. Back to the leasing office. There wasn't much they could do about it on a Saturday but they would rip up the carpets and we would be credited the rent for the days we're missing to next month. We drove to my dad's which is about ten minutes away. Muffin was riding with my mom so I took advantage of being alone to cry in my car. Mike was doing training all weekend and was out of touch. I felt horrible that I couldn't keep my promise to Muffin of finally having a real house to move into after about six weeks of transitory living. I imposed on friends and family members who had now wasted a Saturday morning. And I just wanted to unpack my suitcase and not have to pack it again for a long time.

Now, we have a cat, and while she's good about using the litter box, I can sympathize with having a cat who is not. Our cat is staying with my mom, not moving into the condo with us right away, and I refuse to move into a house that smells like someone else's pet. And when given the choice of a newly remodeled unit or a non-remodeled unit, we decided to pay the extra money per month for the remodeled one. I expected the carpet was going to be ripped up and replaced before the condo was deemed acceptable for us to move in to. I should not have found this problem the day before our move-in date. It's so frustrating.

I scrambled with phone calls on Saturday afternoon, rescheduling two deliveries and the cable guy that were due today. Today the leasing office should be calling me to say if they're starting on the carpet today or tomorrow. We should be able to move in within twenty-four hours of them starting; they do the job in one day. I'm hoping for Wednesday night in our new home, even if only our beds make it over there and we pick up the rest of the stuff from my dad's garage piece-meal over the course of the following days.

I wanted to be moved in this week. Muffin starts school next week and I wanted the time for her to adjust to a new home before starting a new school. She's being such a trouper and what makes me feel the worst over this whole experience is how much I'm asking of her to cope with things that most three-year-olds don't have to cope with. On the school questionnaire that asked if there are any issues the school should be aware of, I had a rather lengthy answer explaining our living situation and how she keeps talking about wanting to go home to Hyderabad. And when she's talking to herself she's started lapsing into Hindi. She has dentist and doctor's appointments this week and I still need to do some back-to-school shopping and plan lunches and snacks. This was supposed to be our back-to-school prep week and now I'm cheating Muffin of all that attention because I still have to focus on moving.

Mike will be home for the weekend and I am so looking forward to it.

"Let me explain..."

"No, it will take too long. Let me sum up." --Indigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

The fog of moving is lifting. Five weeks ago we left Hyderabad. We spent a week at one parent's house and a weekend at another before moving into our hotel room.

We got new driver's licenses. I had to take a written test and a road test. The road test examiner clearly thought I was a waste of his time; he could have been playing video games on his phone rather than making an experienced driver take a token run around the test course.

We found a place to live and we move into it in one week. We found a preschool for Muffin. I am eagerly awaiting the start of school after Labor Day; Muffin is not. I'm too tired to argue with her about it. I want to get her settled in the new house and new neighborhood first. We've been visiting the nearby playground. I'm setting up play dates with children from her new school so she sees some familiar faces on the first day. Hopefully all those things will help her a bit.

Our first shipment of stuff arrived last week, which was mostly toys for Muffin to help her feel more at home with familiar old things in new surroundings. This morning our furniture from California that was packed into storage in 2008, before we left for Burundi, arrived. We're expecting one more shipment from India and a shipment from a storage facility in Europe to arrive within the next few weeks. I'm not worried about the slow pace. I have no where to put stuff other than my dad's garage, which is now almost full. A couple weeks between shipments means I have time to sort through things rather than be overwhelmed and do nothing. As the old furniture from California was loaded into the garage this morning I was making a mental note of what can go up on Craigslist or Freecycle right away. Mike's away at training and won't be back until after we've moved into the new house. I'm hoping to have the house mostly set up by the time he comes home so the weekend will be a real vacation for him, spending time taking Muffin to the beach and playground, rather than shopping or unpacking boxes. 

And that's about it. I've been working, both paid and volunteer, whenever Muffin takes naps or watches Sesame Street. I've hardly run at all but I'm getting back into it.

I'm starting to feel like I might have some control over life in the near future.

Even Funnier than Having an Auto-Rickshaw in Your House...

...is having an auto-rickshaw-shaped box:

We are halfway through the second, and final, day of our pack-out from Hyderabad. 

Moving Panic Officially Begins Today

Image from Threadless

The craziness before moving begins for real this week. Dentist, eye doctor, Muffin's pediatrician. A few last pieces to bring in for framing. A chair or two for re-upholstering. Lunches and coffee dates to say "good-bye" to friends. The movers come two weeks from today and we fly out a couple days after that. I'm not that worried about the actual packing. The movers will do all the physical labor for us and whether it's in our suitcases, air shipment, or boat shipment, everything will all get back to us eventually.

I'm panicking over what happens after we're packed up. We are having trouble getting new U.S. driver's licenses. The hotel I wanted to stay in is booked so I had to choose another location that's slightly less desirable. It feels like all our "free" weekends between July and October are all booked up already. I need to find a house to live in. I need to get Muffin into preschool. Some of these things I can't do until we land in the United States, but that's not stopping me from worrying about getting a game plan in place.

I woke up feeling sniffly this morning. Muffin's had a slight cold all weekend and Mike is a bit under the weather as well. We are kicking into "just getting by" mode.

I'm trying not to let yoga and running fall by the wayside over the next few weeks. My mind has been wandering more than my legs lately, though. I'm sick of the park. I'm tired of the treadmill. I'm anxious to be back in the United States where I can wear my shorts not just for running at the gym, but any time I leave the house, whether it's for running, going to the grocery store, or anything else.

Taking a Little of My Own (Published!) Advice

I'm please to announce the publication of The Foreign Service Companion: Moving Your Household Without Losing Your Mind (Volume 1), (affiliate link) by many contributors, including me! I have an essay in the book about how to keep up with your workout routine in the middle of transition time. It's something I certainly struggle with but also something I try to make the best of. In fact, for a little inspiration I re-read my essay this morning. We are coming up on a move in two months but my half-marathon training starts in one month. I have to manage both. My definition of success is that anything that is not a disaster will be acceptable. Basically, I need to alive on race day, which isn't until September.

The book includes full chapters, short essays, and anecdotes by Foreign Service members and family members on how to handle all aspects of your move, whether your transitioning from the United States to abroad or vice versa. We've all been there and we want to help others who are facing these challenges. The book is now available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions.

Have fun with your next move! Remember, you're not alone.

Running, Writing, and Moving

Image from Pinterest.

I don’t really have time for any new projects but I’ve been bitten by the writing bug. Since it’s been so long since this has happened I feel I need to indulge it for a while. I’m working on a book about Burundi. I’m leaning toward nonfiction about our time there but it may end up as fiction based on my experiences. It’s cathartic getting everything out of my head and on “paper.” Reading all my old blog posts and flipping through the books I read before we moved there has brought up a lot of memories, good and bad.

Last week I flew through two 5K runs before my yoga classes. I can get a lot of writing done in my head when I’m zoning out on the treadmill. During our times of internet connection I’m working on our cat’s transportation back to the United States, our up-coming summer holiday trip, and myriad other preparations for our last few months here and our first few in the United States. When the internet isn’t working, I write.

We are getting into that crazed time that happens with every move. Today when I dropped Muffin off at her summer classes, they informed me that her music enrollment is up. I told them the date we’re leaving and they said, “Great, you can do the twelve-week program.” Twelve weeks. I’m not ready to have only three months left.

I kind of want to run outside tomorrow instead of on the treadmill. I should set the alarm now for zero-dark-thirty.

Motivation Monday: Sleeping In Edition

Ha, I wish that was me these days.

I've been having so much trouble getting out of bed but my schedule is such that I'm getting treadmill runs and yoga sessions in later in the afternoon. And on the weekends we go out for runs as a family a little later in the morning. This is not how I envision myself as a runner. But I'm getting some miles in so I guess this is how it needs to be right now.

I'm signed up for two 5Ks in February but we might go away for a long weekend and skip one of them. I'm keeping my Providence half marathon in mind every time I hit the treadmill. I'm working on that base mileage, slowly but surely.

And I do mean "slowly" some days; we did over a mile at Muffin's pace on Sunday before she acquiesced to riding in the stroller. She did a sixteen-minute mile, but it took her over thirty minutes to run that mile. Lots of stops to play with dirt, drink water, and take her shoes off and put them back on.

A friend from my high school cross-country team invited me to join his Tough Mudder team in August. It sounds like fun but I don't know what the timing will be like with our arrival in the U.S. I'm keeping it in the back of my mind though, for once we know our schedule.

We Have a Car!

Finally, after months of waiting to see what would happen with the tangle of Indian government bureaucracy, our car arrived this afternoon. It was filthy and had no gas in it, but it had a new battery, good tires, and a recent oil change. We've had a driver since November and I turned the keys over to him immediately to get the car washed and filled with gas. Tomorrow we'll be going out to lunch in our own car. We can install Sophie's car seat and not have to lug it around between borrowed vehicles anymore. I can just walk outside and say "Mohammed, please take me to ... grocery store, fabric store, craft store, etc." any time I want to without making arrangements with a dozen other people around Sophie's naps. This is a huge deal for me.

One Last Move!

We moved again! This is going to be it for about two years. Last week and the week before I'd made a couple trips out to the house to check on how the painting was going and I knew once the painting was finished we'd be moving in soon. But I was a little surprised when Mike called on Tuesday morning and said "The house is ready. They want us to move today. " ("And sorry, I can't come home to help.")

Luckily we never fully unpacked our boxes and suitcases and Muffin decided to take one of her longer daytime naps (almost a full hour), so I was able to zoom around and get quite a bit of stuff thrown into those boxes and suitcases before Muffin woke up. Then our housekeeper arrived and she and I took turns watching Muffin and packing. The movers would have done the packing for us, but I really wanted to get this job finished as quickly as possible. When they showed up there was very little for them to do except load the truck.

We walked into the new house and I saw the finished paint job. It's gorgeous! Our driver and housekeeper were surprised and they loved it too. (They worked for the previous couple in this house, so they've only seen it as white. They think more Americans should paint their rooms in bright colors.)

This is it. We are unpacking and staying put for a while. It's such a relief.

Now if only our car would get here.

We arrive and the celebrating commences

It was really nice of Hyderabad to have these all-night-long fireworks displays in honor of our arrival. Oh, no, that's not really all for us. We arrived during the Diwali festivial, which is apparently celebrated with quiet family dinners followed by several hours of fireworks from every rooftop in the city. It's actually kind of pretty and would be fun if I weren't so tired from traveling. The Muffin is the only one sleeping through the night, miraculously. (The Diwali decorations are like tacky Christmas decorations so I want to go to one of the bazaars and buy some since I doubt our Christmas decorations will arrive in time.)

We arrived in Delhi late Thursday night and spent all day Friday sleeping in our hotel before our flight to Hyderabad. Because of the holiday, few people were traveling on Friday and most of the H'bad flights were cancelled, ours included. Luckily they kept one going, with all of about ten people on it, which we were able to get on. We really didn't want to spend another night and day in Delhi. We'd been on the road since Monday and we were anxious to start getting settled in a home.

Fireworks and jetlag kept me up on Friday, but Muffin slept through all the madness. Last night I slept a little better. We know how this works. Every day will get a little easier. Thank goodness Muffin has dealt with the stress of traveling by sleeping. It certainly makes the transition easier for Mike and me.

We are temporarily in a furnished apartment until our permanent house is ready. It's hard, wanting to get settled in and unpacked, but knowing we'll be packing up and moving yet again in three weeks or so. The apartment is nice, though, and they bring us breakfast every morning, our choice of Western (omelette and toast) or South Asian (rice pancakes with sweet jelly or savory sauces) and fresh fruit.

Mike starts work tomorrow and I start working with a new housekeeper. I need to figure out how to describe the gluten-free diet to her, she speaking little English and me speaking none of any of the local languages. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Baby's First Passport

We are getting settled, or as settled as one can get for six weeks, here in D.C. Mike's back to work and I'm spending my days with Sophie. Babies are miracles and all that, but they're also kind of boring. Yet somehow I don't have any time for reading or writing. Even the boring parts of the day are baby time-consuming. (We also have some internet issues that limit my time online even more.)

Yesterday we submitted the forms for Sophie's passport. We went to CVS for her passport photo. She was amazingly patient as Mike held her up in front of the screen. Pretty much everyone in the store stopped what they were doing to watch the six-week-old baby get her passport photo taken.

In other news, I'd like to buy a new phone for going to India. I'd really like to treat myself to a smart phone, something I can use for internet, twitter, facebook, skype, etc. (My phone in Burundi didn't even do text messaging. I crave more technology.) I know so little about the newest  phones, is all that even possible? I've been told I should look at unlocked quadband phones. Can anyone out there in international blogland give me any advice?

Another Packout

Hooray! We recently found out that we are authorized another small packout from our vacation location in Rhode Island to Mike's training location in D.C. This solves our problem of how to get everything to D.C. But it also means quite a bit of work in figuring out what to put in this shipment and what will fit in the car. (Our previous plan was to rent a trailer and shove everything in without thinking about it too much.) We've had a rough couple of nights with the baby, but with movers arriving on Friday morning -- hopefully well ahead of any hurricanes that may be headed our way -- we are powering through the organization of crap.

As it's the last week of summer vacation, we're also trying to do all the summery things one last time, plus visit as many people as possible since they won't see Sophie for a while.

And we're doing it all during a heatwave and impending hurricane. Yay summer!

Family Planning

As in, how do we plan to get our family from Rhode Island to Washington, D.C., in two weeks? Coordinating trips like this seemed hard enough when it was just Mike, me, and a cat or two. Now we have a baby and all the baby stuff (plus one cat). The car seat alone takes up so much room in the car -- valuable real estate that previously went toward suitcases and cat carriers. And not only do we have to solve the problem of where all our stuff goes, but there's the little issue of babies needing to eat every once in a while. Mike and I can grab some cheese sticks and coffee and power through a drive. But the baby's not old enough for cheese sticks yet, so that won't work.

Despite not looking forward to the drive, I am looking forward to spending the fall in Washington. I've grown to enjoy a furnished apartment next to a metro stop, at least for short-term living. We'll be in a neighborhood I'm familiar with, walking distance to coffee shops, grocery stores, and some of our favorite restaurants. Favorite restaurants that deliver, which is such a nice, big-city convenience.

I'm also looking forward to all my time with the baby. Right now I still consider myself on vacation/maternity leave, but once we get to Washington I'll feel officially unemployed. It's the first time in my adult life that I won't have any sort of employment, and I'm planning on not working for a while. I don't even have any freelance projects in the pipeline and don't know when I'll start sniffing around for more. And because of our crazy schedule in advance of moving to India, I won't be going back to my online courses right away, either. Being a mom will keep me busy enough.

Argh. Just let me get to Washington. I don't have the energy to worry about moving to India quite yet.