Home sweet home

We've arrived safe and sound but the trip was not an easy one.  We we minutes from missing our flight out of Boston and almost missed our connection in Iceland.  The good thing is people really get out of your way when they see a couple running with two kids though the airport.  Good for us, I suppose.

The last 48 hours have been a good mix of catching up on missed sleep, visiting and relaxing with family and trying to set up our new house.  We have rented a house in La Wantzenau, the town where Jean grew up some 20 minutes north of Strasbourg.  Much to my surprise, most rentals come with a "cuisine non-équipée" - meaning most major kitchen appliances are not included.  So this morning we grabbed a fridge and ordered a washing machine online.  We'll be doing dishes by hand for a while until we find a dishwasher we like at a decent price.  As I type, Jean and his buddies are taking over a first load of some furniture and the luggage we brought with us.  Our big furniture and other items should be arriving by boat in a couple weeks.  In case anyone was dying to track its trans-Atlantic voyage, here's the link. http://marinetraffic6.aegean.gr/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=538004599&zoom=10&olddate=lastknown#.   

We've spent the last two nights at my mother in law's house but we are hoping to "camp out" in our own place tonight.  It's exiting to put together our new house here piece by piece.  It's a nice mixture of items we brought along as well as those that have been in Jean's family for a while, along with a couple new purchases along the way.  It's definitely enough to keep us busy for a while!

Here are some spectacular pics of the current status of the house.  I think we'll be living in a state of dissarray  for weeks (or even months) to come!  Truthfully though, being with Jean and the kids makes anywhere feel like home.