yes, we are still here :)

So I did not know that I wouldn’t have access to the internet :)   We just returned to Bangkok after 8 days on the coast about two and a half hours south of here.    Most of our time at the beach was spent at a conference, but we had a three day break between the two conferences and spent a lot of time in bathing suits - It was good in many respects – much needed time for our family to just be together.  The schedule for our second conference was much less ambitious and allowed more freedom in our schedules to reconnect with good friends and just live at a more relaxed pace. 

We are starting to look ahead to the BIG transition yet to come.  We fly into China on February 2^nd and begin the process of settling into our new home.  Our apartment is currently unlivable (No heating units is one major issue, and though we are currently enjoying beautiful hot and sunny days, our new home is in the middle of cold wet winter, so we cannot move in until we have some way of warming the apartment!)

I am not sure what to expect in terms of when we can move in, but my best guess is that we will need anywhere from one to three weeks.  Hoping it’s closer to one, but trying to be realistic and keep my expectations low :)  It’s pretty much impossible to sum up the huge-ness of this move…. We are leaving much behind, and entering much that is new.  The transition will be tough, and I am learning that it will take a long time.  Not just to get “moved in”, but to really settle our hearts in our new home.  So, boarding the flight on Wednesday will be a bit like leaping off a bridge.  And I’m not really anticipating a soft landing :)

 

In the meantime, it’s kind of nice to stay in this “location limbo”…. We don’t really have anywhere to call home.  I cannot locate 98% of our belongings.  We’re staying with some friends of ours who work for the State Department at the Embassy here.  After two weeks of hotel living it’s nice to be in a home, even if it's not ours!