Back in the USA

It’s been one week since we packed our bags and headed to the USA. We have had such a wonderful week of reuniting with both of our families and getting acclimated to life in the United States. I knew the kids were adjusting well when the boy ran around the house today waving an American flag. Yesterday he commented out of the blue that when he was older he would be living in the United States. Needless to say, we all are enjoying our time thus far.

I haven’t been shocked by much since it has only been three years since we have lived in America. But because I have gotten used to the way things were in Wales, several things continue to surprise me:

–the size of apples are absolutely huge. I have a constant internal battle to whether I should eat 1/2, 3/4, or a whole one for lunch. They look abnormal to me.

–whoever that Ed Hardy guy is, people must like him because his name is on everything…notebooks, beach towels, fragrance, clothing, etc. Everywhere I look, there is his stuff. I am assuming he is very rich by now.

–the endless supply of hot water to shower, do laundry, and do dishes is wonderful. For the past 3 years I have been treating my use of limited hot water in my house in Wales like a new mother feeding her newborn: very scheduled. Each day I would have to mentally work out what I was going to wash and be careful not to use too much hot water in bathing or even cleaning the house, or the hot water would run out, only to be replenished by pushing “Boost” and then seeing the cost reflected in our next bill. Being able to to do many loads of laundry (quickly too), take a shower, and wash dishes and rinse them in hot water from the faucet, not the kettle, makes me giddy. I don’t even mind those once dreaded tasks.

-the sunshine is amazing. Even though we have come back at the hottest time of the year, having predictable sunshine just touches that happy place in my soul. I don’t even care that I am hot and sweating. At least it is predictable. I just simply do not know how the Brits do it with so much rain and so much grey. They are amazing people. When it is sunny in Wales, we run to the window to soak it in, we stop everything we are doing to go outside, and we cram in as many things into that time outside. Because we know it may be days (and in the winter, weeks) before we will see it again.