It's his new thing.
We got off the airplane, "We made it!!"
We pull up to a grocery store, "We made it!!"
We pull into our garage, "We made it!!"
We drive up to anyone's driveway, "We made it!!"
We walk up to the playground, and goodness gracious, "We made it!!!!!"
We've had a long few months of transition, and we are still in the midst of it all, really. The home we're staying in is not our own, and we should be shifting into our rental in the next couple of weeks, if all goes according to plan. Until then we have a LOT of shopping to do, with limited funds in a very expensive country, and thankfully, since we only came with suitcases of clothes and such, not too much packing at all! Should be fun!
Hudson's little phrase started while we were on our big long road trip in the States, everytime we'd hop in the car we'd let him know where we were going. And everytime we'd stop (food,
gas, or the real thing) he'd proclaim, "I'm hoooome!" It broke our hearts a little bit each time. He seemed to be longing for a home as much as we were. Overtime, and after having to hear us explain that, indeed we weren't home yet but that we'd be home soon, he changed his little exclamation to a little less specific, "we made it!" He's growing up so fast, and really starting to understand so much. It's so wild to me that I can look him in the eyes, explain something, and actually get a positive response, with proof of comprehension shortly thereafter. Kids are amazing, seriously.
Anyways, it's pretty crazy that we've already been here a month. It just doesn't seem possible. And yet, somehow, it has also felt LONGER than just a month. You know, that whole two-extremes-at-once dichotomy that is my life, haha.
We're enjoying life here and loving being close to family. It's the first time in our short marriage we have lived near family, and boy, are they close. Quite literally, nearly everyone is only a two minute drive away. We could leave our driveway, turn any direction and be at someone's home in less time than it takes to listen to a Coldplay song. It's awesome! Just the other day, I was walking home from my new favorite grocery store (Bin Inn, holla!) and waved down Serena while she was taking her kids home from school, and minutes after we arrived home Nana and Jessica pop in for a quick little visit. That's what you do here, pop in, no notice, no call ahead! Its wild. And guess what else? People genuinely don't care if your house is cleaned up or not, they just want to see you. They're popping in to say hello, possibly have a hot drink if you've the time to sit down and chat, and then they're off to get along with their day. I love it! A little part of me still gets anxiety whenever I see someone pull up and my house is less than perfect (ahem, two tiny tornadoes live here) but either way, I really love the laid back nature of Kiwi life. I definitely think I could get used to this.
After all, we've made it, right?
Until next time-
Cheers, love and French Press coffee.
