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Friday, November 28, 2008

whoa...taking a time out to blog

Yes we are back. Yes we have been super busy. It's funny though...the busyness feels completely different on this end of the move. Way less stressful. I don't have a deadline for when I have to get my boxes unpacked. I don't have to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I don't have to wonder what to do with the stuff I unpack that I don't want. And yes there are quite a few things like that! When we packed up our house 7 years ago there were many things that we boxed up to save. Yesterday I started to unpack some of those boxes. Wedding crystal and glassware galore was discovered. I never used that stuff before we moved to Turkey. I can't even imagine using it now! All I could do was shake my head and put it in the china cabinet that was passed from my mom to my sister to me. The one I didn't think I needed. That china cabinet is over half-full of stuff I never used. I was looking forward to being back and not having so much junk. Well I've unpacked boxes of junk. And really none of it is junk. It is nice stuff. I just don't know that I will use it. I guess I could use it anytime and not worry that it is china and crystal and the like. I guess I could take a crystal platter to my next potluck at church. Maybe I will. I had already decided that if I didn't use it I wasn't going to keep it. I wonder at the opulence of some of it all. Those feelings I will just have to wade through.

And now for a stateside conversation.

Uncle John: Jacob, can you go out to my car and get the dog kennel and bring it to the utility room?
Jacob: blank stare. blink, blink.
Natalie: Jacob, go get the dog cage and put it in the laundry room.
Jacob: ok

I love the looks on my kids' faces when people in America use words they should know but don't. So funny to me!

13 comments:

Lost In Splendor said...

Haha! I'm sure you'll be going through this a lot more now that they are readjusting to the way Americans phrase things.

The Over-Thinker said...

Get ready for a bunch of You Betchas :)

Now that I know you're back, I'll be shipping off the Tapas Deck! I was holding off b/c I forgot to ship it. How's that for blatant honesty?!!! :-) Can you shoot me an email to confirm if you still want me to send it to your folks' address?

Welcome back!!! Will you be calling me to meet up for a coffee? Let's pick a state in the middle of your place and mine.

Anonymous said...

I think you're on the right track. Use it and enjoy it. Anything that you don't use and don't enjoy, give away.

Kennel=cage. Very cute story. I'm sure there will be many occasions of unfocussed blinking eyes in the near future. But then one day you'll all realize that it doesn't happen anymore and you'll be surprised by how quickly you slipped back into your life in the States.

Hope you all have an easy transition!

Mamadallama

I can't find my blog said...

If it makes you feel any better, my kids wouldn't know 'utility room' either. West coast vs. south I suppose.

Sra said...

I never heard utility room either. But I think I'd still understand.

I feel the same way about china and silverware. Why have it if it never gets used? So we eat off ours.

Anonymous said...

Well I never heard a cage being called a Kennel however I have Utility room before.
#1

Classy Fab Sarah said...

I hope all the unpacking is going well and that everyone is adjusting to the states (and the words of the states).

Anonymous said...

i'm a kennel, utility room person. although my washer and fat cat are about the only things in there. what is a utility anyway? glad you are back. use the crystal and the china? i say why not! i think we all deserve a little chrystal and china every day!

Rhonda said...

How is the time adjustment going?

I LOVE your new blog look....very nice Natalie.

Anonymous said...

Amazing new look! Good to have seen you again. :)

LiteralDan said...

Glad you're settling in, and I think you should do a post a week listing the blank-stare moments that are sure to crop up.

I agree about this end of the move being way less stressful-- take your time, pace yourself, but don't stop or you will be stuck in the limbo I have for the past year. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I think I might have blinked a bit at utility room, too.

Natalie said...

sparkliesunshine - i know. it has been fun to watch them. i should take notes!

over-thinker - um...not here. we say y'all. and yea!!!! my tapas deck. we should have coffee! um...i'll check out the map and get back to you!

mamadallama - i plan on it. my sister had a garage sale this past weekend, and even though i had only been here a week i contributed to it!

headless mom - it was funny. our laundry room was never big enough for anything other than laundry stuff so i always called it that. i guess if i had other stuff in it i might have used utility room instead.

sra - currently i am eating off plastic plates because my china is en route from turkey. i still don't have regular dishes. but by golly i have glass platters and candy bowls galore. i should stock them with candy! yum!

philly - brian's parents call the kennel/cage a crate. we'll see how he reacts to that one!

sarah - thanks! so far we are doing ok.

friyet - now see...a kindred spirit! i know...we don't have anything other than a washer and dryer in ours. no room for anything utility in there. oh well.

rhonda - the time adjustment was hard at first, but i think we finally are doing ok. thanks! i love the blog too.

supersmartkooger - you too.

literaldan - i should. i need to start making a list of all the things that are different! so funny.

citizen of the month - we grew up saying that, but since my first laundry room was so tiny i never called it anything, but a laundry room. i guess i got into the habit.