home sweet home

I started a whole introspective post last night about how I feel about being back in our little home away from home... It was long and rambling and ultimately didn't make much sense (I was a wee bit tired). In the end I deleted it. It is what it is. For better or for worse, for a long time or a short time, WE ARE BACK.

This is how our day went yesterday.

9:00 a.m. say goodbye to Ozayr's family.
10:00 a.m. say goodbye to my mom.
10:45 a.m. say goodbye to Ozayr's dad at the pharmacy.
11:15 a.m. check in 8 pieces of luggage at the airport.
11:30 a.m. say goodbye to my dad, Ozayr's cousin.
11:35 a.m. security. Ozayr patted down.
12:00 p.m. lunch in the departures lounge.
1:00 p.m. flight to Toronto.
2:00 p.m. arrive in Toronto, go to retrieve bags. find 7. keep waiting.
2:45 p.m. inquire as to missing suitcase. it's en route to Edmonton. Gotcha.
3:00 p.m. line up for customs. entertain 2 tired children for 20 minutes while standing in line.
3:20 p.m. meet customs officer, declare, explain, etc.
3:40 p.m. re-check bags to final destination.
3:55 p.m. go through security again. Ozayr pattted down.
4:10 p.m. take a shuttle bus to our departure gate. carrying 2 children and 4 carry-on items.
4:25 p.m. last minute diaper changes, potty stop.
4:35 p.m. board plane.
6:30 p.m. arrive in Minnesota. [Switcheroo! That's actually 5:30 p.m. MN time.]
5:35 p.m. find our remaining luggage.
5:45 p.m. file claim with Air Canada for missing suitcase.
6:00 p.m. go to car rental.
6:30 p.m. leave in rental van with all children and bags.
7:00 p.m. go to grocery store and get milk etc.
7:30 p.m. arrive at home, see a bunch of neighbours outside
8:00 p.m. enter the actual house, bring in bags.

We're home! (9:00 p.m. Ottawa time)

So that was yesterday. That's what I say to people who say "oh, Minn is only about 3 hours away by plane right? That's not far!"

Getting back to the house was surprisingly nice. Our neighbours came out and met us on the driveway. Some good friends of ours made sure that we felt welcome by decorating our driveway and path with sidewalk chalk (thanks Shelly!)... It was a far cry from those first few trips we made to Canada when we knew no one here, and coming back was so depressing. It was nice for me to see how far we've come.



This morning we've unpacked all the bags that actually made it to Minnesota. We're missing just 1 piece out of the 8 we brought back with us so I am counting myself quite lucky. It is tagged, so hopefully it will be retrieved sometime soon and sent back to us. I am trying to emotionally detach myself from the contents of the bag, which would be easy... except for one item... the Turkish carpet that Ozayr bought for me from Istanbul. I heard him on the phone earlier talking to someone with the airline, "it's got a carpet inside... an embroidered carpet... it's dark red, with a diamond design..." I am really hoping that it makes it back.

Yesterday was a long day, and I think we are still pretty tired today. The girls have been playing with their old toys as if they are brand new again, so that's always good to keep them entertained the first day or two. Thanks for everyone back home, we had a great trip... Have an ice cap for me today...