Rough Patch

Alright, I've got to tell you, this has been a tough month.

When we left China, I felt confident that this would be a simple move. Its going home, right? The girls and I have friends in the DC area, everyone speaks English, we'll have all of our stuff in one place, and there's Target. What more could we want?

And for the first month or so, it really was. The schools were both good, the housing was easy, and it is lovely having those friends nearby. But as we've begun to really settle in here, its just gotten harder. Picking out a house was tough, and moving into it has been even tougher. Its an expensive house, and we don't have a small house worth of furniture, so there's been significant shopping involved. We're about to get our dressers delivered, which will pull all of our clothes off of the floor; but we're still lacking lamps, which makes it a bit dark in the evenings.

The commutes are rough. Lilly goes to school in a different district, so she can't take the bus. Sophia goes to school in another town, so she's got a long drive. Annika rides through it all - morning, lunchtime, and afternoon. So I can't get much done in my morning stretch, and the poor baby can't get a full nap in the afternoon one.

The same goes for Dave. He's an hour to work on the Metro - although he'll begin biking tomorrow, which has him pretty stoked. And he's working East Coast hours - that is, in between 8 and 9:00 in the morning, but leaving the office around 6ish at night. I'm looking forward to the end of school this week, because right now he gets home just in time to put the girls to bed. Another hour of family time in the evening would make a difference for everyone. But add in last week, where Dave never got home before midnight and didn't see the girls all week-long, and its been a struggle.

Both Lilly and Sophia have faced behavioral challenges. And although Sophia's seem to be less than usual (she is in a fantastic school), Lilly's seem to have ramped up since we moved into the new house.

I'm tired all the time, sometimes breaking out in hives, and have frequent headaches. I'm contemplating buying an espresso machine just to make it through the afternoons. Well, and because wouldn't that be fun? But with the serious slash in income and the major bites we've been taking out of our savings, I think that one's going to have to wait.

Visits to the doctor turned up some questionable test results, which don't have her worried, but are leaving me a bit on edge. Apparently a non-specific indicator in my blood says that I should see a rheumatologist. Now, my doctor says that I'm showing no symptoms of anything joint related and that as often as not, these tests are wrong. She expects the rheumatologist to run another test and send me home. But still.

But really, here's the problem. I need some friends. It feels so pathetic to write that, but lets be honest here. Its a remarkable person in remarkable circumstances who doesn't need friends only a few months into a new city. And luckily, I've got a few good friends. I'm doing well on the weekends. Its just the day-to-day interactions that I'm lacking. What we should all pray is that I hit it off with some of the neighbors soon - neighbors whose kids will play with mine, and who will chat with me on the street. Because I know that none of those things listed above are a big deal - but with no one around to normalize my minor complaints, they quickly morph into the type of thing that spontaneously gives me hives.