We have arrived!

So with a few days to pack and 2200 miles behind us...we have arrived in South Bend, Indiana. I had it very easy, as I was able to fly home. Brian, on the other hand, drove all those miles with his dad in a moving truck. They are serious Road Warriors. They drove the whole thing, including stops, with a dog in 37 hours straight. They pulled in after barely staying awake to needing to wind down before hopping into bed for some much needed rest. Since then we have unloaded the truck in various places, and are settling in at my in-laws, where we will stay until we find our own place to live. What a blessing it is to have a place to stay...and with a relaxing and beautiful riverfront view! It is never entirely easy to merge two families together in one house, but we are all very understanding and considerate people...and we know it is temporary!
Charlie is adjusting well..he misses his baby friends in Washington but has already had a play date with some new ones. One is being born today, as a matter of fact. It is a strange feeling to get where you have been wanting to be. I have been away from my home town for about 4 years now and I feel as if I have never left and yet a stranger at the same time. Half of my friends are gone and the other half are split between the singles and the marrieds. I am a part of the group that married young and now have a baby. I still love to be with my single girlfriends but really can't relate to their lifestyle anymore. It is nice to have some married friends with kids to share experiences with. The other dilemma is my hubby is 7 years older than I am. We grew up in the same town but in a different generation. It will be interesting to see who we really bond with and both enjoy spending our time with. One really exciting thing is we are close to my brother and sister in-law. We love spending time with them and I really want Charlie to know his only uncle before he leaves for the mission field. Brian starts his new job on Monday, so we are trying to enjoy our time off together before "real"life starts up again.