Happy Valentine’s Day!
Transitions
Back in the Boston area after more than two years, we’ve been welcomed back to the Northeast by two snow storms already. The past few weeks have been full of happy reunions, culture shock, celebrating birthdays, eating our favorite foods, taking hot showers, and moving for the fifth time in two years.
Here’s some of what we’ve been doing in the past six weeks…
Moving from Ecuador
After 13 hours of travel we made it to Virginia with Max in tow (which sounds easier than it was!) but without our bags, which were lost. Luckily, they showed up a few days later at our doorstep.
Arriving in Virginia
Max met Steve & Susie and settled right into life in Virginia, even romping around in the snow for the first time ever.
Sharing Memories
We shared our experiences as volunteers through a boardgame we created. The object of the game is to accomplish tasks that relate to the Peace Corps’ Three Goals but the mission is really to spark conversation and to share with friends and family.
Celebrating Together
In Virginia we celebrated the holidays for the second time including exchanging gifts, baking bread, and decorating cookies.
In the Workshop
As usual, we worked on a few creative projects while in Virginia in addition to packing for our move to Massachusetts. One of the projects was creating a custom frame for a piece of kinetic artwork we bought in Ecuador.
Frankie’s Visit
We took our friend Frankie on a photo tour of Danville when he visited. Here is Mari taking a photo of a water tower in the historic downtown area.
Moving Once Again
We moved into our new home in the Boston area after driving directly from Virginia to Massachusetts – approximately 14 hours of driving. It’s all relative – we used to sit on buses for 14 hours to get from our site to Quito.
Happy Birthday Paul!
We celebrated Paul’s birthday starting with a special breakfast.
Paul Preparing
Paul received many birthday gifts related to becoming a new dad…here he is starting to get prepared for the next adventure!
Mari Baking
Mari has been baking up a storm in the new kitchen, including baking her famous chocolate chip cookies.
Visiting Matt & Kerry
We visited our friends Matt & Kerry in Western Mass. and met their adorable son for the first time, giving Paul a chance to practice his reading skills.
Let it Snow!
Life in the US has meant daily culture shock but nothing has been more of an adjustment than the winter wonderland we are now living in.
