Happiness is.....

a clean kitchen, warm jammies, and a good book to look forward to reading next to a lovely man.

After a harrrrrrd trip back to the US, alone -- aged mother unwell, staying with a friend in a situation that was nowhere near pleasant, plus fracturing a molar & having to have a root canal while I was there....

I am home again with my DH.

After a harrrrrrd trip back to the US, alone -- aged mother unwell, staying with a friend in a situation that was nowhere near pleasant, plus fracturing a molar & having to have a root canal while I was there....

I am home again with my DH.

How nice was it to whip out that maroon passport on your way home?

Happiness is...

A working heater, a clean piece of paper, a load of pencils, and a little music in the background.

I am also EXTRAORDINARILY bouncy right now! It's amazing. I am bouncy AND sitting still. Too much energy. Too much

After a harrrrrrd trip back to the US, alone -- aged mother unwell, staying with a friend in a situation that was nowhere near pleasant, plus fracturing a molar & having to have a root canal while I was there....

I am home again with my DH.

Welcome back Carolyn   

Quite a hot and sunny day out today really. Near 80 degrees I suppose.

After a harrrrrrd trip back to the US, alone -- aged mother unwell, staying with a friend in a situation that was nowhere near pleasant, plus fracturing a molar & having to have a root canal while I was there....

I am home again with my DH.

welcome home!

Welcome home, Carolyn!

How nice was it to whip out that maroon passport on your way home?

Yeah that bit was pretty darn cool!  And for the first time ever!  I zipped through the EU line while all the Americans were lining up, and no more interrogation upon re-entry!

Thanks everyone.

And another 'Happiness Is'...  My bed!  To which I may be shortly returning for yet another snooze.

And another - really knowing (i.e., coming to the realisation) that the UK is now - completely & entirely - home!  I feel so foreign now in the US, every time I go back.

An understanding line manager.

And another - really knowing (i.e., coming to the realisation) that the UK is now - completely & entirely - home!  I feel so foreign now in the US, every time I go back.

intriguing comment - in what way did you feel foreign? I was away from the UK for three years and just sort of slotted straight back in on my return. How long have you been away from the states - had it changed a lot or had you...?

my son finally using the toilet! 

Yay- Mrs Robinson is back!  Yorkshire can return to it's normal self and stop snowing at unseasonable months.

Welcome back, Carolyn, I'm sorry it was hard while you were there.  Take it easy getting back in the swing of things.

intriguing comment - in what way did you feel foreign? I was away from the UK for three years and just sort of slotted straight back in on my return. How long have you been away from the states - had it changed a lot or had you...?

I don't think the US has changed - not really.  It's more that I have changed.  I have lived in the UK for 4 years and just see a lot of things in a much different way now.  Also, I don't have a lot of ties left in the US either.  People there say I speak differently - although I really don't think so.  Without going into much detail because I don't wish to start a flame exchange, I find myself feeling critical of a number of things about the US way of life now - particularly its lack of sustainability.  And also knowing that the life I led there was not a healthy way of living, for me.  Some things really annoyed me - like I all but couldn't find a breakfast cereal that didn't have added sugar in it among an astounding selection of cereals to choose from.  And why do so many products have high fructose corn syrup added to them - lol?!  Even things that really shouldn't taste sweet.  Oh one change about the US - I was shocked at the price of food now compared to when I last lived there.  And you can visibly see (at least I could) that the economy is spiralling down - which I found sad.  So it's mostly a personal change thing for me - that and knowing where I now belong.