From Milwaukee to Madison...
After almost a week of staying at my sister's house just outside Milwaukee, I'm headed to my hometown of Madison today. I've been back to Madison just once before (last August) since my Mom died in 2004. It was wonderful to be back, because I love Madison, but also very strange considering I no longer had a "home" to go home to. I'm sure it will forever feel a bit like that, but this journey to Madison should no doubt be a bit less emotional for me. Thankfully, I have some very good friends who live in Madison who I can stay with during my visits! I'm looking forward to hanging out with Laura and Drew and their kids, as well as getting together with a couple friends for lunchs including my Mom's former hospice nurse who's become a good friend (not to mention a regular expatter reader) and one of my Mom's former teacher buddies.
I've had a fun-filled week here in Elm Grove. My sister's house is very... hmmm... how should I say it... alive, perhaps?! With 3 kids and a dog and 2 parents working full-time, the house is always hopping with activity. It's such a complete contrast to our home in Basel (although not for long, I suspect). A typical scenario in this house includes at least 2 TVs on at once (usually one showing SpongeBob Squarepants for Bennett), Natalie practicing either the piano or her trumpet, Connor practicing his electric guitar, Phoebe (the black lab) barking at me to either feed her or play with her, and at least one of the adults in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning dishes. I truly love being here and seeing my family. It is always entertaining!
While everyone has been at work and school I've spent lots of time shopping and eating all my favorite American foods. They live in the ideal suburban setting with absolutely every store and restaurant you could ever want within just a couple miles. Yesterday, my sister took the day off and joined me for a trip to the outlet mall out in Johnson Creek. We've also spent a lot of our time shopping for furniture and bedding and other houseware type things to get ideas for redecorating our soon-to-be habitable condo in Perdido Key, Florida. (It was virtually destroyed by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004 and we've had it on the market since last summer but now it's finally close to being rented out again-- a year and a half later!!)
After a couple days in Madison, I'll be back here by Thursday night, and am looking forward to another weekend in Elm Grove that will include a special visit from my "up north" friend Nanci! Everyone wants to see the pregnant lady...
I've had a fun-filled week here in Elm Grove. My sister's house is very... hmmm... how should I say it... alive, perhaps?! With 3 kids and a dog and 2 parents working full-time, the house is always hopping with activity. It's such a complete contrast to our home in Basel (although not for long, I suspect). A typical scenario in this house includes at least 2 TVs on at once (usually one showing SpongeBob Squarepants for Bennett), Natalie practicing either the piano or her trumpet, Connor practicing his electric guitar, Phoebe (the black lab) barking at me to either feed her or play with her, and at least one of the adults in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning dishes. I truly love being here and seeing my family. It is always entertaining!
While everyone has been at work and school I've spent lots of time shopping and eating all my favorite American foods. They live in the ideal suburban setting with absolutely every store and restaurant you could ever want within just a couple miles. Yesterday, my sister took the day off and joined me for a trip to the outlet mall out in Johnson Creek. We've also spent a lot of our time shopping for furniture and bedding and other houseware type things to get ideas for redecorating our soon-to-be habitable condo in Perdido Key, Florida. (It was virtually destroyed by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004 and we've had it on the market since last summer but now it's finally close to being rented out again-- a year and a half later!!)
After a couple days in Madison, I'll be back here by Thursday night, and am looking forward to another weekend in Elm Grove that will include a special visit from my "up north" friend Nanci! Everyone wants to see the pregnant lady...
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