Rest assured: All fighting participants were closely supervised.

It started when we woke up around 5 am. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, which was nice and relaxing. Nora was doing just fine, crawling around on the floor at the gate. I know, I know, I can’t believe I was okay with it either. But it really is true.

Poor Nora’s had a bit of a cold and I think she was just worn out from all the festivities, but we were hopeful she’d do okay on the plane. (It was a morning flight after all- yippee!) I didn’t realize how exhausted she was. Just after take off, she burrowed herself between my arm and sweater and passed out in seconds. Josh and I stared at each other with hope. (This so did not happen on the last flight back to Seattle.) She slept for 40 minutes! It was a New Year’s Eve miracle!

After she woke up, I thought, “Great, she got a nap time in. She probably won’t fall asleep the rest of the flight.” Oh, me of little faith. My girl took another quick nap about an hour later. Then, in the middle of flipping through one of her books, she just leaned back onto me and closed her eyes. And took her third nap- she slept for an entire hour! I even got to sleep.

So yay for another good flight! She did get a little fussy towards the last hour, but not enough to draw too much attention. Oh, and I should mention that on both this flight and the one into Atlanta, we recognized a flight attendant from our Oh-No-We-Are-The-Parents-of-The-Screaming-Baby-on-the-Plane flight. And both said, “Oh yes, I do remember you guys.” They were nice about it, but still. Oh dears.

Thanks so much for everyone who prayed for our trip. We really appreciate it and are so thankful that the last two flights went so much better. Praise the Lord for the small things that make such a difference.

We landed around 11 am Seattle time. It was the weirdest feeling to drive home from the airport feeling like we had so much of the day ahead. Our day had started 7 hours ago. We woke up in Marietta and were in our Kirkland apartment by lunch time. (Local time, anyway.) The wonders of modern travel. I mean, we crossed the country in one morning. It took the pioneers on the Oregon Trail, what, six months to do that?

Nora was downright giddy when we walked down the hallway to our door. Remy wasn’t there; he was still at our AWESOME FRIENDS, THE SMITHS’ (YOU GUYS ARE WAY TOO GOOD TO US!!) house. So while there was no Remy to greet us, guess what was waiting for our arrival? The saddest, Charlie Brownest tree you ever did see. Aww…

And guess what else was waiting for us? Lots and lots of Christmas cards! Most people were still sending them out when we left. Opening them felt like a 2nd Christmas. I love this tradition. The Christmas cards will be displayed for awhile. The tree has got to go before it just keels over.

Then we had an afternoon that we didn’t really know how to fill. We ended up ordering pizza, getting some things unpacked, waiting on said pizza, catching up on Tivoed shows and taking turns holding Nora who was just about done.

Okay, fine, the truth is that I bent over to pick up my bag when I was standing next to the opened door of the taxi while I was holding Nora and when I stood back up, I didn’t realize how close the door was and she bumped her head and it was all my fault and she’d been doing so well and suddenly she was a train wreck and I felt sick about it. I admit it.
So while she was probably just tired and recovering from the busy day, she was pitiful, cranky, and not at all herself. I spent the afternoon reassuring myself that there was very little chance she had a concussion.

Josh went to pick up Remy around 5. When he made his grand entrance, Nora was absolutely thrilled. Her eyes lit up and she was so happy, she couldn’t do anything but sit, stare, and yell with pure delight. If we’d known she would be so excited, we would have documented it.

Nora was ready for bed around 6. Josh made it until about 6:15. He didn’t even make it to a bed, he just slept on the couch. I caught up on some Glee episodes- reruns I hadn’t seen yet, yay – and read until I could no longer form coherent thoughts. I fell asleep around 10.

However. I was awake at the stroke of midnight. I probably could have slept through the nearby fireworks, but Remy could not. It turns out that along with my phone’s low battery warning, Remy is terrified of the sound of small, planned explosions. He paced nervously around the bed and breathed on my face until I woke up to reassure him. So I did get to hear fireworks and the clock said it was exactly midnight. I didn’t miss New Year’s after all.

Hope you all had a great New Year’s celebration! Or at least that you were awake for it. =)

Also, today is the first birthday for our sweet little niece (and Nora’s cousin) Faith! They’re celebrating over here.

Even as I write, our computers are having a hard time. I am on Josh’s work computer (shh, don’t tell) because my laptop’s space bar is off duty and the desktop keeps crashing. The technology can’t take it.

So our challenge and priority this week is to keep cool. On Monday, a friend invited us over to her condo’s pool and we stayed there for almost four hours. On Tuesday, Nora and I went to a lakeside beach with some ladies, then wandered around some of the local stores.

Wednesday was the projected peak of the heat, so we had a full day planned. A big chunk of time was devoted to shopping venues, since retail places do have air conditioning. Costco was the recipient of about an hour of our time and all I really needed to do was return a pillow. Once you braved the heat to get in, you want to stay for awhile.

Then we headed over to the library. There was gridlock in the parking lot as people fought for spaces. I say “fought,” but it was more like just waiting in line because hey, the cars have AC, too. So after 30 minutes of circling and stalking people who were heading back to their cars, we headed inside. One of the librarians announced that they were opening up another area to accommodate the growing crowds.

After two hours or so, Nora was getting a little antsy so we went to the biggest, coolest place I could imagine. Da da da daaaa- the mall! More craziness. The parking deck was almost completely full. We were able to get a covered space (victory! victory!) and followed the lines inside. All the chairs and waiting areas were packed with people trying to recover and regroup. The food court and all the coffee places were overflowing. And so many strollers! These poor kids were just so done and sleeping in all sorts of crazy positions. One lady was even pushing her dog around in one of those rented strollers. (I am so serious.)

We meandered and browsed and bought very little, just like most of the people there. Afterward, we met Josh at his air conditioned office building so Nora could take a break from the car seat and stretch out on the floor. All of us came home, checked on Remy to make sure he was alive (he was and is), refilled his water bowl, and went right back out to the nice, cool coffee shop downstairs.

Later, after we returned home, it happened.  Our huge fan that has been going almost nonstop, the fan that we move with us from room to room, the fan that has been so trusted… for no discernible reason whatsoever, fell off its perch and lost a blade. It still works, though it’s louder and moves across the floor if you don’t put it next to a wall. But it works!

The good news is that the worst is supposed to be over and it will begin to cool off starting today. I’m really proud of Nora. She hasn’t been having decent naps at all but still finds a way to smile and be sweet for us. We’ve also had some really thoughtful people include us in their plans to go to pools and beaches. Our community group even encouraged us to bring Remy along with us so he could roam in their shaded yard. We’re so grateful for these friends and the fact that we live in a country where being this uncomfortable isn’t the norm.

For now, the entire city is eagerly looking forward to our next rainfall. Isn’t it ironic?

Inside the Apartment
After having a late start to my day, it was around 11 am. I was waiting for the shower to warm up, so the water was running. I also had my portable iPod stereo going. Then I heard a weird yipping sound and thought at first that the iPod was skipping or something. After pausing the song, I realized, no, no, it was Remy going insane with barking. Which meant, most likely, that someone had knocked on the door. Still wearing my P.J.’s, I hurried over to the door and saw a FedEx lady standing outside. Earlier that day, I had moved our bag of recyclables next to the door so I would remember to take it to the disposal room. The bag had slid down and most of the contents were all over the entrance. As I opened the door–with Remy still barking and completely freaking out, but convinced he was heroically saving my life–I had to use the door to push about 20 Coke cans out of the way. Apologizing to the lady, I signed for Josh’s iLife ’09. “It’s okay, they sound like energetic little guys,” she said. “Oh yeah, it’s just one really freaked one,” I replied with a little shame. (That’s a first–barking in such a way that sounded like TWO dogs.) Thanking her, I closed the door.

Outside the Apartment
After knocking, a FedEx lady had to wait several moments and listen to a couple of dogs’ crazy, high pitched yips. Obviously, on edge and probably stressed or underfed. Finally, the door started to open. Although it was past 11 in the morning, a woman still in her pajamas had to move what sounded like 2 dozen empty cans. She must have just woken up from last night’s party and hadn’t had a chance to clean yet.

—

“The Teague Males Talk in Their Sleep”
So Remy, as many dogs do, makes little sounds in his sleep sometimes. Almost like a chirping. Last night/this morning around 1 am, he started doing it. Josh got out of the bed and said, “Remy, Remy, it’s okay, come on in, buddy,”  and opened the door. Remy was staying put in the living room, but Josh seemed to think he was already in the room and continued to comfort him. “It’s okay, that’s a good boy,” Josh said as he got back in bed. 

“Josh, he’s fine,” I assured him.

“He was barking,” was Josh’s answer.

“No, he was just doing that thing where he makes sounds in his sleep, but he’s fine.”

After getting no answer, I suspected Josh had never really been awake. This theory was confirmed. Josh has no memory of the event.

Which means, I do believe, that man and man’s best friend were in a simultaneous state of semiconsciousness.  I may be the only one, but I find that to be an impressive bond.

In other preparations for Baby Teague’s arrival: thanks to the incredible generosity of family and friends, we have a stroller, car seat, bath tub, and jogging stroller (amongst other wonderful things). But those are the things that had some assembly required. Well, consider them assembled. Yay for Josh! I was quite impressed. He put all those things together in one night.

As for other gifts we’ve been blessed with, blankets and outfits are washed and folded. Toys have been opened and put in their very own toy bin. (The first of many, we’re guessing.) We’re slowly but surely getting things ready for Baby. Of course, we still have about 2 months left. It’s just so fun to get things ready, what can I say?

As for baby updates, our little one has some thing in common with his/her cousins, especially Silas, Caroline, and Mary Ellen- he/she loves doing gymnastics. I’ve never noticed pregnant women flinch or shift around as a result of these gymnastic moves. So I feel like if I flinch, I look like a total wimp. So out in public, I muster up a blink or sniff or something you wouldn’t even detect. So I can be as graceful as all the other preggers. But at home, I jump up or switch positions, or do something I’ve learned pregnant women shouldn’t do- say “Ow!”  I just had no idea I’d be sitting around watching 24 and suddenly feel as if a tiny, kicking foot is about to  break loose and float around inside me. Of course, it’s fun in its own way and completely worth it to know there’s a healthy little guy/gal getting ready to make a debut.

So the guest room is ready and waiting for you. And the nursery part of that room- we are happily working on it. Progress to be posted.

That’s just during the waking hours. Here’s some random, vivid dreams I’ve had during the past few months. And yes, I blame these weirdos on the hormones as well.

-I was back in a classroom teaching. The class was a mixed group of kindergartners and high schoolers. And neither age group was listening to a word I said.

-Driving to teach school one morning, I looked at the clock and completely panicked when I saw I was an hour late. To top it off, my classroom had been moved into a shopping mall.

-Josh took me to a pet store/warehouse where you had to walk between boa constrictors roaming the floor. I woke up convinced there was a snake in the bed and if I moved my leg an inch, I’d feel it. 

-I was hanging out in my high school biology classroom when I realized I was about to miss my ultrasound appointment. My teacher and several classmates gave me a ride and we got stuck on horrible traffic. I had to call Josh, who was waiting for me at the office, to tell him I was going to miss it.

-In another ultrasound dream, the technician offered to take the baby out so I could hold it. Or should I say “her,” since I saw that it was a girl. I felt terrible that I forgot we were going to wait to find out the sex. Josh wasn’t even there. But Mom and Annie were. (Thanks, Ladies!)

-At Mom’s new house, I was going to take a shower. The shower was more like a huge tub that filled up incredibly quickly. As soon as the faucet was turned on, you found yourself standing in four and half feet of water. You also had to climb stairs to exit the shower/tub.

-In the most disappointing dream, Josh and I brought the baby home. It was a boy, and I was really excited to bring out the newborn blanket and let him play on the floor with cute little baby toys. Even though he was teeny tiny, he was able to speak and told me he didn’t want to play that boring game.

-In the BEST dream, I was in a cafeteria of endless food lines and I could eat any and as many desserts I wanted. I could still taste the chocolate when I woke up.

Pictures to hopefully follow- still looking for the cord that inputs the pictures from the digital camera to the computer.

The first week actually went by pretty fast. Josh being Josh made sure we had internet access four days after we arrived, and me being me (and newly addicted to Jon and Kate plus 8) begged for a new tv and cable access. Missions accomplished. We could email, twitter, keep in touch with everyone and enjoy watching the twins and sextuplets. 

We attempted to buy some cheap camping chairs or bean bags to use as temporary furniture until our stuff arrived. Four hours and five stores later, we had discovered the world’s most crowded Walmart (seriously, it was so insane we walked in the door and right back out when we saw the lines.) But we did not find any chairs. Josh had a brilliant solution and moved the air mattress (which we brought on the road trip with us) into the living room. Our bed/couch.

The second week was when Josh went to California for training. Since we didn’t have any of our kitchen supplies, I spent that week eating microwaved meals from Trader Joe’s. I recommend the potstickers and chicken/bean burritos. 

Oh, another thing that stands out from that week was when I was watching a late night movie on T.V. All the sudden, as the credits were still rolling, it cut to a preview of the next show. Which was about children who claim to be psychic. One kid was saying how he could see shadowy figures around him that no one else could see. The t.v.  showed their version of hooded figures  standing in a room. I was fumbling in the dark hitting every button on the remote except the one that could change the channel. I wasn’t fast enough and the words/images made their way into my brain, officially creeping me out.

It took everything I had in me not to move Remy’s bed right next to the air mattress. I was thanking God for not only his protection, but for providing us with a Jack Russell who yaps and barks if he hears anything that sounds remotely like someone trying to come into his territory. Including shadowy figures, I presume. All in all, that was a fairly slow, relaxed week.

Then a whole bunch happened all at once. Josh came home on Friday. Yay! The movers called Saturday morning and said they were downstairs WITH OUR STUFF. Yay! OUR STUFF ARRIVED! The first boxes I unpacked were anything marked “kitchen.” I missed home cooked food so much. It was beautiful when I made that first meal. I could have wept with joy. The joy of cooking- I finally get that title now.

And just as our third week was about to get underway- da da  da da daaa !!! We had our first guest! Beau was in town due to a work related trip and we got to hang out with a family member! Then- ta da!!! Jeanne came the next day. We got to go out to MEALS with PEOPLE we KNEW. It was awesome. And we felt our first pride in our new town as we got to show it off.

The rest of that third week we were able to have a few more meals with Beau and Jeanine. Jeanine was even nice enough to spend a whole day helping me unpack and organize our new closet.  Josh started working at the Seattle branch and of course, loved it. I continued to unpack and organize. Which is pretty much how we spent the next two weeks. Josh going to work, me unpacking, cooking, (Hooray!) and exploring the area.

Then…this past week…the Heat Wave hit. The good people of Seattle don’t believe in installing air conditioning. “It’s so cool here, you’d only miss it a few weeks out of the year.” Well, this past week was one of those weeks. We’re on the fifth and top floor of our apartment complex and it was like an endurance test every day from about 11 am until 6 pm. Yesterday, which was a Sunday, Josh and I left the apartment to go for a long drive just to feel the AC in his car. By the evening, half the traffic lights were out in the city due to power outages as every store in the area cranked its AC up. The city is not prepared for hot times such as these.

A big part of the heat wave is the fact that despite my expectations, it’s barely rained here at all. The rainy months aren’t expected until October or so. I’ve been watching the weather reports like a hawk. And today, wonderful today, the predictions came true- it rained this morning and the temperature dropped into the low seventies. I am so happy I wanted to write and let everyone know. Everyone- I am so very comfortable right now.

So that’s about it. We really like our new city and all the parks here. We’ve met some amazingly nice and friendly people through the church.  All in all, it’s been a great month and we’re really close to being settled.

But we’re not ready for pictures of the apartment yet. They are coming. =)

Sadly, I had to leave Lauren in our as-yet unfurnished apartment for a week of training and orientation in Mountain View, CA. At the Seattle airport as I was boarding I noticed a guy wearing a bright yellow Google t-shirt, and hurried off to me seat in 18c. I was in the aisle, and next to me, in the dreaded middle seat, was a lady perhaps in her late 60s / early 70s. As I got my things in order and sat down, she gave a welcoming smile and friendly nod. Moments after buckling in, she began making a myriad of oddball comments about everything from the volume of the flight attendant voices, to “I wonder how many times that man has given the safety demonstration” kind of things. She was looking for laughs, not solely from me, but from any innocent passer-by. I meanwhile was looking for just a little quiet reading time before the crazy week began. The man to her left, near the window, was a bit more gracious to her conversation attempts and generally played along. That was until he got the 10,000 foot all-clear for electronics usage, as he whipped out his iPod headphones, turned up the volume and zoned out (we would never hear from him again). I was getting to that point myself as I fiddled with my iPhone, trying out a few new games only to realize that my neighbor-in-flight was committed to talking the entire way. No big deal, really — typically I try to talk with who’s seated next to me at least a little. I’m fascinated by the amount of travelers and what journey they’re on. I fully appreciated and enjoyed sitting next to her, although this was just one of those times I wanted to sit in quiet.

We talked. And we talked. Actually, she talked and she talked. Politely I’d ask a question here and there, but you get the idea. Eventually my reason for travel came up and I told her it was for work… “what kind of work are you in?” “Internet… Google. I work for Google.” Everyone’s got something to say about Google — makes for a really fun topic. So she told me everything she knew about Google. Friends of friends daughters that work there, stories of the same people who eventually left, etc. We quickly jumped back into discussing her art collection and her history of growing up in San Francisco — she’s lived in the city for close to 50 years now. She’s got a lot of art — we perused the in-flight magazine as she pointed out what she liked, didn’t like, the whole kit-n-caboodle. Overall it was time well-spent, just a bit different from what I’d pictured heading to the airport.

At some point just after we landed I reached for my phone and I must have made some off-hand remark along the lines of “Guess it’s about time I figure out how to get where I’m going.” Unbenowst to me she would made note of that. We said our goodbyes, nice-to-meet-yous and parted ways. Five minutes later, we’re all waiting for our baggage to roll up. She rushes to me out of nowhere as I’m on the phone, checking in with Lauren, and interrupts to happily tell me she found “another man on the plane that works for Google! He was wearing a yellow shirt and I asked him and well, he works at Google!” She scurries around the corner to get him, and up he walks with a slightly confused look on his face. “I thought you could get a ride with this man, perhaps! Maybe you can ride together wherever you’re going!” It actually was a pretty great idea, however he’d had his own arrangements and itinerary and I had my own and it just didn’t match up.

In the end, I ended up getting towncar service to the hotel and met a Googler in the process. Funny note: Our luggage was taking a little while to show up and fellow co-worker whispered to me that perhaps we should build Google Search for Baggage in our spare time. Har har har…

Yesterday we arrived and stayed in St. Louis, visited the Gateway Arch and tomorrow we’re headed to Buffalo, Wyoming. Tomorrow’s leg will probably be the most boring part of the trip, but the next day is promising with a visit to Devil’s Tower as well as our road-trip’s highlight: Yellowstone National Park!

We’re taking a lot of video thanks to our handy Flip camera…however it really isn’t the most exciting footage just yet. At this point it’s a bunch of interesting bridges, scenic crops, and Remy antics (and yes, he’s done just fine!). We’ll try and post one or two more times along our journey before we begin writing all about what’s going on in Seattle. :)