Ten Feet

It seems we're all jumping in with both feet into our old lives here in the States.  I had envisioned a much quieter first few weeks back.  But, we arrived just at the beginning of the library summer reading program (guess who finished his chart in the first week and already claimed his prize).  Our library is one of the things we missed the most....especially with an avid young reader in our family.  And our library has an awesome summer reading program that goes way beyond a reading chart and t shirt.  We have prizes, cool prizes to choose from and activities galore (Marionette puppet show!  Lego building!  Lots of arts and crafts!).  We're having a hard time letting them pass without attending.

And unexpectedly our church is having a Vacation Bible School this week.  We'd seen some signs for VBS around town when we first got back, and my children have attended protestant VBS in the past and loved it.  At this age, the Jesus loves you and you should praise Him message is really all the same.  But it just seemed like more than we needed to take on this second week back.  Trust me, we could spend every morning grocery shopping and I'd still find things I need to restock in my kitchen. 

But when DaddyHealy came home from work with news that our own church was having a VBS, it just seemed like a good idea....getting involved in our own church, meeting future CCD classmates, getting reacquainted with the very involved grown-ups from our parish....And so we registered, and I (with H in tow) volunteered.  And so, our planned slow and quiet easing back into American culture has turned into something quite different.  But so worth it.  There is definitely something special about a Catholic VBS program.  They are walking through the sacraments, having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament explained at a junior level, exploring the lives of saints, and going to mass.  And that all comes with the expected singing, dancing, arts and crafts, Bible verses, snacks and fun and games of VBS.  What a bonus!  And I've enjoyed helping, sneaking in visits with old friends in between.  H, my tag along, has been surprisingly social and won the hearts of the kitchen staff, among others.  She also thinks she's big, and knows the song and dance routine as well as many of the VBSers.

I expected some parts of readjusting to be more difficult than they ended up being.  We're so used to hiring services (I realize I am going to have to clean the bathroom one of these days), but DaddyHelay spent the better part of Saturday (seemingly enjoying) working on the house and yard.  Maybe there is motivation and pride in it because it's our own.  But it was a beautiful day and he maximized it.  And I'm glad it was something he enjoyed.  He will have the hardest adjustment of us all.  He's still manager of his Brazilian team of employees for a few more months, but has a new job assignment here Stateside.  I heard him say he's not doing the jobs 50/50, it's more like 80/80.  You can imagine he's putting in a lot of hours keeping up with things down south and learning all he needs to know about what is going on here.  But he's a hard worker, and he makes each of his hours in the office count.  We're proud that we have such a talented and hardworking Daddy.  He has given our family so many amazing opportunities (like living abroad!), not to mention being a wonderful example of work ethic.  We're looking forward to helping him relax and enjoy his day this Sunday...that is after he finished singing with the choir at mass, since he's already been recruited back!