I think I was the last one up at 8 am. Coming back home is always filleed with excitement as we unpack boxes and rediscover things we haven't seen for months (or years, in this case).
First thing after breakfast, Ivy and Inga got their bikes out. We had to pump up the tires and adjust the seats. It's time for eveyrone to switch up one size of bike again. Eric also got the car started...it worked without even needing to charge the battery after he re-connected it! The tires needed some air but otherwise it was ok.
We had to help Inga get packed for a week-long camping trip with my parents. She went with me and Eric to our local Big Box Store (Wal-Mart) to buy various supplies. We also got a temporary sim card & a month plan because we have no working cell phones. Eric renewed his driver's license and we enjoyed the (lack of) American bureaucracy. No lines to speak of, great customer service, so easy to get things done. It helps that we live in a small town.
One thing that strikes us coming back is how empty everything feels compared to Nice. Compare our large grocery store or our Wal-Mart to one of the big Carrefours and it's night and day. Stores over here feel almost empty.
After lunch (watermelon plus white corn quesadillas with extra sharp cheddar, black beans, green salsa, and sour cream, tobasco sauce optional), Ivy and Inga finally got to go over and see our neighbors 2 doors down. They have 5 kids more or less the same ages as ours, plus younger. I went over too to say hi to the mom. She and I share a love of gardening.
I packed the final items for Inga and tried to get our new sim card working. After tons of calls to the cell carrier, it turns out that they had someone assigned our (brand new) sim card to an existing number and so it's not useable and they can't do anything about it! The best they could suggest was go back to the store where we bought it and see if they could give us a new sim card. This seems very odd.
Anyway, by mid-afternoon it was time to drive BACK to the airport to drop Inga off. My mom was flying in and then flying back on the same plane with Inga. I was feeling woozy by that point, so I medicated with caffeine and asked Zari to come along to keep me company. We made it there with no isses, met my mom at the security checkpoint and passed Inga off to her. They got to the gate just as their group was called to board. Perfect timing!
On the way home I turned on NPR (National Public Radio). I forgot how much I missed my daily NPR. I usually turn it on in the kitchen whenever I'm cooking or cleaning.
Eric helped me drop off our rental car once we came home, then we had a super-duper-American dinner: salad, cord on the cob, and bratwurst. Then...a bonefire! And Smores! We invited our neighbors over. As we were chatting around the fire, I started pulling a few weeds, then a few more, then a few more. It's so satisfying, I just can't help it.
Dio had spent the afternoon with friends and one of them stayed for dinner and Smores. He insists she's just a friend but she certainly acts like she likes him way more than just a friend.
So to summarize, here are all the all-American things of the day:
1. Riding bikes around the neighborhood
2. Wal-Mart (ugh)
3. Driving cars (ugh)
4. American customer service
5. American cell phone service (ugh)
6. Mexican American food (yum)
7. Watermelon (yum)
8. NPR
9. Corn on the cob (double yum)
10. Bratwurst (techincally German but hey who's counting)
11. Backyard bonfire
12. Smores
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