The Return - Tracking a group

Here the children are watching a movie we just purchased - Indian in the Cupboard.
Note the bright orange T-shirts? That is how we are able to quickly work out where each of the children are located.
I am in my Bright Yellow T-shirt as I wore on our initial trip to the US (shown here). The common bright colours make it very easy to quickly spot members of our party. It also attracts some comments from onlookers as they see four large carts filled with luggage, surrounded by children all wearing bright orange T shirts.
We picked up these shirts at the Scott Hogsed Memorial day figuring that "Hunter Orange" would make a great colour for our trip.

The Return - still waiting

Rose is probably the hardest to keep amused during a long wait. Lana decided to go walkabout (*) with Rose strapped into the backpack.
As you can see here, Lana is trying to appear imperious and aloof, but I think Rose is spoiling the effect somewhat.

(*) Walkabout is an Australian term derived from the Australian Aborigines for a period of time when an aboriginal goes off and wanders the bush and no-one knows when they will return. It is commonly used to refer to someone who goes off without warning and for when the return is unknown.

The Return - Clare succumbs

Clare finally stopped. She awoke at 4:00am after getting to bed the previous night just after 10:00pm. She remained awake on the plane and was awake and alert for a while here.
But once Eric began to read tales from Brer Rabbit, Clare slowed down and stopped.
A couple of hours so far.
We still have 8 hours before we depart.
Hmmm. We have played games, read books, had lunch and gone walkies.
Waiting ... waiting...

The Return - Not all bad news

It was not all bad news so far. In spite of the delays and problems there were many good luck bits.
When we finally had all the luggage and family at Atlanta airport and made it to the check-in desk, there was NO LINE. We got straight to the assistant. Whilst I was doing weight training with the bags, there was a very long line placing the bags through the X Ray unit.
Once the bags were all checked, the X Ray line was clear too! We got straight to the X Ray unit and unloaded the bags - more weight lifting. Total checked bag weight - 886 pounds or 403kg.
So far I have lifted these into the car (Ward got them out), into the shuttle, out of the shuttle on and off check-in, off at X-Ray, off the carousel. So 7 times 886 pounds means a lot of weight training within a short time.
This photo is of our 5 luggage "smarte carte"s gathered around me at Check in.

The Return - Lots of Bags

With Ward's help we were able to cram all of our luggage onto two of the hotel's luggage movers and with some judicious moving, huffing and puffing got them through the door. This photo shows they only just fit into the room. We put them both into the lower room, where the girls would sleep.
To get to the bed furthest from the door, Lana had to squeeze past between the bags and the wall and climb over the first bed.
We went to the room on the fourth floor and watched a DVD on my computer, whilst the boys made some Lego which they had been given as a present. From the time our friend Jane had given the boys some Lego for the trip, James and Eric asked, "Can I play with Lego now?" - in the car, on the plane, anywhere.

The Return - Eric's Soccer farewell

Soccer season began a few weeks ago and we knew we would be unable to participate. Then one of the coaches rang up (*) and asked if Eric could play. We said we were returning home soon, but they said that was fine.
So Eric was able to join in the training sessions and played three games.
On the last game his team gave him a T shirt signed by all of the players and the coach so he could remember his soccer playing in Georgia.

(*) We say "rang up" whilst locals normally say "called".

The Return - Stage 3

Well, here we are at San Francisco airport.
The hotel service didn't improve after the room stuff up. We arranged with the reception for 2 shuttles at 5:00am. They said they would organise it. I rang again at 10:00 to confirm it and they called Lana back at 10:25 that it was OK.
So, sure enough, only one was there at 5:00am. And the "On the go" breakfast bags which they said would be ready weren't. Hopeless!
Anyway with only one shuttle we had to make the trip to the Airport in two trips. The plane which originally was scheduled to depart at 8:00am was now 7:00am which I only discovered by calling United about 2 days ago!
We found our way to checkin and had to play with some bag contents to keep the weights below 70 pounds. Then it was time for security with lots of carry on luggage. Rose had to be detached from the back pack, all shoes off, and - other than Rose and me - the rest had to have additional screening. No profiling donchaknow? Clare certainly shows terrorist potential.
The method of choosing a special screening target is simple. Irregular travellers, one way ticket, foreign passport. 3 out of 3 and you win a special screening.
As the stopover in San Francisco is over 4 hours, our bags couldn't be checked through to Sydney. This means we had to get the bags in San Francisco and then check them in again at the International terminal.
We got to the Terminal (furthest away of course) and went to our seats at the very rear of the plane. There was no space nearby for our carry on luggage, so some was under feet, the stewards placed bags all over the cabin and one went with the checked in luggage.
Once we finally made San Francisco and I had more weight lifting at the carousel, we went towards the International terminal. New rules mean we can't check in greater than 4 hours before the flight so we were stuck with lots of baggage. We had planned on hiring a car and looking around town, but that was now out. So we are limited to the airport.
Other than that, all is going well. The children are all in good spirits.
By the time we board the plane, we will have been up 21 hours. The children should sleep once we board!

The Return - Stage 2

Today is the stage we move from home to the hotel near Atlanta Airport.
After a tearful farewell to David F and his family we went to Church with two cars - one full of luggage, the other full of family. Lana was still pretty tearful and parishioners we met going in didn't help.
In Church Lana had red eyes and the lady in charge of the choir passed over some tissues. Lana decided to take Rose to the Crying room - for both of them.
Ariel, Eric and James brought up the offertory procession and Lana came back in towards the end. Just prior to the end of Mass, Father Wise announced that this was the last Mass in the US the Bruggemans would be attending before they returned to Australia where they all speak funny. (His sermon included the lesson not to look down on others for any reason - including speaking differently)
He had us all come up to the front and had the congregation join him in giving us a blessing for the journey.
During his announcements Father reminded the congregation that as the Bruggemans were leaving, there were a few holes that needed to be filled - youth choir, altar server, Sunday school and so on.
There were many hugs and tears as we said farewell to lots of people. We had to return home to pick up a few things we forgot - principally some bright orange T shirts for all the children to wear tomorrow!
Then it was meeting Ward and Bretta who would take us down and return home with the cars.
I had booked the hotel some time ago, asking for two adjacent rooms with two beds each. We ended up with a room on the 2nd floor and another on the 4th. So much for speaking to the hotel directly! Now one has all the luggage and the girls and the boys are in the other.
So we went to the lobby and had pizza there. Much more room for the children to run around. Tomorrow we awake at 4:00am, for a 5:00am shuttle trip for a 7:00am flight to San Francisco.

The Return - Stage 1 - Reality hits

We have been so busy that the reality we will be leaving behind our home of over two years has been delayed. An important part of any big move is to prepare both physically and spiritually, so we went to Confession on Saturday afternoon.
Whilst Lana was saying prayers in the Church, all was quiet and she had a time to stop and think. Looking around at our Church home and smelling the familiar smell Lana started to cry. As I came in to say prayers I looked over and immediately wondered what I had done wrong. Ladies - this is always a husband's first thought!
Lana reminisced on the kindness and friendship we have received from all the people at our Church and the way we were made to feel at home so quickly, she realised this was about to change.
As we left the Church, one of the ladies from church saw Lana and gave her a hug and began to cry too! Her husband gave me a hug and they both said they were going to miss our family. We normally sit at the front of the Church so the children can see what is going on and not be too distracted. The downside is that they are on show - for better or worse - and a lot of people that see us are gone before we meet them.
One family shook my hand earlier in the week and said they would miss our family from Church. They saw us each week but I don't think we had actually been introduced!

The Return - Stage 1

With such a big process involved in moving house across countries, we have planned it all in stages. We are limited to 14 bags plus some on board baggage. Although we came here with 9 bags we have accumulated a bit of "really cool stuff". So we had to sort through EVERYTHING, deciding what was to stay and what was to go. Our friends purchased a large portion of the best furniture and equipment and we had a less than successful garage sale for the rest.
We gave away the rest. Our friends had a bonus of much of it and the Thrift stores (called Opportunity shops in Australia) had a huge bonus of clothing.
Friday night was our last night in our beds. I couldn't sleep thinking about what needed to be done so got up at 3:00am and cleaned up my home office, the kitchen and lounge room. It was worth the effort when Lana awoke and gave me a sleepy smile!
Once everyone was up we started packing the beds. I couldn't detach the bed head/head board as we had already given away our tools! Luckily Donald - the first of our friends to arrive - had a set.
By the afternoon all of upstairs and most of the house was done, we only had to pack the last 4 bags. Aaargh! A massive cull was required. Another of our friends, David F, was on hand and we kept giving him more treasures as a gift. Finally we did what we could. It was only stuff. The critical bits were all loaded, but it was a lot of bags. I'll post a photo later.
We stayed overnight at David F's home. We met David F when Ariel and I visited the US in July 2002 on our exploratory visit. Our host stopped by the city park and mentioned that she noticed a homeschooling Dad at the playground so we stopped. Whilst Ariel played we talked and had an enjoyable time discussing faith, life and the universe. This was the only time David F had actually been at the park on his own. Coincidence or Providence? You decide.
After a lovely dinner, the children played, I fixed up David F's computer and then we all finally slept our last night in our US home town.

The Squirrel sees us off

This morning we awoke to a surprise. A local squirrel was enjoying itself on our balcony.
For the last two years they have hidden and run from us. Now that we are going they have become used to the noise and are less afraid.
Now they'll have to get used to the quiet again!

Stuck on Stupid

Lt General Russel Honore is assisting with the evacuation of New Orleans in prepapration for Hurricane Katrina. He is very straight talking and his honest discussions with reporters has led to a new catch phrase which is rapidly spreading through the world:

Don't get stuck on stupid

Here is the transcript of the interview and an mp3 of the audio:
http://www.radioblogger.com/#00100

Clare's special day

Yesterday we had quite a busy day. Clare was playing outside and Lana heard a scream. She saw Clare crying and blood everywhere. She had fallen with the rope catching her teeth, ripping them at 45 degree angles. One popped right off when Lana checked. I arrived home about 5 minutes later and we quickly rushed to the local Dentist. Dr Ronnie Dyer in Blairsville was excellent. He quickly analysed the situation and arranged for us to visit the dental sirgeon in Blue Ridge (about an hour away). As they sent us on our way they said, "No charge for today." His practice has always provided us with good service.
After going through the paperwork, xrays, preparation and finally the operation to remove the remaining two teeth, we finally returned home about 5 hours later. Luckily there was no lasting damage to the gums or jaw. The permanent teeth are there waiting to come down - probably in about a year or two.
Whilst Lana and I took care of Clare, friends picked up the children and took them to their house.
Clare was already in good spirits in the early evening and she is running around and happy as usual today. Children's ability to recover from injury is a very good design feature! Other than a slight lisp she has recovered amazingly well.

I had Clare tell me what happened which I have transcribed below. It is interesting that the highlights of her dental surgeon visit are the toy box and the videos in the waiting room.

This is Clare's story:
I was on the ropes and I banged my teeth. The ropes you sit on - I fell to there.
Mum broke one of my tooth out. Dad came home and took me with you and Mum to the dentist. They checked my teeth and we had to go to the other dentist.
We watched a movie when we were waiting. We watched two! Then we went in and checked how tall I was - 40 pounds. I had an exxed ray around my head. The lady got the toy box out and I got stuff from it.
Mum and you took me to a chair and they put a thing on my big toe [monitor] and a thing on my nose. [Nitrous Oxide/Laughing gas]. Mum and Dad had to go out. I felt not very good. When they got my teeth out it made my neck hurt. I told them some stuff about Australia. The lady wanted to come with us to Australia. But we're going to have to go in a plane.
They put some cross-stitch stuff in my mouth [gauze to absorb the bleeding]. I didn't want it in. We then went to the Floyds.

Why we don't watch TV news

We don't watch television and especially avoid TV news. The bias is one aspect, but also the lack of depth and logical analysis is another.
The Belmont Club is a fine analysis blog and this post links to a good video showing how news is manufactured.
Go to that post and download the wmv file (Warning! It is a large file). Watch it with the children and discuss the role of media and how to be aware that what one sees is not necessarily the full picture.

International Talk like a pirate day

Just to show that there is an International Day for everything, Today, September 19, is International "Talk like a Pirate Day".
This site has instructions for talking like a pirate, generating your own pirate name, downloading a pirate song.
So Arrr, me mateys. 'Ave a look, arrr.

Fast-ish food

In Australia we were used to "Fast Food" being relatively instant. One orders the food, it is assembled into bags and given to you. But it is different here.
One places an order and then it is slowly assembled from core ingredients. You are given a cup/s to fill whilst waiting, get to drink and refill it whilst you wonder what is taking so long and then finally the food arrives.
Tonight we first went to Burger King. We never use the drive through as our accent combined with yelling into a poorly placed speaker guarantees a randomly generated order. The problem with going to the main counter is that drive through customers take priority. There was a lady in front of us, then Lana and I. After a couple of minutes of both of us being ignored I commented loudly, "It looks as though we aren't necessary here. Do you think we should reward poor service?" Lana dutifully replied, "No. They don't want customers, so we should do as they wish." So we left. As did the lady in front of us.
Across the street is McDonalds. At least they served us quickly and gave us the cup to fill. Around the corner the ceiling was dripping water with a sign "Caution. Cleaning in progress" No staff were actually cleaning and the floor was dangerously wet. Customers were expected to duck between drips to get to the drink machine. Lana went to the car to pass the drink around whilst I waited. The six or so staff did their very best to ignore me and any other customer not immediately threatening to order anything or ask a question.
So, what are some of the service rules broken between both establishments?
Burger King:
1. Allowing customers to come into the store and be ignored.
2. Letting customers escape and not even noticing.
McDonalds:
3. Avoiding eye contact and not smiling when dealing with a customer.
4. Allowing a dangerous situation (wet floor) to exist with no action.
5. Standing around chatting between any direct customer contact.
6. Ignoring the customer whilst the orders are delayed, not informing him of the order status.
7. Announcing the completion of an order by looking at random customers and saying "Deluxe Grilled Chicken?" I suspect the answer of, "No. I usually go by the name David." wouldn't be understood.
8. Finally delivering a delayed order, avoiding eye contact or a smile, just handing over the bags.
All in all an important lesson for the children in how NOT to provide customer service.
I remember service at home was better than this. We'll let you know in a couple of weeks.

Family vows

As we prepare for another stressful time, especially for the children, in relocating back to Australia, we say farewell to all of our American friends who have been so welcoming and returning to our family and friends in Australia. It has been over two years and the younger children have fading memories of life in Australia and the friends they had. They are understandably nervous and this leads to irritations and fretfulness, some tiredness and feelings of being lost.

It's not hard to forget wedding vows when everything is easy. For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, till death do us part. The covenant we made as husband and wife with God and many others as witnesses often fades into the background. But when things start getting difficult or stressful it is time to return to those vows and work out their meaning.

I realised that each of the conditions of the vows (for better, for worse, etc) all relate to the external or physical side of the husband and wife. Despite changes in any of the externals (other than death) we remain married. This permanence or durability also includes our children. We also need to consider our family structure.

We're not an informal democracy with president, vice president and citizens.
We're not a monarchy with King, Queen and subjects.
We're not communism with communal property and no individual rights.
We're a family.
This involves more than a contract - it is a covenant, or a family bond.

This is a big difference. It means that whatever happens, wherever we live, our family remains. We each have a commitment to be part of the family and contribute according to our abilities. The result is that even though stress levels rise, there is a constant base from which to work.

Our children have noticed this view isn't universally acknowledged in some of their conversations with others. Whereby the children would normally describe their doings as "We did this" or "We do that" others more often say "I did this" or "I do that". This is not to say each child doesn't think of themselves or act as an individual. They just have an innate sense of belonging that only a family can give.

I never contemplated this family bond when Lana and I married almost 16 years ago. It is hard to image how a family operates, especially if you have never considered the matter. We have only come to realise this as the children are growing and asking the questions we should have considered a long time ago.

Always growing - always learning.

Home is getting ready

Whilst the Australian house is vacant before we return, we have organised to repaint. The best time is when no-one is actually in the house!

This is one of the lads who is doing the painting. His homeschooling family do a lot of work building, fixing, painting, plastering, and almost anything that needs doing around a house. Other than repainting, they also installed a number of gates - Rose defences. They have a lot of work helping out homeschoolers around the country. They charge a fair price and do great work.

Over two years ago we completed the house using their assistance - finishing the garage, installing gyprock/drywall ceilings on the old part of the house, back deck and awning, front porch, and lots more.

And then we left the country.

Not much of a garage sale

What if you had a garage sale and nobody came? It couldn't really be called a "sale" I suppose. This is the main table, with more items to the side and inside the house too.
As part of our move back to Australia we have had to sell almost everything we have here. Most of the larger things we have managed to sell to our friends who have appreciated the opportunity to get some good items at a good price. It's as if we just rented the furniture and equipment and returned them!
We decided to have a garage/yard/household sale but nobody actually came. So we will chat with the fellow from church organising the housing for lots of Hurricane Katrina refugees in the local area and see if he needs all these essentials.

My Favourite Library

These two young ladies were the friendly people meeting us on our first visit to the local library. And they have continued smiling and being helpful for the two years we have been visiting the library and borrowing a mountain of books.
The library here is a treasure trove of quality books - not just contemporary rubbish, but a marvellous collection of living history books. There are hundreds of books detailing historical events written in the first person easily read and enjoyed by all ages.
Ariel has read about the journey across the US by Lewis and Clark from the point of view of Lewis, Clark and the Indian girl (whose name I can't pronounce) in three seperate books. We all read about Captain Cook discovering Australia - He was actually a lieutenant at the time and he didn't discover Australia, but he did think it worth claiming for England.
Homeschoolers are frequent users of libraries, not just for a school project, but more for the opportunity of reading new books and discovering new worlds of adventure. We are going to miss the breadth and variety of our local library and the helpful staff who have made our visits so much easier. The children have been encouraged to just go up and ask for any type of book. The librarians eagerly assist the children and help them through the search process. On our first visit they took the time to give us a tour of the library and show us how all the different sections were organised and how their systems worked. Somehow they knew we weren't from around here. :-)
It is always a joy to visit.