full circle.

it's official. from 10 east shadowpoint circle to 7 pastoral pond circle, the kauer family is returning to the woodlands. somewhat bittersweet but in the end, for the best. i'm going to miss calling europe "home" as i have for the past 4 years. fortunately we'll have one last hurrah this may, with 2 weeks of family travels planned - from the homebase of prague, to the streets of vienna, back through nurnberg, with a final stop in krakow. whew - can't wait! but as soon as we say adieu, the boxes will emerge and mom, dad and bro will be packing up once again...

returning to a place with over 10 years of memories and where eager family await with open arms. but oh has it been quite the process. with the potential of having the grandparents move in and creating the new central hub for all things family, let's just say everyone has had an opinion on the matter. ;) stephen and i even went on some initial house hunting trips back in december, which was very fun. sticker shock is definitely relative when it comes to real estate and by our dc market standards, everything in texas was a steal. tempting, very tempting, but then again...na.

in other respects, the move back is a little surreal. so much has changed yet not. a lot of life happens in a 6 year period, especially when it involves multiple moves to foreign places (stateside and abroad!). horizons are broadened, wings are stretched, life is experienced from a fresh perspective. everything is new, which makes returning, well, a bit anti-climatic. sure, it's comfortable but there is an innate concern of claustrophobia. homogeneous surroundings, mindsets, expectations, ambitions...not much to pull you out but rather a push to settle. to nest. to dwell. definitely not bad but different than what has been asked of recent. as with any transition from one phase to another, adjustments are needed.

which speaking of, there is one adjustment that won't be much of adjustment at all. everyone knows plain well the republic of texas is all about wide open spaces, and i guess after years of having had to deal with small-scale commodities of europe, my parents embraced the space....an estate-size worth. that's right folks - 6,300 square feet of house on 57,000 square feet of land. ha! but it will give them room to breathe, to grow and to be. or at least it better. with 5 adults living under one roof, you know they're going to need it!

anyway, i'm planning a trip for a week or so in early-mid july to help mom with the interior (uggh, wallpaper stripping), dad with the exterior (landscaping, lots of landscaping) and david with the driving (16 this june! eek!). all the while sweating my guts out in the infamous texas sun. but you know i'm looking forward to every bit of it!!! ah, the memories - those already made and those yet to be.

welcome home - life has come full circle.