April 2011 / TEXAS SARAH

Little by little, Gui and I emptied out our small, French apartment, selling, packing and shipping everything we'd accumulated over these past 3 years in preparation for the big move. It's a little crazy sorting all of our belongings into "take" and "leave behind" piles, but a lot of the stuff that had been taking up precious (and expensive) space in our closet or under the bed should have been sorted through long ago. We managed to whittle our lives down into four suitcases and 350 kg of stuff in 20 boxes that's (hopefully) going to arrive in Austin soon. It's hard to believe that we had so much stuff to take back, especially since we're not bringing any furniture, but I guess that's what happens when you add four seasons of clothes for two people plus the minimum kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and sentimental items.

During our last week in France, we made the tour de Paris saying goodbye to friends and family who made our life in France so special. Shakespeare's Juliet couldn't have said it better - parting is indeed such sweet sorrow.

And, now, we're here! Although we anticipated many airport complications, the ride over was totally smooth (we've certainly become experts at packing exactly 23 kilos into each suitcase). Now, we're settling into our temporary digs, sorting out a car, bikes, bills and taxes, (re-)learning about our new neighborhood, seeing friends & family, and trying to breathe. Our big shipment hasn't arrived yet, but last we heard, it will be arriving on the flight from Paris to Houston today and if we're lucky, we'll have it delivered sometime this week. It'll be good to see some familiar items from our previous home which, sadly, already seems like a lifetime away.

We've been stocking up on the home essentials at Target, and we did our first grocery shop at Central Market yesterday. So. Many. Choices! It's still a little odd to be on our own again, not living out of suitcases, but we're staying excited about what's ahead and looking forward to more exploring once the dust settles in a week or two.

Besides a few, expected bumps in the road, all is going according to plan so far, and we're hoping it continues while we start our job searches in earnest. There is so much to consider, but being back in "weird" Austin is giving us both the energy and inspiration that was lacking before. Can't wait to share the adventures ahead!