It's a gorgeous day today. Nice reprieve from the wind and rain that we've been having.

The mother-in-law is in her new apartment. 

We had a large amount of wind and rain on Thursday and Friday. Of course her stuff arrived on Thursday.

I am surprised how much work it takes to setup even a small apartment.

By late Saturday morning, enough of her apartment with set up that we took a break. We took a walk around her neighborhood on her new scooter. The neighborhood is nice but older. Not all the sidewalks are scooter friendly. They are not hard to navigate around once you know the alternate route.

Hopefully the husband and I can now resume our normal life.

It's been a rainy and windy weekend.

We visited the mother-in-laws new place. Took a few things to it. Set up the wifi. The place is very nice. She is looking forward to moving in.

There is still no news on when her stuff will arrive. We are contemplating getting her a bed and a few other necessities so that she can move in before her stuff arrives. The retirement home covers her meals so she won't need much. This would let her meet her neighbors rather than hang around our place all day.

 

Last night we had dinner with C2, his step-brother and the mother-in-law. This was C2's idea. His step-brother is in town for a week and C2 was looking for ways to entertain him. 

The dinner turned out well. This was the first time I've met C2's step-brother so there was a bit of risk the dinner would be volatile

On the mother-in-law front-- she has sold her car and given up her drivers license. I feel a little sad that she has accepted that she is in decline. Of course her whole move to Seattle was driven by that fact. Giving up your mobility though, that's a big step.

Mother-in-law may be with us for the next two or three weeks. The mover in Sacramento told her that it would only take a week to transport her stuff. Now that she is Seattle, the Seattle branch of the mover has said it will take much longer. Frustrating for everyone.

The moving company has been hanging up on the mother-in-law when she calls. This may be because the mother-in-law has been calling and poking too often, too aggressively. It may also be because something is wrong with the mover. 

 > Congratulations, it is always good to have options :)

Yes. Now I have access to those fabulous "American Privileges" like jury duty, voting, and being able to be run for the House or Senate.

I've been a permanent resident for over twenty years. I'm married to an American. My career is in America. It was time to take the next step.

C2 has a security clearance. He thanked me for getting my citizenship as it's less paperwork for him-- he must report relationships with foreign nationals.

 

After two years, my citizenship has been approved! 

I don't yet know when I'll take the oath. Sometime in the next month I'll be mailed a card with a date.

I am home. C2 and I cleaned up the place and set up a room for the mother-in-law. 

The husband and the mother-in-law are about an hour away. They took two days to make the journey from Sacramento.

C2 is planning to stay at a friend's weekend-home while the mother-in-law is here. It's a cabin on an island that's about ninety minutes from Seattle. It will be a good base for him while he continues to house hunt.

Our trip is coming to end. We fly back Friday. 

We have had a great time exploring. Kauai is gorgeous. 

For the first time in years, I've spent more than an hour away from my cell phone.

Reality will return quickly once we are back in Seattle. Saturday, the husband will fly down to Sacramento to drive his mother up for her new life in the Pacific North West. She will stay with us until her stuff arrives from Sacramento.

C2, who is still crashing at our place, and I will need to work this out. If he can entertain a little old lady every day for a few hours, then he may be useful to have around.

There are many feral chickens here. They flock in the parks. They flock around picnic tables, around people eating outdoors. The super aggressive ones will hop up on your table and dash for your sandwich.

> Well, if I ever get to Hawaii, I will be doing all I can :)

Personal scheduling… the husband and I take opposite approaches. I like to keep my schedule clear with fewer commitments and plenty of downtime. I am comfortable winging it. Sometimes at the end of a trip, I will wish I did more, prepared more. 

The husband likes to fill his schedule up visiting the sites, exploring, driving around  towns, walking around neighborhoods, visiting old coworkers who happen to be in the same place, maybe stumbling on condos or hotels that look nice for future trips. He prefers a schedule thats full and predictable, with most of the problems thought through up front.  Sometimes in the middle of things he will exclaim that he is overcommitted and needs some downtime. 

We do balance each other. 

We are in Kauai, Hawaii for a week. It is wonderful here. When the husband asked me what I wanted to do here, I told him that I wanted to feel boredom. I haven't felt that in so long.

I was not on the approved list for the COVID booster. I was only scheduled to get a flu shot. While the nurse was reviewing my paperwork, I asked if I could also get a COVID booster. She looked over my vaccine card, a picture on my cell phone, then she said it was over six months since I've had my second vaccine and I could have a booster.

October--

Two years ago in October I left my big old job and started the hunt for someplace new.

Twenty years ago in October, I started this blog. 

So much has happened in twenty years. Hell-- so much has changed in two. There are a few constants. I've known the husband for most of that time. (Love you sweetie if you are reading this!) Most of my old friends are still my friends. Most everything else has been through the blender.

It makes me cautious about forward planning. The husband and I have been discussing retirement. We think we could do it in five or six years.  It sounds so easy-- keep working, save money, retire. The next five years probably won't be simple and straight forward though. Got only knows what twists and turns are on the road ahead.