What have we been doing all day?

You could be forgiven for thinking that in the last month we've somehow disappeared from the blogstratosphere

...the last weeks of our four month adventure have yet to be posted, and because I'm wanting to print off the blog as a record for the children, retrospective posts on our adventures in Spain will appear soon...

But for today I muse on coming home.

Hello Sunshine - on the beach in Samil, Vigo with our friend Pedro

We left Vigo, feeling much love, full of Spanish cuisine, with great tans and basking in sunshine to return home to what was (and most definitely felt like) the coldest day of the year.

Unpleasant.

Not recommended.

Jet lag took about two weeks to get over. We eventually all stopped going to bed at 5pm (for the kids) or 8pm (the MOTH and I) and waking up at 4am. (Except for Master T).

Tama's sleep may be disrupted by memories of the adorable Carmen

The MOTH and I both came down with colds, probably exacerbated by the stress of opening and dealing with four months worth of mail, two cars that needed attention and tentatively peering at bank statements that reminded us we will be paying for our adventure long after the tan has faded. The MOTH appeared in a somewhat controversial Listener article about Steiner education that sucked our time and focus for a bit.

Master T- turned two, two days after we got home. We had a wee party (jet lagged) - lovely.

We've started back at work. While I worked during most of the trip, the last three weeks of the adventure coincided with the university's mid-year break and a lull in the work flow. Vigo was an incredible holiday for us, a whirlwind of laughter, sunshine, too much food, late nights, friendship and amazing hospitality. Coming home has been an adjustment.

One of my best friends, her family and mine lunching by the river.

Our house had been 'unpacked' enough for house-sitters to live in (as we only moved in three weeks before our departure). On our return a week or so was spent locating winter woolies and other necessities... Master T was ready for his own bed. Rooms have been swapped, bunk beds built and we're slowly making this space home. After 23 different sleeping locations since March (26 since January), we've been somewhere long enough to start to feel  and find 'home' and  'normal'.

The children have rediscovered toys, enjoyed opening boxes that have arrived from our travels and talking with new friends on Skype.  We notice they're not too keen on going anywhere too far away (over an hour) and want to be at home, in their space; but are keen to reconnect with their NZ friends.

They talk about the things we've done on our adventure sometimes. Sometimes they talk about going back to see people. They identify younger versions of their overseas cousins and extended family - they know them.

We've concluded our hundreds of digital photos need sorting for general consumption.

Miss K turned eight last week. We had a party (not jet lagged) at a tea shop. She lost another tooth.

Things are the same. But things are different. It's nothing tangible, nothing you might immediately notice if you walked into the chaos we call our home and see or touch. Maybe you'd feel it. As a whanau (family) we are bonded in a way we weren't four months before. I feel we laugh more and shout less. We are grateful for where we've been, who we've met and how we've become. We are grateful for our friends, family and life at home.

Would we do it again?

OH YEAH!

Would we do it the same?

OH YEAH!

Mostly.

Does it stop here?

Nope... we'll watch as the weeks and years unfold the layers of experience our family have had. I'll continue to share our journeys and discoveries... and there's still that Spanish retrospective to come. So stay tuned (if you want to... especially if you want to know what these two are up to!)

Who knows the places we'll go? (thanks Dr. Seuss).