HHE

Last weekend our HHE (Household Effects) arrived, technical government speak for "our stuff." Ours came in the form of about 3,000 lbs of things that make our home look like our home. Packed like Tetris cubes on a big truck that spent the previous night, broken down, in the middle of God-Knows-Where, Brazil, guarded by a nice driver, who (as my wild imagination had decided) spent the evening beating off natives in grass skirts and banana leaves from making off with my children's toys and my beloved food processor.

We were excited when this (fully intact, un-ravaged) semi truck arrived in front of our house a whole five minutes ahead of schedule last Monday morning.

Ok very excited.

To be polite (with crow-bar and lock snapper in hand) we were asked by the driver if we possessed the key to the shipping container (that we can only imagine was last seen in Storageville, MD or a sweltering port in Miami months earlier.) We exchanged glances, despite the already snapping lock, that may have read a little like, me to Paul: "Somebody better have that effing key or I'm driving to Rio!" and Paul to me: "I know you are already halfway to Rio Hewie, don't make a scene, they will get it open." Snap! With a unnervingly quick and casual swiftness, lock pieces scattered the pavement in front of our house and our things were unveiled........almost.

We rejoyced,

Took pictures of our new friends and house-guests for the day,

and watched as each and every box we saw packed up that last, rainy and emotion-filled, Florida day was unloaded off the truck and stacked in our foyer in Brazil. Nearly a year ago, without knowledge of where or when we may see these things again, Sam soaked up precious last moments with Nanny, Peter, just 6 weeks old was strapped to my chest as Paul and I bid farewell to our home. Last Monday we were reunited again with it all. Together.

The boys discovered spots among the boxes just as I remembered doing as a kid on moving day and Sam anxiously (and obsessively) asked which boxes were his as they piled higher and higher.

I baked banana bread, served coffee and kept water glasses filled all through-out the morning for the movers, while Paul checked in each of our 300+ boxes and our maid (God love her) washed all ten thousand pieces of kitchen-ware and began to put things away. Sam unearthed legos and dump trucks and Peter took his last nap in the pack and play and excitedly said goodbye to it and hello to his crib after a three month stretch.....and stretch he did, he had nearly outgrown the playpen and had to either curl up or sleep diagonally after we sent the wobbly,embassy drop-side crib packing.

With beds put together and things beginning to fall into place we are feeling more settled.

What was the thing you were most excited to receive you ask? Truly the most important thing we received after a year without our things:

An appreciation for the fact that these things are not even the slightest part of what makes our home feel like home. Instead the fact that we are, wherever we go, always together, that does.