A million thank-yous to all the people who prayed for us (or sent us good karma :)), our airplane ride was seriously a bliss. Well... the beginning of the trip was quite dramatic, but everything went smoothly as soon as we'd left Denver.
For the dramatic part, Joshua threw up all over himself and his carseat 2 seconds before we arrived at the airport, so I had to change him on the curb. Then I noticed one of the stroller tire was flat, which made it super hard to push... I had planned on using the stroller as a cart to lug my 100lbs of carry-ons during our 1hr layover in DC but now it was going to be a pain. It took us forever to pass through security (the stroller didn't fit on the belt). We arrived at the gate as our section was boarding but I had to get a tag for the stroller so we didn't board right away. While getting the tag I asked if my stroller could be kept in the cabin so that I wouldn't have to wait for it in DC, the hostess said it was impossible but offered to check it all the way to Geneva. Given it was flat I figured it was probably best anyway. I also asked which terminal we'd land in and if it would be close to the terminal for our connection, the lady said it was a different terminal and I'd probably have to take a train in between but she wasn't sure.
By then I was pretty stressed out, picturing myself moving 2 kids and 100lbs of carry ons without a stroller from one terminal to another in one hour. Our section had finished boarding and we were among the last people to enter the plane. When the hostess saw all my carry ons, she said the cabin was full and offered to check my baggage in the luggage compartment for free! It made all the difference. When we arrived in DC I found out we didn't have to change terminals, we just had to walk from one end to the other. The boys had been angels on the 1st plane, they behaved perfectly in DC, boarded the 2nd plane and continued acting like model children. I received only compliments for their behavior, although they only slept about 2 hours in the total 15-16 hours of our trip.
Farewell creepy looking blue horse
hooked up to the iPods.
Chickenpox on the 1st plane
power nap on the 2nd plane
When we landed in Geneva it was 7:40am local time, 11:40pm Denver time. We were tired but relieved to be there on time. We went through immigration relatively easily and proceeded to baggage claim. I knew the baggage belt was before the gates so I'd have to unload my 450lbs of luggage off the belt by myself and carry it out. Gladly my parents and sister were just outside of the gates, they could not get in but I sent the boys through the gates to them. It took me 3 completely full carts to get the luggage past the gates and 2 cars to load it in, but we made it.
The boys quickly fell asleep in the car and there began my troubles recovering from jet-lag. They slept 6-7 hours in the middle of the day which threw them off for the next 2-3 days. It's all just a memory now, it's been 6 days now and we're all fully adjusted.
If you've been reading my blog for a little while you've probably noticed a not-so-subtle obsession for all things Boulder. It's been hard wrapping my mind around the fact I had to leave, even though I'd known from the time I moved there it would be a temporary stay. I started being nostalgic months before I even left. Boulder is such a unique place.
Lately I found myself saying the phrase "Only in Boulder" almost as often as I have to say "don't forget to flush" or "where are your pants", except without the exasperated tone.
Some of my favorite Boulder particularities include:
- Hearing people offer "Peace", "Namaste" and "Blessings" as a greeting,
- The Boulder 3 fashion styles: Hippie, Homeless, and Outdoorsy,
- Taking on yoga (though it didn't stick), fitness, running and gardening,
- Putting my blinkers on knowing the car behind me would let me go,
- Peace and Love, and Granola people,
- The street performers on Pearl Street,
- Learning the difference between marijuana and skunk smell (haha),
- Cars covered with bumper stickers like "Coexist", "Peace", "Diversity", "I'd rather be kajaking" or "my other car is a bike",
- Going sledding in the morning and playing in the sandbox in the afternoon,
- Eating vegetarian food that actually tastes good,
- Rock balancing art,
- Bike renting stations and bike paths,
- 70 year old Grandmas with 6 pack-abs sprinting on the creek path,
- Wind-power-generated organic burgers served on compostable dishes,
- The farmer's market,
- The hundreds of playgrounds,
- The creek path in my backyard,
- The Bolder Boulder, Boulder Creek Festival, Estes Park, Water World, sledding at Scott Carpenter park, Settlers Park, Celestial Seasoning, the Family Housing children's festival, Backpack camping in Ceran St Vrain,
- Meeting amazing friends from Japan, Korea, Ethiopia, Thailand, Hawai, Greece, China, Israel, The Netherlands, Norway, Iran, Poland, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, India, Oman, Sudan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Siberia, Russia, Spain, (France, the US and Switzerland too)... and I'm sure I'm forgetting some,
- Celebrating a frozen dead guy,
- Living surrounded with deer, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons,
- The flatirons
Rock Balancing in Boulder Creek
Bumper stickers, Subarus and street performers
The Flatirons
I wish I had pictures to describe the awesomeness of Boulder's eclectic fashion (or lack of fashion): the combo Crocs and Tie-Dye shirt, shorts and flip-flops in the snow, shorts and Uggs in the sun, henna tattoo, dreadlocks and body hair, long hair and a beard, fleece jacket from the North Face or Patagonia, yoga pants and Tevas or Keens, exercize clothes for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
And I could go on and on with all the things I love about Boulder. I really don't remember ever meeting an unpleasant person there (I'm sure I did though, but they were really an exception). Despite being a foreigner, I always felt completely accepted and enjoyed meeting and interacting with the population of friendly, open-minded people of Boulder.
A few weeks before we left, I took the boys to the ultimate Boulder style kid's concert. I can't even begin to describe how incredible Jeff and Paige are. Their goal is to educate children on how to care for Earth and the environment in an incredibly fun way. They are so talented, even William kept begging to go back to watch the Bee girl sing and see the bear in the mountain. First they took the kids on a hike up Chautauqua park, looking for the color of the week and the animal of the week in Nature, then they performed their show which included songs, dances and a dress up act.
William mesmerized by Jeff and Paige
Our Friends Elias and Sam were part of the party which contributed to the fun
Where else in the world would your kids dance to the words: "Spin around, like the cycle of a tree, Decompose, Nutri-grows, decompose, nutri-grows..."
Of course what I will miss most about Boulder are the amazing friends we made. We were really blessed to meet so many incredible people in our neighborhood and our ward. Living in a close-knit community like the Family Housing is seriously the best social experience I've had in my life and I'm so glad my boys benefitted from this cultural diversity and amazing social experience.
Meeting friends at the playground was a daily occurrence.
Clare, William and Josh playing superhero at the playground.
Jo, Clare and Elias
A week before we left, my friend Emily organized a farewell party for me. We had a girl's night in. We made cheese fondue, chocolate fondue and had a beauty station with nail polish and facials. It was wonderful!
Em and Erika
Melissa
The fondue pots
Cami and Em
With Sarah
Charlee, Jennifer and Amy
Melissa and Emily
Nichole and Erika
With Erika and Heidi
Super Em
With Deanna
With Emily
Emily, Deanna and Stacey
With Maria
With Amy
I was so touched to see so many wonderful friends come, and I can't help thinking about all the friends who have moved before me and I miss too. I'm so blessed to have had these incredible people in my life.
On Sunday, we said good-bye to our wonderful ward friends. I took pictures of Josh and William in their class.
Noah?, Ally, Jaycee, Sheryl, Josh and Benjamin
William, Mira, Lilly and Donovan
With the Raybacks
With Jennifer
Then Brother and Sister Gibson came to see how we were doing with the packing. Brother Gibson was untiring at playing little piggy with the boys.
Another afternoon with our friends, and a typical adventure of good guys, bad guys, guns, swords and laying on the ground dead.
Our last week there we had a farewell dinner with our neighbors from Ethiopia and ate "injara" for the first time. It was delicious.
And my friend and colleague Maggie planned a farewell dinner with our neighbors the night before we left.
Playing in the curtain
Jo and the gang
Maggie, Heidi, Sophia and Kevin
With Maggie
Me, Em, Nichole, Maria, Maggie and Maya
Heidi, Em, me, Nichole, Maria
With Gaby
With Jackie
Boulder and the Family Housing were really the experience of a life time. I can honestly say it is the place I've been the happiest and saddest in my life (so far). Interesting how these 2 often go together. I will be forever grateful to the amazing people I've met there for their support, their friendship and their examples of service and acceptance. See you later Boulder!
