Where Should I Begin?

 Maybe I should begin where I left off.  

We left Alaska on June 4th.  Our belongings left a few days earlier with the anticipation of receiving them by the end of the month at the latest.  We enjoyed our summer in Ohio and New York.

The end of June came and went and we still didn't have our belongings.  We headed to Chicago to look for a house as that's where we would be for the next few years.  We found a house to rent in the suburb of Schaumburg, but still no truck. Constant calls with one excuse after another, we had no choice but to wait. 

Amelia got back to skating and since it was a new town, new house...why not a new passion.

She loves it.  She started a new school too and now loves that as well.

We enjoyed our first summer in the lower 48.

The middle of August, right when school began, eleven weeks after our belongings were picked up...we received a call from the movers that the truck was in Ohio.  Because of the trouble we had with the moving company we never changed the address as we figured we then would most certainly never see our belongings again, instead we would meet the truck in Ohio.  Rob rented a car and headed to Ohio, only to find our belongings water damaged, missing or broken.  He lifted all the boxes by himself as the company driver said their iPad to keep track of items was broken and they had no way to scan the boxes coming off the truck.  My husband tried to check each box but the hired help were too fast for him to keep track.  Amelia and I headed to Ohio to help him load the trailer to bring half our things and anticipated going back in a week or two for the rest. 

August 22nd we arrived home.  On August 24th in the early morning, Rob suffered a stroke.  Not a typical one..but from a torn artery at the back of his head, where the neurologists said was caused by the heavy lifting he had done.  They said it would hopefully just be a glitch in his life and he would be back to normal after he healed.  He was otherwise in perfect health...thank goodness.

It has been almost 4 months.  Three weeks in the hospital...6 weeks in rehabilitation to teach him to swallow, walk and see again.  He is almost back. Still a bit shaky when walking, still tired eyes and still just a hint of difficulty swallowing.  He had a tube in his stomach while he learned to swallow that was removed a few weeks ago.  He used a walker for a month until he was strong enough to not fall over.  

And I can only say...we will be better off because of this...I am certain.  I am thankful that what could have happened...didn't.  I am happy to have our family back together again.  Thankful for our new neighbors, who came to our aid and thankful for my niece, when I said we didn't need help...flew immediately to us and helped with Amelia.   I am indebted. 

It will be a very simple, special Christmas.  

I will post our first Halloween in Suburbia Chicago next.  Will catch up to current eventually!