Hello, New Hampshire

So, we're here.  And we're actually mostly unpacked by now, too, which feels like a bit of a miracle.  Zach and I said good-bye to the kids and packed the cats into their carriers on Sunday morning, and headed off to the airport for our flight to Boston.  All went well, cats are amazingly low-maintenance travelers compared to energetic toddlers. We then picked up our rental car and drove the two hours north to our new home. We borrowed an inflatable mattress and sheets from a new friend a couple doors down and spent our first night in our new, empty home.

The truck holding all our belongings wasn't scheduled to arrive until Tuesday, so we had all of Monday to ourselves.  We picked up a few things at Walmart and a nearby supermarket, picked up the keys to our car, drove to Manchester to drop off the rental car, and explored downtown Hanover a bit (which didn't take long, it's very cute but very small).  At one point we were driving and it was raining lightly outside, and I noticed several people out walking. Not just one or two, but several individuals and small groups either on their way somewhere or just out for a stroll with their dog.  "But, it's raining!" I thought to myself. And then I realized how spoiled I am by California.  I suppose when you spend half the year covered in snow, you really can't let a little rain get in your way.

Tuesday morning our truck arrived at about 10am, and the real work began.  We hired three laborers to help us unload and they did an amazing job, especially considering that Tuesday was the hottest day that week-- I think it got up to 97 degrees and HUMID.  Keep in mind we have no a/c. It took about 5 hours to unload the truck, with the guys bringing things in from the truck and me mostly working inside to unwrap furniture and start putting things away so we'd have room for more boxes.  I soon started freaking out about how much stuff we had, and we clearly didn't have enough space (we downgraded a couple hundred square feet and lost our previous one-car garage space), and are we gonna need to rent a storage unit?!  We managed a few hours of unpacking after the truck was all done, went out to grab a bite to eat, came back to put the kids/ beds together (an interesting feat since we didn't have instructions anymore so had to do it from memory-- we did pretty well, actually, only had to backtrack once), and collapsed into bed.

We spent most of Wednesday furiously unpacking, taking a break in the afternoon for trips to Home Depot and the Hanover farmers market and then more unpacking after.  Mom, Philip, and the boys were supposed to fly in that evening, but thanks to massive storms their flight from Maryland got cancelled, so they ended up spending Thursday driving all the way up here (something like 11 hours??).  They claim it was actually a fun time, and it gave us another day to get the house ready, so I guess in the end it was kind of a positive?  But still a wee bit stressful for a time there.

So by Thursday night we had unpacked almost everything-- we still have a handful of boxes here and there to go through, and some have been packed into closets because we don't have space or need for their contents yet. But I am VERY pleased at how much we have done, and how much we managed to make fit-- I was convinced we'd need a storage unit at first, and now I think we'll be fine without.  Even the kitchen that seemed so small proved to be surprisingly efficient space-wise.  Since we don't have a garage, there's a bunch of outdoor stuff just sitting on our porch right now (bikes, wagon, riding toys, etc) which is what everyone else seems to do, as well, though I don't know what happens once winter comes.  BUT yeah so far so good. And everyone arrived safe and sound Thursday evening, and the boys love the house-- D said it is his favorite house in the whole world.

 Zach on our porch. 

And the porch itself, filled with crap (it looks a *bit* better now). Views around Sachem Village (I have owned my camera for 5 years and apparently have yet to learn how to hold the damn thing straight. Or how to take the time to crop them level. #lazy) Briefly exploring the trails behind Sachem.
 Stumbled upon a doggy playdate in the fields on the other side (the owners were there, too).

We've met a few people here already, some of whom we first met at ASW in April. A lot of people are gone right now (most first-year Tuck students aren't here yet, and second-years are away on their summer internships) but many of the T'13 partners/wives are around, along with a few families from the engineering and medical school.  More people should be arriving over the next month or so.  

We have these next few weeks pretty free for getting settled in and exploring the area. Then in August Zach has a trip with other first-year students, and then orientation, and then Fall A starts the first week of September!