Reunited after 18 months from home

Oh hey parents! After 18 months away from home this week my parents turned up to Bruce and Candy's house to see us which was amazing and surreal at the same time. 18 months just seemed to dissolve away and it was like we've never been apart. This trip has been planned and talked about for so long that I couldn't quite believe it was actually happening. It was so lovely to introduce them to all the people they know about and they can now put some faces to the names. It took the girls all of a minute to take to them and be happy with them being in their home. Cassidy even drew them a picture at preschool which was pretty adorable. They just visited for one night this week on their way down south and will be back for more days next week. It was Nick's day off so he got to spend some time with them alone and even though they only went out for lunch in the end because it was raining I could tell he really enjoyed seeing them. It's a shame that because of the rain the mountains weren't visible during their visit but hopefully next week they will be able to see them. We've managed to put an extension lead through our bathroom window so at least they can use the heater in their van for the chilly mornings. We had a great evening together and it's absorbed any homesickness I had been feeling recently. My sister sent them over with a handmade card which both mum and I burst out laughing to in Candy's kitchen when we looked at it and soon realised it wasn't the best card to look at infront of children who then want to know what you're laughing at. Bruce and Candy also had a visit from their friend Josh this weekend so I spent a lot of time with him and the girls, exploring the farm and realising how daunting it is having to cook for a vegan for the first time. I put honey in something and soon realised honey comes from bees which are animals so had to question if this was okay. Turned out he's undecided on honey but didn't eat it anyway so I felt pretty bad about that. I did discover that most fruit and veg isn't actually vegan given the fact they have to bring in bees on trucks to the green houses to pollinate the plants so technically it's using animals in a farming kind of way. It seems like a tricky topic! I had an interesting experience on the highway where I had to pull over and slow down to allow a house to be driven down the road. I'm use to seeing huge silos or vats coming down the road but a whole house was a new thing and something I didn't really think happened anywhere but America! How naive I was! This week Eliza has learnt to say "cow". It's the most exciting thing ever when you live on a dairy farm and now we can't drive anywhere without her pointing out all the cows. Cassidy reacted to the praise that I gave Eliza for saying cow by saying "ask me if I can say cow Charlotte!" Oh the competitiveness of siblings!もっと詳しく