home sweet home

So this week has been filled with craziness. On Monday we got word that we would be able to move into a great place. It's not so much an apartment but more like a town home. It's two stories and has a small courtyard with in a gate out front and an inclosed patio and work area in the back. The best thing about this place is that it's an end unit so there is a door that leads from the patio to a small yard on the side. Having grass of any sort in the city is a HUGE thing. The boys (and mama) are so excited that outside time can now be supervised from inside at times and much extended. We are even hoping to get Kirby a big boy bike for his birthday in May. This week has been full of ups and downs, the details of which are not important but none the less have shown us more and more that things are done so differently here. Ultimately everything has worked out and we feel like we are paying a fair price and are building a good relationship with our landlord.

There have been a few disappointments this week. Again, some aren't worth mentioning but one that still blows my mind is that today we went to buy the new couches I've been looking at for over a month and the store is gone. There are several furniture 'markets' here which are basically big buildings that have many smaller shops all filled with furniture. A friend helped me find some couches that were very close to American style (some things here would really make you wonder who in the world would ever buy it for their home), in the color I was looking for and at a reasonable price. Now that everything was settled with where we would be living I was ready to buy. We went over there this afternoon and walked into the shop thinking the owner had done some rearranging. When we asked for the lady that we had previously dealt with we found out she no longer owned the shop, or sold furniture for that matter. She had gone out of business. We combed the entire market looking for something similar or at least something that I liked just as well. Nothing. So now I'm back at square one for my dream living room. This has happened to several restaurants that we liked, one week they are open and the next it's a completely different type place or even just a junk hole. Tis the nature of business here.

So we have a new home and we are hoping to move in the next couple of weeks. I have a lot to do and am praying for the energy to get it done. No matter how much 'trouble' moving can be we really feel blessed to have this new home. Most of all I am glad we will have time to settle before we head to Thailand for baby time!