Very First LFA

Well we are here and trying to get sorted so I'll detail just what it took and what we need to do yet.

We am still sorting out the phone, everything here is dependent on you having a social security number, which we havent't got yet. So everybody, apart from the gas, wants a deposit. Paying the deposit is not as easy as you'd think so we will have to pay at a place in Falls Church, which we can't do until Saturday, (I'm not asking Yvonne to go by herself). So phone will not be connected until next week at the earliest.

Anyway, last week for me was a bit frenetic, spent all of Mon, Tue and Wed sorting out the furniure and unfortunately it couldn't be delivered until the Saturday morning, so when Yvonne and the boys arrived they were told, "we can't move in yet, so its off to the hotel". No problem as it gave them a chance to relax a bit after the flight.

Here's what we did each day since then.

Friday - Take cab to house with wardrobes, (sorry suitcases). Yvonne and boys impressed, (thank god for that). Hire a car and register Josh at school. Arrange to register Luke on Monday. Back to hotel and tea. Wonderful warm day so we walked up into Reston town centre to show the boys the ice rink.

Saturday - Check out of hotel, oops too early, so shop across road in Target store. Back to hotel to check out then over to Falls Church ready for furniture arriving. 1.00pm it arrives and it's ok. Not what we'd buy but at least it's modern and comfy and new so it goes with the house. Then its off to Tysons Corner Mall to get bedding and other bits and pieces. Leave at 9:30 and the place was still packed! Back to house and bed, (we're exhausted).

Sunday - Bit of shopping at Safeway to get food and then back over to Reston to try out YMCA gym and pool and then attempt to find Ikea at which we fail miserably. Everybody p....d off as we return and arrange with Mike and Megan, (friends since first visit to US who live a mile or so away), to come and see the house plus we go and get Lee, (another Brit Noblestar guy who is about 3 miles away), so he can too. We all have pizza from Papa Johns as "it's better than Pizza Hut" said everybody else and funnily enough, they're right.

Monday - Go to Reston for me to have meeting in old office, Yvonne drives herself and boys to Target to get some plates and cutlery. Yvonne then picks me up and we go to Lukes school to register him. Arrange for him to start on Wednesday as they're doing tests on Tuesday. (Incidently Josh is not at school as they wanted a TB test but I check emails from school and find it is not required, so send it on to Josh's school for them to check).

Tuesday - Sort with school that Josh does not need TB test and arrange for him to start on Wednesday same as Luke. Yvonne and boys go and do more food shopping and stationery shopping for school stuff.

Wednesday - Get up at 6:15, Luke has to catch school bus at 7:18 for 7:45 start!!!!! Luke just makes bus as it appears before 7:18. Josh's bus is at 8:20, do we learn with Josh? No! There are no other kids around of his age apparently as bus goes wizzing past just as he and I are about to walk across road to bus stop. We walk him round to school, (about half a mile), and get him sorted and then walk back in snow!!!! (Friday I'm in a shirt it's so warm and today it snows). Yvonne is now sitting at home worrying about how they will get on.

That's all for now, just as soon as we get phone connected we will ring up so you can hear our dulcet tones again!