Back in the USA

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the radio silence! I know I'm way over due for sending out an update but travelling and settling in here in California are just going to have to do for excuses. Since we left Joburg a month ago we have been very busy bees.

Terry and I spent Bastille Day weekend in Ocean City, Maryland with our very good Boston friends at the much spoken of and highly anticipated reunion weekend that my girlfriends and I have committed to doing every summer. I have to say that the weekend was worth the wait in every way! The eight of us had a blast and despite our disappointment with Ocean City as a vacation destination (aside from highlights such as Mother Plucker's Restaraunt) the beach house we rented ended up being pretty much all we saw of the city, by choice! While we were there we got a chance to catch-up with each other face to face after a year apart, celebrated the impending arrival of 2 bundles of joy, got to know 2 recent baby arrivals (Owen and Clayton), and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company! The boys all also had a great time and actually made an effort to see the city, spending both nights out at the local haunt, the Green Turtle and a day in a rented boat on the bay. And to their credit organized a very nice dinnner for us consisting of steak and about 50 Maryland Crabs!

After the reunion I flew down to Austin, Texas for a week to catch up with all of my family and friends in what I still (despite all of my travelling thus far) consider one of the coolest cities in the world. Despite being a cool city it was definitely in the midst of its annual summer roast with the temperature hovering near 100F (about 38C). It sounds bad but you just have to know how to handle it (and airconditioning is a big part of handling it!). I'm happy to report that all of my family and friends back home in Austin are doing great!

After Austin came my flight out to California where Terry and I have been graciously hosted by our very good friends (Kellie and Alson, Kena and Joe, and Jens and Jenni) while we work to get ourselves settled in here. The settling part is coming along slowly but surely. Terry is loving his job, as is evident by the crazy hours he is working (a good day is 12 hours minimum right now). So I've pretty much resigned myself to seeing him on the weekends for now. We have signed a 6 month lease on a place in Mountain View and are waiting till the 20th (at Jens and Jenni's beautiful house, we have threatened to steal it from them...) until we can move in. we are researching fuel efficient cars given the fantastic things the gas price is doing right now, I'm starting on my job search, and our stuff is as we speak being placed on trucks to be hauled to us from Boston. We are getting to know Silicon Valley and San Francisco (we had a great time up there with Kena and Joe last weekend). So over all things are great but Terry and I are both really missing things back in Joburg!

And P.S. all you South Africans will be happy to know that both of my parents said that I now have a bit of an accent, I guess you all rubbed off on me after all!!