What we’ve accomplished

Hello, world!

We are taking a minor break from unloading boxes to give you an update on us. Who would’ve thought that it’s so much work to pack and unpack??

We have been here for about 3 weeks now, and so far we’re adjusting well. There are still plenty of boxes to unpack, but we’re slowly but surely getting there. Plus some of the new “toys” like the washer and dryer are making opening all the boxes a little more worth it. :-)

So far, the living room is almost decent, and the kitchen has it’s moments of being clean and then not so much. Our bedroom set is up, but we still have plenty of laundry to clean in piles to be washed. Our library/office/guest room has most of the books set up, with a few random boxes in the room. Then the last room, where the pets and their things go, was set up last night. We stayed up until 3 putting things together like cages, an A/C unit, and all sorts of other stuff. Who would’ve thought pets were so difficult?

Speaking of pets, it looks like we are acquiring a new friend! Jeff volunteered us to babysit a friend’s dog, and she has been here ever since. Fox is a white husky who was found out in Bethel Island by Jeff’s friend, Kati. She took Fox in, but couldn’t keep her, so Jeff graciously accepted her into our family. She’s still pretty young, we think maybe 10 months, but is super smart and very playful. Chris and Mason get along with her great, but we are keeping her away from our other critters. She likes to chase birds and squirrels, we found out, and don’t think she would do well if left alone with our chinchillas and parakeets.

We also got our chinchillas back this weekend! After 6 months, they are finally back under our roof, and we are ecstatic over it all. It is a little bittersweet, as Brian was not able to come home with everyone else, but he will forever be home in our hearts. So far they have all made the adjustment well, although it’s clear that Scout, Brian’s son, does appear to be missing his daddy and cage mate, so we may have to find someone for him to hang out with. Our other boys are either already in pairs or they are too ornery to be with others.

School is slowly plugging away for us all. Jen should be done by the end of next month and Jeff will be finishing this semester around mid May. In the meantime, we are both looking at volunteer opportunities. This week, Jen is volunteering at a speech-language pathology clinic for a few weeks and then doing an observation at Lucille Packard, and both of us are looking into volunteering at the hospital in the summer.

Jeff is also looking for more job opportunities closer to home. Although he loves his work now, commuting to Brentwood is difficult in terms of time, energy, and car wear and tear. So far he has been offered a similar position at the Banana Republic in Los Gatos, and is waiting to hear on some other positions as well.

We hope you are all well, and hope to have you over as soon as our house is more habitable!