Sorry for the delay, normal service is now resumed!

So, here we are, all of us settled in to our cosy hotel room and thinking "oh my god what have we done!"

It has been, without a doubt, a week of highs and lows, with the latter outperforming the former by quite a way.

Leaving Ellesmere early on Sunday morning with pretty well all our clothes in 11 suitcases was a massive wrench. We kept smiling for the kids sake and despite having little or no sleep got to Manchester and checked our luggage with no real problems, plane was delayed 50 minutes but we got on and had a great flight across, slept for much of it, and landed with hardly a bump in a snowy Chicago. We were still in good time UNTIL Lorraine's Visa was questioned and after having an interview with the "nice" people in immigration we were told that she was only allowed 12 months in the USA, which was a blow as the kids and I had three years on ours. We got through in the end and made the gate for our next flight, just in time to miss it. So, back to the "nice" man on the United Airlines desk to change our tickets for a later flight, nearly three hours later, but not downhearted we had a Big Mac and a doze before our next flight, not many highs yet!

Chicago to Denver was pretty uneventful, one amusing element was we were in a row of 5 seats, the fifth seat taken up by a man who obviously took care of his appearance. This however was not really helped by Sam's (grubby trainer clad) feet and legs being draped across him for the whole 3 hours. he was very good about it, but as Lorraine and I were both drifting in and out of sleep mode we didn't care, terrible parents we are!

So we are now in Denver, our last flight is delayed until mid-night, we are so tired we fall asleep in the walkway by the departure gate. We finally arrive in Boise Idaho at 2 a.m. and then drove to Twin Falls, falling in to bed in the aforementioned hotel at 5.30 a.m. So in all we had left the UK at 11pm US time Saturday, and got to be at 5.30 a.m. Monday, so highs are still limited.

Tuesday I bravely went to work around 11, had the attention span of a retarded goldfish, so quit and went to eat later with some colleagues for a catch up. Kids were so impressed they fell asleep at the table!! Nope, no highs yet.

Wednesday, that was a goodish day, started with huge homesickness from some, but ended with finding a lovely house, that we both felt happy with, at the right price, and the builder was desperate to sell, what a result. Then to really top it they said we could move in a week on Friday (23rd Jan) how quick is that? A high end to the day. Mini niggle, the kids went swimming in the hotel pool and the chlorine was a tad overdone, two very red faced children, it would have been funny if it hadn't been our kids!

Spent the next couple of days mixing work and domestic stuff, with two forward and one back and some huge frustrations. The distance is one thing, the culture is quite another. We have been telling people we hoped to move into our house within a fortnight, they smile and nod and say that's nice, the only thing is, they have no clue what a fortnight is, and are too polite to say! Just not a phrase they use, we are finding quite a few of those on both sides of the language barrier. They are genuinely nice people, never judge a country by it's politicians, with one notable exception (see below).

We eat out every night, I eat steak every night and it is fantastic food, salads are back, weather is bloody freezing, but when the sun shines, which it does regularly, it really is beautiful.

So Tuesday last the kids went to school for the first time, that was an adventure. Harrison Elementary admitted Sam to the second grade and Sarah to the third. Lorraine spent the whole day in school with Sarah who found it quite emotional. Sam just went for it, as he does, and seemed to fit in straight away. Day two today, they coped on their own and that is a massive plus.

Lovely moment at the school on Tuesday. The Presidential Inauguration was being broadcast live. I don't know how it played in the UK, but Obama is an awesome speaker. As I sat at the back of the class and watched as kids of 8 and 9 were clapping at his speech, there were some genuine lump in the throat moments even for the Brits at the back. The media have lapped it up and all he needs to do now is deliver! He is without doubt the most charismatic politician I have seen for years, possibly ever, and I am, as you know, very old.

We miss everyone very much, we struggle to read text messages they keep choking us, but please keep them coming, and the Face book stuff, we will reply eventually, as soon as we get settled we will have loads more time to catch up. We still say we are only here for a short while, we will be home soon, but we will see. Really hoping family and friends can scrape together the money to come and visit. We hope you will, Spring is around the corner with rather pleasing 65-75 degree heat, and then the area really comes alive and I am told is truly beautiful. So, see you soon? I do hope so.