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Last month, Rebekah, Sara Ellen, and I went out to Milwaukee to attend one of my cousin's (on my dad's side) weddings. I'm not a fan of flying and keeping Sara Ellen in a car seat for the car trip from Annapolis to Milwaukee didn't seem like a happy plan, so we booked a sleeper room on a train. The room was cozy, but worked really well for the three of us.

I only seem to get to see my mom or dad's family at weddings and funerals. The last time I saw my dad's family was at our wedding about two years ago. That was the first time Rebekah had met most of them and she wasn't able to spend a whole lot of time with them, so our trip was a great opportunity to really get to know them. We had a great time and I'm glad we made the trip.

The following week, we visited Lynchburg, Virginia where we both went to school. On Saturday, Rebekah was the Matron of Honor in one of her classmate's weddings. While the two of them were preparing various things (flowers, nails, etc.) on Thursday, I visited my alma mater. I've been back to campus a couple of times since graduating in 2003 and while some structures have changed, it still has the same feel it did when I went there. I was surprised how much I missed being there. All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with this desire to do something for the school. I started thinking of things I could contribute and jobs I could do. It seems like every time I stop by Lynchburg, I start thinking about living there again.

See, Rebekah and I are currently living with Rebekah's parents partially because we haven't quite figured out where we want to live. They've also been a huge help with Sara Ellen while Rebekah and I learn to be parents. We could try to find a place in Annapolis, but housing is seriously over-priced in the Washington, DC area. Housing in Lynchburg is probably a quarter of the cost. We want to stay within an hour or so of Annapolis so we can easily visit Rebekah's parents and my dad and step-mom. We'll probably end up looking for a place up in Delaware and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in another six months or so.

It's been about six months now since Rebekah, Sara Ellen, and I moved back to the US. At the time, I wasn't too thrilled about it. I didn't realize how Sara Ellen would help us grow closer to our families and that's one of the reasons I'm glad we hopped back over the pond. We do miss Oslo and I miss my friends and colleagues, but it was the right thing for us to do.

I grew up in this area and it looks like our daughter will be doing the same. One of the nice things about being here is that Sara Ellen gets to go to the same pediatrician I did. Apparently the nurses in his office give him a hard time when his old patients bring their children to him. He did a good job with me and so far he's done a good job with her. She's now just over 9 months old, 25lbs. 10oz., and 29 1/2" tall. She's huge!