Some closure

Well, as most of you know, the kids and I are back in our NJ home. We spent a long day of traveling on Wednesday...a little plane to O'Hare, a plane (and terminal) change, and then a bigger plane to Newark. We were delayed an hour out of Fargo, and we only had 90 minutes at O'Hare between flights before the delay, but fortunately our connecting flight was delayed too. Sometimes delays are a good thing!

We had a nice homecoming. Karen picked us up at the airport, and when we got home Bob, Linda and Cassidy were there with a "Welcome Home" sign, balloons, pizza, Lois' chocolate chip cookies and Madeleine cookies from Starbucks. The best part for the kids was having their own rooms again...especially for Billy. He piled all his long-lost stuffed animals (the ones that didn't make the Fargo cut) on his bed and didn't grant anyone else admittance to his room! For me the strangest part was coming home to a kitchen that seemed much larger than I remembered. I don't remember our kitchen sink being so big.

Now we're awaiting Matt's return and then life will get back to normal, whatever that means. The good news is that he was able to work out a telecommuting deal, so once he's home he'll be working from home, and he'll travel to Fargo one week a month. We're happy with the way things worked out. The kids started back at day care today for the full day...they are like celebrities there. My "retirement" officially ends today too, although I still have about 3 weeks left until my exam.

I've enjoyed keeping everyone posted via this blog, and now that my Fargo adventure has ended, I'm thinking of setting up another one just to keep family and friends updated. Once I set that up I'll let you know where to find it.

A belated tour of Fargo

Now that we're about to leave, I thought it would be a good time to show you our perspective of Fargo.

There are a couple of important things that can't be captured adequately on film. One thing is the constant wind. On a warm day, it feels great, but I can imagine that in the winter it would not be as welcome. Another thing is the friendliness and hospitality of almost everyone I've met. It's such a treat to go into a store or restaurant and get good service. Even strangers on the street - just today, a woman walking past me just started talking about how nice the weather is today.

A few pictures from downtown...the whole downtown area can easily be walked in under an hour. The major landmarks are the Fargo theater, which shows independent movies, the old train depot which serves as city park offices, and the Plains Art Museum. Trains are everywhere in Fargo...it's good to know the streets that go under the tracks so you don't get stuck waiting for a train to go by!

This mural is on the outside of the kids' daycare. They love this mural. They find something new on it almost every day.

A random shot of the countryside outside of Fargo...very flat!

This is a shot of the view from my spot in the library. I don't have any other pictures of the NDSU campus...it's very nice though...lots of trees and historic buildings that remind me of Michigan State.

This last picture I took for Bob...it's the Sons of Norway lodge, or, as I like to think of it, "Paca Club West."

On another note, we're all ready to get back home. We've definitely had fun here, but home is home. We're spending our last weekend in Fargo just relaxing...we'll probably start packing too. We still don't know when Matt's coming back. He's still trying to negotiate a telecommuting arrangement...hopefully we'll know soon.