I haven't updated in the past week since JD has returned from Norway, and yeah part of the reason is that I haven't really had the time or found the need to do so, but I guess there's been a lot going on, so I thought I'd type up something.
JD's flight got in mildly late on the evening of January 31, 2011. Along with his mother and stepfather, I met him at the airport, just outside of the customs area. He was exhausted, having missed a whole sleep cycle, yet the next day he got up early with the intention of getting things done.
It took the whole week to get him even partially settled and some of his things moved over to my place. He now has a pretty organized-looking office, and while the wireless internet in that room is strangely unreliable, he's actually sort of getting some work done (still for his employer in Oslo). I think he'll get more productive as he gets more settled: both into a routine and into his environs.
We went and visited with his mom and family on Thursday night, and he met his niece for the first time. She's such a fun little baby… a good age and likes bouncing, baths, and so on. JD's less than fond of babies, but I think it was good for him to see his family. We also played Taboo with his family — which was rather fun, particularly given the nature of all the clues that we gave each other.
On Friday I went and saw August Osage County at The Citadel. It was probably one of the best plays I've had the chance to see, in particular as it included so much difficult content and such good acting that I doubt that it could be replicated in any other way. I highly highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance.
We moved some of his bigger furniture in on Saturday night and visited with his dad. This was a good experience as it meant that he finally has a desk (so we can eat at the kitchen table again!), but it was also good as I love eating at Famoso Pizzeria, and it was really good getting to spend some time with JD's dad.
Sunday we visited ENTS for the monthly meeting. The meeting went rather well, but we didn't stay terribly long afterward. I'm glad to be a dues paid member for the coming year (yay for paying in advance!) now. I was super happy to see Render's helicopter (complete with two cameras and controlled by his iPhone) work in the space. Someday I'm sure I'll have more of a reason to visit ENTS more frequently than just at the monthly meetings and for Branding committee work.
When he came back from Norway, JD brought me the awesomest Dale of Norway sweater! I'm wearing it right now and it's warm and perfect for what I wanted a sweater for! Over the years I've come to really value appropriate layering pices, and this is most certainly one of them! He got some Christmas presents when he returned too, and it felt great to give him gifts!
I'm a bit (okay more than a bit) behind where I would like to be on many fronts (classes, thesis, readings, email/internet) but I feel happy to have JD back in my life in a more tangible way. It's a struggle to get everything done these days, and this struggle should get less problematic as time goes on as I develop a new normal or a new routine, now that JD's back. Life includes a lot of different experiences. And I'm really appreciating the complexity and wonderfulness of this one.