Welcome September!

Hard as it is to believe, it's September!  A lot has happened since my last update, so I'll try to give a big rundown of all the details...  Things are going really well here, now that the initial excitement has worn off we are all getting to know each other on a deeper level, understand each other's quirks, and get comfortable with our family's new dynamics.  This week will be interesting, because Leah starts school tomorrow (HALLELUJAH!) and then we will settle into a more comfortable routine that will last until June.  It has not been a totally perfect experience--Astrid finally let down her guard and informed me she doesn't think hamsters are cute, plus she's also not a good toothpaste squeezer.  But I guess I have to forgive her her faults. :)  I of course do not have any.

So, I last left off it was August 22nd.  That night, I had volunteered the girls to make brownies for the community supper that the UU puts on.  There are several local churches who put on community suppers weekly for people who might not otherwise get a hot meal, and members of the UU have been serving at St. George's Episcopal Church for some years.  Leah and I have been happily volunteering in this capacity for quite a while, and now our church has taken over one dinner per month and we cook, serve, and clean up the meals.  This month, we weren't able to volunteer at the site, but baking brownies was totally doable, so Astrid and Leah made two pans of brownies and then promptly licked the bowls.  We delivered the brownies to the church and the UU folks were very grateful.

The next day, August 23rd was my birthday.  I had hoped to go to Virginia Beach for the day, but unfortunately there was a lot of stuff going on with Astrid's school, plus I didn't want her to be exhausted for her first day of school, which was the next day.  Consequently, we decided to spend the day at King's Dominion.  In the morning, Astrid had to go over to FA to get her computer set up with their system, so we dropped her off and Leah and I just sort of hung around the area waiting for her to finish.  She got to meet some fellow "newbies" starting at the school, so that was nice, and got connected to the school's intranet and whatnot.  As soon as she was done, we headed straight down to Doswell/KD.  It only took us a half an hour to get there, and we had a great day.  Astrid agreed to take Leah on any rides that might make me feel a bit sick, which was good, and she also tried several of the more daring rides, like the Dominator, the Berserker, and the Crypt.  I was praying each time, as I would just see blonde hair dangling down, or green shoes, and I was hoping she was fine.  But she emerged each time with a big grin.  We also met Charlie Brown, played Boo Blasters, and spent a big part of the day in the water park.

On the way home, we stopped at Freddy's, which has become my favorite burger place since the disaster that is Steak N Shake disappointed me.  Then we headed home, and discovered a package from FA on the front porch.  In it were some FA spirit gifts and a lovely note from the head of the school welcoming Astrid to the academy.

Leah and Astrid with Freddy

Astrid now has the FA spirit!

Then it was off to bed to prepare for school!

The next morning, Astrid was ready as directed.  She said she was so excited and nervous she thought she might throw up.  She asked if she could borrow my tote bag to take some of her things, and given that it was my Barenaked Ladies bag, I was THRILLED she wanted to use it, and of course said she could.  I took a picture in the backyard, and then we drove to the bus stop and waited--no bus!!  We waited till about 7:30, and then thought we shouldn't wait any longer or she'd be late to school and drove like crazy down to FA, where I snapped a picture of her as she headed into the building.  Every year I drop a student off for their first day, I'm impressed as heck by their bravery to do this crazy exchange thing.  They all know the first day is part of the process, and it's something they all want, but it takes some guts to put yourself out there and actually go into a building full of people speaking a different language who have known each other for at least a little while and try to figure out where you belong.  The first day was a retreat day--all the kids were bused over to a local park for swimming and fun, so it wasn't too stressful, and of course she had a number of people she had known from cross-country practice, but I was still so proud of her for going.

Astrid heading into school on Day 1

I picked Astrid up after track practice and she said it was awesome.  She was ready for day 2, was already making friends and acquaintances, and had really enjoyed herself. That evening, she announced she HAD to get new notebooks for her classes, so we trekked back to Walmart, where she went totally nuts upon discovering that notebooks only cost 17 cents.  She and Leah sat on the floor and looked over all the colors there were, and she set about planning how she would raid my craft studio to make the covers a little jazzier, which she has done over the course of the past week, and which has been VERY impressive!

17 cents!?  Let's buy them all!

By 4:00pm on day 2, I had an email from the English teacher thanking Astrid for her participation in class, which was pretty awesome.  She has now been at FA for a week and a half, and has really been doing great. She had one sort of down experience at lunch, finding a group of kids to sit with, but all the kids proceeded to spend the entire lunch period on their phones and not talk with her, so she excused herself.  I think she has resolved this issue by now, as she has made a core group of friends and seems happy eating with them, and they all swap their food, which I guess they enjoy! Cross country is a challenge, in a good way, the heat has been brutal, and she isn't used to running quite as much as she has had to for practices, but she has happily noticed new muscles developing in her legs.  She also got a blister on her toe, and until now has resisted my urgings to put some ointment on it to help clear it up, but an old lady at the Dollar Tree threw some shade her way the other night about not listening to her mom, so she is FINALLY submitting to the tyranny of Neosporin.  But she's not happy about it.

That Friday evening, I picked her up and we stopped in Old Town to visit with my sister-in-law Paula who was visiting for one night from Boston, MA.  I hadn't seen her in 18 months and it was really lovely to spend some time with her at her hotel.  She brought Leah and Astrid gifts and took us all out to dinner, and we had such a nice time.

Astrid, Leah, and Auntie Paula

Paula was very impressed with Astrid and how self assured she was and what a good conversationalist she was, so that was nice.  Both my late husband's family and my family have been so generous with all the students we've had and it's been nice seeing Astrid get the same star treatment as the others.

Astrid in her 'new' dress and crown

On Saturday, we were back out shopping to find some clothes for Leah and Astrid.  Astrid needed a couple of things and Leah needed a few back to school outfits--nothing major as she already has more clothes than God.  We started at the Goodwill, and Leah discovered a pink plastic coconut she Had. To. Have.  Astrid found a nice pair of running shorts and a cute skirt.  She tried on a few prom dresses as well but was nervous that her body might change by the time prom rolls around, so we didn't buy anything yet.  Then I noticed signs for Weecycled, which is a local consignment sale where parents can sell their kids' old clothing and I took Leah there.  We got some great clothing for Leah there and Astrid found a cute dress so I got it for her.  Leah's prize finding was a purple tutu that she and Astrid both wore as a crown.  Very fun.  I also scored a copy of Mystery Date, the 1965 edition, so I HAD to buy that.  We went over to my mother's house for dinner and so that Astrid could meet my sister and her family.  After a couple of hours, we headed back to our house to play Mystery Date.  I literally could not wait to play.

We named our game pieces--Marcia, Twiggy, Patty, and Ginger...  Then we proceeded to play.  It was such a blast.  I didn't come close to winning any of the three games we played, but Astrid won one and my sister won two and we had so many giggles over it.  It was really awesome and worth every penny.

The next day, we went to church and the UU hung and dedicated its Black Lives Matter banner.  Each member and friend had the chance to sign the back of the banner affirming they "stand on the side of love".  Leah, Dottie, Astrid, and I all signed it.  I was so proud to be a UU and proud of my girls for their big hearts.

Afterwards, I held a "Welcome Astrid!" party at the house.  About 10-15 people showed up and met Astrid and welcomed her to the home and community.  I had done some Google searches about what kinds of foods would be appropriate to serve, and discovered that the Danes enjoy a variety of cold meats, fish, and cheeses, pickles, and breads.  Of course I had to get some Danish butter cookies!SO that was our little smorgasbord, alongside a Welcome Astrid cake!  It was a really nice day, and George Clooney even showed up to celebrate.

This past week, it has been a little calmer and quieter, as Astrid has been in school all week, so we haven't had a lot of free time to have fun.  It's been nice finishing the summer with Leah, although truth be told, I'm ready for her to be back in school.  We've done little things like lunch at Cracker Barrel, and I got to show the girls The Princess Bride.  We went to back-to-school night at Leah's school and Leah was very proud to show Astrid around and give her a tour of the school, as well as show off her big sister.  This past weekend was Labor Day Weekend--we did some shopping (of course!), we went to my mom's husband's birthday party (Astrid trying to teach us all to say "Happy Birthday" in Danish was a big hit!), my friend Amber's mom's birthday party (Where Astrid nearly kidnapped a 6 month old baby), and today Astrid went to brunch with some of her new friends from school.  This past week I also got to Skype with Astrid's parents for the first time and I really, really enjoyed that, they are lovely people and it's nice to feel like I have good communication with the whole family.  They are happy we are doing so well, and I can contact them any time I feel I need or want to and vice versa, which is great!  I've been very lucky to have good relationships with all the natural families of the girls I've hosted permanently, and I love them all so much!

It's hard to believe she's been here more than 3 weeks!  We've been having such a good time and enjoying
our time together... I'm looking forward to settling into a more permanent routine and then the year will really fly by.  In my next update, you'll be hearing about Astrid's first Wolf Trap experience, and whatever other adventures we are able to get up to.  I'm gazing longingly at the calendar hoping to fit in a beach trip, but so far, it's not looking too good... We also need to go up into the mountains during the fall to see the leaves, pick pumpkins, go to New York, survive the cross country season, and more!  Stay tuned!  I'll be back soon.