Before you say anything: I know! Really, I KNOW!!!
I can’t tell you what exactly, but I know. Sorry it has been such a long while since y’all last heard from us. Between painting, packing, moving, unpacking, settling in and catching a breath time has just flown by. Then again, it really only has been 5 weeks so it’s not that long.
Where to start? We love Dallas. It has been, without a doubt, one of the best decisions we have ever made. Our new home is such a place of peace and tranquility; we sit each morning and just beam in the happiness that this has become. Let me paint you a picture: our living room boasts 17 foot ceilings, with windows to match. The whole community, including our home, is surrounded by old oak trees which filter the morning sun as it rises from the bottom window to the top of the 17 foot window….
Bytheway…we made those sheers, thank you very much! After getting a quote of $560 on the internet for 17 foot sheers and me having a slight stroke in installments, it is truly a wonder what $65 bucks can get you at JOANNS fabrics!
At any rate, we are unpacked completely after having most of our life in boxes for 6 months. It is an amazing feeling to know we are home in our forever home and that all the drama and unsettling is finally at an end. The dogs love their new home and beds as well
and are thrilled to live in an area that is surrounded by lots of green, sidewalks and a dog park within steps of our backdoor.
Hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to finish our perfect size backyard and have some green grass for them to roll down on. Right now, we have Texas Mud….the thickest, darkest, stickiest stuff you have ever seen. Takes forever to get off your shoes, it just takes over. Reminds me of the Republican Party. HA!
We have made an effort to meet people in our community by attending a luncheon, the monthly HOA and this coming Saturday at the annual pool party. It seems from what we can tell a well-organized, well taken care of community with people invested in maintaining their quality of life. One of the ladies we have met is a former flight attendant. After talking, the conversation came onto our grandson Kyle, the Marine, and his homecoming from Afghanistan. She relayed her experience in the 1960’s when they would fly soldiers to and from Vietnam. She talked about the complete change in people from when they left. Or the empty seats of those who didn’t get to come back. Very moving and all very close to home.
George and I want to make an effort in becoming involved here, so George has expressed interest in the Gardening Club (a club so lost to me….really) but I have decided to enroll as a VIP. No, no, I know what you think…I already am a VIP..but this is a Volunteer In Patrol. I have submitted my application to the Dallas Police Department and am waiting to hear that I passed background check. When that happens, I will receive training for a day by the Police Department and get to visit a 911 call center and more. *You can stop the snickering, I can hear you all the way over here!* YES, I Sven Marinus Wilhelm Laurens Paardekooper have signed up for a neighborhood watch! I will receive valuable training in the skill of observation…and, in case of emergency; my call to 911 will be received with greater authority as I am a VIP. So DON”T FUCK WITH ME!
I am just saying.
The other amazing thing I want to share with you is that we have made plans to travel to Washington D.C. next month to visit the AIDS QUILT. This will be the first time since 1996 that the quilt will be exhibited in its entirety again.
The chances of this happening again are slim to none so George and I did not want to let this go by without us attending for all the reasons and emotions well known by you.
After that, we are taking the train to Philadelphia to meet up with my uncle and family. For their summer vacation they are coming to the East Coast for three weeks so we made plans to join them for a bit! How great to see them twice in one year after not seeing them at all for 20 years! We will hopefully also get to finally meet our friends Colin and Jim who live in Pennsylvania. They have been such a source of comfort and strength this past year, even though we have only communicated through Facebook and Skype!
Finally, but so not least, is that for the next couple of months my friend John is staying with us. John recently got a job in Dallas (I know!) and will be moving here with his partner. While he is getting settled and they move here, he will be staying at our place. It is all part of my master plan to slowly infiltrate Dallas with gays from within…MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
So yes, life is good. We are beyond content and happy, knowing that while change is inevitable we surely have an outfit for the occasion. And we are NEVER, never apart from y’all.
Now, what’s new with you?
Sven