....Hello?

....Peanuts?  Anyone still here?  Remember me?  Ya me either.  But here I am. 
We all made it safe and sound to our new home. There was much chaos and confusion, and plenty of hopping as the US Navy screamed, "DANCE, MONKEY, DANCE!" and it all swirled around in a giant tornado of unanswered questions and packing paper and phone calls and remembering to breathe, and then somehow or other, it all settled out.  And so.  The Littles and I are here; we are Sorting Things Out.  J is on a boat, bobbing about in a big ocean somewhere in the world, and the doggies think they have ascended into doggie heaven in the enormous back yard.
I'm a bit shell-shocked.
I have stories for you Peanuts, I mean I have things to tell you people!  But I'm also really trying to get into early bedtimes, since Little Miss has an almost eerie, uncannily precise internal clock and is up hollering "milk!" at exactly 5:50am rain or shine.
But in the meantime.  Here are a few random thoughts since our last chat:

-It is really, really fun to explore a new place.  There is tons of cool stuff here! It's so exciting!
-It is really, really nice to have a good friend here.  It makes life at the moment feel a bit like riding a runaway elevator.  It still feels like falling, but at least there is a floor beneath my feet.
-I miss my friends in Florida.  They rock.
-There is a lot of support in a military community.  Especially during a deployment.  I have had random strangers practically falling all over themselves to give me their liver,  if ever I should need it.
-There is nothing like sisters.  Mine are the best, and that's a whole post of its own.
-The trash does not take itself to the curb.  This has been a really disappointing discovery.
-I am both proud and slightly disturbed by how good I am getting at dealing with cockroaches.
-My kids are the most fun, amazing, fantastic, incredible little people ever. If I had to be stranded on a deserted island (or, less hypothetically, in a foreign suburban jungle) with anyone, I would pick them.
- There's not much sweeter than witnessing the tangible potency of your child's love for Her family.
-There's not too much harder than seeing your child sad and hurting and missing.
-Thank the high heavens for email.
-A good way to cheer up small children is to take them to the park.  And stand on an ant hill. In skinny jeans.  Turns out ants-in-your-pants actually is as funny as it sounds.  If it's your mom's pants, of course. 
-I miss J.
-I can live on not too much, not too fancy.  But coffee is a must.
-"I'll just paint it!" is NEVER as simple as it sounds.
-"I'll do it on my own" is never as scary as it sounds.

Well it's time to get to that early bedtime.  I hope you haven't given up checking in here, because your words and keeping in touch and saying hello mean a lot all the time, but especially now.  It's good to have friends no matter how far-flung they may be; it's good to have a Peanut Gallery to hear from, too.