4297 miles west.

Thanks to the combined effects of jet lag and a puppy, I've spent a lot of time in the company of my coffee mug just lately....

It is not without tremendous relief and cheer that I can say I finally made it back to the USA (pre-volcanic ash debacle!). 

There is a puppy chewing on my toe and he is ours. The boy is at work 20 minutes away which definitely beats the distance of an ocean and a 9 hour plane journey.

It is everything I was hoping for, yet now that I'm here I hardly know what to do with myself. As anticipated I'm just a little homesick. My parents, my friends and always that naughty little Ellie-the-dog.

We've got our own baby now though. The furry Shepherd who rounds us up when we are in different rooms. Who bites our elbows, toes and wrists. Who follows me everywhere I go with his expression of concern. That's Rudy, my little love.