safe arrival

Just a quick entry to let everyone know Big Jim arrived safely in Amsterdam last night. C0uple little bumps in the road:

• He was told at the check-in desk that his bag was way overweight. This he knew not to be true because we had weighed his suitcase at home, and it was 4 kg less than the 20 kg allowed. Big Jim managed to argue his way out of that one.
• He arrived at the hotel and found out his room had not been paid for by the company as they told him it would be. Not a huge issue at the moment, and Big Jim will have plenty of time today to resolve the problem with HR.

When I spoke with Big Jim on the phone last night, the precious Boo was sitting at my feet (both dogs have been my permanent shadow since I returned from the airport, although Boo did sleep half the night by the front door, so sad). She barked whenever he spoke; I think she must have heard his voice. Both dogs barked whenever I called Big Jim by name; therefore, I must come up with a new nickname for him that the dogs will not recognize. Suggestions?

He officially started his workday 10 minutes ago. This may sound corny and I know he's a big guy who can take care of himself, but I worry for him the way I imagine mother's must worry for their children on the first day of school. I want for the other kids to play nice with him and the teachers to be kind. I want him to just do his best and not worry about anything else. To shift from being househusband/jobseeker/gardener to corporate executive again in less than a week, and in a new city, country, etc. is a huge, huge change.

Back in Spain, after C. and I returned from the airport, he took me out for a glass of wine and a little reassurance. C. is a great friend, and one of the myriad people I know here I can ask for help should I need it and will be looking out for me. I am very grateful.

My plan for the week is to spend my time at home, spoiling the dogs rotten and giving them double doses of attention, and catching up with Big Jim in the evenings. I also have to deal with the kitchen. First I need to locate and dispose of the object that mysteriously began leaking in the fridge yesterday. Then I need to come up with creative ways to use the fruit and veg we bought before we knew Big Jim was going to Amsterdam. Today, it's the cabbage, so I'm thinking coleslaw. :-)

hasta luego,

mylifeinspain