Day 9

The dog has nine lives . . . The day started at a relatively leisurely pace today.  We were pleased to discover that my pants had not walked off on their own overnight.  With fresh clothes on our backs, we enjoyed a quick bite to eat and then off to the park to let the boys stretch their legs a bit.  Was another moderately sunny day with relatively mild temps.  The park was quite busy.  The lack of open commerce on Sundays certainly forces relaxation.  The nature of the culture is very...

Day 8

Going where no Americans have gone before.  Today was to be a day of firsts.  So many, in fact, that I am not entirely sure where to start.  The day began as most have here in our new home . . . zero sun and the promise of rain.  What a magnificent day to purchase an automobile or two.  After buttoning up some administrative details we were off to our first appointment.  I wish I could say that over the course of this past week we gained a profound and thorough understanding of the language, but as you all know by...

Day 7

I am going to attempt to keep it short and sweet this evening as it is now extremely late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.  The plan is to purchase a couple of vehicles tomorrow, barring any international incidents.  I am feeling a little less like a tourist today.  Maybe the honeymoon phase is wearing off and it is starting to sink in that this is not just a vacation, or perhaps it's just the result of the retail high that I am on from the purchase of a jazzy new grocery cart we bought today to drag...

Day 6

Anyone have a row boat and a little extra time on their hands?  If so, could you pick up my furniture and row it over to me?  At the rate our (lowest bidder) moving company is moving, you would certainly beat them across the pond.  I checked on our shipment today and our furniture is due to arrive somewhere around December of 2017.  Not terribly surprising given how swimmingly everything else has gone, but disappointing nonetheless. The kids and I laid low today to take care of some domestic duties around our...

Day 5

Terrible argument this morning . . .  You see, I now have three women in my life . . . my wife, a very pleasant english gal named Tom Tom and an abrupt and calculating american lady named Garmin.  Unfortunately not a single one of them can navigate worth a damn.  I now spend my days with each of them shouting directions at me and arguing with each other as to which is the best route to take.  The wife . . . she is never quite sure, but always goes with her gut instinct.  My sweet English gal . . . always gentile...

Day 4

Slow day today.  The wife went off to work this morning and left the boys to their own devices.  Slept in a fair amount and made the kids wash the stank off of their bodies.  Breakfast of Frosties and Knackis (really thin hot dogs) for Lunch.  Still no complaints about the chow from the youngsters.  In fact, the ketchup flavored Monster Munch is a big hit with the youngest of our crew.  Had to run to the commercial center for a stool for the 3 year old to use the toilette.  Standing on a carry-on...

Day 3

Well, I have finally achieved my goal.  This post will summarize all that we have experienced TODAY.  If you have been brave enough to read through the depth of this work so far, perhaps you will be willing to stick it out for a little longer.  As in any survival scenario, you have to satisfy some very basic needs quickly if you have any hopes of lasting survival.  For us, today's first task was . . . food.  Perhaps not as dramatic as Bear Grylls sucking the guts out of a Mountain Goat, it was still an obstacle...

Day 2

Early to bed, early to rise.  That's the creed we live by on the farm.  Awake and refreshed from a good night's slumber we check the clock to see just how long we would have to wait until shops started to open for the day.  2:30 p.m.?  Could this possibly be correct?  A second and third check of multiple timepieces confirmed the diagnosis.  Who the hell sleeps for 14 hours straight?  I will tell you who, 15 year old boys crashing after an all nighter hopped up on Red Bull and the latest itteration of the HALO...

Day 1

As our luggage began to pile up at the curb in front of the airport, I could not help but liken the scene to circus clowns piling out of their vehicle to the delight of the cheering masses.  Unfortunately, our unloading procedure did not go un-noticed by the transit police.  It took some smooth talk and a sweet smile to prevent a ticket and a tow of our drop vehicle.  I don't know how, but we made it.  In the matter of a day we had finished with our life in the midwest, leaving behind an empty farm and all those that we knew...

Abandoning ALL we have ever known . . .

Our story begins three days ago, so I have a bit of catching up to do.  My hope is that this will eventually be a "realtime" account of my experiences and my life as I understand them.  As a simple matter of good house keeping I think it best to provide a bit of a history lesson.  This may shed some light on the author and make sense of all of this, if in fact any sense is to be made of it at all.  We are from Middle America, the midwest, the God fearing buckle of the bible belt.  This is a place where men are men...

Hello, My Name is ________

Hello.  My name is Ryan, and I AM Jack Butler.  This is not a riddle, simply and introduction.  Some of you may already understand.  For those that do not, I trust you will figure it out as these writings evolve.  There is really only one thing that you need to know, and that is, that I love my wife . . . usually.  I would follow her to the end of the earth.  The truth of the matter is, I already have.  This is our life.  This is our journey.  I hope you enjoy riding alo...