There's No Place Like Home

We are just a few short months away from saying goodbye to our desert home for a while. In March we'll pack up and head back to the states for some time with family and friends and a little rest and relaxation before we welcome our newest Arabmusician in June!

This time of preparing to leave has caused us to think a lot about the home we have here. It has truly become home to all of us. In fact, it's the only place our kids would call home. Lee Anna laughed at me one day recently when I accidentally said we were going "home" in March. She thought I was just confused!

But, as much as this is home now, there are many things we're looking forward to about being in our other "home" for a few months. And, believe it or not, not all of those things are food-related (although I could easily make a whole list of the foods I'm looking forward to eating!).

So, in honor of our upcoming travels, here are my lists of the top ten things I'm looking forward to, and the top ten things I'm going to dearly miss. (Disclaimer to our dear friends and family: Of course I am looking forward to seeing all of you in the states, and am going to sorely miss all of you here. That goes without saying!)


Things I’m Looking Forward To:
1. Thunderstorms.
2. Washing a load of clothes in a half-hour.
3. A dishwasher.
4. Sonny’s BBQ.
5. A backyard. With grass.
6. Chick-Fil-A.
7. Watching fall football games on the TV instead of the computer.
8. Driving across town without once thinking we’re about to get hit.
9. Wearing shorts.
10. Being able to make a recipe using the actual ingredients it calls for, put it in the actual size dish it calls for, and cook it at the temperature it calls for—without having to recalculate anything!

Things I’m Going to Miss:
1. DELIVERY! (from the grocery store, the pharmacy, McDonald's, everywhere!)
2. My housekeeper.
3. Having all my ironing done.
4. Not having to worry about whether it’s “too late” to call someone—there’s no such thing!
5. Starbucks four blocks from my house.
6. Not worrying about gas prices—they’re low and they don’t change from day to day or station to station.
7. Cheap, delicious fruits & veggies.
8. Hearing my kids get excited about passing sheep & donkeys on the street.
9. Making doctor's appointments for the same day.
10. Knowing everything's open late.