Yep, I'm still here

Back in 2009, when we began this crazy amazing Foreign Service adventure, Chris left home for training... for a long time (5 months). The separation and coping with daily life apart, for both of us, was agonizing. Again, we find ourselves in that boat, on the tail end of 5 weeks apart. This time, ridiculously, feels harder.  I'm not sure really why, but again we find ourselves in the "he's gone" funk. I think one might call it true love. Sigh.

We have MANY friends who are presently experiencing a much more elevated degree of the same (love u people!). For non-FS families or military families, it may be near impossible to imagine life existing as ours do. To be separated from loving spouses is a regular way of life for us. It is part of the looney recipe that makes the deliciousness that is our life what it is. And not to sound like a martyr, but it is what helps keep America what it is, by sacrificing for what NEEDS to be done. Though an absolute hardship, we all understand what a necessary evil it is in our lives... and we deal with it. I say deal, because we far from excel or enjoy it, but we understand the beast that is this job. That being said, we also understand the amazingness that the lifestyle, the closeness of family, the thrill of the move, the exoticness of the locations and ok... a wee bit of the "my husband is so hot in his gear and his moves" that just makes it an addiction. Impossible to walk away.

I've been "away" from my blog pretty much entirely since our reAmericanization in October. I told myself when Chris left in February, I'd take time for myself to start writing again...  In the last 4 months, I have had several friends encourage me to rekindle my blog affair. Yesterday, over coffee, again a "you should start blogging again" from a good friend, also in this lifestyle. Today, my MIL sent me the daily photos from 2012 online... it almost brought me to tears. It made me think of my post that first year that reset my mind with inspiration. It made me really want to write.

I miss my husband. I miss our extended family and friends throughout the world. I miss my camera in front of my face. And every day I miss Bangladesh...
BUT...
Chris will be home this weekend! Our friendships are always with us, just far removed physically for periods of time. We are making new friends here in TX. We get to see gma & gpa (and Mickey Mouse) in a couple weeks. And my camera just may need to be invited for a field trip this weekend. And a tear or two never hurt anyone ;)

So I'm hoping to come back more often. I've missed you friends out there... and I've missed this "me" too. And I've lots of pictures, just never took the time to write it down. I'll try to make up for a bit of lost time!