Summertime and the livin' is easy...

 I stole the title for this blog post from my friend Kelly's facebook update.  She was talking about being in her 13th hotel room of her summer visit to the US!  Here is a link to the song, in case you are not familiar with it.  Be patient, it has a long introduction.  Just close your eyes and relax.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwZc5W8tLK4

Well, the song might be relaxing, but the summer was not!  One of the first things I learned as a future expat is that most families go home during the summer.  It is too hot to stick around Oman and all the kids' friends would be gone.  There would be nothing to do.  And besides, we wanted to see our friends and family in the US, so it sounded like a good idea.  I will interject an interesting note here.  A lot of the American kids in Oman have spent many years away from the US.  Summer time is a good time for them to reconnect to being American.  So, I bought tickets for an eight-week trip and off we went!

Can I tell you the first thing that struck me when I got back to Illinois?  I went to Target and the parking spaces were so big!  I had forgotten how easy parking could be!  :)  It was wonderful being in the land of efficient internet.  And bacon (which I only had my first morning back.  Thanks, Jennifer Johnson!).  I had been told to hold off on shopping till the end of the summer.  Not a good idea to lug around all our purchases all summer.  But, who could turn down a 40% off sale at Chico's?  Not me!  It was wonderful to spend time with as many friends as we could squeeze in.  After three weeks in Illinois, off we went to Texas!

It was wonderful to see lots of great friends and most of our family in Texas.  Cousins and food and fun!  And a little more shopping.  I will interject another note.  When shopping, and Savannah wanted something, I didn't ask how much did it cost.  I always asked, "How much does it weigh?"  United was very strict with the luggage weight limits. Back to traveling in Texas.  I put almost 3000 miles on my rental car during my time in Texas.  Lots of driving.  And lots of talking.  My jaw would get tired from talking so much!  There were a couple of nights where I would wake up and think, "Where am I?  Where is the bathroom?"  Then there were also a few times when I was looking for something in particular and had to search three suitcases for it.  

So, if you are reading this and are a new expat or gonna be, here is some advice.  Think about how long you want to be gone in the summer, and subtract two weeks.  You will thank me.  Then truly treasure the time you get to spend with all the great people in your life. Except if you have a house in the US and all your friends and family travel to you.  Then forget what I said.  :)  Oh, and set out what you want to pack to take with you.  Then return half of it to your closet!  More room for new purchases.  :)

I am now back in Oman.  School doesn't start for another two weeks and things are pretty slow and calm, for the moment.  It is summertime, and the livin' is easy!

You know how sometimes the movie ends but then there is a little more to the movie during the credits?  Well, here a few random pictures of the summer.  :)

I was first introduced to Chicken Shawarma, not in Oman, but in Naperville, Illinois.  I loved seeing Naf Naf's truck, since I have seen a real camel crossing sign.

A very artistic soda display at Albertsons in McKinney.

This was cool.  The kids (and a cousin) are having fun with Steven Swain.  The Swains are our friends in Oman, and they just happen to have a lake house in Texas!

I took Austin to one of the army museums at Ft. Hood.

We spent some fun time looking at old family pictures.  Here I am, a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding, 32 years ago!  Diana was such a beautiful bride.

I took this picture while sitting on my former next-door-neighbor's back patio.  This was the view I had in Illinois-- all that grass and trees.  Not that my present ocean view is too shabby.

 

My first lunch back in Oman.  The mixed appetizer plate from the Turkish House.  You can't see the big flat bread that comes with it.  In the top left corner is the oven-baked chicken with tomatoes and peppers.  Yum!