What I am looking forward to

I can't wait to see my friends and family! But more than just a happy reunion, I'm really looking forward to being back in their lives (whether they like it or not!) and having them back in ours. Relationships are so important, and while I've made a couple of good ones here, with potential for a couple more before I leave, I'm really looking forward to being near to my friends and family who have supported me over the long haul. (Thank you so much!)

One thing I'm looking forward to is getting back to the boys' bedroom, where we have a height measure hanging on the wall. Alex is so tall, and I can't wait to see how much he's grown while we've been gone! He's probably off the chart already.

Of course I'm looking forward to Chick Fil A. Nothing compares to it!

I'm looking forward to having my kitchen back. The kitchen in the house I'm renting is not adequate, nor in my opinion is it acceptable. But in addition to that, my kitchen in Waynesboro is pretty much perfect for me. It has blue-grey tile that is pretty no matter what, a good-sized refrigerator and pantry, black appliances, and overall, it's just very efficient. When I first bought the house only three years before we had left, I was concerned that the kitchen would be too small. But it's so efficient that it never felt too small. Not to mention, I miss my food processor and fruit ninja. I haven't made a smoothie since we've been here, and one of my favorite soups takes cashew cream, and it's just not the same without it.

I'm looking forward to Wegmans. That is such a great grocery store. It's not that the stores here aren't great. Some of the produce is beautiful. I've bought grapes from Italy and dates from Israel. But shopping in my home language makes it so much easier, efficient, and enjoyable! Usually I only go to the Rewe or the Globus for the oddities, like the great chocolates or meat sticks or something.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Pennsylvania's deer population again. You know I've only seen one deer, fleetingly, since I've been here? 

I'm looking forward to my job back home! It's true, there are probably few, if any, people who say early in their lives, "I want to be in Army acquisition when I grow up," but Army acquisition is quite interesting, and I work with so many great people, many of whom are very good friends. My work life here, albeit very interesting, has had a little less glimmer because I don't get to see those good Army acquisition folks every day. Many of them taught me what real friendship was. They truly share my joys in my life, and I especially realized it when my children were born AND when I got approved for this awesome assignment. Many of them have impacted my life for the better in ways they'll never know. (But God knows.) Many of them are the reason I came to realize that God cares about my daily witness, even in the mundane things. That was a life-changing lesson for me.

Speaking of life-changing, I'm excited to see how my skin care business does back home! I haven't spent very much time on it because it feels weird to me to be doing it over here, but I am looking forward to meeting new people in the States and having parties and building a team. It's going to be fun!

I certainly have a lot to look forward to when I get back. I am truly blessed.