In the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

Me and Granddad

I'm backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Actually, I am back, back in the good ol' US of A. No, not for good, but for a little American vacation. Truth be told, expat vacations to their home countries aren't typical family vacations.

For our family, these summer vacations mean we are separated for months. The kids and I head back to the states after school is out, and my husband doesn't join us till the end of the summer for a couple of weeks. It isn't exactly an ideal way for a family to live, but sticking around for the crazy hot weather isn't fun either. Not to mention, despite living in another country we still have property and things we left behind to attend to in Virginia.

So, what does one do on a crazy long vacation in a place they once called home? Well, I think it goes without saying that FAMILY has been a big focus for me on this trip. I can't get enough hugs from my Mom. I've lucked out, and she has spent most of the summer with me and the kids. We've had a few large family sleepovers with my sister's family, and I've enjoyed every minute, every laugh, every smile, every hug....

I've also spent hours chatting and catching up with my Grandfather. He's always happy to hit the road, so we've made a couple road trips to North Carolina in the past few weeks. No trip to NC with Granddad is complete without stopping for one of mine and his favorites, Carolina barbecue. I try to make it in the UAE, but nothing compares to the real stuff. If only I could figure a way to smuggle some back with me.

As much as I would like for this vacation to be all about fun, it's also been full of work. It seems our last tenants that rented our US home were deadbeats. So after an eviction, I'm left with lots of things to fix and a husband on the other side of the world. I'm finding I can be quite the handy woman. Perhaps my proudest accomplishment thus far, is turning our pool water from a dark greenish brown to crystal clear.

On that note, I have several potential expats ask me advice and questions all the time. Here's a free piece of advice, be VERY careful in selecting renters and if possible don't let them know you're in another country.

Well, that's all for now folks. I promise there will be more to come................