Things I Miss:
- Seeing warm, familiar faces each day
- Being able to pick up the phone and call family and friends when they are at most 2 hours time zone difference and you know how much the call will cost
- Camp 4 Coffee
- My job
- My programmable coffee maker and my favorite coffee mug (how did I forget that?)
- American Idol and HGTV
- The complete quiet of Crested Butte South at night
- Feeling like my coat, shoes and outfit are appropriate
- Outdoor yard space for the kids to run around
- Our warm, cozy bedroom and bathroom in Colorado
- The sun
- Baking bread
- Our old work schedules that allowed both Andrew and I to take the girls to school and pick them up together. Now he leaves at 8am and gets home around 6:30pm. Both the girls and I miss him more!
- Plain ole' Cheerios - only honey nut to be found here
- The ability to stop at Camp 4 or Starbucks or anywhere else and grab a cup of a normal size coffee and carry it around with you - no sign of the normal size coffee or carrying around here.
- Warm toilet seats
- Play dates for the girls
- Babysitters and Date night for Andrew and I
- Being able to have a full conversation and speak freely with the girls' teachers
- Skiing, sledding - winter sports
- Dining in restaurants where I feel comfortable bringing my children
- The chiropractor
- Windows that seal and keep out the cold and open with screens.
- Being able to go to shops between the hours of noon and 3pm
- Amazon.com
- Powder days and the general excitement that is generated in most people when they wake up to one
- Tivo
- Sirrius/XM radio
- English-speaking doctors
- US Magazine
- Half and half for my coffee
Things I Love:
- The scenery of old, historic buildings that can be seen right outside our windows and on every corner walking
- The convenience of every store imaginable within walking distance of our apartment.
- Grace, Mia and Ella enjoying school and learning a new language
- Getting through each day with the knowledge that the next one I will be better prepared to conquer
- Being able to use the 6 years of French I took in high school and college and refine it each and every day.
- The availability of fresh, unprocessed foods and breads, milks, yoghurts and cheeses
- Being able to walk the girls to and from school
- The fashion-trends in Caen - I only wish I had the money to upgrade the family's wardrobe to match it!
- Our studio apartment for guests - it is such a great space for visitors and much more private then Crested Butte
- The 2 hour lunch breaks taken in France - I can meet Andrew every now and again.
- The unique architectural features of our apartment and how the beautiful windows gleam evening light onto the walls and ceiling.
- Living by a river with colorful sailboats and a weekly market
- Cheap but quality wine and ciders
- Having our Apple Computer here in Caen
- That Andrew is employed with a job that is both challenging and exciting
- The way Ella says French words and seeing her really step up the past few weeks by helping with her sisters
- Having so many travel destination options and showing the family the world outside of the U.S.
- How smart French people are - well educated, typically bilingual and passionate about life
- Only buying enough fresh food for a day or two - shopping for less more frequently, instead of road trips to Costco or Sams Club for 82 blocks of cheese, 18 boxes of cereal, and 20 pounds of frozen chicken breasts.
- Seeing the girls try new foods and enjoying them
- My husband and daughters - no matter where we live I love them dearly!
So, that is where I stand today on my misses and loves. It will be interesting to come back and read this in a few months or a year and see how my perspective changes.
My question to you is, what do you think you would miss in our situation? I would love to know!
I would miss playing golf and seeing the sun in winter!! I think you are right on about your family - Ella is really a help - keep the blogs coming - they light up my life!!
ReplyDeleteI would miss . . . my coffee; but also feel like I could replace it with their version. I would miss seeing friendly faces, family, and the luxury of not feeling like you are sticking out like a sore thumb. I would miss being able to pick up the phone whenever I wanted to call someone. I would miss sushi & pizza (our version).
ReplyDeleteSuzie - they have golf here! But I know what you mean. Different smells, different temperature, different people. Just different! Kindof like the coffee - just isn't the same.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your lists!! You will laugh like crazy when you re-read them in a few months!!
ReplyDelete