European Living and Learning, Rowland Style: 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you did too. It's funny how all the hoopla takes weeks and weeks to prepare and then with one whoosh, it's finished. One thing about living overseas is that holidays are not long and drawn out. There's no hopping from family event to family event... it's just our house and we are done. Luckily, the Rowland's came for another Christmas visit this year and that gives us all something to look forward to. The kids always enjoy the 100% attention they always get from them. They don't hear the word "no" for a week and they love every minute of it!

While the Rowland's were here they took a little side trip to Rome. I don't have any of her pictures to share, but I must say they make me want to visit. We are planning a trip sometime this Spring, in between Matt's TDY's, school, and all the moving stuff we are starting to plan for. Italy is on my list though and I'm determined we are going to make it there. It will be our last big trip. Matt and I made another jetting trip to Amsterdam for New Year's Eve without the kids. The last 3 years we've been in Paris, London and Amsterdam! Wow! I never would have dreamed that when I was growing up. Well, for that matter even 5 years ago.

Wonder where we will be celebrating New Year's next year? For those of you that don't know, we are moving again this summer. This time, to Kuwait. I'm not joking. I'm not going to lie and say I love the idea and can't wait. However, I will say that I am glad our family will all stay together for the next 2 years, Matt won't deploy. We are supposed to have a nice house to live in and I'm looking forward to the warm weather and sunshine. It will be quite a change from here - dust storms, private schools, malls and restaurants that we are used to. It's not the US, that's for sure, but it's a modern country. I am ready to leave Germany, just wasn't planning on moving to Kuwait.

I know God has his hand in all this and I'm trying to accept it all. Luckily, my mom and aunt were here when Matt and I were having to discuss all this over the phone from Afghanistan. Frankly, I fell apart for a while. I was more than ready to come back to the states. These last few months though I have felt more at peace about it. It's only 2 years and that sounds so much better than 3 to me. Maybe I'll get some little job to pass the time... maybe I won't. One thing is for sure, I'll have a good tan year round!!

That being said, I think I'm officially taking a blog hiatus. I've not posted much for some time now and I'm gonna call it quits for now. My plan right now is to say goodbye and start a new blog once we are moved and settled into Kuwait in the Fall. We will leave here early summer, take another long visit to the states (I'm having knee surgery again, ick!) and then head to Kuwait on yet another long journey. I may do a couple of simple posts after we take our Italy trip and to any other tourist places we visit. But all in all, I'm done with this for now.

Thank you for reading... especially all 3 of you that leave comments now and then. I'll be sure to email you when I start a new blog on Middle East War Zone living, ha!