Well we have had a wonderful 3 week vacation and Abby and I are now back in the states for the summer. Chuck came with us for the first 3 weeks and we were BUSY!
We visited friends and family in NC and made another trip to Disney with Abby and my step-daughter, Shelby. We looked and looked at other options, but finally decided that the girls loved Disney, and so did Mommy and Daddy so we went again for a week. Mommy and daddy even got a date night!
We surprised Abby and didn't tell her until we got to Orlando, which was hilarious! She was so worried when she realized where we were that we weren't going to Disney and when she finally figured it out ... well - I'm biased but her reaction was priceless!
Abby's Disney Video
We stayed in our camper for a couple weeks and got time in our "home" town in NC which was wonderful. It's been a year since Chuck has been in the states, so he loved it and we enjoyed every minute! We took the boat out, played on the lake, Abby spent time with her cousins and Mommy and Daddy caught up with some of our best friends.
Now we're getting ready for swimming lessons, been to the movies 3 times to see Malefocent, been shopping, ate tons of pork and mommy has enjoyed driving again. We're looking forward to spending the 4th of July in the states and enjoying the cooler weather. Chuck has returned to Yanbu and we'll see him in a couple months. In the meantime, we're back to being a split family, which is the hardest part of this whole adventure, but it's too hot to stay with Abby during the summer. Also, I'm a little selfish and need a break to "reality" now and again.
On another note, I've decided to return to school for my Master's degree! I've thought long and hard and with us being overseas and Abby getting ready for school, I have a little more time to concentrate on me, so this is my goal. I'm in my second class to the degree and have to admit, after several years, it's challenging, but happy in my decision. I'm taking online classes from ECU (go Pirates!) and so far so good!
One thing that I have said, but will say again, this life certainly makes you appreciate what you have. We spend about 5 months of the year separated, but when we're together, we appreciate being a family more than ever, and tend to not take each other for granted. It also makes us appreciate "home" more. Things like driving and convenience of Walmart (I know sad as that sounds) are things we take for granted here. I love living overseas and love the Saudi culture, but let's face it - Americans are all about convenience and easy - and no matter who you are or where you travel there is no place like "home".