We are at the 3 month mark and it is not hard to believe we have been here this long.  It feels like 3 months and we have accomplished as much…  In this past month we have ventured out visiting places via boat and longer car trips.  Our comfort level with our neighborhood and all the places we frequent is growing.  We are starting to make meaningful relationships and build new memories.  I have had a few mixed feelings along the way, I have never lived with rose-colored glasses and I believe if I am going to have a blog about expat life, I should be honest about all of it.

3 months in and I am still homesick.  Not every minute of the day, but certain moments I catch myself dreaming about something familiar.

I have learned that new experiences can be wonderful and exciting and you can still miss home.  You can laugh and have great days and still wish you could walk out your door and share it with your friends.  You can be happy you are here and not wait to get home all in the same feel.   We are flying home for the holidays and I am so excited to see everyone and just be “off duty” for a few weeks, not having to google translate one thing!  I am going to snuggle my cats, eat my favorite foods, speak lots of English to anyone who wants to chat and drive EVERYWHERE!

In my mind, I never envisioned life beyond this mark.  It was always about getting here, getting settled and then we would be back to visit for the holidays.  So I plan on spending some time to think about what the next 6 months should hold.  What adjustments do I need to make?  How can I make this experience worthwhile everyday?  How can I better help my kids adjust while keeping ahold of what’s important to them and me?  I just want to spend my time here intentionally.  There are plenty of adventures in the hopper, just have to spend some time bringing them to life!  Here are a few photos of what we have been up to lately to keep it real.

We had the kids school Christmas program last weekend.  Logan was a soldier in Nutcracker and he loved it.   I will let you determine Brynn’s thoughts on being holiday Minnie Mouse.  She looked so cute.

We also spent some time making cinnamon ornaments.  3 hours to set up, 5 minutes to make, 4 more hours to clean it up.  But always worth it for some merriment on a rainy day.  And speaking of rainy days, we have had a few and I finally got to bust out my boots in all their Oregon glory.

And we had a vulture come visit us on a rainy afternoon.  They are big and kind of creepy, but we are friend to all visiting animals, so we welcomed him to stay a while.