Summertime...

     In my last post, I talked about my family's recent move. This time we've been "moving", as in physically around. Alot.  Like, sometimes I wake up and don't know where I am, alot.
     In Abu Dhabi, most of the expats (those are what we call people who are living in a country other than their own), leave the country for the summer.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, it is hot. The kind of hot that means your tshirt is going to be soaked before you can get from your apartment to your car and crank on the air conditioning.  The kind of hot that makes you wonder if you are actually living on Venus, not Earth. I'm not kidding, look it up.  Today, for example, though the temperature in Abu Dhabi is only 113 degrees Fahrenheit, the "Real Feel" is 135.  Ouch.
      The other reason so many of us leave is to spend time with all those family members and friends that we don't get to see the rest of the year.  Abu Dhabi is a 15 hour plane ride from the east coast of the United States.  And even though we've had a few people travel half way around the world to come see us over the past 4 years, most of our visiting takes place in the summer.
     And that's where the fun comes in.  Over the past 8 weeks, we have spent time in Massachusetts, Kentucky and Colorado, catching up with family and friends.  I have dropped one daughter off at a camp in Illinois, went to a college orientation with my son in Boston, and swung by St Louis to pick another daughter up from the airport. It's been a summer of living out of suitcases, sleeping on couches and figuring out how many times we can load back into the minivan without screaming at each other. Through it all, we've been able to reconnect with those we love, and fill our bags and bellies with things we can't get in our host country. (Target and Taco Bell...ah, how we miss you!)
     It's been a great summer.  Soon, we will be boarding the plane to go back to what we now call home.  It will probably feel more bittersweet than usual, since I'm leaving two of my teens behind this year (more about that in another post), but my heart will be full and I will be grateful for all the memories we made together over the past few months.  
    Here's hoping you all had an awesome summer as well!