Goodbye. Hello.

Only 2 weeks ago we were lugging moldy suitcases down from our attic.  Of the six or so we owned we discovered only 3 were usable and that includes the one Josh hastily repaired with fishing line.

A bonus discovery was a gecko hatchery in one of the suitcases that Ava would like you all to see.

And speaking of Ava she got baptised right in the Amazon river, as seen in the picture it was immersion even though the scattering of clouds sprinkled the onlookers.  She is still our spitfire child and we were so joyed when she asked to be baptised.

A goodbye breakfast at the hangar just a few days before we left verified that indeed we were on the cusp of goodbye.  Some of those goodbyes are temporary, some are forever or unknown. 

Gabriella had already been in the States ten days before the rest of us arrived, enticing us to join her by eating rhubarb custard pie at the Hillrich house.  She didn't just go early for pie. She went early to join a swim team and also attend a youth camp in St. Louis which turned out to be a great decision.  The painful blow came when Gabriella found out you have to have your permit for 9 months before you can get your driving license.  Our furlough is only 6 months.

We've been here about two weeks and we are amazed at how much we can get accomplished in the US.  So far 3 dentist appointments, two sports physicals, one Open House, two welcome back parties, Gabriella took the ACT, Ava went to a 4 day volleyball camp, afternoons poolside with friends, strawberry picking, thrift-store shopping, swim practice each morning including one swim meet, one training bike ride, a Father's Day once again lacking either of our fathers, cell phones set up and a lot of ice cream eating and catching up with family. Also a really fun evening around a hibachi grill with dear friends, that ended with free go-cart rides and Sweet CeCe's. 

This is our fourth furlough and not much rattles me like it once did.  The transition between countries and cultures is so much smoother than it was 8 years ago.  Ava and Mia however still note the differences.  In the backyard of Tom & Connie's yard, both the girls become obsessed with squirrels and chipmunks.  They say the same things visitors to my home say about monkeys in my backyard, "Look, it's a real squirrel!", "Grandma, can we catch him and make him a pet?", and when Grandma told them to be still so they could watch the hummingbirds they shrugged, communicating  "Big whoop, I want to see something exotic like a chipmunk."

Mia is helping in the kitchen and is shocked that Grandma just cracks the eggs directly into the bowl, rather than doing each egg separately in a small cup.  "What if there is a bad one, Grandma?"

And the mailbox has caused some contention as the girls are obsessed with the idea of it and love to admire all the different styles.  And once a day they argue over who gets to retrieve the mail.

It has been fantastic to be back. At the moment we are in St. Louis spending a solid week of activities with Josh's family.  The family weekend was launched with skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks. It was weird to play in a body of water that has no current.  Other weird things occurred but some things just stay in the family.