The Countdown.

It's official: We have 23 days left in Germany!

Don't get me wrong, I will most definitely miss Germany. In fact, I know I will miss a lot of things about it right when I get home. But for now, a lot of what I think about is all the things I'm excited for back home.

1. FOOD.

While Germany does have plenty of delightful cuisines and foods to try (processed meats or the like excluded--*shudders*), I am so excited to come home to my rice, beans, tempeh, cashew cheese, popcorn, bagged spinach, celery, Cafe Rio, Great Harvest, Black Pearl, etc. I swear I could go on and on. Is it normal to miss food like that? Perhaps. Especially in a country where even being a vegetarian has been hard let alone a vegan. I really miss cooking my usual recipes that I haven't been able to over here. Oh! My chef's knife that my brother and sister-in-law gave us for our wedding! My KitchenAid! Come to Momma!

2. OUR CAR.

Germany has the most amazing public transit system, and I can't complain about it one bit. However, every time we haul our groceries up the sidewalk to our apartment or we get caught in the rain without an umbrella, I can't help but think of our little Corolla who's waiting patiently for us to return. I also get rather fond of our car if we're in our apartment on the weekend wondering what to do with little money, knowing that our car could be outside with a tank of gas. I also miss just being behind the wheel with some good music playing, zipping down the road. Being away from our car for so long makes me wonder if I'll remember how to drive when I get home. Scary!

3. SPEAKING ENGLISH. TO EVERYONE.

We will both be thankful to come home where everyone speaks our language! There were some days where Mark would come home from work and I would want him to talk to me in German so I could learn it. Then he would complain that he was tired of speaking it all day, and he just wanted to speak some English. There have been many times when I've wanted to talk to someone but felt very limited to what I could say because of my teeny tiny German. That, my friends, is one of the most frustrating feelings. It's hard getting to know someone when you can't express your feelings or your personality very well through language. There were so many times where I would just stand there with a huge smile hoping that that alone would do something. Sigh. Although, I do miss the "white noise" part of living around another language. Sometimes there's just something nice in not accidentally overhearing things that would otherwise be upsetting--bad news and sad stories. But I will be excited to hear everyone's fun stories and good news when I get back!

Hmm, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there are lots of little things that I miss, but these are definitely the major ones.

Oh wait a minute---

did I mention FAMILY AND FRIENDS?

Yeah, I'm excited to see everyone!

I didn't think we had a photo of our car, then BANG! I came across this accidental capture. I was trying to get a picture of my nephew being pushed in his swing, and it looks like I got our car instead. Oh, how I miss it!

We saw this on our trip to Oregon. Ha! The little things.

I really missed Halloween this year, more than I thought I would. Can't wait for pumpkin carving next year!

Yes, we're going back to work at EK. I just have to be thankful for a job. Plus, it helps when you have a boss that dresses up like the Easter Bunny!

And last but certainly not least--I miss my cat! I can't wait to see her soon.