And the Countdown has begun...

154 days to be exact.  How has it been 2 1/2 year??  But it has been an amazing and busy time.  I'm so excited for our next adventure.  I do know our next location but I'm not allowed to make it public yet.  Joel likes to wait til the paperwork is signed.  I can tell you this.... it is another place I never thought I would visit, let alone live!

Even with all the excitement, I am very sad to be leaving.  There are many aspects of Istanbul that I am so OVER.  But we have a wonderful network of friends and acquaintances here, that I've already started to get sad about moving.  I have gotten so settled and love that I have made friends that are outside of school.

 And I'm not sure how the kids are going to take it.  This has been the longest Jocy has ever been in a school.  She has had friends move on from here and I'm hoping it will make it a little easier.  Plus she has been sucked in by Apple and can easily message and FaceTime her friends.  And she is totally email happy!  I am not sure how Elly is going to do.  She has had friends leave.  But most of them have just gone to other schools.  She still sees her friend Lotte at least twice a month.  Little Miss Popular might have some issues adjusting to not knowing anyone.  I'm hoping I'm wrong!

Now we are planning out our trips for the rest of the year.  We have our look and see, Spring Break, and a trip to the States in the works.  I'm so glad that we are NOT going back to Detroit.  I would hate to give up traveling.  You can definitely say I was bitten.  Joel and I have even talked about staying overseas for as long as they let us.  I know I always have that voice in the back of my head saying, "it would be so much easier to be in Detroit."  But once we are back, its going to be hard (and more expensive) to travel overseas.  Our list of places to visit seems to get longer all the time.

I came across a quote recently that really has stuck with me.  And I'm not normally like that.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I have started to wonder if being a trailing spouse was what I was meant to do.  I always wanted to end up a stay at home mom.  And even though people call me super mom (much more here where 4 kids is insane),  I felt that there was something missing.  Maybe it was Milly, or maybe it was the crazy challenges of being overseas.  Everything is just harder and you have to push yourself everyday.  I know I could do more.  But when it is just you doing everything alone all week long, sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy a day on the couch hanging with the kids.  I do get a little envious of people doing fun things all the time.  But I have little ones and a husband that has a crazy stressful job and a 250 km commute everyday.  None of them know that.  I drive 40 plus minutes three times a week for gymnastics, plus run two girl scouts troops,  and haven't slept thru the night in over two years.  But my kids are happy and I really enjoy girl scouts and watching my girls in gym.  My parents let me do all kind of activities as a kid and I will let mine do the same.  But, I am worn out and so need a vacation with just Joel.  I was really looking forward to the end of launch and getting some good quality time as a family.  But looks like that isn't going to happen.  He is moving onto his next launch in May.  So, yep, that really leaves me alone with the kids for two months.  But we will get thru it and then will get to experience another amazing city and have more adventures and wonderful memories.  It's all worth it.  I will not look back and regret that I didn't do this or that.

Well I seem to have gone off on a ramble.  LOL.  My life is nothing less than crazy.  But I really truly love it.