Almost ready to go home

As expected, the past six weeks have FLOWN by! Speaking of flying, we'll be doing just that out of Chicago on Friday and arriving home in Carlos Paz (hopefully) sometime Saturday evening. My mind is as big a jumble as our suitcases right now and there's no way I can write a coherent post at this point. So I thought I'd do bullets :) These are in no discernible order, just my thoughts on what we've done/seen/had to eat...

• We've driven four different vehicles and I can't count the number of times we've come out of a church or store and had to remember, first, what we were driving at that particular moment and then, where we had parked it.
• Self-flushing toilets are a wondrous invention but rather disconcerting when they malfunction and flush every 15 seconds while you're still seated. 
• The newest Narnia movie is excellent, especially with the fun 3-D glasses. Will DVDs come with them when they're released in a few months?
• I'm a fan of cheese and have only come across one in my entire life that I didn't care for (the smell alone was so off-putting I couldn't bring myself to even try it) so you know I had to try the cheese board currently on the menu at Cerulean. And it was all I'd hoped it would be, and more. The five-year aged cheddar just melted on the tongue, bringing all sorts of pleasure to my palate. I really like the soft cheese with the persimmon jam too. I had the camera with me but was so busy stuffing my face I forgot to take any pictures. BUT my daughter and her new husband did take a photo recently so I'll share that one with you:

• I don't like the cold and snow any better now than I did when we left over two years ago. But one good thing about this time in my life is that I have "personal summers" every so often, so there's no longer any need for Cuddle Duds even on the coldest days.
• The one thing that's more expensive here than Argentina is food. And it's WAY more expensive. 
• I have enjoyed hitting the sales to take back a few things we need or want and either can't get there (or don't get there because it's too expensive). If you peeked in my suitcases right now you might find a new cheese plane, silicone spatulas, dark cocoa powder, the newest Jan Karon book, and some gorgeous wired ribbon in various colors. Among other things. 
• Because we'll be flying through Buenos Aires and have to take a shuttle from one airport to the other, we decided not to take extra luggage so I'm also packing boxes to leave here until next time. Things we don't need right away. When we come on furlough next year we'll be flying directly in and out of Cordoba so taking extra luggage then will be MUCH easier! 
• I'm pretty sure I've gained 10 pounds. Good thing they don't weigh the passengers like they do the luggage! I decided early on that I was going to enjoy myself, especially enjoy those foods that are hard to get in Argentina. Like authentic Mexican, seafood (we live in a land-locked region there), AMERICAN ICE CREAM!!!, cheese, cheese and more cheese, turkey with all the trimmings, baked ham, and more AMERICAN ICE CREAM. Among other things.
• Tina treated me to a manicure before the wedding and it's probably a good thing I don't speak Korean or I might have been mortified by what the manicurist was saying about my poor neglected nails. I did finally stop chewing them a few short years ago but I never have been good about caring for them properly.
• Tina also treated me to a hair cut and high lights at a very posh salon. LOVE my new cut! It's more work than what I was used to (which was basically a wash-and-wear style) but it is SOOOOO worth it, in my opinion. I never knew my baby fine, super straight hair could do this! My favorite part of the trip to the salon was the hair wash/head massage. The room with all the sinks is kept almost dark, soft music playing, and they spend a good twenty minutes massaging while they wash. BLISS!
• Also really like my new glasses. They fit my small face and, even better, I CAN SEE with them!
• We are so thankful the hard drive on my Mac chose to die during this trip! It meant our son could take care of everything for us and we didn't have to worry about anything. No multiple trips to Cordoba or waiting for someone to come from the U.S. who could bring a new hard drive... just turn it over to Jon and let him do his magic!
• We're happy that Mother is happy with the basement apartment. After Tina had cleared all her things out, we put things back the way dad and mother used to have them...as best we could remember, anyway. Mom was thrilled! She had fun seeing things that have been packed the last three years, and remembering the stories behind them. Like the clock that Alan made or the lamp that a church in Argentina gave them...
• My heart is full. We are just so thankful for the Lord's blessings. Seeing way more people than we expected to, doing more than we thought possible... 
• But now we're ready to go home. I think it's interesting how God prepares us for these transitions in our lives. I've had  SOOOO stinkin' much fun on this trip! And now I'm ready to fly back to our "normal" life in Argentina. Yes, I will miss my family, our friends, AMERICAN ICE CREAM. Among other things. But when I'm here I miss my friends back "home" and Venezia's pomelo rosado sorbet. I guess I'm learning more about what it means to be a "third culture" person. 

I probably won't post again until we're home. So until then, hasta luego. And...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!