Dear Blog--

Dear Blog,

It is true...I have been avoiding you.  For now, knowing I am moving, and  I write about all the wonderful things and the great times I am spending here with my friends here in Germany, it makes me jump right in the front seat of an emotional roller coaster. 

Blog, it is so hard to put in words how emotionally challenging it has been for me preparing for our move back to the states and when I try, I decide to go with "avoidance".  Yes, I am excited to be moving back to my friends/family, sunshine, and fried okra.  But the flip side of this 45 vinyl, is moving away from this place in Germany that we made our home for the past 2 1/2 years.

I admit, I am one of those fortunate ones that have made and KEPT incredible friends over the years.  It is what makes the color so bright in my coloring book.  But it has been a bit different as an expat....We made strong friendships, because that is what you have to do as an expat living so far away from home ...You are in a foreign country so these friends become your family...your support network...your key to not feeling isolated. You by-pass all of the formalities of a new friendship and jump right in with your whole body and soul. 

So blog, here I am slowly making my exit and saying my goodbyes to the family I made here in Germany and the new way of life I learned to embrace while living in this foreign country.  I am sure it is a tad of relief to those that have had to suffer thru my bad German and my tongue is probably going to have to relearn 'southern-ease', but that is all part of the record.

So blog, I promise to try not to avoid you the next few weeks, but to share with you all of the wonderful things I will miss about living in Germany.  My first share is our 'last trip' to Berlin to spend the weekend with one of the families we became friends with during our time here.  We played, we toured, we ate Spanish tapas, we spoke bad German, we watched our children act like it hadn't been 7 months since they had seen each other, and we navigated thru a new zone of our friendship that involved a few goodbyes and "until next time". 

Sincerely,
Your loving friend for life

"I've missed him, but I still have him down for the count"

"I will go with you anywhere-as long as we are together"

 

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE GERMANY"

"but we must...so "till next time" xoxox