7 Quick Takes Friday - #18

Here we go- fast and furious "7 Quick Takes" this week...
  1. Moving our stuff from our house into a warehouse to be stored while we're in the US- done! Phew! I'm so thankful it's all done. Th

  2. All our bags are packed, we're ready to go! Not telling when our flights are... a wise bloggy friend (Attic24) reminded us of that a few months ago. Don't let the whole world, including strangers, know your travel plans. So sometime semi-soon we'll be heading out and seeing family and friends! Can't wait!!!

  3. Gorusuruz, Turkiye! I hope I get a chance to practice Turkish from time to time in the US... I've worked too hard learning it to have it all whittled away in a matter of months.

  4. While Doug was overseeing the move and visiting various offices, getting utilities turned off and such the last 2 days, I spent the days with the kids in a guest flat. Since there were "new to them" toys here (thanks, guest flat people!), I read Nicholas Sparks' book, A Walk To Remember. He says in the beginning that "first you'll smile, then you'll cry. Don't say I didn't warn you." I think I barely smiled once... I definitely did not cry. What a let down. Sorry if you liked it, but it seemed very predictable and flat to me.

  5. Food. Food, food, food, food, food. It's the biggest thing (behind family & friends) that we miss about the States. Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Pappadeaux, Jason's Deli, Burger Street, Dickey's BBQ, Pappasitos.... mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm! Did you know that Texas has some of the fattest cities in America? And the reason is very clear. We've got the best food there. Self-control falls flat on its face in the presence of such delicious food. I'm hoping the "No S Diet" has helped me be more disciplined in that area, so I don't gain 793 pounds during our time in Texas.

  6. Cloth diapers. Don't know if I've mentioned it here, yet, but I did give cloth diapers a slight whirl with Moses, and it just never "took". I just don't have time and dedication anymore. I did with Maranatha, did with Silas, and just don't have it anymore. So now I'm using disposables without any guilt. Just wanted to mention that in case anyone out there remembered my old articles about it. I've never been militant about it, but even still, I try to be transparent here so there it is.

  7. And did I mention food? Cheddar cheese, corn tortillas, peanut butter, A&W root beer, beef you can actually afford to buy, breakfast sausage, good sandwich breads... all of these are things I really, really miss. Not only are we going to enjoy our meals out while in America, but I'm going to enjoy cooking our meals IN.

So there's my week. How was yours?

13 comments:

Becky said...

How long are you all going to be back in the States? I feel like you told us previously, I just don't remember.

I had some relatives who were over in Europe for a few years about a decade ago. Apparently back then, it was ranch dressing that was either hard to find or, when you did find it, VERY expensive. So whenever any family/friends would visit they'd request they bring along some Hidden Valley!

Safe Travels- Godspeed!

Jamie said...

Yea for going home!!! Hope you have safe travels and you are welcomed home with huge hugs and lingering hellos.
first of all I have a website for you: http://thekrazycouponlady.com There are current restaurant coupons, that might be of interest to you.
and, thank you for writing about cloth diapers... I hate them. I have two in dipes (one of which (3) is in no mood to potty-train) and I can't seems to keep up with laundering them, and it seems I have soap build-up that is leaving a rash on little bottoms--- it's so annoying! I was feeling a bit guilty using disposables that I found on a great deal ($2.50/pack use above link if you are interested while you are in the states) so, thank you for your transparency, it helped at least one other mama!

take care, have a great trip!
Jamie (PGH, PA)

Jessica B. said...

I'm excited for you. I am terrified of how much weight I'm going to lose when we return :)
Do you have a pretty permanent place you'll be living in while you're there? How are the kids feeling?
I have enjoyed writing my own quick takes, thanks to you... it is a small enough blogging task that I can handle it, but also allows me to be random :)

Jill Farris said...

God bless you as you travel and keep the entire family healthy and safe. May you touch lives as you travel!

We were missionaries with Wycliffe stateside and went through packing and storing too many times...I can't imagine doing it overseas.

sandra @ eastern journey said...

Happy travels! SO excited for you guys!

darci said...

happy travels home! :) i just ate at chipolte's for the first tme ever a week ago...oh my, i can understand your excitement! :) darc

Liz said...

I'm so glad you're coming HOME! I would still love to meet you after all these years of reading your blog, so if you're up for it, send me an e-mail! We are planning a Texas trip sometime in the next few months...

As Living Stones said...

I totally understand about going cloth to disposables! I used cloth diapers for about 6 years straight! When my youngest was born, I was DONE with cloth!

Safe and happy travels for you!

Christine said...

I am so with you on the diaper issue. I tried with my last two, but because of diaper rash, detergent issues, etc., my littlest is in disposables. Disposables without guilt is a good thing.

Carletta said...

I never even attempted cloth with any of my kids. I thought really hard about it, but I'm just too lazy! ;)

Kat said...

Enjoy your time in the states, Jess! ((((hugs))))

Anonymous said...

A suggestion for keeping up your language: www.myngle.com It's a service that connects you with language teachers from around the world through skype. I don't work for them -- I just really like them, as I learn a language that it's tough to find teachers for through them.

Enjoy the US!
Bethany

Lauren said...

I'm completely with you on A Walk to Remember. Not so good, but I'm not a huge Sparks fan.
Enjoy your time in the States!
titus2moments.blogspot.com