Looking back…looking forward.

When I allow myself a few moments to stop and really consider our upcoming move to Hong Kong, my tummy does a little flip, my heart skips a beat, I catch my breath and I think "HOW?" How did a small town girl from Iowa find herself sorting and packing up all her earthly belonging into boxes to donate, boxes to put on a ship, boxes to put in the trash, and boxes to store away. I don't often allow myself the time or space to actually reflect and contemplate what's ahead. It's really too scary. And insurmountable. And overwhelming. And unknown. It's easier to just scroll through Instagram or run to Starbucks for another latte or find some other distraction, than to face the fear.

But then.

2019. Detour Ahead.

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions. I have a hard time committing to just one thing to accomplish. What happens if a better goal comes along? As a rule follower I can't simply quit the first goal, so it's better to just make a list of many goals and see which one rises (on it's own) to the top! So, sometime in early January of 2019, I began making a mental list of all of the things I'd like to accomplish this year. Of course, I did NOT actually put anything on paper because that would be committing too fully! But I do remember some of the things on my list: Lose 20 lbs. Start exercising regularly. Read the Bible. Sew those curtains for the great room that I bought fabric and curtain rods for LAST year. Design my company logo. Launch my website. Update and decorate the master bedroom and bathroom. Organize and declutter my house.

Hit the breaks! It turns out I should have been MUCH more specific in my mental list-making exercise. When I said "declutter and organize" I didn't mean literally donate, sell or pack everything we own into boxes and move halfway around the world! But here we are.... In almost two weeks, our family will be disembarking from an airplane, gathering up our eight suitcases from the baggage claim and launching the next phase of our greatly downsized, Hong Kong Life. In 2020, I'm mentally putting "Drink more coffee and eat more chocolate" on the list. I can't wait to see what happens.

All Things Wisconsin

Having been a Wisconsinite 2 years now, I am coming to understand traditions run thick and deep in this part of the U.S. of A. People live and die by their Packers, cheese and cabin "up north". And beer and cheese and cabin "up north". When we first arrived in 2007 we were quickly introduced to the concept of the weekly Friday Fish Fry. A tradition so tried and true, no outsider would dare have the audacity to question it. Very soon after (and largely against our better judgement) the words "Culvers" and "Butterburger" worked their way into our vocabulary.

I clearly remember driving past Culvers in those early weeks and laughing at their signboards each Friday night. As weeks have turned into months, and now years, I recently realized those same signboards barely cause me to blink any longer. Culvers regularly offers frozen custard in vanilla and chocolate plus the "Flavor of the Day". Therefore, on any given Friday, your tastebuds can be tempted with magnificent tantilizing treats such as: Peanut Butter Cup & Walleye; Reese's Pieces & Shrimp; Snicker Swirl & Cod Dinners. Oh yeh, "Hit the brakes, Honey! We're goin' in!!!"

Tonight I saw it again, for the first time. Feast your eyes, it's Friday in Wisconsin!!!