No Place like Home for the Holidays

In a little bit of sentimental nostalgia, I kept singing this song in my head in the week preceding our surprise visit home. In addition to holding my newborn nephew, eating Chinese food on Christmas Day, and drinking cocoa by the fire, there were so many iconic things about going home with my family. Here are a few.



Taking the kids sledding. Next to my parents' house, there is a perfect sledding hill. When I was a kid, I always felt a little lucky that I could go any time I wanted and nobody had to drive me to get there. The other kids had to beg and plead for their parents to sit in their cars at the top of the hill and wait for the fun to conclude. I took my kids there with their cousins and some friends. After a temporary fit of panic watching my seven year-old slide quickly down, I realized that this was special. It was a memory in the making. It was something we could share when we talk about our travels of the world.

Hunting and Guns. My son, now 11, has his own gun. My husband has three. They haven't been able to hunt or target shoot since we lived overseas. One of our first stops was going to our friend's house to pick up the guns so the boys could shoot. They went rabbit hunting one day and shot cans behind Grandpa's house on another. The girls and I don't really care to join, but this was another special time with uncles, grandpas, fathers, and sons.

Pedicures. The $20 pedicure by this sweet Vietnamese lady in my hometown cannot be compared. Every time I am home, I stop in here to get a good scrub for my tootsies. This time, I brought my girls and my mom. As my 12 year-old daughter sat in the chair getting a pedicure, it was another reminder of the simple pleasures of American life. It was very sweet to be remembered as well when we walked in the and the owner said, "Back again for a visit?"

Chopping Wood and Woodstoves Let me be clear; if I ever own a woodstove, it will only be because pigs are flying and hell has frozen over. My husband and I both grew up with woodstoves. That translates into, my husband and I were both required, as children, to cut, stack, and load the wood as well as feed the fire. Not my favorite task ever. It's messy, tiring, and never ending. I did enjoy the warm, glowing fireplace in places we visited, but no thank you. It will also be something that lives in my memory, not in my house. We will tell our children that woodstoves are for visiting up North. However, my husband, son, and nephews were fortunate to be able to chop wood for a whole afternoon and feel the sweat of a hard days work. Good enough for me.

Pizza Hut In a book I once read, it said that middle children are the most prone to savor family traditions. Based on my own experience, I have found that to be true. So as we were headed out to Virginia, we stopped in to see my brother-in-law and his family. We suggested stopping in around 6pm. He quickly reminded me that we would get Pizza Hut because that's what we do when we're in town. We were all so pleased that he remembered. For the last 3.5 years, my husband has been making us amazing, homemade pizza, but getting it made to order around the block was something special too. Plus, there was a special going on so it was $15 for three pizzas. That's just crazy!

Planes, trains, and autmobiles (and a bus or two)

My husband and I have discovered that though we like to travel, we don't always do it well when we're together. We each have our own system of doing things. Mine, clearly the superior way, is to organize everything in a folder, arrive at least hours ahead of time and saunter calmly through all the security checkpoints. His is, well, a little less stringent. That being said, when we decided how and when to arrive in the US, we agreed that I would travel with the children and he would travel with the cat. Our Russian cat is very beautiful, but it's not her beauty that has secured her position with this family. It's the fact that she can pee on the toilet. Enough said.

Obtaining the documents necessary for the cat to travel was slightly more involved than we were first aware. The Russian veterinarian came to our house to give the updated shots and sign the cat's passport. The shots were 2200 rubles ($66) and the document was an additional 2200 rubles. A small price to pay for no kitty litter.

The kids and I left Moscow on December 22. Our flight left in the afternoon and the morning was torturous as we said several goodbyes to our dear friends and neighbors. They took these photos of our departure, but my friend was sobbing her eyes out as we pulled away. I had no idea it would be so sad to leave.

Our flights were pretty smooth and we even got upgraded to comfort seating on our 10.5 hour flight. We had a two hour delay in Chicago and our flight slid on the runway in Grand Rapids due to icy conditions. Here's Number Two's solution to the delay.



After so many hours of travel, I went a little nuts when the cabbie told me our luggage wouldn't fit into one car and that I needed to hire a second. I said, not so politely, "I'll load it myself!" and I did. The kids told me later I was slightly frightening in that moment. The cabbie didn't charge me for baggage.

My husband arrived on Christmas Eve, on time. That alone was a Christmas miracle! The next day, this is what we saw out of our windows.

Surprise! We moved.

Living overseas has given me a myriad of diverse opportunities and experiences. As a friend says, the only downside is the transient lifestyle. It's exciting to be the one moving on but it's challenging for those who aren't leaving yet or those who will never leave. I've been there before and have even called myself a fifth-year senior. But our turn finally came. That's right. We have left Russia. I hate the long, drawn-out goodbyes, the farewell luncheons, dinners, and get-togethers. Like a sticky band-aid, I would rather rip the thing right off and be done with it. I'll feel the sting later and be glad it's over.

We got the job offer on Dec 3. The kids and I flew out on Dec 22. In that amount of time I had to pack out the house, say goodbyes, schedule sleepovers, and prepare our place in Washington D.C.

In addition, Christmas had to come early at our house so everything could be packed up, so it was hustle, bustle, holiday cheer, and put-it-back-in-the-box.

The best part about this situation is that our family back home (Michigan) didn't have any idea we were leaving. We decided to take a week of vacation and surprise everyone at Christmas!

On Christmas day, we told my husband's family that we would Skype them at 11am. We showed up at their back door instead. Next we surprised my husband's siblings, then mine. Along the way, it was really fun to surprise people with texts, phone calls, and face to face.

The best part of the whole visit was that we got to welcome a new nephew, born the day after Christmas. We took as much time as possible to stop in and rock him.

SO we are in our apartment in Arlington now and we just got internet. This blog is just a starter, but I have so much more to tell you about. Please be patient and there will be other fun stories.