Things I Miss...

As we mark the end of two full weeks here in China, I've been thinking about some of the things I miss.

I miss...

Summer
I miss spending the days with Marty and Everleigh, going to the park, splash pad, library, zoo, gymnastics, or the pool, and having play dates with coworkers.

Marion Parks
Seriously, the little city of Marion has some of the best parks. I totally took those for granted. The play spaces here leave a little to be desired. The playground at school is decent, but it's not super close and it's unaccessible during the school day. Poor Everleigh has had to make do with what we have here at our apartment complex.

Hy-Vee Sundays
Well, I miss Hy-Vee in general, but specifically our weekly Sunday Hy-Vee runs. We'd get a Starbucks and breakfast pizza and make it our little family outing. Starbucks we can still get; breakfast pizza, probably not.

Target
How am I going to waste $100 over here without a Target nearby??? ; ) I miss living a mile from Target, but mostly I miss being able to drive there and park; shop for what I need (everything I need); put it in my car; and drive my car right back to my house where it was nice and easy to unload what I bought.

Lotion
Seriously people, I have tried to buy body lotion two times. I even used Google Translator the second time to have a Wal-Mart employee direct me to the right products. To no avail. Both times I ended up with body wash. Grrrrr. My skin is thirsty!!!

Tabloid Magazines
Those who know me well know that I love my celebrity scoop. I'm feeling a little in the dark these days about what's happening with Kristen and Rob, Brad and Angie, and the Kardashians. Not to mention the crossword puzzles in Star. Guess I'll have to get myself an online subscription.

La Camelia
We had Mexican once a week back home, and I'm missing my quesadillas and margaritas! They have Mexican here, but as you can imagine, it's not on the same level as back home. And their margaritas are pretty pricey. Haven't tried one yet to see if it's worth the price.

Friends
The people we've met here have been extremely friendly and welcoming, and I feel that I could call many of them up to hang out, but there's no replacement for the friends we have back home. Just want you all to know that we think about you and miss you, and I'm sure that when we see each other again, we'll fall right back into things like we never even left. : )

Family
Obviously. Although I've lived away from home for the past 7 or 8 years, I've never been farther than a two hour car ride. Thank goodness for email, Facebook, and Skype! Actually, so far I haven't been homesick at all, but I'm sure once birthdays start rolling around, and when my new niece or nephew is born, I'll start to get that pang.