I'm Short!

Right now, my family and civilian friends are saying "No you're not. You're actually pretty tall." My military friends know exactly what I'm talking about. We've all been there. Being short means that you only have a little time left on your current assignment. In fact, we only have around 5 months left in beautiful Belgium. Part of me is very excited, because it's been almost 7 years since we lived in the lower 48, but another part of me is sad. There are so many things that I'll miss about this place...the small town atmosphere, riding bikes along the canal, listening to the church bells ringing out the hours in the centrum of town, fresh flowers at affordable prices, the local bakery, train trips, being so close to amazing cities that I never dreamed I'd be able to visit. The list goes on and on. If I could bundle up Belgium and stick in smack dab in the middle of the United States, I'd do it and live there happily for the rest of my life. On the other hand, I'm so excited to be back in the great US of A. I can't wait to be smart again and understand every sign I look at and everything that they're saying on the radio. I can't wait to be able to walk into a Target or Walmart and find everything I need in one place. (Trust me, it's a modern miracle. If they opened one of those stores here, they would be millionaires over night.) I miss my kids going to a school that isn't an hour away. I miss roads that run North, South, East and West. (Over here they resemble the spokes on a bicycle tire. And they meander. A lot.) I'm sure the next few months will fly by at an amazing rate of speed, and we will soon be on a plane to our next assignment. Wherever our road leads, it will be to yet another amazing adventure. I think that Belgium, like Alaska, will always hold a very special place in my heart. And every day I am grateful that we got the chance to live here and experience it. But I can't wait to see what's next...