I suppose that this post comes at a good time since we just celebrated Thanksgiving and we are in the Christmas season! I should be cleaning since the Queen of the house is down for a nap but I figured why not blog instead :) Cleaning can come later and I can fold laundry and hang clothes even with my speedy crawler following me everywhere!
As I was sitting here drinking my 4th cup of coffee today I was looking around my little apartment and thinking of the things I miss. First on the list is my house. I remember looking around my house about a year or so ago and thinking how I wish we would have went with a more open floor plan, and how I really want to paint these boring walls. After having to replace the floor in the main level half bath, entry hallway and laundry room I remembered thinking how I want to change out all the bathroom floors from the vinyl to the tile and after the changed the main level floor how I disliked all the other bathroom floors and frowned when I walked in to one of the bathrooms. I remember looking at the carpets and thinking how I wish I would have went with my first choice in carpet color and thickness and how I can't wait to redo the kitchen and Dining room floors in real wood. I remember the disagreement with Collin on if we should zero scape or have grass. (For 4 years I had zero scape and wanted to continue with the Colorado Climate but he wanted grass....... we got grass). Then I remembered all the things I loved. The size of the rooms and closets, my jetted tub, how we doubled the size of our deck for that patio furniture I wanted and never bought, the color of my house, the location as every time I went out back I was looking at Pikes Peak.... I could go on, but the point to this is all those things I love I love even more and all those things I wanted to change I miss so much just the way they are. What I miss most about my house....... the size! The fact that if I needed some quiet time I could wander to the basement and veg out, or if Collin was home and I got bored with his tv watching I could go up to the living room and read or watch my shows or just have quiet time, and if I needed to work on something I could just go to the office and have complete silence. I could talk on the phone in any room and not have to worry about disturbing someone or them disturbing my phone call. I miss my space! I also miss the carpets like crazy.... this whole fake wood thing through the entire house with a baby is for the birds! I will vacuum all day long if it means I don't have to look at another mop! Plus the bumps and bruises from learning how to walk would be minimal compared to what Audrey is experiencing these days. Yes I miss my house!
I got used to looking at Pikes Peak whenever I wanted but I realize now I took that view for granted! Now I look out my window to see tall buildings and a lot of fog these days. Business and shops and people buzzing about. The sounds of cars honking, police whistles blowing and tires screeching oh and the occasional bull horn being yelled into. I close my eyes sometimes and remember a snow covered Pikes Peak! I miss the Colorado Mountains!
I miss my friends. One of my best friends lived just a half mile down the road. I regret not going to her house more. Half a mile away and we only got together once or twice a week and I blame myself. I would get so busy with work and hubby that I didn't take enough time to be with my friends. Now I miss all of them so much!
I desperately miss my car! I am waiting on ours to die every time we get in it. There are so many things wrong with it that I couldn't begin to start listing the problems. I will miss it when we have to start taking a cab to the commissary or PX until we get a new one or ship ours over here but right now, now that I wonder everyday if it will run the next time.... I hate every thing about it.
My car, like all cars at one point is new, clean, leather seats, sun rough, and all the safety bells and whistles and runs very smooth. It's got the room to fit a PX trip and a monthly grocery shopping trip in it (unlike what we have now). I figured the stress of driving the car to TX to get it delivered here wasn't worth it since we already had a FREE car here. HA! I should have endured the 13 hour drive with my 9 month old at the time and got it over here. It wouldn't be half as stressful as our current car situation. Our FREE car was free for a reason.
I miss the fact that if I want to buy something that isn't an everyday item that I can't just jump in my car and run to the store. Chances are, while living here, I have to order it off line, pay shipping, and wait for the arrival. I miss not having the luxury of choosing where to get my groceries or where to get my clothes or even having a mall that I can afford and I certainly miss the outlets. (example of this is going into baby gap at one of the malls here and seeing a winter coat for about 100.00.... For my growing toddler.... I don't think so). The outlet prices here are the same as mall prices in America if not worse. I miss American restaurants being just minutes away and the many choices we have. I miss being able to go to a Sky Sox baseball game for 10 bucks or a Cochise College Hockey game just a short drive away.
I miss my massages with Brenda, I miss walking into a nail salon and saying what I want and how I want it. I have yet to do any of that here and one reason is because of the language barrier. I am afraid it won't be what I wanted or how I want it and I won't be able to find away to tell them to fix it. Even on post it is rare to find anyone who works at these types of places who speaks great English so I just have not bothered and really I have learned to live without these things but at the same time miss the pampering. Plus I am afraid of spending the money on a massage only to be disappointed because it wasn't as great as my visits with Brenda....... for anyone in the Colorado Springs area Brenda is amazing at Therapeutic Massage off of Powers blvd and also does amazing prenatal massages (I had someone else for one of my prenatal massages and it just wasn't as good).
Yes I miss a lot from America!
In the few short months I have been here I have learned a lot of things. I love my life and love where I am but I learned that when you have something appreciate it. I know one day when I am driving down Powers Blvd I will miss subway transportation. When I am filling up my tank and spending 100 plus a month on gas I will miss paying a cab or subway fare or even walking miles at a time to go somewhere. Knowing I am not living here forever though, I am embracing all of these things now. I will probably even miss the simplicity of my tiny little apartment and the convenient location. I do everything I can to embrace everyday here, but I wish I would have learned this lesson when I was in the states.
Hummm I say that but isn't it the American way to want bigger and better all the time?! To not have enough time to visit with friends? This also makes me realize that as an American we speed through life and want things on demand. Hopefully I can learn from this and one day when I return I can remember to embrace everything and everyone just a little bit more. I am sure once I am back to American life I will fall back into the American way again. I can only hope that you will remind me of this post. Of this very moment of sitting in my apartment wishing I had my American life. I hope that I can sit back once I am home again and smile and realize I embraced the days of Korean life and I didn't waste my time here.
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