Don't Take the Little Things for Granted, Folks!

Next week I will have the awesome chance to visit the good ol' U.S.A.  You don't know how excited I am. It has been a whole year since I stepped foot on American soil. I am going to a Middle School teacher's conference in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. I keep hearing about the RWA conference in Anaheim and so wish I was going there, but the teacher's conference will do. :) 

I am thrilled for various reasons:

1) I haven't been to the U.S. in over a year and I miss it VERY much.
2) I'm actually excited about the conference. It has been a while since I attended a formal conference, because I waited for my boys to grow up. Now my youngest is 6 and-a-half (the 1/2 is very important to him) and I feel better about traveling over 1,000 miles away from him.
3) I will be ALONE. Wow! That word hasn't been in my dictionary a while. I am actually a bit nervous about being on my own (even if I am 40, it's a big deal). I will be sleeping on my own, conferencing on my own, eating on my own, shopping on my own.... I won't know what to do with myself. LOL!
4) After more than 15 years, I will be meeting with an old sorority roomate who happens to live an hour away. So excited to see her! 

All in all, I am bouncing with enthusiasm, anxiety and an open mind!

What am I most excited for about the good ol' U.S.A.? (You will laugh, but it's true):

• Dr. Pepper: I grew up drinking DP, and now that I'm an expat, it is hard to find. Anytime I am back in America, I order a DP first thing. And drink it and drink it and drink it for my entire trip!

• TARGET!!!!!! Everytime I step into this wonderworld of magic I actually have to stop and look around, bask in the smell, the view, the openess of a living breathing Target. I love this place and miss it SO much. I could spend an entire day there, just roaming the aisles. EVERY aisle.... even the car parts aisle. LOL! The best part? It's back to school time baby! 

• American Restaurants - My favorites include anything Tex-Mex (this is always my first stop where I order a DP), Panera bread, Chick Fil'A, Olive Garden or Carrabas, Ruby Tuesday salad bar and don't laugh but a filet o'fish from McDonalds. These are things I do not normally get and my mouth waters just thinking about them. I know I won't be able to eat at all these places this time around, but I will try a few. :)

• Driving on a Freeway - Yes! Order! Actual lines on the street and people obeying the driving laws. I always forget how perfect it is. Don't laugh, it's true. You try driving in a third-world country.

• My relaxing resort - I cannot wait to sit and learn from the Middle School gurus. But, I will have my afternoons completely free. So, I plan on hanging a little at the resort.  I hear it's squelching hot in the states, so the pool will be on my list of to-do's everyday.

• Magic Mike - Okay, this is the sad truth. I really really really want to see this movie, and it hasn't come out in Guatemala and I'm afraid it won't. So, if I have to go see it alone, so be it. Little old lady me sitting in the theatre alone watching men shake their booties off will be interesting, but I'm going to do it. Call me crazy....

Never take what you have for granted, people. Even the small things....


Thanks for stopping by,
Melinda