Texas Here I come!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Well I am going back to Texas for a short visit to tend to some business.  I am looking forward to seeing the kids and grandkids… albeit they just left a month ago.  But I am really looking forward to seeing Maggie and the other critters we had to leave behind.  I am sure they felt abandoned by us… even though Jennifer has been taking most excellent care of them in our absence.  I am even surer that Jennifer is going to enjoy 9 days of not having to go to our house to feed all the outside animals twice a day and have Maggie to contend with.

I am so looking forward to driving.  It will be strange to be behind the wheel of a car after 6 months of no driving.  But I am sure it will all come back to me quickly… like riding a bike… huh?  I have the clean new smell of my car… that will be heavenly.  You see, here all the cabs have the odor of tobacco and other assorted smells from the countless people that have been in and out of them.  Of course, all the cabs proudly display the no smoking emblem, but at any given cab line… the smoke is wafting out the driver window or the driver himself smells like an ash tray.  Smoking is huge here… and they smoke everywhere.  There are few places that ban smoking and if they do, they typically do not police it.

The next thing I am looking forward to… food.  I am totally plotting the food I will be eating once home! Just to have the vast array of fine dining available to choose from is huge.  It is the little things that I miss the most.  I think I shall enjoy a trip to the grocery store and spend time reading the labels...just because I can!!! 

I am definitely planning to have mass quantities of Mexican food.  And I probably will need some good Italian too.  When I sent the email to the kids, Marcy’s first questions were “What night are we going to LaFuenta?” and “What would you like me to get from the grocery store to have at the house?”

 I listed just breakfast food for Sunday morning so I do not have to leave the house for food until after breakfast.  We will not get home from the airport until wee hours of Sunday morning.  But I actually want to go to the grocery store when I get home.  I used to dread it, but listen to me?  I am actually looking forward to it… am I losing my mind or what?

Looking forward to my bed… oh how marvelous that will be!  The bed here is not terrible bad, but it is not our bed.  Oh… the other wonderful thing… the bedroom will be totally dark!!!  Living in the country you come to appreciate the darkness of night time.  Unless there is a full moon… it is various degrees of darkness.  Here it is light all the time.  It is never really dark in the apartment and the sun shines in at about 4am.  For a while I was even resorting to an eye mask.  We got some in our little package that is part of the business class flying experience.  I got tired of having lines on my face that never went away… and NO they were not just wrinkles!

Let’s see… what else am I looking forward to?  I am going to my stylist for a cut and color.  I know my hair and husband will be grateful for that.  He really does not look forward to coloring my hair.  Although the last 2 times someone else was there to take care of the job, Hanne once and then Jennifer when she was here. 

Going to the dentist?  I have an appointment so that will be done.  Not really looking forward to it, but need to get it taken care of.  But honestly, I like the way my teeth feel after a dentist visit.  Call me crazy… but that is ok!

I plan on visiting our DSW and Kohl’s while at home.  DSW, for those not fortunate to have one close, is Designer Shoe Warehouse.  It is a paradise to anyone who likes shoes… row after row of every kind of shoe known to man.  Well maybe not that many, but more than enough for the average woman person to leave with at least 1-3 pairs of new shoes. 

Kohl’s is a department store that has a great selection of merchandise at even more amazing prices.  I rarely go into a Kohl’s that I do not come out with at least one something… but usually many something’s go home with me.  It is the kinda place you can buy something new and not feel guilty for buying something because the prices really are seriously cheap.

I have several places on my list to wonder in before coming back to Shanghai.  It is not about needing anything in particular.  It is about being in a store that is familiar, that has products that I recognize, labels I can read, sales people that speak English and clothes that fit.  The stuff that I never gave a second thought about… UNTIL… I moved to China!  Now it is something I will probably never take for granted again!

The one thing I am not looking forward to… 14 hour flight to Chicago and 13 hour flight from LAX back.  It is a long time to be sitting in a little airplane seat!  But I will manage.  And the jet lag… I will have to get turned around quickly as I have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time.

Michael is going to be batching it for a couple of weeks.  Good thing there is a Papa John’s on the corner and Sherpa’s delivery service.  At least he will not starve!

I have my trusty check list.  That should at least help me remember what all to take from here and what all to bring from there!  Now where is that darn list???

So good Lord willing and the creeks don’t rise… I will be there late Saturday night!!!