It’s the 4th of July!!!!
We are now entering our 7th week of this unforgettable journey. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to live in Kazakhstan for as long as it takes to bring home this dream of ours named Nate. Karaganda is beautiful and the people are kind; I will have many wonderful memories to share with Nate about his homeland. Living here is truly a lot easier than I thought it would be and having such great travel partner’s (Jessica and Chris) to get through the occasional hard times has made all the difference.
But.... it’s been 45 days since we left California. When I woke up this morning and realized it’s the 4th of July was when I realized how homesick I am now. I missed my home, family, and friends from day one- but now I really miss everything American (just not the traffic and crime!). It’s felt like forever since I have seen the Pacific ocean, driven my Prius, had a thick juicy grilled chicken breast, walked my dogs, and gone shopping!!! Occasionally we stumble across a store/restaurant/food product that is from America and I can’t tell you how very happy and excited we get! One of the grocery stores just got a new shipment of foods from the States- a limited amount, but enough to look through each and every shelf, twice, so not to overlook anything. Peanut butter, regular mustard, and the biggest score.... a package of corn tortillas made me deliriously happy. Kaz has every chip imaginable- Kebab, ham, seafood flavors but NO tortilla chips! I actually made tortilla chips yesterday with fresh salsa which NEVER tasted better in my life! It was hard deep frying those tortillas considering I have an awful stovetop in my apartment and have tin camping-like equipment for utensils and cookware, but it was well worth the effort. This small example plus many other countless experiences (larger scale, I promise), makes me sing “God Bless America” and REALLY mean it this 4th of July!
I don’t think I will ever take for granted all the opportunities, choices, and conveniences of home ever again. I know I will miss my quite life here in Karaganda but I really look forward to coming home soon with Nate. We should get custody of Nate by 7/10 and get through the rest of the process by 7/24. It’s just nice to say we’ll be home this month; it makes me feel like we are that much closer to home sweet home.
And hopefully (hint hint), the fridge will be stocked with fresh salsa and chips too.
Take Care and we'll see you soon!
The Blums
Linda you look like such a MOM in these photos!!! Your a natural!! Counting the days till u get home !! I was just at your house to drop off/ assemble the crib, being at ur house made me miss you so much more, Nelson was licking me all over!! Haha he must have liked my lotion! You'll be happy to know your house was very clean, the crib fits great in nate's room, I looked at the backyard again to see how bug of a circus/ carnival birthday party we could have for his 1st bday party!! See u two soon! Love you guys! Kai says hurry home to Nate ( lil peanut)
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence Day to you all! My wife and I adopted twins from Kokshetau last summer and had a wonderful 4th of July (the day our childrens' adoption was official). Enjoy your last few weeks in country...it can be frustrating without the comforts of home, but the uninterrupted time with the little ones is impossible to repeat once you merge back into life at home.
ReplyDeleteyou guys look sooo cute! nate is just sooo precious, we can't wait to meet him. hang in there, you'll be home before you know it and these past weeks in karaganda will be one awesome story for your little one! we love you guys!
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