It’s been awhile since the last post. And quite a bit has occurred since then. Mostly, I went on mid-tour leave with my husband for two weeks thus had little to no Internet access. Which was kind of nice in some ways. It’s odd the things we think we can’t live without or that we would greatly miss if we didn’t have them readily available, and yet when they aren’t there they aren’t wholly missed.
Internet would be one of those things not totally missed if ready access wasn’t available. Sure I spend most of my waking hours on a computer in some capacity or another; either voraciously devouring the latest news, photography websites, educational sites, email and some social media time. But not having Internet access in our room at the resort allowed for more book reading time, more time outside when the weather allowed, more time spent playing angry birds and other games on my iPad that don’t require Internet.
I will say that it was wonderful to be able to eat and drink whatever I pleased (within the parameters of choices on menus of course). I truly missed having more good choices than not when it comes to food. The food here is decent by most standards, but as you all know, I’m a foodie and enjoy great flavors and experimenting and trying new foods. The same options every day in terms of food is not something I enjoy. On r&r we ate German food, Italian food, specific regional foods in Bavaria and Munich and Landstuhl and Trier. We sampled hand crafted beers from each of those areas many times over often finding brews that are available no where else but at the pub where they draw straight from the barrels. Regional wines were also on the menu and sampled with gusto! I miss(ed) food.
We also did some outdoor play; hiking and bicycling and a few other walks. I miss hiking! Simply getting outside for a purpose other than walking to the office or exercising for a specific amount of time or distance or participating in ruck marches. It’s beautiful here, don’t get me wrong. I even returned to the top of Mt. Ljuboten snow capped! But it’s the same scenery without the freedom to go to an undiscovered locale and walk it, to a place I’ve never been and see all there is to see from the tiniest mushroom to the highest granite face. I miss(ed) the outdoors.
Most of all though, the thing I missed the most by being on this deployment and doing the same thing day in day out and seeing and interacting with the same people…is my husband. It’s such a blessing to be who you are fully and completely. To know that you can be goofy, witty, funny, rude, speak your mind or not and you will be loved and heard no matter what you say or do is incredible. It’s also something I didn’t realize I missed until it was available again, sort of the reverse of the Internet I suppose. I don’t really miss anytime access to the Internet for a few weeks if it isn’t there…but I do miss being able to be me with the one I love. I’m not saying I have multiple personalities, but I do have to fulfill a role here that I don’t when I’m with him or the rest of my family.
One more item that was readily available while on vacation that just isn’t the same here – Starbucks coffee. I know, I know, but I like the lattes! We do have a coffee shop here, and it does make lattes, but they are awful. And I can’t ask for non-fat milk or for signature drinks like a pumpkin spice latte or an eggnog latte to tell me the seasons have changed to fall and Christmas-time. I have Kona coffee that I drink every morning and it is delicious! But I do miss driving through the Starbucks drive thru at 6 am, asking for a tall non-fat vanilla latte and sometimes a croissant and having the gentleman who hands me my coffee ask me by name how I am and what’s new. I like that. The familiarity of a chosen routine as opposed to one that is chosen for you. I miss making my own routine. I miss home.
