Oregon 2013

The kids and I visited Oregon for three weeks this summer, for the first time since we moved to Luxembourg 14 months before.  Pete could not join us because his department restricted all vacation during that time.

I'm still processing the implications of our trip, including the answers to the recurring questions people asked....What was it like being back? What did you miss the most about your life in Oregon?  Did you miss Luxembourg while you were there?  Which place do you like better?  Did you see everyone you wanted to see?  How do you feel about your decision to move?  What did the kids think about it all?

The answers to those questions are long, nuanced, and complicated.  But I'll just share two things I know to be true:

1. Being away from family and friends is, by far, the most difficult aspect and biggest sacrifice of being an expat or immigrant.

2. It also makes you treasure and appreciate the time you have together much more deeply.

Now, for some (lots of) photos, most of which I did not take (I was lazy), so a big thank you to my photographers.  I am hoping looking at this post will be way for the kids to look back and remember the time we spent with our loved ones, and to help keep them in our hearts until next time.

And I'll put this photo first, in case you notice a Daphne's hair changing lengths all the time, since the pictures are not chronological:

Friends

 The Hs side (mine)

Ts-side Cousins

enough to break your heart, for sure

More Ts side...