5 weeks...5 things I miss

Tomorrow will be 5 weeks of being in Uganda. Here are my top 5 things I miss:

1. Family & friends, but specifically, Trust.  I can't even describe how much I miss him! My arms feel empty without having him to hold.  Our friends and family have been great about being available for FaceTime and sending us pictures of him, but so much of our interaction with Trust is holding him, kissing him, squeezing him.  I miss the ease of talking with everyone, running into them at Kroger or Mi Casita, and walking to friend's houses for dinner.  I miss having our friends & family stop in unannounced at our house and worshiping at church together. 

Trust had his first sleepover with his cousins this past weekend, Madison, Allie & Sadie

 

Love his smile! Can't wait to see it in person!

2.  SPACE! Living space, personal space, any kind of space! I miss having a home with separate rooms! The 4 of us are with each other 24/7, sometimes squished in a hot van for hours together.

Our room. Jude, Chapel and I are in the king bed, Andrew sleeps in the twin.

 

I miss having a kitchen with cabinets and counter tops and a pantry! I miss having closet space. We have been living out of suitcases for 5 weeks. That's a long time.

This is our "pantry".

 3.  My car.  If you have a car you are not trapped in one place. You are free to leave at anytime.  Having a car means you can drive to the grocery the second you want. No calling to find a driver and no waiting for them to arrive at 9 and not show up until after 11! In my car I drive an hour to and from work. That's my quiet time. That's my Pandora worship time.

4.  My photography business.  I have only been on this adventure for 1 year and it's something I absolutely love!  I miss holding sweet new babies, only a few days old.  I miss being in a hot room trying to get them to sleep for hours at a time and creating beautiful images their parents will treasure forever.  I miss buying new props and blankets (this is probably a good thing). I miss seeing clients happy faces when they receive their prints.  I can't wait to get back and start back up!

5. Fall! I'm missing, literally missing fall.  I missed the festivals and am missing the cooler weather, the pumpkins, the pumpkin spice frappuccinos, candy corn, Evan's Orchard, pumpkin picking, hot apple cider, leaves changing, smell of camp fires, my mom's chili, crock pot soups, sweaters and jackets and scarves.  Fall means they are starting to put out Christmas decorations in stores. Fall is my favorite time of the year.

As I write this, I am reminding myself to enjoy our time here. The song "You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back, you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast..." keeps popping into my head. While I am sure there is some truth that, I am also sure we aren't going to wish it had taken any longer.  I am sure we will look back and miss the time we had that was completely set aside to bond with Jude.  I am trying to remember not to wish it away, but to enjoy the days we have here.  Easier said than done when your family isn't together, but trying to make great memories while we are here.