There is no place like home...

We have been trying to decide whether or not we are going back to Illinois in August. There have been many factors - money, time, family, friends, etc. But my biggest concern has been whether or not going home would amplify our homesickness. Now don't get me wrong, living here has been excellent, we are enjoying our time, making fabulous & life-long friends but as the saying goes "there is NO place like home."

When we are here in England we seem to be fine - we really enjoy ourselves & our daily routine. The girls enjoy living in a subdivision where the neighborhood kids can come over, they can ride their bikes, and take the dogs for a walk. The school is within in walking distance as well as a convenient store which allows for regular walks for ice-cream or lollies.

But when we return to Illinois and stay at our farm, well that is just home and words can't describe how much we enjoy it. We have our lake, our land, the home construction, the memories, the friends, our church, the big-kids visits (my former youth group), and the family visits. Each time we go home we find it gets harder & harder to come back to England... so we were thinking maybe we wouldn't go home this summer.

We planned a week vacation at Cornwall here in England the week after the girls get out of school. It will be a girls only vacation shared with our best friends the Hunters. We have booked an apartment right on the beach and the Hunters know Cornwall like the back of their hand. I anticipate this to be a fabulous holiday.

Next I was planning to fill the time with daily outings here in England - safari parks, farms, horse riding, water parks, etc. There also is a Christian Family week called Grapevine which includes camping, music, and lots of friend fun time. And before you know it, I figured summer time would have ended & school would begin again...

Each night it seems that Kevin asks me if I'm sure about not going home in August. He was constantly searching for cheap flights but finding ridiculous prices instead. Finally, today I said just book it - we'll go home for the month of August. Well let me tell you - God is good! Kevin booked our flights, we got the last 4 seats on the plane, and the girls were free. Can you believe that - the girls were FREE. When does that ever happen - especially during summer travel time.

So family & friends, mark your calendars now... we will be home Aug 3rd through the 25th. I plan to eat plenty of Mexican, drink lots of Diet Mt Dew, and visit with as many people as possible.

I told Brittney tonight that we were going home in August for a visit - you should have seen the huge smile that came across her face; it was priceless!!!