I'm leaving, on a jet plane

Thursday night (Houston time) Friday morning (Saudi time) I will be getting on an airplane to head for Houston.  I haven't been to the United States since June 30.  Needless to say, I'm very excited.  However, I must first say that I will definitely miss Micah and of course Gizmo.  Hopefully they will take good care of each other while I'm gone.  That being said, I'm so excited I can't really grasp what I'm most excited about. So here is my list of what an expat living in Saudi misses the most:

-Family & Friends- I feel like this just has to be #1
- Church-  I miss my church and the people that go along with it
- FOOD- food needs its own list
       - Papasito's or any Tex-Mex in general
       - Chick-fil-A - yes, I miss this place A LOT
       - Margaritas and Diet Dr. Pepper
       - Buffalo wings and a good beer
       - Sonic Rt. 44 Diet Dr. Pepper
       - Tex Mex again
       - Cajun food
       - Fried Shrimp
       - Eskimo Joes
       - Good BBQ
-Getting to drive my car whenever, and wherever I like. Maybe with the windows down singing really loudly.
- Wal-Mart and Target - I just know I will hear the "Hallelujah" chorus when I walk in
- Malls with dressing rooms and not having to worry about prayer times and US prices of course
- Wearing normal clothes in public
- Going to the movies
- Not being stared at everywhere I go
- Freedom!!!
- Hobby Lobby
- Eating pork...I have to admit that I only miss this at breakfast

The more I look at my list I realize how simple most of these things are and how often most Americans including myself take these things for granted.  How many of us actually think about how lucky we are to get to eat at Chick-fil-A?  How many of us really appreciate the ability to drive a car?  Typically we just get mad at other people on the road or at traffic or at being tired of sitting.  How many people walk into a dressing room and are SO excited just to have the opportunity to try something on before buying it? Mostly, most Americans don't fully understand the value of their freedom.  Living in Saudi definitely helps me understand how valuable our freedom is and how much I would never want to loose that freedom. I know that one day I will move back to the US and that all these things I'm so excited about will become normal and commonplace again.  I know that once again I will forget how precious the simple things are.  But for now, I will treasure these simple things.