"Do You Know What it Means to Miss ________"

Linda and Baby Claire

Parker and Baby Claire

My Sister, Baby Claire and my Mom

Baby Claire celebrating at her 1st Birthday Party



Go ahead…….fill in the blank……..wherever you are…….whomever you are…..you are bound to have something that you could fill in this blank with…..anything!
If you are an expatriate…….living in a different country……….the list may be much longer than you could imagine.

I think Dorothy summed it up best in her famous line spoken at the end of the movie…. “Wizard of Oz”……….”There’s no place like home”!

However, for an expat family…even the definition of “HOME” get’s blurred! Trust me……

Back to the title of this blog entry…………these eight words form the beginning of the title of a song written by Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter……the complete title….”Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans”…….catchy huh?

I chose it for the title of this blog entry for several reasons…….but the obvious reason is because….NEW ORLEANS is my home.

Home means family…….and other things……..but, family above everything else.

Is it appropriate to “round up”?

Is it breaking any rules by stating that I have not been home in a year, when actually, the plane landed 8 days short of one continuous year of having lived in India? Is a 2.19% variance acceptable? Close enough for me.

So….after having lived away for 1 year……..it was great to see everyone…and even get the chance to meet the newest addition to our immediate family……Baby Claire…who was born in January of 2009…...just after we had arrived in India. Until this visit, I have only seen her in pictures or on Skype, neither of which could ever replace seeing her face in person.

For those of you who were expecting a boring list of items that might be found gracing the pages of a “whining expat” in some other part of the world……you will be disappointed. No boring list of items I miss from me!

Experienced expats "adapt" to their new environment....embrace the culture and accept that they will live like the "Romans live when in Rome". They also develop special skills at finding replacements/alternatives for those things that they miss the most......but there are some things that even the most experienced expat cannot substitute.....family!

Our leave back to the US gave me the opportunity to spend some much needed time with my family.......those I have been away from for for 357 days.......but whose counting. The visit recharged my batteries......and hopefully supplied me with enough power to make it until mid year....until Parker comes in the summer....and perhaps I can make it back to the US for another family "fix"!

The more I write......It has just dawned on me that in one way………my family are like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups………IRREPLACEABLE....……the only problem………….they don’t fit in suitcases! No temporary supply to hold me over until I see them again!

May the New Year bring you much joy and happiness......and special times spent with your family!

Standing: from L to R
Woody(My Brother), Me, Maw Maw(My Mom), Rebecca(Scott's Girlfriend), Scott(My Nephew), Wayne(My Brother-in-Law), Andy(My Nephew), Arlene(Wayne's Mom)
Kneeling: from L to R
Betty(My Sister), Linda, Preston, Jennifer & Baby Claire(My Niece & Great Niece), Katie(My Sister-in-Law),Parker(Our Oldest Son),Brent(Jennifer's Husband)

Missing - Nick(Nephew), Gretchen & Will(Niece and her husband)