500 Posts Later

Tonight I was looking thru some old posts that I'd written when we first embarked on this journey.  As I was looking thru, I happened to see something in the menu that caught my eye.  I've posted 499 entries since this journey began in the summer of 2009.  This, my friends, is my 500th post.  Have I really written 500 posts???  I really can't believe it.  From the good, the bad and the ugly, I've somehow managed to find 500 (at least semi) different things to write about in the last 4 1/2 years.  And I think I've got at least another 15 in the hopper that I haven't finished.

I didn't expect to be writing this blog for as long as I have.  But then, I also thought we'd only be gone for 2 years so I didn't expect to have as many experiences as we have had to share with all of you. When I look back at where we were as a family and as individuals 4 1/2 years ago to where we are now, I can honestly say we are different people.  Perhaps same at the core but this experience has changed our outlook on our lives forever.  We will never look at life the same way as we did from our pre expat days.

And I'm glad I kept a record of it.  All 500 posts about it so far.  It's been an amazing journey filled with ups, downs, twists and turns and so many surprises.  And while there are moments where we've just wanted to throw in the towel, we push on and come out on top.  This will be a record that our kids can look back on and see what our lives here were like from a different perspective than seeing it thru a child's eyes.

I also never expected writing to be so cathartic.  There have certainly been times where I have to push myself to write at least every 2 weeks in order to stay on top of it for fear that once I let it go, it will be done forever.  Some posts have come more naturally than others.  Though I've learned that once I get the urge to write, I need to just pump the whole thing out otherwise it will sit in draft mode (hence the 15 in hopper) forever.  But overall, when I get into writing mode, it just feels good.  Putting my emotions out there isn't always easy and there have been moments where I've bit my tongue for fear of saying too much, but overall what you've read is what has happened.

So this is just a short and sweet entry to say thanks for reading for the last 4 1/2 years - for "listening" to me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, to help me celebrate the victories, and to reinforce that this was, in fact, a smart choice for us to make.  There's still more to come but I'm excited to know that I've hit such a big benchmark.  Now on to the next 500!!

Besos,
Julie