Missing Home

Recently the opportunity arose for us to move back to the good ol' U.S. of A. The more we think about it, the more we miss our homeland. While I am sure this is prompted by our lack of funds and use of a second vehicle (it's been 5 months now)... it's still merited. When we came to Europe I was thrilled. I was going to see Rome, Egypt, Argentina, Brazil, France, Scotland... EVERYWHERE. However, the exchange rate + military pay = travel?! yeah right, and good luck feeding yourselves! In a couple months our financial issues will hopefully be caught up and ironed out, but as of right now we're so annoyed with reality. I love it here. I love the weather, our home, the country itself. But, it's hard to enjoy it when we can't even get one damn coffee "out" without having to give up groceries or diapers. Too personal? Probably. I know plenty people struggle with the same problems and I figure you all can relate, whether it's taboo to openly admit it or not. I'm veering off point, though. The point is that we are beginning to really miss a few things about the USA we never realized we'd miss in Europe. We knew we'd miss friends and family... and that's been hitting us pretty hard too lately. Here's our list of what we didn't expect!

Cable
Fast internet
Banking that makes sense
English
Decent Cell Plans
Having a home phone that works
Parking lots
Places open on Sunday (that don't have jacked-up prices like gas stations)
Places open after 9 (that aren't bars)
Cheap furniture (not cheaply made furniture, there's no shortage of that here)
Cheap electronics
Fast service (this includes food, automotive, shopping, anything with customers)
Safe drivers (even San Antonio was safer than here)
Red lights (roundabouts are overrated)
Parks (there are so few it's nigh impossible to find an uncrowded one to enjoy)
Beef that tastes like heaven
Cheddar cheese (there are many others to choose from, but I miss my cheddar)
Good feta cheese
Big ovens
Big refrigerators
Big washers
Big dryers
Sam's Club, well... buying in bulk
Italian sausage
Italian spices
Blooming Onions
Milk (not the UHT kind)
Breakfast foods not covered in honey
Sweet baked goods not covered in honey
Electricity that doesn't short out every day
Normal monthly bills
Cultural Diversity (it's very one-tone out here)
Seeing and Flying Our American flag

That's all I've been thinking about, what I don't like here and what I miss about home. I haven't been able to get out of the house much so all the things I love about Spain are invisible to me right now. There is so much to love about Spain and the Spanish people... and I'm more than happy to be here. Just a little homesick for some creature comforts. I wish we could enjoy Europe more and do some traveling!!!
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