Feels like home?

After a very rough summer, my kids and I decided we needed a weekend in our old hometown. Coincidentally, it was the same weekend as an Ethnic Festival that presented Ethiopian dancers and doubly coincidentally, Iris had a couple friends that she knew from Ethiopia that would be attending. I couldn't think of a better excuse if I'd written a book.

Princess, learning the shoulder dance on stage. Crazy girl.

More than Ethiopia was represented, as Frodo demonstrates.

Iris isn't so sure about visiting Ireland.

Old buddies, reunited. Foreground AND background.

Mom and mom swap stories while the kids act like maniacs.

I am so in love with the intercultural interactions happening here.

It was such a whirlwind trip.
We didn't have a place to stay until Friday night at 10 at which point Hubs decided to come along.
We called someone on the way up to see if they could meet for lunch (they could! It's a miracle! No kidding, it would have taken a meeting of the UN for us to have scheduled a lunch with our families when we lived there, but the spontaneous call worked out. So thankful.)
We went from lunch to the festival and walked in as the Ethiopian dancers came on stage.
We discovered in this huge crowd of people, that Iris' old friend was only three rows in front of us.
We took a two hour tour of the world (the kids have passports to prove it) then met online adoptive friends for Ethiopian food for supper. (interesting aside: in our three families, there were two "eldests" and two "frodos." Half the time we didn't know who the kids were talking about.)
We went from dinner (Iris: In Tigray, I like shiro. In America, I like pizza. *push food away, mom inwardly rejoices* ) through a drive through for burgers (Mom: now, who needs a burger? Iris: ME! *mom inwardly rejoices, again) and then on to our host home to crash for the night. (RB, you are an amazing host and you humble me. Truly, I will never view hospitality in the same way, again. Ever.)
Get up, go to our old church (Oh, my, word, I'd forgotten that people actually sing, loud, in church!), talk and hug until they turn the lights out, and head out to a spontaneous lunch, in, with more friends where we camp until we can meet up with my niece for ice cream (are we seeing the food trend here?).
And out.

Brent and I decided, upon careful discussion....we don't belong anywhere. Very happy to go. Very happy to leave. Didn't see enough people. Saw way too many people...while stopped at way too many stoplights. I really, really, really miss my friends. And I am really, really, really happy to be home.

This is an interesting life we've chosen.