You know what I want more than anything in the world? Shoelaces.

I've had this pair of brown shoes for many, many years, and the laces finally wore out and broke. I checked all over post, and all I could find was black and white laces. I tried to hit some German stores, but I could never figure out where to get shoelaces. I gave up and sent the broken lace to my mother, hoping she could find something similar to what I need. And every day I open my closet, wishing I could wear that freaking pair of shoes.

I'd kill to go to Walmart right now.

So many friends and family have been emailing us, wondering when we're moving back. I guess since the husband is home from Iraq, they assume we'll be moving soon, but we still have over a year left at this duty station. What's even worse is that now that deployment is over and stop move will be lifted in about a month, all of our friends are getting orders to leave. Nearly everyone we are friends with will be leaving this year, and some are leaving as soon as May. One close friend was telling me about everything that will be near her new home at Fort Shelby, including two Walmarts and a big mall. I am getting so anxious to go home.

We leave for our vacation on 1 May, with a week in Florida and a week on a cruise. It will be the first time in the States for both of us since Christmas 2002, and we're both getting quite antsy. I'm just ready to go somewhere where we know what everything is. We know what food is at the restaurants, what stuff is in the stores, and how far it is to our next destination on the map.

And maybe I can get some freaking brown shoelaces.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:49 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 It figures you come to Florida for a visit as I'm moving away - damn, I'd love to have bought you both dinner...... Soon, Sarah, soon you will have all the mass merchandisers you could ever hope for. Soon....all those wonderful American "thingys" will be available at your whim. Soon..... Meanwhile - enjoy your vacation!

Posted by: Tammi at April 13, 2005 11:16 AM (7K6EQ)

2 I'll look for your brown shoelaces. I live across the street from a Wal-Mart and a Kmart is next door. And a mall is only a 20 minute walk away. Could you send me a photo, if you have any? I don't want to buy the wrong shade or something ...

Posted by: Amritas at April 13, 2005 01:38 PM (+nV09)

3 Dear Daughter, I have been searching for tan shoelaces. I can find dark brown, white, off-white, black, etc., but no tan. A pair of tan 36" laces are on their way to you; they did not come in a longer length. If they don't work, I'll keep searching! I've gone EVERYWHERE I can think of to go! Still searching, Your mama

Posted by: nancy at April 14, 2005 01:01 AM (YuW6k)

4 It's funny, all those years we spent in Germany and after a few years all we could talk about was how much we wanted to go back to the States, where there weren't all these freakin' rules about not washing your car on Sundays, stores stayed open on Saturdays past noon, things were open on Sundays, and yes, finding shoelaces wasn't so much like a search for the Holy Grail. We've been back in the States for 13 years now (although I took a year break to go to Korea), and oh how I miss Germany, the food, the scenery, the houses with their tile roofs, the castles.... Human nature, maybe, always to want what you don't have.

Posted by: oldcontroller at April 15, 2005 01:17 PM (hhiiF)

5 ...and a big panama with a purple hat band!

Posted by: Walter E. Wallis at April 16, 2005 02:48 PM (MBCZx)

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I'm trying to get into the swing of things by reading blogs again. CaliValleygGirl has a funny tangential story about going to see Team America in Germany. Today is the DVD release date, and if they have it here, I'm buying it right after school.

I remember plenty of jokes about "American endings" when I lived in France. Europeans derisively called anything that worked out too perfectly an American ending, but we Americans like these stories. Our movies are modern day fairy tales where the good guys always win and the guy always gets the girl.

I'm also convinced that Flight 93 would've crashed into the White House or whatever its destination if the passengers on board hadn't been raised on good old fashioned Hollywood movies. If these men and women had never seen Passenger 57 or Air Force One, they might never have thought that they could've overpower the hijackers. One of the men on board even had a Superman tatoo; they were steeped in American culture and taught from day one that they can do anything they put their minds to. I honestly believe this is what brought Flight 93 down in a field instead of in D.C., and I'm ever grateful for the bravery those passengers showed.

But would they have had the guts to do it if they hadn't seen Wesley Snipes do it first?

Posted by: Sarah at 08:31 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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