Half-Full

We are rapidly approaching our 1/2 way mark here in Vietnam. Can you believe that? I can't. While the girls and I didn't join Erik until late May of last year, our two-year tour began when Erik touched down in March 2010.

I have spent the last week pouring over research as we prepare our "bid list" for our next tour. We should know the location of our next home sometime in March. To say the research is overwhelming is to put it mildly. This has been a stressful process, and I will be glad when it is over and we can go back to focusing on "today".

This is a bittersweet time for me. If it is not obvious from our blog, we adore our life in Saigon. Erik loves his work and his colleagues. Our daughters are THRIVING. I am happy and settled. This post, our first, has been a dream come true for us. I know that two years have and will continue to fly by, and I will always wish we could have stayed longer.

But don't get me wrong. We knew what we signed up for, and part of the allure of this life is to be able to experience so much of this vast world. I remain optimistic about our next home and the next stage in this journey.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain