No Pair-ee for Me

So I have my 5^th tip to Bosnia coming up in March…sheesh. Today, as I was looking into airline tickets I noticed one ticket which had an overnight layover in Paris on the way home…hmmm…the wheels started turning.

It would work perfectly. I would arrive at the Paris airport in the afternoon, check into a hotel, and take a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower. I’d take some pictures, walk around a little bit, try to make mental notes of what it’s like to be on Paris soil, and cross "visit Paris" off my bucket list. Then I’d go back to the hotel, have some dinner at a nearby cafe, and depart for home the next day.

Then I really started thinking about how I’ve felt during my last four trips to Bosnia. By the end of the trip (usually 8-10 days) I miss my kids and husband terribly. I’ll get teary-eyed, in the middle of a conversation with someone, just thinking about them. I start counting down the hours until I’m on my 12 hour flight headed home. I’m usually sick and tired of being in a foreign country -- where I can’t read what’s on the menu, and therefore have no idea what I’m eating, I get charged astronomical fees to take a taxi anywhere because I’m an American woman, it’s nearly impossible to find wifi, my clothes smell like cigarette smoke, and I just want to be HOME.

So I did it. Before I second guessed myself, I clicked purchase on the ticket that has me going straight to Bosnia and straight home in as little time as possible (7 days this time -- a new record!). I just had to chuckle to myself, and I guess that’s why I’m typing my thoughts out loud, because I REALLY love my family. When given the choice to spend a day in Paris or a day at home with my family, I choose them. I will always choose them.