Brutally Honest

I'm having a crisis. I ran out of my deodorant and bought some at the embassy commissary as I don't trust what is on the economy (just ride the metro now that the weather is getting warmer and your nose will instantly understand). Sadly, this other brand that is not my own is failing me miserably and the other day I fit in on the metro in a way I did not want to.

I was MORTIFIED.

Monday is Victory Day here. There is a big parade and Mr. YH and I are on the "invited list" (I think because his boss didn't want to go). I need a short sleeve shirt in the worst way. I'm hoping one of the packages that comes home today has what I need in it. I don't really have time to go shopping, but if I have to I can probably come up with something outrageously overpriced.

And our van is expected to arrive within the next 2 weeks. Mr. YH has a business trip coming up and if it arrives, we may all go with him and then take a little vacation through a couple of countries we have not yet hit. I told him last night that I wasn't overly excited because none of us have anything to wear on a warm weather vacation. I am not looking forward to scouring the market for cheap clothing made in a sweat shop that literally falls apart the first time it's worn.

I'm tired of feeling like I'm camping in a foreign country. I'm struggling to have a good attitude about it as we sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for clothes, shoes, baking dishes, our beds so we can finally have a good night's sleep, gluten-free foods for my husband who has been making-do for 4 months now on a sub-par diet, school books so we can finish 2nd grade, and toys that the kids can play with. And when I list all that out and take it to the worst possible conclusion, I know that God is still God and this is all stuff and truly not the end of the world. But, the battle of the mind and heart continues.

And so does the wait for my own deodorant.



***Updated several hours later: Sveta came today and I had to go to the embassy to buy some things at the commissary and pay a bill. I prayed the entire way on the marshrytka that nobody would close the window that was cracked-Ukrainians have a phobia about a breeze inside and it's awfully painful for those of us who happen to like a cool breeze on a warm day. I had lunch outside at the little cafe on the campus and then visited a few minutes with some ladies I knew when my phone rang. Mr. YH was nearby with an office vehicle. I was able to buy more than I would have had I been toting it home. One of my purchases was a different kind (still not mine) of deodorant and it advertises that it has "extra extra dry" protection (we'll see). And then I sat under a tree on a bench where I could smell the lilac trees and waited for my handsome man to arrive. We were able to have a little date in the middle of the day while he ate lunch and we drove back here. Our van will be here next week and someone is checking on the HHG status. And I got a box of clothes- haven't tried them on yet, but let's cross our fingers I have something I can wear for this parade!