Thinking about being able to WEAR WHAT I LIKE on vacation, I started to imagine all the things I am longing to do on our upcoming holiday.  

Seeing as I was making a list of things to do before leaving, a list of things to pack, a list of all the things I love about dear husband, I decided to make another LIST.

1. Wear shorts any DAMN time I want to!
2. Spend time with dear husband and our kids.  24/7 with 3 teenagers for a month.  Wish me luck! 
3. Walk.  Really.  Just walk anywhere.  You cannot walk anywhere in Qatar.  Well, maybe along the corniche.  Or out at Aspire.  Or at one of the malls.  Anywhere else is either too dangerous or I can’t stand all the staring that goes along with it.  Plus, these days it’s way too hot and humid to be walking anywhere. 
4. Eat pork.  Bacon, pork chops, ham, schnitzel, pork tenderloin, sausage, ribs….any and all of it!
5. Listen to the radio.
6. Smile and converse with and look at people. Anyone.  People out WALKING, people in stores, waiters, service staff.
7. Speak and listen to languages other than English or even broken English, but ones that aren’t Arabic, Indian, Filipino, or some other Asian dialect.  Sorry if I offend anyone ….just tired sometimes of the same-same of it all here!
8. Drink coffee in an outdoor cafe.
9. Eat breakfast, lunch or dinner in an outdoor restaurant.
10. Ride a bicycle.
11. Enjoy the scenery, particularly during our train rides.
12. Figure out and use city metros.
13. Drive amongst green grass, trees, fresh water.
14. Stop for a picnic.
15. Go to a new city or a new country without having to get on a plane.
16. See fresh flowers growing that aren’t a) typical to the desert climate or b) aren’t petunias.
17. Speak my mind. (Without fear of incrimination or deportation.)
18. Read a newspaper.  One that contains news articles rather than just press releases.
19. Be somewhere, anywhere, without mass construction works surrounding us.
20. Not cuss out people /drivers under my breath the minute I go out onto the streets.
21. Use pedestrian friendly streets (i.e. they have sidewalks).
22. Teach our kids, once again, how to walk safely along city streets.
23. Learn to stay off the bike paths when walking.
24. Wear shoes and socks.
25. Wear jackets and scarfs.
26. Wear sweaters.
27. Not wear sunglasses.
28. Feel cold outside.
29. See my breath outside if it’s cold enough?
30. Get caught in a rainstorm.  (Normally I hate this, so I’ll need to enjoy the moment!)
31. Buy and eat lovely produce from a market.
32. Disconnect from the internet (well, not totally).
33. BE OUTDOORS!.

This trip should be another extreme-max-adventure but mostly it’s the simple things in life I am so looking forward to. 

Plus it will likely be the last vacation we take together as a family for a while …as oldest son will head off to university after next year.

Carpe Diem!