10

This week marks a decade since we boarded a nighttime flight in our home country and landed as expats as the sun rose in another.

“How time flies,” one might say! To which I would reply, “Hang on, not so fast.”

Four moves. Seven graduation ceremonies (eight before this year is over). Countless travels.

Two of us became Brits, three didn’t but earned their forever right to live and work in the U.K. One kid landed in Chicago via Indiana and Colorado. Another in New York via Boston. And time will tell if the kid who stayed in England ever leaves.

We’ve acquired two more places to do laundry in locations that we would have probably never thought much about had necessity not taken us there.

We lost two dogs and gained a turtle.

Some of us got bigger, some of us got smaller. Each is stronger in spots, worn in others.

This life is full of adventure, full of opportunities to learn and love and EAT. If you’ve been an expat you know how special it is. And you also know how trying and complicated and lonely it can be for each family member at any given moment. It’s beautiful. But it’s hard.

I am forever proud of this little crew of mine, then and now and every moment in between.

Get ready for the next ten, kids. The ride’s just begun.