America, Heck Yeah!

We were in America last week for a wonderful wedding celebration, and in the spare moments (very few) we reloaded our supply chest.  Several people have asked me what kinds of things we need to get in America that we can't find here, so I'll list a few.  You'll notice the distinction blurs between "need" and "want" quickly:  Dri-weave sports tops (Target, I love you.), crazy glue, Sharpees, baggies, sticky-backed hooks, jeans, underwear, pharmaceutical supplies, hiking boots…Definitely on the "want" side we feature chocolate, oatmeal packets, almond butter, black beans, tea, Italian spices, high-end vinegar, and parmesan.
A few of my favorite things:  It was great to see family, be part of the celebration, and also to visit America.  My but there are a lot of enjoyable parts to our country, including but not limited to family, chocolate milk (obviously no order here!), clean streets, the fantastic Frontera Grill food at O'Hare (Thank you Rick Bayless, for making my coming and going so pleasurable) beautiful rubble-free landscapes, friendly people, no horn honking, street lights, pedestrians and drivers obeying street lights, safety, Mexican food, the ease of using a credit card or checking out of a hotel, any financial transaction that is filled with carbon copies here but paperless there, the chatty friendliness of Midwesterners, HGTV (the property brothers still ROCK) people who speak English and understand me (well, understand my English, anyway), etc.  Not a small list, but an important one.
We leave here in less than 2 months for China to visit Eldest Daugther, and it will be fun to explore that culture again, but it was so comforting to be in a culture where you knew what you were supposed to do, even if we didn't always do it.

We could 't believe our eyes.  This level of service in an airport seemed uniquely American.

Had quite a few of those, as it hits 2 pleasure centers.

FRONTERA Grill at O'Hare