This Christmas, dress appropriately.

Welcome to the December #TrailingSpouseStories blog crawl!

This December, we talk about the much anticipated and somehow dreaded, ultra sentimental Christmas holidays. How were the Christmas holidays outside your home country?  How is it similar and different?  What did you enjoy most spending Christmas abroad?

Find out how we spend our holidays and how it feels to spend it in different corners of the globe, so don't forget to read more stories of fellow trailing spouses at the end of this blogpost.

This was the year we were supposed to have a snowy white Christmas. This was the year we were supposed to be away from family for the first time in our lives. Well, maybe not the first time. At least for one of us.

I wasn’t excited at the prospect of freezing my body’s extremities or being huddled around a decorative non-functioning electric fireplace or having to shovel snow off the car. And most definitely not excited to be the one to dress the kids everyday in 3 to 4 layers of clothing every time we need to step out the door.

The fire is broken.

Night owls don't dance.

Every night I look at the clock and think I should be in bed right now sleeping. But of course I don't. There's something I'm refusing to let go of. I dunno. The dark. The silence. The void. The couch all to myself and whatever's left in the fridge. I dunno what it is. Some part of me.

I wrote a whole paragraph trying to figure it out and deleted all the nonsense. Only one sentence remained. And I couldn't stop my eyes. Because I knew it was true.

Good night little boys

Nathan Reich Sings, The Dream Song

All we bring we leave behind.

Welcome to the inaugural run of the #TrailingSpouseStories blog crawl hosted by Tala Ocampo and Didi of D for Delicious.  

This November we talk about our First Voyage as trailing spouses and what we’ve brought with us, rather: what’s in your suitcase? 

Please see the end of the post for other #TrailingSpouseStories.

When we left the Philippines to start a new life in another country, we left many things behind. Clothes were given away. Toys were given away. Furniture was sold. Our car was sold. We said goodbye to Miyagi. Although I’m still holding out hope he can join us here someday.

Miyagi, stealer of fried chicken.

At the Intersection of Crazy

This year has been and continues to be the strangest of my life. Everything changed. I’m having to relearn how to do things I normally know how to do. Like driving for instance. Imagine moving from a country where you had the most minimum, the barest and not to mention the shadiest of laws to one where laws pretty much dictate every move you make. Thank you Sting.

U-Turns, for example, a very handy driving maneuver, especially when lost or you know, just change your mind and decide to head in the opposite direction, it happens you know, because people change their minds all the time... are against the law. IN ANY SCENARIO. There will never be a time or place in this country when making a U-Turn is acceptable.

My mind just...

Beginners, beginnings and apologies.

Normally I'd just wank off, but what the hell, let's do something different.

Oh sire! You grace us with your presence!
(Your best english accent is required here. Disney english)

You ever been around your kids so much that you forget how to talk to adults? Or how to have an adult conversation? And I already suck at small talk, so my social skills is now at level beginner. I'd have better luck striking up a conversation with your child.

I always thought Peppa Pig was kind of a brat, but she gets away with it cuz she's a bit charming. For a pig. Your thoughts?

How to draw a blank.

I am a SAHD boy.

You know, there really should be a study about how stay-at-home dads (SAHD) are perceived in society. Like, what happens when I'm only one of two dads at a school function and the rest are moms? Are they judging me? Are they talking behind my back? Are they judging my wife for not being here? And the most important question of all, do they think they're better than me? Do other dads think they're better than me for going to work instead of staying home and taking care of the kids? Wouldn't you like to know?