Friday Night & Grocery Shopping

It is 10:30 Friday night & I am laying in my bed watching another beautiful fireworks display out my bedroom window. They put on displays quite often during the Christmas season here, but it never gets old to me. I love fireworks!

I am also stuffing my face with my newfound love... pomelo. I have never, ever liked grapefruit. Never! And, this fruit looks very similar to grapefruit when cut open. However, when a Japanese friend of mine served this at Nick's school one day, I did not want to be rude and refuse her offer. So, I took a couple of sections, then nibbled on a very small portion of one. And, I really enjoyed it! After I finished those two pieces, I went back for more! Ever since then, I have kept it stocked in my refrigerator. Very delicious! Is this sold in the stores in Texas? I've never noticed it, but then again, I never had a reason to look.

Before moving overseas, we assumed that living in a third world country would mean that the cost of living would be significantly less. Including groceries. In the four months that we have been here (can you believe that?!), we have come to realize that is not the case. It all depends on what items you buy in the store, but for the most part, the foods that we eat are imported from the United States, which means they cost more. Excluding, of course, fruits & vegetables. Otherwise, pretty much everything else is imported... beef, chicken, milk, and everything else in between. We set up our monthly grocery budget when we first moved here, but have found ourselves consistently exceeding that amount. On Tuesday, I was at the grocery store & texted Sam to let him know that my bill would exceed our current budget. He replied wondering why we can't stick to the budget that we allotted. I replied back that first of all, we do not have coupons in the Philippines. (If there are, I have not seen them & neither has anyone else I have asked.) We did The Grocery Game back in Texas for quite a while & saved a significant amount on our bill at each store visit. It was fun! And, cheap! I don't have the option of doing that here. No coupons whatsoever. I also mentioned in my text to him that if we wanted to eat what the locals eat, then I am sure we could save bundles on our grocery bill. Fish & rice. He never sent a reply after that last message. I am going to assume I made my point.

(By the way, it's not that we don't like fish, because we really do. But, we have learned that you should never, ever cook fish in an enclosed condo unit with no ventilation! It's just not right!)

And, speaking of grocery shopping, I was just thinking of our early married years when it was so much fun for Sam & I to go to the grocery store together. I remember that feeling of picking out foods together & discovering what Sam did or did not like. And, knowing that you were going to go back to your house together to put everything away in your refrigerator or pantry together and prepare these foods for each other together in your new life together. Those were the days! Nowdays, I think the planets and sun and moons have to all be aligned in perfect order to get Sam & I to the grocery store together. It's an impossible feat. We both hate to grocery shop! Times change...

But, one thing that doesn't change is how much I miss him when he is gone. He will be home tomorrow morning from a business trip to Taiwan and we are all so excited to see him. It will be a fun Saturday!