Going Home Again Part 2

I know its been awhile for anyone out there reading my blog, since I last posted. I have been busy with life I guess. So let me start by catching some people up on where we all are. Suhayb is working for a local photo studio as an apprentice learning the art of team photos. He goes around the state with a company you know the ones who do our school photos for yearbooks. He is enjoying the travel at best and learning about cameras while going around the state.  Suhayl is working with his sister Melissa's husband for their family business learning construction and repair of homes. Again, he gets to travel around the state. Aieysha has been spending time working with animals she wants to be a animal cop or rescue worker or just have a bunch of her own to take care of. She has a natural ability working with them and she is often complimented by neighbors on her care and knowledge. Khadijah is doing a self study and wants to study history of music. As well she is a great artist and I hope she will continue to draw unlike me who stopped in college. I must admit I've been a bit lax with Fatimah since her relapse in Jan of last year; 10 yrs to the date of her first illness, she does school at home online. We started with a state program but she got behind and got frustrated with all the catching up. We then found classes and books online that she could use and we developed our own curriculum.  


My husband is still working for the local dealership and business ebbs and flows with the economy. Sometimes I feel we are barely making it and I see a dismal future for him and I.  Myself I'm pretty much recovered from my illness but have weakened knees from sitting most of the last year so I'm working on them now to improve my strength so I can walk up and down stairs a bit easier. Melissa and the kids stop by often and my new grandson has been my joy this past year. I'm seeing my daughter as a baby through him. I have to admit he looks much like his grandfather would have looked as a baby and we have compared a few pics of a brother who died at a young age and we see the Jensen face. That's OK, there is nothing that will stop me loving my grand-kids. Macleod is growing and in preschool, his hearing has not improved but seems stable for now. He has given up most signs as he now has a better vocabulary than before but we still use it to keep him from any misunderstandings of communication. Rachael is working at a local call center in Utah were she lives near her father and my adopted father's family. My grandson Caleb is with her and Keeley her daughter moved here to Colorado to stay with her father for a bit. I had hoped Rachael would move here so everyone could be closer but my family seems to already splinter apart. 


So now that I'm up to date on everyone, I will tell you what the title is about. With the fall of G we will finally be able to go back to Libya without fear of being imprisoned. We started on passports a few months ago and are down to one more when Khadijah turns 16 in June.  We finished with Aieysha and Suhayl this month and wait for their return in the mail its only been a week or so but they should be soon. I've started looking at tickets and am flabbergasted over the prices. Seems as countries are taking advantage of people wanting to return home as well as all the investors who now want a piece of Libya's pie. I asked and not many of our friends are yet traveling back this summer. Some have homes, businesses and kids college educations they are in the middle of and can't just drop it all on a whim. Under the new guides for visa for us wives they now request a copy of our marriage licenses and a friend who has 7 kids is now being told they never got one from the mosque when they married and the sheikh and witnesses are long gone. To say the least she is angry. The local sheikh wants to remarry them when their youngest kids are now 20 yrs old. Being that there are enough witnesses to their marriage all these years I think that is a shame. 


I'm watching online everyday on twitter if you don't know I'm @Oldmommatajuri  and I still keep an eye on events in Libya. I was twitter jailed yesterday tweeting results of the Benghazi elections. Its amazing the progress the people have made not necessarily the government but the people themselves towards democracy. Anyways we have tentative plans for August to go to Libya for my husband to be reunited with his family. I'm full of emotions and a bit concern as to how things will be. If you have read my blog you know all about our last trip. Not only will Taher be there this time but things have changed in ways we would never have imagined 6 yrs ago. We have had contact with some of his family and our home came through fine from all reports and except for the loss of Shareefah's husband last May we were spared any loss of life. I think his was more illness related but we have not been told. I fear some bits of info will take till we get there to find out. I have also met some wonderful people on twitter and hope to meet them as well, so excited to meet up with UKWatcher as well. 


As for the three musketeers, Janel returned to the USA just as the war began and was unable to do anything and was full of grief most of the war. Her kids are all well and Sadda will be married this summer. Sakinah had a baby boy and so she has now joined the amazing rank of grandmother, years of problems took their toll on her and she will stay in the USA. Theresa still works for the airlines and I barely hear from her anymore. She wants to visit Libya but only if they have a rental or home of their own. Carolyn will hopefully travel soon although her husband has lost both of his parents while in exile, they want to visit his siblings and I'm waiting to see her first impressions of the country.  


I have made so many plans of things to do there I could fill up months but guess only time will tell what will be accomplished. I will try to keep a better record this time around as internet access will allow. So stay tuned and thanks for dropping by.