Where in the world…

Where in the world!! This is exactly how I feel about so many things! Where in the world have the past 3 weeks gone and where in the world am I right now?!

I am back on the ship after a three-week (WONDERFUL) holiday at home! I can’t even try to describe everything that I was blessed to be able to do and how many of my loved people I got to see!! I feel like I can accurately say that I don’t think I have ever been so busy in my ENTIRE life… and I am feeling on a whole new level that I need a vacation- from vacation. 

My time at home started with the best greeting ever at the airport! Little Ty-boy (my nephew) totally didn’t know who I was… and might have cried… also, he isn’t actually so little anymore, but I LOVED seeing him and my whole family waiting for me when I got off the plane. Sara came to visit (best.friend.ever.) and flew in about an hour after I did, so we had quite the carload leaving the airport! Sara and my time together was spent talking A TON (stop being shocked about that!), brunch with grandma, lunch with Nana and Bumpa, a quickie trip to West Palm, pedicures with Laur and Tara, and a little shopping (it HAD to be done… I survived a rrrreaaaallll long time without seeing a Target). 

Christmas was spent with my entire family, including my grandparents who officially live in Florida now after a lifetime in Massachusetts. I think it was the most special Christmas ever. I loved just being able to wake up in the same house as my parents and knowing that my sister was going to stop by at some point during the day.  Brian came down for a really big part of time at home and we did SUPER fun and adventurous (I know… Africa has changed me!) things- including parasailing and hand gliding (pictures below)!! Mostly it was just the best thing of my life to get to be with that boy! We completed lots of things I was looking forward to about everyday, normal life in the United States- it brought out an entire new side of my extreme love of details when I was freaking out the silliest little things, such as finding the best limited-edition Publix ice-cream. I think I maybe screamed a little bit… in the middle of the aisle.

The Lord gave me the best holiday ever! It was so refreshing to be around almost all of my most favorite loved ones- in such a short amount of time. I am safely in Africa and fully recovered from my trip back to the ship. It is funny… when I was at home I felt so much like I fit and belonged there… and now that I am back here, I know that I also have a place here. It is weird how the Lord can make you feel like you belong in more than one place! More details to come on Togo soon… I have lots to tell about it!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers about my time at home- it was absolutely wonderful! 

This was our reunion at the airport… after he stopped crying of course! I didn’t want that to be documented!

Dinner in West Palm with some of my favorites!!

I think we picked the coldest day of the entire vacation to go to the zoo… but we met up with Mrs. Garey and her family- super. fun. time.

My first slurpee at home!! Laur, Cait, and I continue our tradition of feeling an absolute need to have slurpees ALL the time…

We survived our parasailing experience!!

This was the view while we were parasailing! It was surprisingly really quiet and peaceful… and we even saw a giant sea turtle! It was pretty great 🙂

Rivalry at the hockey game Bri and I went to… not to worry, Tampa totally won 🙂

I can’t quite remember who… but Brian or I are IN that little kite thing that is full-out attached to a plane! So brave, right?! (honestly… it wasn’t really that scary… but I kinda want people to think it was…)

This was after we both completed our hand gliding!! It was so fun too because the sun had just risen and there were like 40 hot air balloons that we got to see.

New Year’s with Tara and Bob! What a fun way to begin a new year 🙂