Oh, I forgot to tell you!

 

 On May 12th, we left Antigua, Guatemala at 4am after not sleeping all night (I had to go out like I came in…sleepless!), we all piled into a schoolbus with half the seats missing to ride an hour and a half till we arrived in Guatemala City.  Our flight to Dallas left at 7am which we almost missed, but no worries, we all got on 🙂  We arrived safely in Texas at about noon.  Half the squad loaded another plane, half the squad left for home right from the airport with their families and I moseyed my way to my terminal all by lonesome.  Next time you’re buying a ticket, I’d recommend getting the more well-known airline if you want company while you wait for your flight haha The reality of leaving my squad finally began to sink in about this time.  I took the bus alone for the first time in 11 months and walked in to get my ticket…but wait! Who is that walking towards me but my awesome teammate Nathan Salley!  Hooray! 

 

We decided to get some lunch- and what else would we get but Taco Bell! Haha  I was shocked to see the prices for a nacho supreme were about $8 to which I asked about since I was in shock and the guy assured me it was just because we were in an airport.  Phew!  This led me into discussing the World Race with him, and hoopefully he’s even reading this little blurb about him!  If you aare reading this, it was great chatting with you and thanks again for the nachos!  They were everything I had been dreaming of and more 😉

 

After Taco Bell, I boarded the plane and left for Denver, Colorado…then soon after arriving I was off to Detroit, Michigan. This is where I met some more friends that are going to U of M and one’s even thinking of going to Japan next year–if yoou are reading this, you should do it!! Life’s too short not to! 🙂  My parents and sister and nephew picked me up at about 12:15am.  It was like a beautiful dream to see them again!! 🙂 

 

 

I’ll be honest, the first week was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.  As much as I was SO excited and ready to see my friends and family, I didn’t really think too much about the fact that I’d be leaving my squad that I literally spent every minute with over the course of the last year.  Heartbreaking is the only word that comes to mind.   I just love those people so freakin’ much!!   Luckily, I love my friends and family like crazy tooo so they helped me a ton as I made the transition 🙂

 

Since being home, some things have changed but overall it seems to be pretty much the same as when I left.  While I was gone, I felt like I had been gone for a lifetime, yet when I got home, it seemed like it was all a dream and i had just seen everyone the day before.  It all still seems pretty surreal.

 

It’s already been difficult to set time aside with Lord like I had been doing daily on the race, so that’ll be a challenge that I’m praying about right now.  I’ve learned that I not only want to depend on Him but I NEED to depend on Him.  I don’t want to look at the past year as a ‘trip’ or an experience.  I want to incorporate everything that I saw, learned, experienced into this life…right here, right now.   I’m trying to figure out how to do that.  

 

I’d like to write more about specific’s I’ve noticed or have been challenged with since I’ve been home, or about how I’m still overwhelmed by all of my clothes in my closet that i keep putting on what I’ve been wearing over the past year lol  I’ll try to get those blogs out soon…

 

I truly cannot thank you enough for partnering with me in this journey.  It has been the experience of a lifetime yes, but this lifetime isn’t over yet, so who knows what the next season will hold.

 

 **Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.  

    Romans 12:2