The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, to say the least. Telling you life has changed would be a vast understatement. A little over two weeks ago, I was sweating it up in Malaysia, and now I sit under a pile of blankets in a bed all by myself, unwilling to face to cold temperatures and crisp Carolina air that awaits me. In an effort to delay the inevitable, and also to update my wonderful readers, I figured I could give you all a little taste of what my life has looked like since officially leaving the World Race.
– We left Malaysia on the 25th of November. Our final flight, a 13-hour endeavor, took off from China at 9:30 p.m. on the 25th and landed in LA at 6:30 p.m. on the 25th (yay for time travel!)
– I spent one wonderful night in LA with a few close friends from C-Squad, making our best attempts to adjust to America.
– On the morning of the 26th, I flew “home” to Wesley Chapel, Florida (though I have never lived there before, so home is still a hard word for it). Little did I know the days of surprises that were in store.
– Before even getting to the end of the terminal, I saw three of my favorite men in the world waiting for me, balloons, bouquets, and posters in hand. Several long, tearful hugs later, we went to fetch my trusty 65-liter pack from the last baggage claim it will see for the unforeseeable future.
– As we rode the escalator down, I spotted a Welcome Home poster with two penguins drawn on it. I did not even need to look at the person holding said poster before I took off running through the airport. Nearly knocking over several innocent bystanders (sorry), I ran screaming into the arms of my best friend, who had flown in to surprise me.
– The next morning was Thanksgiving, full of family, food, and more surprises. My sister had told me I could not see my beautiful niece, born in May, for a few more weeks. I was crushed, but understanding. However, my father’s morning trip to the grocery store was actually an elaborate ruse that allowed this moment to happen.
– I spent the rest of the day with family, attempting to stay awake and not get sick from the food. Both attempts were only semi-successful.
– Black Friday morning I made the terrible life decision to fulfill a long-awaited promise and eat Taco Bell breakfast with my brother and family. That hurt. For several hours. However, we also bought a Christmas tree, which was a sufficient distraction from the violent reactions of the alien baby that has taken up residence in my stomach since month 5 of the race. For the second night in a row, I fell asleep on the couch at 8 p.m.
– Since Thanksgiving, I have been unable to stay put, visiting friends all over the country…well, east coast… driving for the first time in a year, eating at some of my favorite spots (Yes, please Krankie’s coffee and blueberry muffins – I have dreamed of you!), talking with youth group and nearly everyone I meet about my trip and what God taught me, and spending a lot of time with people I love. I have every intention of returning to Florida on Friday, where I will be home a grand total of 5 days before leaving again to go to my sister’s for Christmas.
Needless to say, life has been crazy. Adjusting has been HARD. I want to tell everyone what God has used this year to do in my life and all the amazing ways He has shown up, but I am not sure where to start and it often requires people to come with questions prepared! Sometimes, the America of it all is simply too overwhelming, and I want to hold my race memories close. It’s the little moments that get me. And there have been so many times where I have longed for the comfort of my squad, grubby little hands grabbing mine while walking down dusty streets, and the simplicity of months past. However, this is month 12, and there are so many beautiful (yet completely unknown) things on my horizon. Though I have no idea what comes next for me, I am waiting in excitement and expectancy for God to show me.
In the meantime, you can expect a few more blogs from me! I’d love it if you all would continue this journey with me, at least for a little bit longer. And as always, your prayers are so greatly appreciated. Love you all, and so blessed to have had you on this 11+ month ride with me!
