comforts of home.

i don't quite know what to do with myself now that i am home,
and with a recent change of plans
i am staying in av until sunday.
i think i am supposed to be
catching up on some sleep.
but for some odd reason sleep doesn't appeal to me right now.

the trip home wasn't too bad.
we left for the airport at 5:45 am thursday - hong kong time,
plane left at 8a...
had a little lay over in tokyo,
and then a 10 hour flight to mpls.
arriving at 10:30a thursday.
longest thursday of my life.

the flight from tokyo was a little brutal.
i thought that i would be able to just sleep --
not the case.
i watched 3 and half movies instead.
i just get sucked in -- i can't help it!
the cutest little japanese woman was sitting next to me
on my flight home.
even though she didn't speak any english, we tried our best
to communicate.
when we landed in mpls the landing was really smooth
until the very end when the pilot slammed on the
breaks
and our bodies flew forward.
the little old japanese woman and i grabbed each others hands
as a reaction.
i really liked her & her simple grace.
and her lipstick that seemed to stay on fresh the whole plane ride... no idea how.

stepping into the cold coming out of the plane
in the breezeway was not a great feeling.
it was that i can't breathe
its so cold feeling.
hated it.
and customs took awhile.
those u.s. officials all hopped up on power.
not my favorite scene.

but just as i pulled out a cell phone to
call my dad
him and lexie were at the other end of the doors
waiting for us.
so nice to see family & get some hugs.
and with a real quick goodbye to my
travel companions,
and a little watered eyes --
i was on my way home to freshen up quickly.

i had promised my mom i would come into her
classroom and talk with her classes.
they had been following my blog & travels.

so lexie and i went in and met some of her students.
and i hope they enjoyed hanging out with me...
i sure had a good time meeting them,
and getting to know them a little bit.
they are really cute & friendly.

my mom made me scalloped potatoes,
a personal favorite of mine...
(only because i requested)
i stayed up till 7p -- a total of about 28 hours
with no sleep.

woke up at 1am & am still awake.
got caught up on the bachelor & real housewives of orange county...
how lame am i?
interesting how the little comforts feel so good.

i uploaded my pictures to my computer
and i am just starting to go through them
and pick out the good ones
that i want to share.

promise to put them up soon...

as of now i am really anxious to get back up to duluth,
and to get caught up in school.
i really have missed school &
am a little embarrassed to admit that i can't wait to dive back in.

i bet i won't be feeling this same way in a week or so,
but it feels good to feel it for now.

i am still processing the trip --
it just went by & happened way too fast!
and i come home,
and life goes on.

just feels a little weird being alone,
and not having a daily schedule to discuss.

traveling is strange that way...
you put more emphasis on each day
and try to get out as much as you can.
you wake up excited to see
what the world has to offer and
show to you.

and now back at home,
that raw feeling
of life
seems to fade away all too quick.
and i am left with a little bit of emptiness.

i have felt this way before -- as i often do when something
ends.
when you are planning for it,
and all of the sudden it is over.
its almost a loss.

but i am so thankful.
because there are some things that you learn about
yourself,
and the people that you are traveling with
that you can't quite describe.
and there are things that happen,
and inside jokes
that only they get.
and i am lucky to have that commonality with
bonnie liz & kathy...
(and a few target people)
it is something that cannot be replaced.

and i want to thank the few who have read my blog
while i was blessed to go on this amazing adventure.
it has been a nice way to hear from family members
all over the u.s.
and it made me feel a little bit closer
to everyone --
knowing they were following
& that they genuinely cared.

i have liked this blog thing &
maybe i will keep it up.
(even though right now -- i am seriously sick of talking about myself)
and would love if you stuck around too.