I know you come here to hear about my life serving overseas in some foreign land. The bugs. The food. The stories of me making a fool of myself. Well, I’m going to have to disappoint you today. I wanted to share about the journey HOME to the good ol’ US of A.
Oct 3rd was the main reason for the trip. My little, tiny, baby, infant (Ok, he’s 27) brother was getting married to the love of his life! Sounds like a good excuse for a trip home to me. So on September 22nd I started the 25 hour journey home. Only…good news…I wasn’t alone. My boyfriend went with me! He traveled from his home in Singapore to go to the US for the first time and meet all of my crazy family and friends. He’s a brave one. He started the flurry of meetings by eating dinner with a couple of my friends from work before departing from Manila. Then they were kind enough to drop us off for our 10pm flight. It is SUCH a long journey. Manila to L.A. to Columbus to Raleigh before driving to Virginia. You have to really want to visit people to do it. It was my first time flying through LAX and I have to say….I hated it. That airport needs some serious signage. I was just like “where in the world am I supposed to go?!” Of course since I have a college degree and extensive traveling experience, I figured it out but still….LAX, get with it.
On our last flight!
My parents picked us up at the Raleigh airport and we drove about 30 min away to meet my college roommate Mandie and her husband for lunch. I hadn’t seen her in years and it was so nice to spend a little bit of time with her! From there we drove a few hours home and dumped our stuff and exhausted bodies into our rooms. It wasn’t long before we were off again. This time to visit my older sister, her husband, and her two sons. One of which I had not met. And oh my gosh, they are precious! I lived on Cloud 9. How I didn’t get a picture of me with the two of them I have no idea.
After going back to my parents house, we were able to spend time with friends before crashing into bed, exhausted.
The next day I had planned to take Clarence up into the mountains and for a picnic lunch. We didn’t exactly make it up there for lunch, but when we got there the weather was beautiful as was the view.
The Peaks of Otter
Afterwards we went down to the base of the mountain beside a lake, laid out a blanket, and sat enjoying the weather and each other’s company. It was pretty much a perfect day. We had more hang out time with friends and family that night at my sister’s house. Here is how brilliant my 3 1/2 year old nephew is. While trying to play foosball with me he pointed at the screw head on the table and said “look, it’s shaped like a hexagon!” Seriously kid? Haha. So cute.
Saturday I was blessed to have my oldest and dearest friend, Erin, come down from northern Virginia with her daughter, Caroline, to spend the day with us. We met for breakfast at Cracker Barrel (hallelujah) and then took my nephew and her daughter to some playgrounds for the day. Just call me mom. Actually don’t, that would be weird. We also went to dinner and…what the heck…no pictures of this day either. I swear, I am a photographic FAILURE. I just keep it all up here *taps head*. That is a lie. I am almost 30 and forget things all the time. Dang it.
That night we went with my parents and a couple friends (shoutout: Amy and Jennifer) to see the local university theatre dept put on Hairspray. It was great! I loved it. I’m sure Clarence loved it too–as a place he could catch up on his sleep after remnants of jetlag. I miss seeing theatre regularly.
Sunday, I was so thankful to go back to my church! Thomas Road Baptist Church. I have missed worshiping there and I was not disappointed in a great time singing to God and fellowshipping with other believers. I have no idea what we did the rest of that day (see, forgetfulness)…I’m sure whatever it was, it was thrilling beyond belief. OH YES, we went to the mall. This deserves a laugh because Clarence comes from Singapore where, on one street alone, they have 18 malls. Lynchburg’s one pathetic little mall was laughable. But we still had a good time and then met my friend Wendy for dinner nearby. Scratch that…all that was on Monday (minus the church part). Really, I have no idea what I’m talking about at this point. Did I even go to the US?
Let’s just move on. Tuesday, Clarence and I made the 8 hour drive to Nashville, Tennessee to visit more members of my family. My older brother, Todd, lives there with his wife and three kids. My younger sister, Hannah (who will one day be a famous singer) also resides in Nashvegas. We spent a few days there hanging out with the kids and touring Clarence a bit around Nashville. We were also able to visit my granny which was very special. She is in her 90′s and her brain is still sharp as a tack. Her health, however, is deteriorating and we’re not sure how much longer she’ll hang on. Seeing as how I’ll be in Manila until the end of February, it was very important for me to go and visit her. Once again, no pictures in Nashville were taken. BUT let me tell you how sweet my boyfriend is. On Thursday I decided with my sister and sister in law that we should go get pedicures for the upcoming wedding. Clarence went along and watched my 9 month old nephew while we were pampered. No complaints. No protests. He even took Avery out in his stroller for a walk. I got a good one!
To be continued….
