And were back.....

The last month has been a whirlwind of family and friends and of course it all went by way to quickly.  Despite all of this I can say its nice to be back home in Kenya.  I had a great time in the states visiting my friends and family.  I got to go down to Georgia to see some of my favorite cousins graduate from linesmen school.  I can't say how incredibly proud of them I am.  It was great to see how much they truly loved what they were doing and how good they were at it. 

Linesman graduation

I was able to spend some quality time with my mom.  We embarked on many shopping trips ranging from the grocery store to an outlet mall in Wisconsin.  It was nice to have a few days to just catch up and reconnect.  I also headed up to Chicago to visit with some of the girls from grad school.  We filled each other in over wine and good food, even getting to pull our typical Thursday night tradition of TV and pizza.  I was even lucky enough to meet up with Jillian in the city.



From there I traveled north to Wisconsin and spent a few days with the Bast family.  It was great to see all of them again; it had been so long!  We had a great time catch up and spending time together at the Dells.  I can't recall how many times I went up and down the water slides with the kids.  Josh then came south with me to Mendota.  It was nice to be able to show him around my hometown and my family's land.  We spend the next few days visiting relatives and driving around my small town.  I even got him up in a tractor and gave him a small lesson!


Next came Christmas Eve and Christmas.  I was lucky enough to catch up with both my dad and mom's sides of the family.  It was great to see aunts, uncles and cousins again.  It was neat to see every one's reaction to my pictures and my travels.  I sometimes forget how different and unique my experiences are.  To me it just feels normal. 

Christmas Card potential

After Christmas it was a rush to my departure date, but I was lucky enough to be able to visit with Mallory and catch up on all her wedding planning.  I am so excited for her and for the opportunity to stand up with her come August!  Before I knew it I was on the plane and headed back.  I have never had a more enjoyable international flight before! ( more on this to come) It seemed only a few hours later and we were landed in Nairobi. 

Although I wish we could have had more time in the states, it is nice to be back in Kenya.  Its time to get back to work and our lives here.  Its hard to be away from home at times but the people here make all the difference.  As I said before, Kenya is definitely a home away from home for me.