One Word...Home!

Hello lovelies!!!

Well, as I'm sure most of you know, I have left the beautiful land of Utah and headed back east.  Though the job out there was amazing and wonderful, my role changed in the company and I, after lots of praying, talking to friends and family, and just plain worrying, decided that it was time to come home.  Yes, I am home wayyyy sooner than I thought I would be, but apparently that's just part of the plan!

So, this trip home was AMAZING!!!! I got to see lots more of this beautiful country as well as catch up with some friends and family that I hadn't seen in a while.  When my dad and I drove out in the spring, we made the trip in 4 days.

The first stop was in Durango, CO to catch up with my beautiful friend Eli.  We worked at a camp together last summer and ended up staying in touch.  We, in classic camp fashion, spent as little time inside as possible and slept in a treehouse and then hiked out to some hot springs and camped under the stars out there.  She is such a calming individual to be around and is one of the most honest and real people I have ever met.  Seeing her again reminded me why I absolutely love her.

My next stop was in St. Louis, MO to hang out with some cousins.  I have missed the past few family reunions because of either work or travel, so I hadn't seen these guys for a while.  Got to see one of my cousins kill it at her volleyball game, hang out at the arch, and just spend some down time with family.  Definitely needed that in the midst of a busy trip home!

After that, I continued east and experienced the highlight of my trip.  My freshman year of basketball, my coach paired upper and lower classmen together and really focused on building that relationship.  She called those pairings "sisters".  Well, Kim was my "big sister" and, even though she graduated my freshman year and moved out to OH to coach softball, she and I have stayed in touch.  We hadn't seen each other in 4 full years, so seeing her was absolutely amazing!!! I missed her!!!  Got to hang out with her team and do a bible study with them and then headed out to the local ice cream stand for some late night chatting.  Morning brought good coffee and a tour of the lovely little town of Cedarville.  Unfortunately, I had to be on the road that next afternoon.  That visit was WAY too short, but I am beyond thankful that I got to see that amazing woman!  I am still so thankful that I get to call her my "big sis"!

As the trip continued, I stopped in Rochester, NY to hang out with one of my college roommate's parents.  I spent easter with them and Robyn last year and it was so good to see them again!  It was the first familiar place I stayed on my journey home, so it was really exciting to pull up to the house and have been there before!  They are such loving, wonderful people and I am super thankful for them!

My last stop before home was to catch up with my aunt and my grandma.  I always love seeing them.  My grandma has lived in the same house my entire life and it's so wonderful to have so many memories there.  Just being there is super restful and fun, so getting to see them on this trip was wonderful!

Well, 8 days later I was home!!! I unloaded all the stuff out of my car and proceeded to shove it in my room (where I am still in process of cleaning it out and putting things away and in storage).  As soon as that was finished, my boyfriend pulled up.  Man, was that a sweet reunion!!! We hadn't seen each other in almost 4 months.  We kept saying that if we could make it through my moving across the country, we can make it through anything.  To be back and in his arms again was one of the most comforting and wonderful feelings.  His arms have become like home to me, so to not have that while I was away from everyone I knew and starting a life on the other side of the country was no fun at all.  But being back and getting to see him was the best.  We headed out soon after he pulled up and met up with my family at a function.  I had seen my parents a few weeks before when they flew out to visit me, but hadn't seen my little sister.  Seeing her again was great!

Anyway...driving across the country by myself was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.  This country is beautiful and getting to reconnect with friends and family was absolutely wonderful!!! Can't say that I'll be doing it again anytime soon, but I can most definitely see another trip in my future.

Love,
L