I'm "home"!!

Alright...so some of you know that I had intended to keep up with this online blog during my year-long stay in the Netherlands. And as you can tell...I came up a bit short at the end. :)

So here is my renewed attempt to keep both my old and new friends up-to-date with my latest...and exciting!....happenings in life.

Packing went much better than I had ever expected it would...I only had to leave behind one thing! I got my long-awaited hug from Sheritha before leaving....said goodbye to my wonderful neighbors....and turned my keys in. Getting the airport was a bit stressful, and delayed...but having Willemijn with me helped keep me calm. Not to mention the 5 SMSs and call I received while en route! I arrived in North Carolina, safe and sound, with two new friends (that I met while flying, of course!), a white chocolate mocha from Starbuck's settling in my stomach, 27 degree Celsius weather, and a continued amazement at myself for not having cried! My parents were eagerly waiting for me when I got there. I had met a guy named David on the last flight, and he was helping carrying my bags when I saw my dad down the hall. I looked at David and said "You know...my parents might be wondering if I brought a boyfriend home that I didn't tell them about.". He said "Well I'd be more than happy to pull off a Dutch accent for them, if you want me to!" We laughed as we approached my dad, and I introduced the two of them. Not that I knew David too well myself!! He's actually an American living in Switzerland right now, back in the states for work for a few days. I love meeting people on flights!!

My parents then took me to this crazy/fun restaurant called "Buffalo Wings Grill and Bar". Tuesday night is their special wings night...and they have 15-17 different sauces you can choose to have your wings marinated in. My dad chose 8!!!! So with 40 buffalo wings in front of us, my parents continued to explain the theme of the restaurant. There must have been 20-30 TV screens surrounding the interior of that place. My dad asked the waiter for 3 "game boards", and continued to explain to me that you choose a game to play (that's on one of the TV screens), log in, and compete against everyone else in the restaurant that's playing. There were about 10 people, somewhere in the restaurant, playing a quiz game...my mom, dad, and I included. The faster you answered each question correctly, the more points you earned. I think I did pretty good!! At one point, I was in 2nd place...so I couldn't complain too much! But it was great fun playing a game while waiting for the food. Time went by so quickly!! And I was continually amazed by watching my culture, once again. From flip-flops to the noise level, free drink refills and hearty hellos to strangers...I felt like a foreigner! I think it's going to take me a while to readjust. :)

By the time we got home, it was 4am Netherlands time, and I was wiped! Luckily...I had an amazing king size bed waiting just for me. :) So leaving my suitcases untouched and barely caring to change clothes....I grabbed Prince Googgala and passed out! 11 hours of sleep later...I'm feeling pretty good. :) It's a beautiful day outside and I have a lot to do. I haven't exactly realized that I'm living here now. The idea of unpacking my clothes and hanging them in a closet seems strange. I always live out of my suitcases when I come to stay with my parents. Guess it'll just take me a while to adjust!

Well..tonight I get to see all the church members here again...and I'm completely stoked about that! They are an amazing bunch of people. So many have already sent me their greetings and excitement in my homecoming. Tomorrow my dad and I will probably begin the search for a car...and then it's on to starting my career! Crazy, huh????

Keep checking back for updates and funny stories...which I know I will have!! And pictures to comes! Love you all...wherever you may be!