2,200 Miles of Goodbyes

Yep, I took a crazy trip. Here it is in a nutshell.
August 3: Columbus, NE and Orange City, IA
August 4: Orange City, IA and Sioux Falls, SD
August 5: Sioux Falls, SD
August 6: Sioux Falls, SD; Westbrook, MN; New Hope, MN
August 7: New Hope, MN
August 8: New Hope, MN and Seymour, WI
August 9: Appleton, WI
August 10: New London, WI and Chicago, IL
August 11: Chicago, IL and Des Moines, IA
August 12: Des Moines, IA; Omaha, NE; and back HOME!!



What a whirlwind trip! So many people to see – so little time. Seeing familiar faces was wonderful. Saying goodbye – not so wonderful. Many have assured me the time away will go quickly. And while I bet it will, I also know I’ll want it to slow down after adjusting to life in KZ. Regardless, in my last days stateside, I’m taking Micah’s advice and living in denial. I must say, stress dissipates when you refuse to acknowledge the fact that your life is about to drastically change. So, instead of writing about my packing struggles or my (lack of) Russian studies or other ways I feel completely unprepared, I’ll list snip-its of road trip highlights.

Seeing bits of my late grandma while visiting with her brother. Hearing my grandpa’s stories of hosting the National Corn Picking Contest. Seeing hundreds of lightening bugs as I drove by corn fields. Gaining a better picture of Jessica’s work. Seeing Erin days before she enters motherhood. Scheming with Caleb and then successfully drenching Jon in a water fight. Catching lightening bugs. Rollerblading without taking a fantastic spill. Hearing about Emily's crazy summer - and wedding plans(!). Delivering a wedding present… 9 months late. Eating a delicious breakfast with Mark at Fat Nat’s Eggs – and having our waitress repeatedly ask how we liked the “romantic section”. (Because obviously any guy and girl eating breakfast together are dating? Yet again, I'm informed by others who I'm dating. Drats.) Buying super-cheap socks at Macy’s. Time talking with Dustin and Kristen. Being back with friends in Wisconsin. Joining people for a corn roast. Going to church at Christ the Rock and seeing guys I worked with at Rawhide. Watching Julie & Julia in the theater. Making myself at home with Wes and April while he pushed the wrong button on my computer. (Side note: Wes – thanks for giving me practice removing malicious computer-eating files before my netbook burst into flames. It’s all good.) Paying no mind to the time and talking with April for hours. Surprising people at Rawhide by showing up there. (I just can’t get enough of the place.) Doing a great job of parallel parking on a busy Chicago street. Ordering my first meal of sushi – and loving it. Seeing familiar Heartland faces. Thoughtful conversations with Kara. Successfully navigating Chicago streets on my way to Des Moines. Catching up with Ang and Holly. Going to a Cubs baseball game. (Hey Cubs fans – they won! …Dare I specify Iowa Cubs?) Half price appetizers at Roja, where Tracy and I met up. Delivering a wedding present… a month early. Getting to Starbucks seconds before they locked their doors. Safely arriving back at home, at 2:30am.

Since returning home, the fun hasn’t stopped. I’ve watched my mom send my kite swirling in the Nebraska wind (and dive-bombing into a stubble field). I’ve gotten to drive my beloved Dodge Ram. Driving a manual is like riding a bike – it’s like I’ve been driving it all along. I got to see a storm so typical to Nebraska. One minute I wondered if the windows would shatter, and the next the storm had passed. And tomorrow I hope to jog 9 miles with my dad. Going weeks without running, then attempting 9. Hmm…

Here are some pictures of my time gallivanting around the Midwest. I will miss you, my dear friends. P.S. For under $1, you can (and should! :) send a letter to Kazakhstan. Someone told me I’d be going there soon.