A Super Reunion

I got to hang out with my very beloved friend Adriel and her husband Daniel in Topeka a few days ago! She was my RA freshman year of college, and we immediately found out that we were both from Topeka. The cool thing about that is that even though I live in North Carolina and my family lives in Minnesota, and even though she and Daniel are living in SCOTLAND for about 5 years as he gets his PhD at St. Andrew's, we still manage to see each other like once a year because we're both in Kansas somewhere near the holidays. Yay! It was really fun and just... so sweet to talk to an old friend.

These pictures were taken at the mall in Topeka as we waited for my Mom to pick me up. It is always funny being 24 and waiting for your Mom to pick you up from the mall.

Airfare is irrational

So for Christmas, just like last year, all I want to do is get a ticket that will take me from Raleigh to Kansas City... and then from Fargo, ND back to Raleigh. That's because I'll be meeting my family in Kansas for a 100th birthday party, then driving back to Minnesota for Christmas. Here are the results:

Get both tickets together: $340
JUST Raleigh to KC: $98
JUST Fargo to Raleigh: $700

Ummmmmmmm...?

Weird. Truly nonsensical but hey.

Sad to be leaving

Well now that it's 9:58pm on the night before I fly out of Minnesota, I'm sad to be leaving. I'm really sad. It sucks saying goodbye. Just typing this makes tears start to come to my eyes. I know my Mom will cry tomorrow, just for a second, but she'll cry. And I'll know that it's okay that I'm leaving, but it still sucks living far from my family. And yet it really makes no sense at all for me to be here. I guess I could have bigger problems... I mean I love my family, we're constantly connected by phone, I see them a few times a year, and I have great opportunities that cause me to live a couple plane rides away. I am doing fine. It's just that people are the most important. And... well... I don't know if any of you have experienced this... I know Amanda has... but when you come home and you can visit friends or family, though you really want to visit your friends, there is something sacred about your family. Friends, as they say, honestly do come and go. They let you down. Well family can let you down too, but they don't disappear. Each time I've come back to Minnesota, I've spent less time with my friends and more with my family.

The people you love - be it blood-related family or church family or just true friends or whatever - people are pretty much everything.

Home sweet home

I'm at home in Minnesota, and so happy. :) And btw, is my family cute or what? Last night we went to waiter races in downtown Fargo. I'll post pictures of that craziness later on... 13 more minutes of work till my parking runs out.

I will return

A lot has been happening lately... hence the lag in blogging. Soon we will reach the fullness of time and I can bring you up to speed. :)

One thing I can tell you is that I'm not going to Africa after all... at least not next month. That's good and bad. Really it's just the way it is! Ah well. I do need and want to buy a ticket to go home to Minnesota for a couple weeks. I miss my family so very much.

Africa

I've been asked to go to Africa (Tanzania) in August for 1-2 weeks for work. YAY!!! I've never been there, only to Liberia on the west coast, which is entirely different.