Back from Australia: PICTURES INCLUDED!

As it says in the blog description, I really want to keep in touch with all of my friends across the globe now that I and they (you) and everyone are scattered to the winds. Thus I will try to continue blogging as I did in Australia, but since my life is not so adventurous right now, my posts will include more everyday stuff and some creative endeavors (hopefully) in the kitchen.

Beginning to write I will first say that jetlag is an odd phenomenon. You really don't feel like anything is off, but then things just happen that feel funny! For example, you will be trucking along just fine when allofasudden at 3 in the afternoon you will just take a nap, or, really really really want to take a nap. I did not have any trouble with the sleeping part (I hear some people wake up at odd hours) but the waking part...I am still struggling to be awake during the normal hours of the day (for me, normal hours are between 9am and 11pm).

That being said, I will document my return. I was picked up at the airport by Amirah, we hugged so hard for so long that we got some funny looks from the people in the airport. But we couldn't have cared less. It was really nice to see each other, it had been a long time and we had alot of catching up to do. Amirah brought me some peanut butter cups and chocolate coffee beans, and I managed to stay awake for another few hours while we talked and talked.

The next day I went for a run, it was interesting running on jetlag, I felt disconnected from my legs most of the time, but this ended up being a good thing because I was able to run farther for some odd reason...

I had a wonderful couple of days with the AbuLughods in Port Washington WI, before heading up to Appleton t surprise the siblings. My parents and grandparents already knew I was coming, but Sam and Clara Margaret had no idea (see exhibit A below).

It was really fun to see facial expressions and to be welcomed into hugging arms with exclamations of "what are YOU doing here?!"

The final leg of the surprise came when I went to LU campus the next day, I found my friends one by one and gave lots of hugs and smiles, made a couple people cry, and then enjoyed watching my friends and dear brother complete their chapters at LU with a deadfish handshake from the prez of Lawrence. I was thinking the whole time how proud I was, but also, "holy cow that will be me next year" kept creeping into my mind. But nevertheless, THIS graduation was about them, not me, CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! you are now old, and real people, ready to join the world!
















After saying goodbyes I had another long bit of traveling in the 10 hour car ride to Ohio...We got a little wacky around hour 7 and 9 but we made it to OUR NEW HOUSE (which I had yet to see) in one piece each. I did not get much of a look at the house since it was dark and I was tired, but I walked around the rooms and was able to approve of it before tumbling into my bed and zonking out until 9am the next morning when I had to go to work! No rest for the wicked I suppose.