Auf Wiedersehen!

That's a picture of Yma and Amy ready to go HOME!
Whew! I'm home! As I look back through my blog and pictures I wonder...is anyone sick of seeing me wear that black jacket yet? I think it's on in every picture! :) Great purchase, Mom!! Thanks! Best item of clothing I brought along!

Abbey and I got into Wenatchee this morning around 1:30. After dropping Abbey off, I came home to a light on (thanks, Megan!) and a welcome home sign and balloons (thanks, Smeltzers!)

By the time I pulled in to my driveway, I think I'd been up 25 hours and had been in the process of traveling 24.5 of those! 13+ hours on planes, 3+ hours of driving, and the rest of the time spent in navigating airports, etc. That's exhausting. We did okay driving home...kept the sunroof open for some cool air, sang along with cd's, and stopped at a rest stop and ran and jumped around a bit to wake up! But it was worth it for my own bed! Nothing feels so good after that many hours of travel and that many weeks away from home!

I think I fell asleep immediately and I slept the clock around and probably would have slept longer had I not set an alarm! The day's been spent unpacking, calling friends, doing laundry and making some space in the house for my new roommate! My housesitter, Megan, is going to be my roommate for the next few months until she heads off to school in the fall. I've warned her that I haven't had a roommate in 6 years, but she seems willing to take on the challenge of living with me :).

Jet-lag is starting to hit, but I've found the best way to fight it is to immediately get on a normal schedule, so I'm off to listen to music at Cafe Mela with some friends lest I fall asleep on my couch at home. Hopefully I can interact like a semi-normal human being! I took a walk over to see a friend this afternoon and was out of breath about 20 steps up the hill in front of my house! After a month of walking miles and miles a day around European cities, I couldn't figure out how I was so out of breath so fast...then I remembered my body thought it was more appropriate to be sleeping than walking at that time of day!

Thanks so much everyone who kept in touch with my blogs! It's been so great to hear your feedback and know that you've been thinking of us on our travels. We had a GREAT time and we're still friends after 24 days of 24/7 companionship! We traveled well together, and I really miss Abbey today! I haven't seen her in 17 hours! :) But we have talked on the phone...my Netherlands lost to Russia in the Euro-Cup today. That's a major upset for those who don't know (which I wouldn't have, had I not been so closely introduced to the Euro-Cup in my travels!) I may post some blogs yet about my readjustment to home, but the exciting adventures of Yma and Amy to far-flung places are now completed (until next time....)

Auf Wiedersehen!