I'm Baaaaaaack!!

After several long weeks of saying goodbye to my Nicaraguan home, I am finally back in my Michigan home. And I can't even express the utter joy I feel right now. Happiness doesn't begin to cover it. I feel light, excited, giddy even.  And a little bit cold too :)

Which isn't to say the move has been easy! Weird might be a better word to use. I've come home, and yet it feels so very alien. Things are the same and yet nothing is. I have a new room. Actually, my family has renovated several rooms in our house. We even have a new dining room table. Rhys is taller than Evan and I now hug his waist. Evan has a funky new hairstyle and a beard. Sarah and Jordan have a new home and a new puppy.  Mom's hair is longer and Dad's hair is grayer.  I hardly recognize us.

West Michigan, I’ve noticed, is very different too. My church has a new sanctuary.  There are new coffee houses and breweries on every corner.  Our gas station has a new walk-in beer cooler. There’s a new Japanese restaurant near home, plus countless others I’m sure I don’t know about yet. There's even an outlet mall not 10 minutes from my house. 

And that's just the start of what's new here!  Apparently, I am going to feel like a tourist here for a while.

But I'm excited about it :) I get to wander the streets of downtown and rediscover the hidden treasures there. I get to be excited about colder weather and cloudy days. I get to indulge in holiday delicacies like candy canes and peppermint mochas. I get to revel in a new wardrobe of sweaters, scarves, hats and boots.

Most of all, I get to see you all again.

I know I'm different. And I know you're different. I look forward to getting to know you again :)