Life Down Under

MIA

I'm back from the dead. It has been quite a month in which I've been burning the candle at both ends, so I'll start off with the bullet points for an update.

• March 26-28 the House of Prayer hosted a conference with Bob Sorge. The few weeks leading up to the event were pretty hectic, organizing registrations as well as sorting out the details for the actual event. (Hence my silence from late Feb to late March). The weekend was awesome! We had lots of positive feedback, and Bob enjoyed his time here with us.
  
• As soon as the conference ended, I had a week to prepare for our trip back home. (Hence my silence from late March 'til now). It was a full week of packing, laundry, shopping for last-minute items as well as presents to bring home, making final preparations for the trip, etc.
  

But now we're here!! We arrived on the 7th of April into KC, had a wonderfully perfect day there, and then flew out to CT to see my family on the 9th of April. Taylor did amazing on all the flights, and neither of us have had any jet lag ~ miracle. We weren't on American soil for more than a couple hours before I felt at home again. It is so, so, so good to be home ~ so good that it's almost painful, as I am reminded again how much I love and miss the country and everyone and everything here. Coming home feels like putting on that old pair of jeans that fits just right, doesn't pinch, and is comfortable and familiar. I mean, I like the 'new pair'
of jeans, too, but they're not quite the same as that old, comfy, 'broken-in" pair.

Our time in CT has been great so far ~ wonderful to be with family and to be in my hometown that contains so many memories: the parks I played in as a kid, the schools I went to, the stores I've shopped at hundreds of times, the streets I learned to drive on. There's just something special about coming back to your roots and birthplace. The weather has been horrible, but I'm LOVING the central heat and the luxury of living in a nice warm, dry house!! Oh, how I love America!

It has been such a special time so far, and I feel like the most spoiled and loved young woman in the world. The extravagance of my Heavenly Father and my family to bring us here is so overwhelming; every day I am overjoyed that I actually get to be here.

Tonight we had pizza at one of my favorite pizza parlors ~ the pizza in CT is unlike anywhere else I've tasted (including other cities in America). Also been loving the other food ~ OJ, mint choc. chip ice cream, tortilla chips, english muffins, rye bread, lemonade, ranch dressing/dip.....shoot, even the toothpaste tastes better here! (No joke, it really does!).

Anyways, I could go on and on, but I won't. Following are a few photos from our time here so far:


Our little world traveler, on the bus at Auckland Airport


Taylor at the park with Aunt Stephanie



Grandpa's Little Helper


Grandma and I