AMERICA!!!

My High School newspaper teacher wouldn’t let me write for the paper, I was only allowed to copy edit.  She told me this was because I wasn’t a good writer.  She was wrong.  And now she can regret not allowing me to enhance the quality of the newspaper, and as a result, her career.  Her loss.  But whatevs, I’m moving on.

This here post is all about my two weeks back in the states.

And now I’m having a brain fart…

Okay, I’m back; just had to recall everything that happened, which was a lot, and it happened so fast that it’s hard to remember it all!

It started off with a trip to Disney Land and Sea World with the fam bam.  Now you might think that traveling as five so-called adults would make the trip more relaxing.  You’re wrong.  When Adult A, let’s call him Bagel, wants to walk at a six mile per hour pace, and Adult B, let’s call her Fan (refer to said person’s birth certificate… you had to be there), wants to walk at a 2 mile per hour pace, and Adults C, D, and E, want to ride Indiana Jones, eat something (typical), and go to the beach, you end up with five annoyed, over-heated (literally and figuratively) people.  However, despite our differences and disagreements, I think we all can say that the trip was generally a success.  Here are some highlights.

-       Tower of Terror:  Ridden three times.  Round Two we were each going to be one letter of “Y-M-C-A,” plus an “!”.  Take a look at the result…  

Apparently it's fun to stay at the "YMMA."

-       The Log Flume: We tried to get to this ride like three times before we finally got to it when it wasn’t closed for something.  And for whatever reason we all decided to try to pose for the camera again.

Typical.  Someone had to mess it up.  Not surprised it was Fan this time.  She does what she wants.

-       Seeing Shampoo the Killer Whale.  In 5 million degree heat.  With a blazing sun all day.  Good thing I tan easily… not.  P.S. Apparently Shampoo the Killer Whale is not just one guy anymore.  Turns out he either cloned himself, or has died and been replaced with five others… all named Shampoo.  My childhood was obviously full of lies and deceit.  

-       The two and a half hours spent in the car in rush hour so my seester could go to the beach and touch the ocean.  Not actually a highlight for 60-80 percent of us, but it turned out okay in the end anyway.

-       Posing for inappropriate pictures (inadvertently, of course).

-       And the final highlight, spending hours and hours either flying or in an airport coming home from California… Not.

After I got home I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off in an attempt to visit everyone I wanted to see and hadn’t seen in almost a year (some longer than that).  Unfortunately, I wasn’t entirely successful.  But I did manage to see quite a few of them.

I got to see my besties from high school, Holley, Jamie, and Val.  We pretty much partied it up… except for the entire part where we didn’t because Holley’s an old, married woman now.  So instead we sat around knitting and wearing reading glasses while discussing Queen Elizabeth’s atrocious wardrobe.  Okay, so it wasn’t actually like that.  It was, in fact, much better.  It included McDonald’s hotcakes (an old favorite), pizza (not at the same time as the McDonald’s hotcakes), and other exciting things like discussing our future education plans.  We sure know how to have a good time!

I also got to spend time with my ROTC and nursing school bestie, Melinda.  Just like old times, we visited Paradise Bakery – this time without 20 pounds of nursing textbooks in tow – and did our best to make up for 10 months worth of talking and catching up; not sure we quite made it, we probably could’ve used another two weeks or so.  Also, I got to see her son - and my boyfriend - Reid.  Some might say I’m robbing the cradle because I’m 18 years older than he is, but age is just a number after all.

Aside from all the family and friends I saw, I got to spend plenty of time shopping.  I miss American shopping.  Actually, I just miss America.  Pretty sure I wore my mom and myself out with the seemingly endless trips to different malls and stores.  Good thing I batted my eyelashes real pretty like at the person weighing my bag at the airport on my way back to Germany… I’m fairly certain that with all the stuff I bought I would’ve had to pay that extra fee for a heavy bag if I hadn’t.

All in all, my trip was a success.  I had such an awesome time being home, and it really made me appreciate the people I have in my life.  I’m so thankful that I got to spend time with them, even if I wish it could have been longer.  Two more years and I’m back to los Estados Unidos to stay... probably.  Until then, Germany will be home… even if I don’t speak Germish or drink beer.

And here are some more pictures from the trip...

Me with the sibs.  We're kinda gangsta... obviously.

The new hair.  A great way to drop a couple pounds.

Ranger Danger.  AKA "The dog."  I'm really more of a cat person, but I learned to like this little guy, and "Maybe I like him a lot."  But "Don't push the 'maybe,' Baby."

Giving my Simba Cat lots of unwanted attention; and looking quite attractive while doing so.