home sweet home!

zzz…not enough sleep! 4:00 a.m. came WAY too early this morning. I only slept for 4 hours. Amy Luhmann was raring to go at 5:00 to bring me to the airport. It only took us about 30 minutes to get to Bob Hopeless airport in Burbank (no free wi-fi). I sat there and finished up a few necklaces I was making for the girls, and got ready to board the plane. I walked through a door that I thought would take me to the jetway, but it took me to the blacktop. We had to CLIMB up stairs to get on the plane. This was a first for me. I was tempted to stop at the top of the stairs and pretend to be President Amber!

I got lucky enough to have the most amazing seat neighbor on the plane. A fellow 25 year old woman named Julie Jacobson sat down next to me and delighted me with her presence the entire way. We got to talk about everything, from work & families, to boyfriends and future pregnancy. She rocked. She’s from Alaska, and was flying into Salt Lake City, UT to see her boyfriend of 6 months whom she hadn’t seen in a year! She was nervous. So, my stomach started to hurt for her! I offered to beat her down to baggage claim and get the whole reunion documented with my camera, but she said she was nervous enough. I’ve always wanted that moment for myself—I couldn’t imagine someone else wouldn’t want the footage of that to look back on and laugh at! Different strokes! It was such a positive affirmation of the amazing work that God does through other people—people EVERYWHERE! I’m sure we’d be best buddies if we lived in the same area. Either way, we exchanged facebook names and are sure to keep up on there! Thank you God for a normal airplane buddy.

I’m writing this entry from gate B1 at the SLC airport. Unfortunately, I have a 3.5 hour layover here before I fly to Minneapolis. My tummy is growling, and I’m resisting the urge to go grab a Cinnabon roll or a big fat donut from Krispy Kreme. People watching is too entertaining. I brought loads of work to do, but because I can hardly keep my eyes open, I don’t want to do a pitiful job on important stuff. I’m gonna go grab a snack and then find a clear patch of carpet for a quick nap. Only a few hours to go!

I waited for Kevin outside the MSP airport, when all of a sudden I saw a white Chevy Malibu pulling up—one arm sticking out with a dozen roses hoisted high in the air! What a guy! We hopped in the car and began our journey to Worthington. We stopped in Mankato to see my dad and dear friend Karishma. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, exchanged lots of hugs, and then we got back on the road. The last 5 miles were the worst…I could hardly sit still. I wanted to cry, scream, cheer, all of the above. I could cry right now just thinking about how awesome it was to see Holly, Presley & Madison cheering and jumping with excitement. The welcome signs, tears, and screams were the best ever! We stayed up for a while to play “lions,” and of course try on our Halloween costumes for fun! YAY for family!