Jet Lag

*True to form, I wrote this post a week ago and forgot to post it.  Here it is:


I have jet lag.  It has been 5 days, so I should be completely over it, but it just seems to be hitting now:  a nagging feeling that I should be eating at midnight, waking up at 4:45 AM even though I just went to bed at 12:30, a suddenly and unexpectedly falling asleep at 3 in the afternoon.  

We are back in the US, after being gone for 18 months.  We flew to Melbourne, spent the night, then flew from Melbourne to LA.  I can never sleep on the airplane.  I don't think it has anything to do with discomfort really, there are just so many movies I want to watch!  Fourteen hours of entertainment later, we landed in LA.  We visited Shon's brother Jason and his wife, Alex.  Alex is 8.5 months pregnant.  She is so cute.  Really, that's not very fair.  She looked like she was trying to shop lift a basketball.  Lucky girl.  We are very excited and look forward to seeing their little baby girl soon.  

Somewhere in California.

I crashed and slept for a couple hours at Jason's, then it was back in our rental car - a beautiful grey mini van.  Sounds pretty "flash", huh?   It may not be cute, but it gets pretty good gas mileage and is surprisingly roomy.  We have quite a bit of luggage and it all fits!  Shocker.  Anyway, we headed back into the van and I drove, on the right side of the road, for the next 5 hours, to a hotel in Kingman Arizona.  

We stopped to fill up near Flagstaff, and the kids all romped in the snow!

After an awesome night's sleep, on the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on (I was really tired), we got up at 5 and drove to Farmington, NM!  It was such a great visit.  We stayed with my friend Annie and her family.  They are such great friends.  We loved having scriptures with their family, and watching the pleasant interactions between their children and Grandma (who lives with them).  We felt so at home.  What an awesome friend Annie is to host 7 extra people.  And I'm sure we were pretty annoying.  The first few days we were constantly saying:  "Look at the size of this milk carton!" and "In Australia, we do it like this" or "they say this in Australia."  It's kind of strange to be back.  When I first heard the radio announcer in California, I thought she was joking and exaggerating an American accent!  

Sunrise on the road in Arizona.

Farmington was great!  With the exception of a weekend in New Orleans, we have never returned to one of the places we moved from.  It was so nice to see all of our friends at church.  I ran with my running buddies, twice!  It didn't hurt at all, though I was definitely out of breath - but I'm blaming it on the elevation (sea level to 6,000 feet is quite a jump.)  I got to have lunch with my choir friends too.  We had dinner with a couple of very good friends.  It was so much fun!  I got to go to Homemaking (or whatever it's called) and chat with the ladies from church.  And my children played with their friends!  I think it made me as happy as it made them.  I know how much they miss their friends, and to see them so happy was very fulfilling.  (I have to admit, it was a bit shocking to see how much everyone has grown!  Seriously, what are you feeding these kids?)  It was just a really great couple of days.  

We were sad to leave Farmington, but so excited to go see our family.  It has been way too long since we have been home.  Eighteen months is a mission for some people.  And the last couple months have been hard, so it is really nice to be home.  I'm usually pretty good at avoiding homesickness (avoiding is the key word here - you can't get over it, you just have to get around it.)  More on that later.  

So, after 35 hours (so far) of traveling, we are home.  (We have another 18 hours to drive, and 15 to fly before it's all over.)

Life is good.  I have eaten Mexican food, with green chilis and fresh tortillas.  I have run with my friends.  I have been to Walmart.  (Seriously, have you seen how big that place is!)  I have heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, on the radio!  Soon, I will be in the mountains, skiing.  My children have filled themselves with horrible, sugary cereals, and I'm not even going to say anything (like "that's not breakfast, that's dessert").  But best of all, I have seen so many friends and family!  I couldn't be happier.  

Life is good.