I'm HOME! Home Sweet Home!!!

Of course, being a bit late getting this posted as I am...I have actually been home since July 2!  But it has been a chore getting back into the swing of things.  I always need a vacation to recover from my vacations!  But, I didn't really get one at all.  I got home on Saturday night and began teaching on Wed!  But it is ok...I'm busy and better busy than bored, right!!!

I got on the train from Venice back to Vienna after saying good-bye to my friends, Morgan and Katie!  I'm never good with good-byes but I have learned that it is ok to hurt and ok to cry!  The pain isn't forever and it is just the initial change that gets me a bit!  I hugged them all and walked away....sappy sentimental girl that I am!  Thankfully I knew I would be heading out to Utah in a couple weeks ... :)

On the train it was MUCH different than the train ride TO Venice!  This time around there were 6 of us in that little compartment that only holds 6!  It left at 9:05 and not until midnight did one of them get off.  Only 5 didn't make a whole lot of difference.  It was that way until 4am!  So guess what?  I didn't sleep much until that time.  Not a good night.  I basically slept from 4:15am until 6:45am when more people got on heading TO Vienna!  Oh boy.....I knew sleep would be near non-existent until I got home!

But I must say, the people in the compartment with me were pretty cool!  This guy was a Sport Science guy and we had great conversations.  He knew English so good I almost couldn't tell he was from Austria!  He teaches for a special High School catering to Athletes trying to go pro.  They recruit the best of the best.  His job is to work with the coaches.  Where the athletes fall short in strength, coordination, or agility he helps them out.  They practice morning and night and in between are helped through their high school courses.  The lady taught History and Geography.  It was fun to talk with them!

I awoke to wide awake people excited for a trip to Vienna.  I'm sure I looked fabulous after not really sleeping all week.  Thankfully I got off not much after that.

On my way home (funny that Esther's house HAD become home - Vienna had become familiar, the bus system had become familiar, everything about it had become like home) I stopped at the store and got Esther some roses.  When I got to her house she had a dozen roses in my room on the desk.  Her entire garden area is FILLED with roses.  Roses remind me of Esther...and the peachy colored ones were her the MOST.

I got home and rang the doorbell.  Esther's mom, Frau Nell (Sylvia) answered the door.  The greeting I received will not soon be forgotten.  Her smile was worth a million bucks!   It made me feel so welcomed...and HOME!  We talked for a bit...I told her and her husband, Dr Nell (Wilfred) about Venice and such.  I then got things all ready to be heading home.  I did some laundry and even had time to catch a few zzzz's before heading out.  Esther made sure we had just one more lunch ON THE TERRACE!  It was so fun to just sit and be with her.  I will miss her terribly!  Afterwards she made sure we hung out just snoozing by the pool.  It was a beautiful day....then it turned cold.  I spent a few moments talking with her parents again.  I will miss them terribly too.  I got so close to them

Ok...a bit of a backtrack....

Monday afternoon we had a Going Away Pool Party at Esther's.  It was a hit and everyone had a great time.  I think it was a huge highlight for Esther and many of the girls too.  We had food and drinks and music...what more is needed!  They all danced the night away....what a great time.  I missed part of it and feel bad to have missed out on the fun with all the girls I grew to love in Vienna!  Here are some pics...

Esther loves to DANCE!

So does Katie!

Courtney, Ali, and Kristin

Devin, Debbie, Ashlin, and Bailey

Morgan and Katie

Good ole K-dawg (Karol Kumpfer) and Ellie (from Iran who came to speak to us)

in all my glory

Esther cutting the cake she made for

 

Julian and Pauly (Esther's son and grandson)

me and Esther

Julia (daughter in law) and Pauly

 

Morgan, Kristin, Courtney, Brittany, and Katie

Courtney, Ali, Morgan, Kristin, Me, Brittany, Katie, and Bailey

 

 Bailey above...with Esther and Katie below

 who knows what the joke was here...

  the four of us got there early so spent some time in the pool...Kristin, Morgan, Katie, and me

 

Tuesday night Esther had dinner for us ON THE TERRACE.  It was spaghetti - her wonderful spaghetti!  The first night I got there we had spaghetti too.  It was fun!  I made sure we got pics...first with Bailey, me, and Esther.

 Then with Benedict (Esther's son), Esther, and me.

 And then just me and Esther.

Esther's friend, Heidi (from Germany) was over again so we had a photographer.  Heidi had come to put on a clothing boutique in Esther's home the first week I was there....and here it had been a month and she was back to do it again.  She remembered me and I helped her carry clothes in from her car.  On the way up I carried some dresses that totally looked like Morgan to me....I guess you learn someone spending every day for 5 weeks with them.  I skyped with Morgan and sent pics back and forth and ended up getting them for her.  Here is Esther modeling the dresses - isn't she a hoot!

had to add this one because Heidi is in the background!

 

 

Esther put them in a bag and off I went to catch them on the train to Venice! 

And now...the ride home!

The time came to get in the taxi and on to the airport.  Benedict was getting ready to head to the cabin for the weekend so we were helping him.  I felt like part of the family from the get-go.  When the taxi arrived I hugged Esther and got in the backseat.  The tears were in my throat but I held them back and smiled and waved as I drove away wondering if I would ever see that place again....sappy sentimental girl again (two episodes of hugs then walking/driving away in 24 hours gets to me...especially without much sleep)!

I was off....with 2 episodes of saying good-bye and little to no sleep ALL week!  Add some tears and crying in there and I was tired and worn out!  But I was on my way HOME!

The line was LONG in Vienna and I had a lot of luggage.  I checked one bag then off to the gate to wait.  I had some time so I watched an episode of Castle and just hung out trying not too sleep and miss my flight!  The flight to Helsinki, Finland was relatively uneventful....so much so that I really don't remember it much.  Oh wait...I do remember the show with the hidden camera.  Even without the sound I was cracking up.  I wish I could have heard it....I'm sure it would have been doubley as funny.  The guy sitting next to me was from Finland.  The airline was late leaving Vienna and he almost missed his connecting flight.  He said Finnair was pretty typically late.  My experience has been less than stellar, that is for sure!

My layover in Helsinki was LONG and boring.  I tried to update my blog but ended up talking to my mother in law and my family til like 3am my time.  I needed to get a little sleep so I found a place...a family/kids room and it actually had a BED.  I sacked out around 3:15 thinking I'd sleep until 6:30 only to find that a family came in at 4:20!  Are you serious????  What family gets to the airport THAT early!!!!  Needless to say, I was still sleep deprived!!!!  Now it was Saturday and I had really only slept one night in a hotel since Tuesday!!!!!

The lady in Helsinki made me angry!  She made me gate check my luggage....only she was super rude, to say the very LEAST!!!  Gate checking luggage in Finland is NOT like in America where you leave it and they bring it back up to you as you get off the plane.  She said to leave it by the stairs.  I was pretty clueless as to WHERE the stairs were.  I was getting on a bus to be driven out to the middle of the big ole area of nothingness to a plane sitting out there.  I almost left it by the stairs, then thought "no one is here, I'll just keep it with me"  (I SHOULD have stuck with that thought) but then the honest part of me won out and I walked it under the nose of the plane and handed it to the guy loading the plane.......only it NEVER made it to Chicago!!!!!  Come to find out the stinken lady in Finland routed it through London Heathrow!!!!  Hello, I was boarding to MANCHESTER from there!  I suppose the early hour wasn't her best either!!!

Manchester was a joke....through security then up and around and through customs/security AGAIN and then they called for the last call!  Hello, MOST of us from the flight were still waiting.  But ... we made it and I was on my way!  I did get a couple hours of fitful sleep on the plane and woke up with a headache!  I knew I would sleep good that night.

When I left all Jordan wanted was a picture from the airplane over the ocean.  On my way THERE I didn't get any good ones.  On my way from Manchester I DID get some....yeah!  And cool also!

Ireland

 Leaving the southern tip of England

 

 An island off England north of Wales...I think (I'm doing this from memory a week and a half later)

 coming to the east coast of Ireland

 

 Holy cow, it was clear

 The pilot came over the loud speaker and said that the temp in Chicago was only 85 degrees but with LOTS of humidity!  Boy oh boy!  I totally felt it when I got off the plane.  Then the long line of customs and on to find out that Finnair LOST my luggage once again!  This time I was just as tired as the first but was almost more frustrated.  I knew it would come to Vienna....but this time I wasn't so confident!!!!

Becca picked me up and it was HOT!  I wished we had had more time to check out some fun times in Chicago together, but I wanted to get home before the kids had to go to bed and it was getting late with the fiasco of paperwork for lost luggage!

We just went to get some Chicago style pizza from ... ahhhh, I can't remember the name of the place.  But it was GREAT!

I didn't even fall asleep the entire ride home like I thought I would.  I like talking to Becca so it was easy to stay awake. 

I got home to an empty house!  Or so I thought.  I got all my luggage inside and couldn't figure out when they would get home.  Kelsey had been txting me from Scott's phone saying that "dad is driving really slow...I miss you...can't wait to see you...etc"  About 5-10 minutes later I hear a whistle like Scott's.  I go to the front door wondering why they didn't just come in through the garage.  But no one was there.  Pretty soon I hear his whistle again.  They were hiding .... I went to find them and was bombarded, to say the LEAST!  It was GREAT GREAT GREAT!  Hugs all around...and not the good-bye type, but the "Hi I've missed you SO much type"

 

 Oh I LOVE this family of mine!!!

What more could I ask for?  I gave them their gifts and we held onto each other until I was past my point.  I took a well needed (and deserved) shower and waited until I could stay awake NO LONGER.  MY bed was a nice thing...and I sank into oblivion for the ENTIRE night!

Home Sweet Home!