Austin, Eden, and I made it home. We are safe and as sound as we can be in our circumstances.
We enjoyed every minute of the last two weeks! If only it were longer. Being gone really makes us appreciate family and the time we get with you. How blessed we are to have such a wonderfully supportive, fun, and loving family. Thank you for taking us in and letting us sabotage your time.
As you know, we left Wednesday night. The days all blur together when you have midnight flights like that. Luckily, Eden travels well and is happy for us. It was one of those days where I know it would have gone better had I said my prayers. Very seldom do I forget to pray, but that- of all days- was one of them. The lady who was checking us was not about to give us a break in any way. Our checked bag ended up being 50 pounds on the dot. She was sure it wouldn't be an ounce more. We had to prove to her that all our bags were carry on size. Ugh. We've never been asked to prove ourselves. It was tight and took a bit of pushing and shoving, but we got all bags to fit. Whew! That really was quite the miracle. Austin is like Popeye on these trips: popping out muscles to carry our house and the grocery store on his back. Somehow we manage and were even on time with plenty to spare.
Once at the gate, we randomly bumped into Josh Cooper- Austin's BFF from high school and college roommate (until I came along and took over both those positions). That was a fun surprise and made the time go by quickly. He was heading to Washington DC for an internship with the Senator. We are all growing up! Lucky for us, the first plane ride was sparce! and freezing! One thing you don't think about coming from an island is that other parts of the world require clothing and blankets. We will be better prepared for next time. At least Eden was warm. There was enough space on the plane for us to have an entire row to ourselves. I laid down with my feet up on one row with Eden and left Austin on another to enjoy the on board entertainment. We made it to Miami where they checked our bags, making it much easier on us. We slept as best we could on the hard, straight-backed chairs, and made it one more flight home. Thanks to mom and the treats she sent with us, our bellies were happy too.
To our surprise, the island looks completely different now than when we left. Rumor is that Hurricane Erika brought 8 hours of rain to the island while we were in Utah. Everything magically turned green! Things look a bit more tropical and like you would imagine an island to be like. It's a nice change. Oy! I'll tell you what though, it is HOT! In the short drive home, we managed to soak through our clothing as if we had jumped in a pool. Yep, a pool of sweat! Welcome back. Despite all the things to follow, we were very grateful that our ride was waiting in our car, to know the island, have something familiar to go back to, and to have a few groceries waiting for us- quite different from first arriving four months prior.
What followed? Well... dare you ask?
We have been battling bugs since we got here 4 days ago. They sprayed while we were gone, which helped, but it also meant coming back to dead bugs and an apartment that needed to be swept and bleached again. Despite the exterminator's efforts, we still had ants galore and live cockroaches inside and out. It's been a constant battle thus far of spraying, leaving the house, and cleaning. We haven't yet unpacked because we don't want to contaminate anything with chemicals. What a mess. It's not too bad otherwise. We are somewhat used to having comparatively nothing to eat, being confined to our bedroom, and lounging around in our underwear all day. As a side note- I hung up our new picture of Jesus- compliments of Mom- and I told Austin that he will now watch over us and make sure the bugs don't eat us alive or in our sleep.
Now that we are here, it's been a good time. With Austin at home instead of at school, it actually feels like vacation and more like paradise.... kind of, almost... we have been able to go swimming at the Marriott and at the beach. It is more beautiful here now than we have ever seen it thus far. The ocean is warm yet comfortable with the heat and the pool was incredibly nice. We tried out the Atlantic Ocean at the Marriott- where there was too much seaweed for our liking, but had silky, awesome sand; and the Pacific Ocean at Carambola Beach. That was a beautiful beach with calm waves and a restaurant that came out of nowhere! It was like nothing on the island with a grand piano, seat covers, polished wood... it looked like something you'd see in James Bond or another extremely nice, rich, fancy movie. Anyway, we had a fun time there and then joined our friends at their place for dinner while we watched the BYU football game against Nebraska.
Here it is, Sunday again. We are grateful to have the gospel here on this tiny island. It's filling the whole earth! Austin enjoyed the unusual luxury of staying home today and is ready for school to start again tomorrow. Second semester, here we come! Eden couldn't be happier. She is a doll and a joy to have around. I just love that she is saying 'mom' and getting good at high fives now.
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