Thanks, and see you in 326 days

I have had a wonderful month.

The first week of December all of the volunteers from FSM and Palau were reunited for our mid-service training. It was great to see everyone again, and it was really nice to stay in a hotel with hot showers, water beds, and delicious food. I went home for a short weekend before my marathon flight home.

I made it home to Washington with no problems, and was greeted at the airport by a fantastic welcoming committee. The escalator was too slow, so I just sprinted up the stairs.

The next three weeks flew by. I thought that three weeks would be the perfect amount of time, that I would be ready to get back to the quiet of my island. And although I am excited to get back, saying goodbye is never easy.

My motto was, "because I can" and I stuck with it. I took hot showers until the water ran out, sometimes twice a day, because I could. I ate standing up because there was no one telling me to sit down. I left dirty clothes on the floor because there are no cockroaches in my room to take up residence. I texted my little fingers out. I wore shoes inside. I ate cheese, lots of cheese. I had 5 tabs open on my computer at the same time. I blow-dried my hair everyday. I wore my hair down everyday. I drove myself to the grocery store. I charged my computer, my ipod, my cell phone, my camera, and my dvd player at the same time.

And now, I'm going to board my plane, because I can.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make my trip home some of the best three weeks of my life. Sorry to those who I didn't get to see, but the good news is, I'll be home in 326 days. Have the turkey waiting.