Friday, December 7, 2012

Beginning of Goodbye's

So technically, in London time, I come home tomorrow!
Tomorrow.
I never thought that word would make it to my countdown.
But now that it has I am happy and sad to welcome it. I am ecstatic to be home with my family and friends. I knew being away for nearly 3 months would be difficult, but you never know how hard it is to stand alone until you do. I came here with my best friend in the world, Hailey Helmerich, but we both had separate reasons of why the Lord brought us here. Thus we walked together and we walked alone - and in the end I think we received all that the Lord had for us here.
I am sad though, because tonight we said goodbye to our first flatmate to go and the next is in the morning. It's so funny to think back to our first day here in this teeny little flat & how awkward we all felt. It's especially funny to think back on our first family dinner: It was 3 days after we met each other and to say we bonded quick would be an understatement. Tina graced us all with her "gravy" (spaghetti to everyone else, she blames it on her Italian family. I just blame it on her.) And my other most fond memory is of Hailey doing Brittany's hair. Three days after meeting, we're fixin' weaves. The best of times.
Near the end I liked to think of us as a stone cold pack of weirdos. We spent most nights in the kitchen either dancing, singing, screaming or making potatoes. All great things. There are so many things I am going to miss about these girls. Just to name a few:

Pamela & Stephanie's legendary burnt rice pans soaking in the sink. For days.
Brittany's "it's a party!" answer to any situation.
Tina's owl hat and irish jigs.
Everyone's inability to take the trash out - I don't think they know I know about this one, but I do.

And a million more. These girls became our close friends in a matter of months and I am going to miss them terribly. It is seriously going to be weird to walk into my living room and not have any of them sprawled on the couch yelling at me to join. 
I will miss this crew way too much, know that I love you all vury much.



But there is one gal who has made this whole thing worth it, and that, my friends, is Miss Hailey Beth. This gem is one of a kind and hard to find. She's a rare species among humans these days, but when you find them you know you have to hold onto them. Luckily, I found her nearly 21 years ago to the day and my life would look very differently without her. Especially the beauty of my face. Her jokes have done wonders to the wrinkles surfaced from laughing for hours. She walked through all of London & Europe with me and back, and forth again, and back for good measure. She has loved me through all the homesickness and friendsickness and morning sickness. Wait.

She's got a heart of gold, and I know for a fact that my time here would look very different without this lady as my confidant, my encouragement and my adventure minion.

So here's to 21 more years and plenty of more traveling. Because it ain't over until the Zarkonians sing.

  



I
    I like to think nothing has changed.