The million dollar question

Today marks the day that I have been back for the same amount of time I was traveling; 108 days. It’s amazing how time flies. It feels like it has been ages since I was in New Zealand and Australia yet it has only been 3.5 months. Upon landing in Minneapolis, it was as though I hit the ground running; always keeping busy.

But before I get to what I’ve been doing since I got back, let me fill you in on my final day of traveling, since I failed to do so upon returning. I boarded my plane in Sydney with the hopes that I would fall asleep during the flight. My body was telling me it was day time so I was only able to sleep for an hour or two on the 13.5 hour flight to Los Angeles. Upon arriving in LA, I collected my baggage and proceeded to go through customs. Due to the long line of those who held foreign passports, at that moment, I was thankful to be a US citizen. With hardly the blink of an eye, the customs officer stamped my passport and said, “welcome home.” Leaving the international terminal, I walked 10 minutes to the domestic terminal where I had to check-in. I proceeded to scan my passport in the automatic check-in machine. The machine informed me that I would need the help of an attendant to complete the process. In my weariness, I was thankful that the next 45 minutes of figuring out my flight changes was accompanied by the warm smile and cheerfulness of the kind attendant who helped me. Rather than flying to Chicago, I would be flying to San Francisco. My checked bag weighed 31lbs; 10lbs more than when I left the US. After going through airport security, I made my way to the proper gate. Word to the wise: when flying internationally or within different time zones, make sure you change your watch accordingly. When I arrived at the gate I pulled out my computer, thinking I had an hour or so until my flight left. I sat there looking at my watch and the time my computer was telling me before I kindly asked the lady next to me what time it was. I then compared this to the time on my boarding ticket. My flight was set to depart in 5 minutes and I wasn’t on the plane. “OH, CRAP!” I quickly pulled my things together and ran to the ticket counter. The woman politely scanned my boarding pass and told me to be quick. And quick I was, so quick that as I jogged down the ramp, my toothbrush fell out of my backpack. I swept it up and made my way aboard the plane, my heart racing. Being one of the last on the plane, I felt as though all eyes were on me as I made my way to my seat. I sat down and let out a big sigh. I had made it. Ironically, after boarding, they made an announcement that we would not be taking off for another hour due to the weather conditions in San Francisco. After a short layover in San Francisco, we arrived in Minneapolis shortly after 5pm. After almost 24 hours of travel with little sleep, I was disheveled and suffering from jet-lag. I had left Sydney on May 15th at 10:15am and arrived in Minneapolis just after 5pm the same day. It was officially the longest day of my life thus far. When I arrived in Minneapolis, my dear friend Katie Moe was there to pick me up. Katie, her fiancé Erick, and our friend Twigz went out to eat at Punch Pizza; the first food I had stateside. And boy was it good. It spite of being jet lagged, it was a great welcoming. Following dinner, we walked the streets of St. Paul. It was a strange feeling to be walking and conversing with people I knew after traveling for 3.5 months by myself. It would certainly take some getting used to. 

Back in Minnesota with all my gear

A lovely welcome home dinner

At Como Conservatory with my sister

The next few days were spent trying to recover from jet lag. This meant sleep. Lots of it. Although much could be said of the days following my re entry of the Unites States, for your sake, as well as mine, I’m going to accelerate the happenings of my life over the past few months. I’ve been told that my whereabouts this summer have been hard to keep track of and I can see how one would think such a thing. After being home a little over a week, I made my way to Chicago to visit a friend from college for a week. I went home for a day to pack before driving to Colorado where I spent the next month with the family I nannied for. My sister and I spent a couple of days driving home, stopping at Custer State Park, Wind Cave, and the Badlands along the way. That brings us to the beginning of July. The next two weeks were spent between home, the twin cities, and the La Crosse area, preparing for my friend Katie’s wedding on July 14^th. After the wedding I had a week at home before heading to Arrowhead Bible Camp to volunteer for two weeks. The first week was spent counseling for Jr. High and the second was spent working in the kitchen. I went home for a few days but that two weeks at camp turned into three, and then four. Whether or not I was actually home for the next week is arguable. I was home for a couple of days before taking a short road trip with my sister to Devil’s Lake and Madison followed by visiting my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. And here I am, it’s the beginning of September and I’m back at camp for my fifth week. So like I said, when I arrived back from my travels I hit the ground running. I realized that over the last 8 months, the longest I have stayed somewhere was 5 weeks, and that was when I was traveling. 

My summer in pictures

Spent several evenings fishing with my family

Hanging out with my wonderful nephew Oliver

Going to Chicago to visit college friends

Garden of the gods, Colorado

Wind Cave, South Dakota

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

celebrating the marriage of Katie Moe and Erick Klein

Camp Peeps at Katie's wedding

Olive Garden night after a week at camp

Celebrating my birthday with wonderful people

Short road trip to Devil's Lake with my sister

And now what you’ve all been waiting for, the million dollar question:  what am I doing next? Let’s just say, I’m asking myself the same question. I have yet to figure that out. There is a battle going on inside me. I have a strong desire to settle down and have consistency in my life YET at the same time traveling is in my blood. If you were to look at the history of my Google searches the past 3 months, the top two things you would find are job searches in Minnesota and Wisconsin and things related to travel (airfare, maps, New Zealand, Croatia, Scotland, Ireland, etc.). I have had two job offered thus far but turned both of them down. So I guess time will tell. You’ll just have to wait and see.