The girls on the new Karaoke machine Steph bought
Sporting our Panama Hats I brought back from Ecuador
Mom & Dad in a hot Ping Pong Tourney
The traditional walk to Grandma's on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve Dinner
Battling hurricane winds while snowshoeing the lake
Me and Sam at the cabin
Rockin' the Wii
Its back to reality, sadly. It was one thing coming home for my grandfather's funeral and knowing I would return to enjoy more experiences, but when I got on that final jet a sullen feeling came over me. My emotions were very mixed. The American based flight attendants were all decked out in their Christmas sweaters, holiday pins, and on the loud speakers Christmas carols could be heard.
I didn't want to leave all the freedom, the experiences, the adventures, the people, the culture, the food, the music, the land, the water (for swimming, not drinking), and most importantly my friends... my heart was sad. On the other hand, with it only being a few days to Christmas, the idea of "The Holidays" hadn't even phased my mind. Walking around the past month in 80 degree heat with no sign of Christmas decor (minus the mall), made it hard to believe it was really that time of year.
Observing the middle aged, red headed flight attendant with bright red sequined glasses and a slight southern accent, I strangely wanted to be home with my own mother. It must have been her sweet motherly way of joking with passengers and catering to their needs. A sense of happiness and warmth came over me that seems to come with the "season" and when you feel that emotion you want to be surrounded by your family. My eyes were wet from all these feelings.
It was a bittersweet ending to my three month stay and play. I am so happy to have had the chance to go and do the things I have done. I hands down don't think I could have done a better thing with my life. I will forever cherish the memories, the friends made, and the journey traveled.
Some fun facts:
In my 109 day travel, I spent:
- 3.9 hours on a train
- 6 hours on a boat (excluding my 4 day sail around The Galapagos)
- 63 hours in a plane
- 176 hours or roughly one week on a bus! (excluding countless taxi rides)
I also trekked through 4 countries (Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, & Uruguay).
As for reality... well its been tuff. Christmas was different this year. None of the other siblings were able to make it home Christmas Day, so it was simply me, the parents, and grandma. Lacking the presence of Grandpa was also an adjustment, but we had fun playing games, eating amazing food, opening presents, singing songs, and laughing until we cried.
We had a few days at the cabin with the nieces and close friends. The weather wasn't the best with 60+ mile an hour winds, so we vegged out between the Wii, ping pong, meals, movies, and the hot tub. After spending time with the family, I headed south to reunite and celebrate the New Year with good friends.
My sibling Christmas present this year was money for snowboarding. I decided to hit up The Beaver in Logan, only to break my collar bone on the last run of the day :-/ My first break ever... and its really trying my patience. I really dislike being immobilized. I guess everything happens for a purpose and this allowed me to focus my job hunt in the unpromising market.
I was able to snag a part-time job working an HR position for a recruiting firm headquartered in Park City, UT. I decided to jump at the offer (in hopes of finding additional work) and moved myself south. Tuesday is the first day on the job so wish me luck! That's about as interesting as my life gets these days. Now I am just counting down the days to Spring!
I didn't want to leave all the freedom, the experiences, the adventures, the people, the culture, the food, the music, the land, the water (for swimming, not drinking), and most importantly my friends... my heart was sad. On the other hand, with it only being a few days to Christmas, the idea of "The Holidays" hadn't even phased my mind. Walking around the past month in 80 degree heat with no sign of Christmas decor (minus the mall), made it hard to believe it was really that time of year.
Observing the middle aged, red headed flight attendant with bright red sequined glasses and a slight southern accent, I strangely wanted to be home with my own mother. It must have been her sweet motherly way of joking with passengers and catering to their needs. A sense of happiness and warmth came over me that seems to come with the "season" and when you feel that emotion you want to be surrounded by your family. My eyes were wet from all these feelings.
It was a bittersweet ending to my three month stay and play. I am so happy to have had the chance to go and do the things I have done. I hands down don't think I could have done a better thing with my life. I will forever cherish the memories, the friends made, and the journey traveled.
Some fun facts:
In my 109 day travel, I spent:
- 3.9 hours on a train
- 6 hours on a boat (excluding my 4 day sail around The Galapagos)
- 63 hours in a plane
- 176 hours or roughly one week on a bus! (excluding countless taxi rides)
I also trekked through 4 countries (Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, & Uruguay).
As for reality... well its been tuff. Christmas was different this year. None of the other siblings were able to make it home Christmas Day, so it was simply me, the parents, and grandma. Lacking the presence of Grandpa was also an adjustment, but we had fun playing games, eating amazing food, opening presents, singing songs, and laughing until we cried.
We had a few days at the cabin with the nieces and close friends. The weather wasn't the best with 60+ mile an hour winds, so we vegged out between the Wii, ping pong, meals, movies, and the hot tub. After spending time with the family, I headed south to reunite and celebrate the New Year with good friends.
My sibling Christmas present this year was money for snowboarding. I decided to hit up The Beaver in Logan, only to break my collar bone on the last run of the day :-/ My first break ever... and its really trying my patience. I really dislike being immobilized. I guess everything happens for a purpose and this allowed me to focus my job hunt in the unpromising market.
I was able to snag a part-time job working an HR position for a recruiting firm headquartered in Park City, UT. I decided to jump at the offer (in hopes of finding additional work) and moved myself south. Tuesday is the first day on the job so wish me luck! That's about as interesting as my life gets these days. Now I am just counting down the days to Spring!
