Asheville to Chicago and back again

As I write this I am sitting in bed in Hoffman Estates occasionally glancing out my window overlooking the lake and a very gray, chilled sky, waiting to go to Taco Bell with Dad. These past few days went by very fast, a pattern I see more and more. But once again I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with my family and friends.

I got off shift Wednesday and went back to my apartment in Asheville to unpack all my gear and pack a carry on. It was a quick turn around as I set an alarm for the next morning at 5:25am. I rolled out of bed and shuffled into the car before the sun was up to catch a flight home. The Thanksgiving day started with me being thankful for indoor plumbing and warm running water, and carried into me being thankful for small airports and on time flights. With the sun peaking over the mountains my plane took off and broke through the clouds to reveal a stunning sunrise. The more north I headed the grayer the day became. As we flew back below the clouds, over the lake and past the Chicago skyline, the landscape was... bleek. I missed the mountains. BUT while I missed the mountains, I missed my family even more and was so excited to be reunited with them.



I was welcomed at the airport with open arms from both of my parents and my thankful heart and spirit continued to grow as we made the journey home. When arriving to the house that I had called home all but two years of my life, I was at peace. Even more so knowing that both my siblings and their spouses were inside too. I was greeted by Taz, my brother's cat. And shortly after sleeping inhabitants awoke and ventured downstairs to give me a hug. Thanksgiving day was a blur. I tried to maintain high energy but it dwindled throughout the day; my work week was catching up with me. Early afternoon my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandpa arrived. We shared a delicious meal and  I ate meat for the first time in 10 months! Wow. And then I snuck away to escape people for a little while. Later that evening my dad, brother (David), brother in law (Todd), and I decided to play Monopoly. Because what other way to end a day of Thanksgiving than to ruin our family relationships? The game was played without any tears, but Dad opted out about a third of the way in, then after a drawn out fight against bankruptcy, I went belly up and Todd took the trophy. I went to bed shortly after, missing the ending of the Bear V Packers game, but they got some homeruns and won so good job. .... touchdowns whatever, professional sports are obviously very important to me. (all sarcasm).

I genuinely enjoyed spending a few short days with my family. We fit a lot into the few short days that we shared together: playing bocce ball, sharing lots of meals, playing games, and simply enjoying each others company. I will admit that it just didn't feel like long enough this trip. Joanna and Todd (sister/bro-in-law) headed back to Oregon on Saturday, David and Kendra (brother/sis-in-law) headed out Sunday, and in a couple hours I will be boarding a plane to head back to Asheville. However, I will just have one week out in the woods before I fly back to Chicago for another week at home! What a crazy turn around. Why might you ask? Because I will be working over Christmas. I actually will be working my first double shift and be in the woods from Dec. 23 - Jan. 6. Yikes! This will be the first time in 24 years that I will not be at home for Christmas. I'll be sure to write about the experience in a post, I'm sure it will be noteworthy.

I also was able to reconnect with a really good friend, Marissa! She had just finished up a semester long NOLS course and we were able to meet up and hang out and get caught up for a while. We shared stories of our adventures and started scheming of the adventures that await in our futures! I am so thankful for that friendship and excited to see what the future holds for us both.

But as I sit here about to collect my things and then head to the airport so a plane can bring me back to the mountains I know I am thankful for these past four days and the amazing family that I am a part of. I'm also thankful for this awesome bed and I will miss it dearly. But I think one thing that I am thankful for above most others is my ability to be thankful. Because I don't always get to choose what happens to me or where I go or what I do but I do get to choose my attitude and mentality about the situation. ((1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus))

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Well I had to take an intermission because I got a little caught up in writing the blog and lost track of time! I now currently am sitting in the airport, enjoying a quick meal curtsey of Mom and Dad. I also stopped in the book store and picked up a book, "The Opposite of Loneliness," by Marina Keegan. Some of my co-workers at Trails recommended it, so I'm going to give it a go.

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Funny, and now I am sitting back in my apartment in Asheville. I think this is the first blog post that started in Chicago and now will be ending in Asheville. The flight was bumpy and my apartment was a lot messier than I remember leaving it, but I'm back. Thanks for traveling along with me.

Until next time, I hope you choose an attitude of gratitude. 

It Has Been Awhile

Well hello there blog readers. I want to apologize for the lack of posts over the past month or so. I have a valid reason, my Mac went through some problems and needed to be replaced. I want to give a huge shout out to Kendra, my sister-in-law, who was such a huge help in the process of getting me a new Mac. I am so appreciative for all the help that she gave me!

I distinctively remember multiple instances where I wanted to write a post about my week in the woods or about my off shifts, but at this point I can't really remember what those things were. I can't believe that my last post was about going home! It seems like so long ago. And yet I also can't believe that in a little over a week I will be boarding a plane on Thanksgiving morning to be heading home! I am so excited to be going home again and this time all of my siblings and their spouses will be home too! It definitely gives me something to look forward to as I begin to prepare to head back into the woods for another week.

During the past month or so I have had some visitors come through Asheville! My grandparents made an appearance on their way south to Florida. We had a great time visiting and catching up! And this past weekend my aunt and uncle were in Asheville. We enjoyed a couple meals together and also went to the Biltmore Estate. It was a really cool experience and was very impressive. I am always thankful for any family that I get to see down here. Thank you guys for taking time to see me, it means more than my words can express. That was one of the biggest challenges as I moved down here: not having any family or friends even relatively close. But it also gave me an opportunity to really create my own life from nothing. And some six months later I feel as if I can finally say that I really have created a life for myself down here. Including starting to feel a part of a church, having friends to go out to eat or have over to hang out, a stable job that challenges me, a horse job that brings me a lot of joy, and a growing understanding of who I am and where life might take me next.

I guess that I don't have a lot to report at this point in time, and I'm not really one to just talk because I can, so I think that I'm going to conclude this post. I just wanted you all to know that I'm back and my posts should be more regular now!

Alright friends, until next time, bake some cookies! You just can't go wrong with freshly baked cookies!