Holiday

Ok, Ok, so I better post before Brandon puts a new one up! I am alive and back in Bratislava. This has been an amazing break. After sitting on my suitcases to get them closed it was time to leave… yes 3:30 am December 22. Lori and I walked to a parking lot to meet my ride for the Vienna airport. Thanks Lor!
After 24 hours of travel, I finally landed in Seattle, Washington. It was sooooo good! However, I can’t tell you how weird it is to culture shock in your own country… people were speaking English loudly, zooming everywhere in their cars, and my favorite- drinking Starbucks by the gallons! Oh, it felt good. I was so thankful at the opportunity to spend so much time with my family. I had really missed them a lot and it was great to see them again.
Christmas usually lasts many days for me when I’m home! First, it begins with a celebration over at my Dad’s house-usually a few days before the actual 25th. This year, my cousins were visiting from San Diego and Oregon, so it was nice to all be back together again. On Christmas Eve my Ma and I traveled “over the river (or Puget Sound) and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go”. My Grandma usually cooks a great meal, and we just enjoy the night together with the whole family. Then the night usually concludes with a frantic search for cookies and milk so that Santa will not go hungry. Although the wake up time on Christmas morning tends to extend later and later each year, our excitement is always 100%.
This year was extra special because my uncle Tony joined us for hot chocolate and toast while sitting by the fire! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year and I felt so thankful that I was able to spend it at home.
As the break continued on, I was able to meet with cherished friends and catch up on all the Alias season(s). Ma now likes to be referred to as Freelancer due to her love of the character Sidney Bristo. My brothers also insisted on getting beat by their big sister in Ping pong… ok, so maybe it was the other way around. It was nice also being able to talk with friends over the phone. Let me tell you, when you are not used to hearing English very often, your ability to speak it just flies out the window! Thanks for bearing with me while I often “uh, well, hmmm”… stuttered to find words.
For three days I was whisked away to the beautiful state of Colorado where my friend, Sarah Sparks was getting married. It was such a joy to see two people have so much fun while getting married! The ceremony started with a fun video of all their adventures together- rock climbing, fishing, snowboarding, skydiving, you know the kind of experiences that make you want to jump out of your seat and go partake in them ASAP! Anyways, it was great being able to see my good friend Sarah Bear join together with a new adventurer- one that not only loves his adventures in life, but envelopes his adventures with God as well. Thanks guys- I loved the Chocolate milk fountain and PB&J heart sandwiches!
If I could sum up the CO weekend in one word it would be “Love.” Thanks to my amazing friends, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and the beautiful CO weather, I felt so refreshed. I enjoyed the familiar talks with friends and simple encouragement that they expressed with just being there. My friend Becky was amazing at just putting time together so that I could see so many loved people. We had a big get -together the night I flew in and celebrated with my favorite Kristin cookies! I walked away from the whole experience loving all of the opportunities and experiences that I had been granted over the weekend. The only thing that could have made it better was to actually take a plane ride from Denver to Seattle with a friend… and that is what happened.
It just so happened that I ended up being seated next to an old friend from High School that I hadn’t seen in 7 years! Although our paths have lead in different directions (Olympia vs. Bratislava), I sat there in admiration as I listened to him share about life. He has been forced to deal with stuff nobody wants to go through, especially at an early age. What taught me a lesson was his incredible response to life’s curve balls. I have a lot to learn from him! Maybe next time I’ll actually see him on the slopes as opposed to the plane!
Overall, this break has been full of restoration, and refreshment. Thank you family and friends for making it so special. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at home. I’ll see you soon- in about 6 months that is!