Road Trip USA (furlough part 3)

With my time in MN being cut in half by the extra week I was forced to spend in the UK, it was a bit of a whirlwind tour when I finally got home. I had a very detailed schedule and was able to see and do almost everything I'd planned, but by the end of it I needed a vacation!

It was so wonderful to see all of my old friends again. There is really nothing quite as nice as spending time with someone who has known you for years. You don't need to be anything but yourself and you know they accept and love you for that. I am so grateful for all of my friends who took time from their schedules to see me while I was home.

We also were busy packing up and sorting our house so my parents could move with only the essentials (more on that below) and, of course, LOTS of shopping and eating out. Archivers, Barnes and Noble, the entirety of the MALL OF AMERICA, and Target are the stores I miss most, and we went to DQ, Applebees, Bakers Square (pumpkin pie - yum!), TGIF and Arbys.

Mom and I then had about 5 days with my cousins in TN (above). Hannah and Elijah, the 2 oldest, got into the youth symphony orchestra this year and it was their big concert. They did so well and it is always fun to see all of the kids and how they've grown. It was especially nice to see the baby, Noelle, because she was very sick this past december and it is a real blessing that she is ok now.

When we got back we went on a road trip to Wyoming where my parents will be moving at the end of this month. Dad has his first pastor position out there and we went out to find them a house. We actually managed to find and make an offer on one in 1 day! They will move in on the 2nd of June.

The church is in Powell, which is about 1.5hrs from Yellowstone National Park, so, of course, we had to drive out there. The park was mostly closed due to a late snow fall but I found this little guy on the drive back. Yay for animals!
It was fantastic to be back in the states but all good things must end and after 2.5 weeks I was on a plane headed back to South Africa!