I brought you a coconut!
Nope. Not really. Left that in Mexico 2 years ago. But hey! I'm back! Ahem...tap, tap, tap. Is this thing on? Is anyone still here? Did you miss me? Want a coconut now, don't you? Me too. Ladies {and gents, maybe?}, I would apologize for my blogging hiatus, but the truth is, I'm not sad about it. In fact, I quite enjoyed it! That's right, I said it. I very much enjoyed not blogging for the last (almost) 4 weeks. Why? Well, quite frankly, it's mostly because I had much better things to do...and being tied down to a computer wasn't one of them. If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend in the real world then you know just where I've been. No, it was not Mexico (although that does sound fabulous, no?). For those of you who may have missed the memo, yours truly went back to the glorious US of A for a nice 2 week visit with family!!
Yes, it was fabulous. Yes, the weather was SUPERB. And yes, I spent WAY too much money! Ahhh, but you won't see me complaining! If you've ever lived abroad and away from the conveniences of America, then you can empathize. It was totally necessary. This was also necessary:
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| Ohhhh yeahhh. That's the stuff. |
I went back to the states just so I could slather Chick-Fil-A sauce all over myself whilst sashaying down the aisles at Target collecting all sorts of things I didn't really need. Kidding, kind of. Truth is, this trip was somewhat of an unplanned, unorganized beast. Reason being is that I was attempting my first Space-A flight with the military. Ok well, it really wasn't my first Space-A flight...but it was the first of this magnitude. I flew to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while the hubby was deployed there in 2010 and the flight was Space-A-esque, but not the real deal. So, I was kinds of nervous leading up to this trip home. For those of you who don't know what Space-A is, allow me to explain. It's basically the military's version of a buddy pass or flying "stand-by." You have to sign up in advance, wait nervously in line at the airport at ridiculous hours of the morning (or night), and hold your breath until roll call when they may or may not call your name for a seat on the flight you want. Name called...got a seat! Name not called...try again later. It's a free flight (minus the $29 head tax), so it's really a win/win situation. I wouldn't have been flying home if I had to pay the $1000 USAirways was asking for a round trip ticket, that's for darn sure.
So, I picked a date, notified my parents, packed my bags, and waited. Seems simple, right? Eh...well...there's nothing worse than being ready for a flight home then NOT having your name called.
Oh wait, there is.
It's having your name called, getting a ticket, going though security, and waiting at the gate for FOUR HOURS to board a plane that eventually gets deemed "un-flyable" due to maintenance issues and having to call your husband to drive an hour to come pick you up. $%&#*@!!! Yeahhhh, that really happened. I literally could have spit nails, I was so mad. Ok, figuratively spit the nails...but, it all turned out fine and I made it home only 1 day later than I had planned. I know I can't complain since it was a free flight home, but it was a hassle to say the very least. Will I do it again? Probably. What? So I'm a glutton for punishment? FREE FLIGHT PEOPLE! Now that I know exactly how it works and what to expect, I'll have a stronger arsenal ready to take on the never ending waiting. That's seriously the worst part! I might just have to write up a blog post on how to survive Space-A travel. I gained a wealth of knowledge firsthand. Would you guys wanna read a post about that?
Anywho, I had an absolutely lovely 2 weeks at home. Only thing that would have made it perfect was if D could have tagged along...but alas, he couldn't. He's saving up his leave for our big family vacation this summer (more on that later), so he held down the fort in Germany while I galavanted around North Carolina. I've been back in Deutschland for a week now and I'm finnn-alll-lllly recovering from the jet lag. It just about killed me this time. Although, the being up for 32 hrs straight could have been the culprit. I waited in the airport from 7:30pm to 3:45am (on my way back to Germany) due to another plane maintenance issue. 8 hours of waiting just to board a flight...plus 9 hours of flight time and the 6 hour time difference. Your head spinning? Try living it. I seriously have the worst luck with planes.
Now that my body has re-synced itself with Germany, I'm slowly getting back into my routine (thank you, Lord!)...which, of course, includes blogging. So, if you've stuck around through my little hiatus, THANK YOU! I promise to entertain you with more of our travels and adventures abroad real soon. We've got some exciting trips coming up! And of course, stay tuned for some photos and stories from my USA visit!
Happy Monday, y'all!
