Home for the Holidays....

It’s hard to believe that in just under 2 days I will be boarding a plane back to Dar. My time at home has flown by….not that that is any surprise J During my time at home I have gotten the chance to catch up with friends and spend lots of time with my family.

Last Monday I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed, a procedure that I was very nervous about yet extremely ready to get done!!! To start off the Dr. was unable to get an IV in…..after 4 failed attempts he thought it was best to proceed with some sedation and local anesthetic. Not what I was hoping for….needless to say I was awake the whole time and heard everything from start to finish. It was not painful but it was definitely uncomfortable. I could feel the pressure and what not of him cutting. All I had to say when he was finished was I am glad all 4 are gone and this is something I never have to deal with again! The recovery has been slow and painful. There was very little swelling on the first day but by day 2 the chipmunk cheeks had arrived. I lived with ice packs on my cheeks and alternated between Advil and vicodin every 4 hours. Finally on day 4 the pain let up a bit. It still comes and goes….I am still taking Advil every 4-6 hours and icing quite often but hopefully things will get better soon!! I go to my post op appointment tomorrow and I am looking forward to finally getting my stitches out!!

In the mean time I have gotten to catch up on some sleep during the day but fought jet lag for a majority of the week. I usually would wake up for 2-3 hours in the middle of the night. I am hoping over the next week or so my schedule will get back to normal especially upon my return to Dar.

I flew to Texas on Friday to spend the holiday weekend with my family. It was a great time and was good to be surrounded by family for the holidays. It was a busy weekend but in a good way J It was great to catch up…..there was lots and lots of laughter especially with our own personal entertainer…Miss Karrlee! Lots of new memories were made and old memories visited!

Life back in the States has been good. I have enjoyed my constant power and hot showers and being able to get in a car and not face traffic jams has been a plus as well! I found it hard to believe how easily I was able to fall back into my old routines and life styles upon my return home. Lots of shopping, spending time with friends, etc. I was able to pick up where I left off. I am sure this might change a bit the longer I am away but am glad for the time being this is how it goes!

Meanwhile back in Dar there has been major flooding. I have seen pictures and it does not look good. Thankfully the area I live in does not seem to be majorly effected but I will see for myself soon enough. We needed the rain but not this much. It is said that it is the heaviest rainfall in 57 years. I have also been told that it is getting hotter by the day as the summer months arrive. This is hard for me to believe as I deal with the cold weather here. I know that it could be much colder but it is still extremely cold for me since I am coming from high 80s to low 90s on a daily basis. I must admit that I am looking forward to seeing the sunshine again!!

My last full day here will be filled with last minute shopping, doctor appts, hair apt, and other errands…I feel like there is not enough hours in the day to get it all done but I know that it will all work out in the end. Oh and I still have to pack, which might be a challenge to fit all of my purchases into my two suitcases :-/

Upon my return to Dar I will be leaving on a mini vacation to Zanzibar. I am very much looking forward to 4 days of pure relaxation on the beach and with good company none the less :D It is much needed at this point! My only hope is that I am feeling better by then otherwise it will not be too fun…..

Well I think that about sums up my last week or so…. my next update will come in the New Year. I hope everyone will have a safe and happy new year!!!

Back in the NKY

The last few weeks have been filled with end of term report writing, last minute errands and getting portfolios reading. I stayed quite busy which made the days fly by even more quickly. I had a few days where I was out with strep throat but once the antibiotics kicked in a I had very quick recovery. The days keep getting hotter and hotter. Power rations have been far and few between but water shortages have been becoming more frequent. I just kept telling myself that I will be home for a couple of weeks soon and will get to enjoy the many luxuries .... I think it helped get me through the last few weeks. 

When I left a short 4 months ago, I was not sure how the time would pass by. Needless to say the days, weeks and months have flown by. When this past week began it was hard to believe that on Thursday I would be boarding an airplane and flying home for the holidays. The week flew by even though I kept telling myself I had pleanty of time to get things done prior to my departure but then it was Wednesday and I still had a ton of things to do. Of course I did last minute packing as always. Thursday I left with two very light bags and my carry-ons. As I was heading to the door my roommate says, "Do you have everything?" I said ya I think so....then she holds of my Iphone....oops guess I forgot something.

I left for the airport expecting there to be lots of traffic but there was not much traffic at all and it only took around an hour to arrive at the airport. Upon arrival I was told that check-in for my flight was not until 9 pm...weird that you cannot check in earlier than 2.5 hours before depart.  Then I made it smoothly thourgh check in, passport control and security. I still had lots of time to kill so I spent some time talking on the phone and some time surfing the web. Then it was time to board my first of 3 flights. My flight departed around 11.45 so I was fighting sleep at that point. I managed to stay up for a few hours and watch a movie. Then it was off to sleep and I slept until almost landing time. We landed in Amsterdam around 7 am. As soon as I walked off the airplane, I felt the cold air. I think it felt much colder due to the heat that I was coming from. My first stop there as Starbucks!! I was great to finally have my favorite drink in hand and warm up a bit. I had a 3 or so hour layover which was nice, gave me some time to catch up on emails and such.

I departed Amsterdam around 11 am. This time I was asleep before the plane even took off. It was good to finally catch up on some much needed sleep. Upon arriving in Minneapolis, it was still cold and it took forever to get through passport control and customs but it helped the layover not seem as bad. My last flight, though only 2 hours, was terrible!!! I had two very loud and oppionated men seated behind me. All I could think was please let this flight get in the air quickly so I can put on my headphones on and drowned out these idiots! The person next to me was like, "Where is the mute button." Needless to say it was a very long two hours and even my headphones could not cover up their voice levels! But it was all made better upon landing. As I walked into the Welcome area I say a little girl paitently waiting. Then as soon as she was sure it was me she ran full force and went straight into my arms. I got a nice big kiss and a I missed you so much and I love you...my mom and best friend were also there with a "Welcome Home Stacey" sign...it doesn't get much better than that!!

I got home around 8 and stayed up for a bit but my bed was calling my name. It felt good to actually get some good sleep. Jet lag is in full swing and I was awake for a couple of hours in the night and up for good at 7.30. Yesterday afternoon I got some retail therapy in as well as getting to eat some of the foods I had missed! Followed by a night of laughter and catching up. Today I will do some more shopping, go to the movies, visit some more friends and eat some more food!

Tomorrow is the big day. I finally am getting all 4 wisdom teeth out. I am getting a bit nervous but looking forward to finally get the pesky things out!! Hopefully will have a quick recovery before I am off to Texas next weekend for Christmas!

I think that is all of the updates for now! Look forward to another one later this week after I am feeling better. Hope everyone will have a wonderful Sunday and Happy Holidays!!!!