For the last couple of months I've been homesick. Living thousands of miles away from family, it comes and goes on a regular basis, but lately I've just wanted to sit on the couch in my parents' living room, drink some coffee, and hug my mom. It's a long way and a good bit of money, so I decided I was just going to tough it out here in Hungary. Then, in November, my tax refund (enough for a trans-Atlantic flight) arrived. I prayed about the decision, talked to some people I respect, and ended up buying a ticket home for the week of Christmas! Yay!
As you probably know, it snowed a great deal on the east coast that weekend and things didn't go as I had planned. My flights were cancelled and/or delayed for 24 hours. I spent 5 1/2 hours on hold with Delta and listened to "Frosty the Snowman" more times than I'd like to recall. I spent 6 hours in the Budapest airport on Sunday chatting with a professional basketball player who had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I ran through the airport in Paris and still missed my flight to Atlanta (along with at least 30 other people). I stood in line for 2.5 hours and met a lovely missionary from the Mercy Ships who was trying to get to Albequerque to see her family and a saxophonist from the music conservatory in Paris. I spent the night in a hotel in Paris (much less exciting than it sounds). And then on Monday I made it home to Kings Mountain. Ahhh....
My time in the US had been shortened to only 3 and a half days - definitely not the way I would have done things. I missed seeing some of my closest friends and that was a huge disappointment. (Sorry I didn't get to give you a good-bye hug, B!) But I did have a wonderful time with my family. Even with all the rushing and hurrying around to see people, I had a blast. I am so thankful for the time I had, and I'm sure the Lord is teaching me quite a few lessons about Who is in control in the process.
Here are a few pics my mom took while I was at home. I got them from her facebook page, so they're sort of tiny :)
My cousins Laura and Challen and me on Christmas day.
My cousin's son putting the nativity to sleep.
My wonderful grandparents. Love you Nani and Papa!
After my whirlwind trip in America, I ventured back to Hungary to meet my friend Laura. She was my roommate for two years here in Hungary and came back for a Christmas visit. It was wonderful to see her and we had so much fun together.
We went to the Christmas market...
had dinner with friends...
and enjoyed being tourists in Budapest.
School begins tomorrow - it's going to be a whirlwind of a semester!
