oh yeah, florida

so i went to florida when i was stateside..... my second home! took ballet class, got to see my friends & students & spent some great time with my in-laws! went to the beach & watched people look for tar balls.... at that point the beaches were pretty clear of tar, and pretty clear of tourists. so sad that the oil spill had to happen & i hope that full recovery efforts are made for the beautiful gulf. i did lots more shopping & eating, watched world cup matches with my father-in-law & all in all it was a perfect visit! but a short visit & before i knew it i was on a plane back to cali to try to space a back to guam. didn't have much luck out of travis, camped out for 2 days & finally gave up on space a. at that point wasn't feeling very persistent, was sick of hotels & spending money on food & shuttles, so i decided to spend even more money for a commercial flight back. it wasn't too bad & i was happy knowing i had my appointment & my husband (who i missed SO much) to get back to. after the long flights & layovers i made it home & was only jet lagged for a few days. i did think i was allergic to guam though because the 1st 2 days back i spent the mornings puking, which i hadn't done much of the entire trip stateside. so i was certain it was guam that was making me sick, but turns out i think the trip was a lot on my body & baby & i was very thankful that i was in my comfortable home with my familiar toilet & not on a full flight or making my way through the terminal when the puke decided to return.

going home & seeing family & friends was so wonderful & i look forward to the next visit, i'll have a little travel companion by then.....

darby (one of my students) & i after ballet class

my girls! both moved from florida this summer..... maine & vegas....... miss them!

the journey stateside

i've not posted in a bit because i've been stateside visiting & busy or i've been trying to get stateside. it took me a total of 3 days to get here, 3 longs days with no bed or shower, which is hard but even harder when you're pregnant. but overall i had great luck with space a & commercial flights.
i only got denied one hop (a kc-10, very few seats) before i got on one that left memorial day. had to be at the terminal at 3something AM, but it was worth it. i was on a c-17 & the seats weren't as uncomfortable as everyone says. we also were really lucky because there wasn't much cargo so the whole plane was basically empty & everyone spread out blankets & laid on the floor. well after about a 7hour flight we got to hawaii- sunday evening. going back in time was weird & took me a minute to realize the time change. there was an uncomfortable 12 hour layover before the plane left for cali. & if i had it to do over, i wouldn't hesitate to get a room. trying to sleep in a hard plastic chair with your luggage propped up so you can extend your legs without getting a cramp in your side does not a sleep make. so i was very happy when roll call came around again to get back on the plane that allows you to camp out on the floor.
so we leave monday morning, AGAIN & this time a short 5 something hour flight & then we're in cali. & it's evening again & i call a shuttle to take me to san fran airport so i can get on a flight to the east coast. at this point i'm crabby, dirty, hungry but so excited to be stateside. the drive to the airport was amazing! i've never been so excited to see a highway/ interstate! we drove past downtown & the san fran bridge, but it was dark & fog was rolling in so visibility wasn't much. i was still blown away at seeing the roads stateside. (guam people will understand)
so i get to the airport around 11pm & try to convince the delta guy to book me on a 1am flight to charlotte for $146. haha. well, he couldn't do it but suggested i go book it online where i had seen that amazing deal prior to our conversation. but once i get to the uso & get online the 1am flight was no longer available at a price i was willing to pay, so i settled on a 6am flight for close to about $200. the uso people were so nice & let me camp out on the couch & they even gave me a wake up call for 330am.
so again starts day 3 of flights..... & this time i'm on commercial so i'm not looking forward to tight seats with no leg room. but the flights weren't that long & even after about an 1.5 hour delay in atlanta (delta & atl, of course there is a delay) i arrive in charlotte to my beautiful momma waiting for me!!
so i've been enjoying my mom's cooking & pampering & seeing my sister & nephew (& eating chick-fil-a, sonic & panera) for about a week now. i've even been to a real mall & target! & let me tell you going to a grocery store for the first time blew me away. the selection & quality & prices of the products where unbelievable! i miss real grocery stores!
i miss my husband & my friends in guam & right now that's about all. love you guam, but it feels good to be home!
i feel very lucky that i made it over with no major issues..... all the planes left when they were supposed to, safe flights, a little greasy & tired, but overall totally worth it to get home to be with my family! i'm looking forward to a busy week with more family visits, an impromptu baby shower & then off to florida to visit more family & friends! i'll post pictures later!!