Alert, awake, alive, enthusiastic.

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Well, I made it through the gauntlet that was the final exam period here in Belgium. 3 looong weeks to prepare and execute written and orally defended exam questions for a ga-jillion courses. Although I was emotionally and mentally exhausted when I boarded my flight home from Brussels, I was more than ready for the warmth of both the sun, and lots of loving arms in CA.

I was so blessed to spend 10 whole days in Huntington and Templeton/Atascadero, CA. My parents came to LAX during rush hour to pick me up Thursday, happy to brave the traffic to and fro. NOT! Once we arrived at home hours later, I enjoyed my first burrito (obv from Chipotle) in a few months. Duuhlicious. I unveiled the hundreds of waffles that I had smuggled home from the Belg and they gave 'em a try. Not as good as the fresh ones, but I can only do so much. They'll have to visit to try the real-deal.

Friday, Matt flew in for the weekend from Phoenix. I picked him up in Long Beach and, with the help of some donated gift cards, we spent an hour in a gondola on the water through the Naples canals. Also went to Le Opera restaurant in Long Beach. So great!(Thanks Mom/Dad/Marci!) We did some bike riding, double datery, and he even made some delectable Superbowl snacks for us! So scrumptious! Being with him is such a treat. Worth every miserable minute we spend apart.

Marci, Torey, Mom, and I took a roadtrip up the 101 to see my grandparents and spent the night in Templeton. It was really wonderful to see those sweet smiles, even moreso because I missed them at Christmas time. Grandpa is living at a great convalescent hospital in Atascadero, quite close to the hill where my grandma is living with her adorable hoard of cats! We spent time with them both, and I got to share some photos of Belgium (etc) with them. On our way home, we stopped for lunch at the Port San Luis Pier and met up with the Edwards/Matson crew. The drive home was long, but we tested the limits of the sound system in mom's Volvo on the way home in traffic through LA. Pretty sure I lost 15-20%!o(MISSING)f my hearing. Brotally worth it.

The rest of the week I did my best to change time zones, but was up every morning at 6 or so. Perfect for coffee with Mom or mornings at the office with Dad! Spent one morning helping my mom teach her 3-4 year olds while their mommies we in Community Bible Study. What a blast. They were way wild!

Once my time expired, I returned to the Belg and have since begun classes. I also attended a two-day forum which hosted representitives from the universities that are options for study, internship, research Sept 2012- June 2013. My options are Limerick, Ireland - Olomouc, Czech Republic - or Oslo, Norway.

STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS AS THEY UNFOLD!

Also... I PASSED (most of) MY FINALS! -- I may have to return in August to retake the Statistics exam that I bombed. Rumor has it that if I earn a certain score in the related course this semester that I can avoid the early return...so, we'll see!! 😊



SEE BELOW FOR MORE PHOTOS!

Cheers,

Whitney

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Photos

Gondola Getaway!
Matt and I ready for a romantic gondola ride through the Naples canals in Long Beach harbor!

Whole Shebang
Our entire clan made it to church before the Superbowl binge-eating ensued.

Las Brisas
Dinner date with Emily and Colby in Lagunaaah Beach! So thankful for friends like them :)

Sweet Grandma
Having coffee with Grandma! Every coffee cup had a cat theme. Love that little lady!

Visiting Grandpa
Grandpa's in an awesome facility in Atascadero, CA. Spending time showing him photos from Belgium and beyond was a highlight of my trip, for sure! <3

Port San Luis Pier
Sleepy seal lions under Pete's restaurant on the pier! :)

Lunch love!
Met cousin Jess, Matt, and Aunt Jill for lunch on the pier as we drove home from Atascadero!

Doogie won't admit it...
...but he was really happy to have me home.

Brave bears
Mom and I biting our lips to stop the teary quivering. Back to Belgium until summertime...I think :)

Comments

[allison]

waaah
so sad you had to go back but more than anything so proud of you for having this experience even with the not so fun times. you are such a brave, intelligent woman and i am so lucky to call you my friend! xoxo, allie

[Valerie Castro]

WAY COOL!
Glad to hear that you passed most of your classes. As for the one class you had problems with, I'lll keep my fingers crossed that you can ace the other class and won't have to go back for a make up class. Glad to hear you had such a good time with your family. When you start to get overwhelmed just remember your visit and, hopefully, you'll make it through.

[Mama Mac]

Time to come home yet?
Wow, finally got a chance to check out your latest blog entry...so great! And realizing how much you managed to cram into 9? days. Loved our road trip <3 sorry my sound system is so awesome--"WE ARE YOUNG!!!"--as we blasted through LA! Hahaha :-) Hey, I got an idea...come back soon! Love you!