On this date, in 2010

Cripes.  A year goes by fast, doesn't it?  Like, REALLY fast.  Because one year ago today, I was on a plane from Quito, Ecuador to Miami, Florida.  Then I had a heart attack in Miami because I had to pay $3.50 for a bottle of water.  Then I had another heart attack when I found out that I had to run around the airport - literally, around the OUTSIDE of the airport (construction sucks) - to get to my gate, and it was really hot and humid, and when I left Quito it was cold and I was wearing a sweatshirt.  Then I had ANOTHER heart attack when I found out that I had to go through security again and all of the lines were 5 hours long and holy mother I was going to miss my connecting flight.  So close, yet so far from home.  


I'm telling you, it's a miracle that I made it home alive.  


Kind of a bittersweet thing, thinking about being home for a year.  On the one hand, I love America, so that's good.  On the other hand, as Jenna put it, "You've been boring for a year."  Thanks.  


You know, I'm a whole new person now that I've lived in a different country.  It's CHANGED me.  


Ummm, actually no, it hasn't.  I'm the exact same, I think.  My stories are just a little more outrageous to tell, and I seem to appreciate the niceties a lot more.  Niceties like not being chased by stray dogs all the time.  Niceties like having a car to drive instead of taking a bus that I have to fall jump off of.  Niceties like not having to "teach" 60 wild 8th graders on a daily basis.  Niceties like not having people touch my hair all the time, because blonde hair in America is not an odd thing.  Niceties like knowing that people will show up on time for a meeting or a date, and if they are running late, they will let you know so you're not standing around like an idiot for an hour.  Niceties like texting, and calling someone on the phone instead of emailing and having to set up a Skype date.  I've used Skype ONCE in the last year.  What a love/hate relationship I have with that invention.


I'll be honest though.  There are things that I do miss about Ecuador.  Like being able to hop on an airplane and take a weekend getaway... every weekend.  Like laughing with my friends about how ridiculous we looked being so tall all the time.  Like speaking Spanish all the time.  Like trying new things and being pushed out of my comfort zone.  Like eating all-you-can-eat sushi for $13.  Like making new friends from all over the world.  


Anyways, in the last year not very much has happened, but a few kind of big things happened.


August 2010: I didn't do anything with myself.  I laid in the sun, and I visited Peter, and I spent a lot of time with my grandma, and I ate a lot of ice cream.  


September 2010: I started having a panic attack because it would probably be beneficial for me to start maybe looking more seriously for a full time job.  I mean, I can't live with my parents forever.  I also started having a panic attack because I was running short on funds, so I started working for my dad on a regular basis.


October 2010: Working for my dad wasn't enough, so I started nannying for twin 6 year old boys in a house that had a lot of mice that ran around in the kitchen and living room while I sat on the couch with my shoes next to me and called Peter to tell him that I was scared (to which he replied, "Well Sar, I don't know what you want me to do.  I mean, I'm in De Pere...").  October was the first of three months where I was tired all the time and I really started feeling bad for farmers and realizing I didn't want to be one.  I was getting about 4 hours of sleep a night with minimal napping during the day.  Because I was tired, I was kind of crabby.  Oops.

November 2010: I finally started getting some replies for jobs that I had applied for.  We grieved for my grandma that passed away, and we thanked God when our farm didn't have damage in the tornado that struck just 3 miles away, demolishing another farm.  I cried when I was in a house with no basement during the tornado because I was hiding in a broom closet that I saw the mice go in a out of.  The tornado touched down only a mile from where I was.  Divine intervention.


December 2010: I interviewed for a position in northeastern Wisconsin, hoping that I would get an offer because I had found the perfect job in the location that I wanted to be.  I screamed when I got off the phone after an offer.  Christmas, apartment hunting, and moving were all in a one week whirlwind.  I cried when Mom and Dad drove out of the parking lot of my new apartment.


January 3, 2011: I started my career, and then I started blogging about my adult life, so you know the rest...


Overall, it's been a good year.  But time can slow down, just a little.  People are right when they say it just keeps going by faster.