Welcome to America.

Oh, hello Land That I Love,
I have missed you.

Leaving Italy was, as expected, bittersweet.

The bitter:
Saying goodbye to my friends and Bible Study fam.
Leaving my job - I actually really l liked it, and the people I worked with. That's hard to find and hard to leave. I hope I have good luck as the next one!
Leaving free housing.
Leaving great weather (75% of the time anyway).
Leaving the Military life.
The return to the fast pace life of America, and join the over-working, always competing world.
No more regular travels to a random country on a random weekend for cheap.
Simply leaving Italy (Gelato, pizza, pasta, cappuccino's, Italians, Rome, TREVI FOUNTAIN, Amalfi, Neapolitan driving with little to no driving law penalties, etc, etc).
Oh, and returning to DC, where everyone was too busy on their phones that this girl without a phone couldn't borrow one! Rude Washingtonians. Ok, so I realize this was my problem, not theirs, but it would have been convenient for me if people got off their phones and  I could ask them to borrow theirs. Though one guy told me his phone was only for his personal use  - Thanks guy,  do you think I'm going to take off out of the airport pick up zone with two suitcases and with your phone. Sigh. Good thing for pay phones!
Being welcomed back to DC traffic in full force...

The Sweet:
Seeing my family! My nephew, Ethan, said he didn't remember my name. No worries though, because a little tickling sparked his memory. Then, after frowning for a few minutes while I held him, my little nephew, Logan, who doesn't really know me, decided I was his friend when I played with him and his Nerf gun - or let him shoot me with his Nerf gun is more like it. Either way, I was so happy to see those little cuties!
hanging out with my bff, Sarah, who came to my parents as soon as I called her to let her know I was in.
Chik-fil-a for dinner!
Milk that doesn't expire in a week (it's the little things people).
Saying "Goodbye" to the Euro, yucky Naples air, Neapolitan driving (it's a love/hate thing), etc.

Those are the "sweet" things that happened yesterday - I know there are plenty more to come and it is only day two.  For  example, we cannot wait to go to church - that will be super sweet!

Also, I have a date with Giant. That's right. It is going to have to be a "date," because I do not want to put anyone else through the torture of this grocery shopping experience. I cannot wait to see all the options and all the new finds to be had on this adventure. This is sure to be a long expensive date!

Chipotle, Marshalls, MALLS, DC, Starbucks, food options (both fast and slow, healthy and unhealthy), FroYo, CVS... Oh America, I think I am in Love!

Blog complete. And it's only 6:15am.

Bitter: Jetlag.