After four days of traveling, I've finally made it back home to Indiana, thus putting an end to my "life in California." I want to just thank you all for your support this summer. Thank you for taking time to read my posts, leaving me facebook messages, calling to check in with me, or praying for me. It was surely a blessing to feel like I was still able to have those connections with home and all of you who I care greatly about.
For those friends I made out in California, I want to thank you for making my experience what it was. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your friendship. It's kind of a scary thing traveling 2,000 miles away from home and not knowing anyone, but you all were an answer to my prayers for connection. Thank you for how you just took me in, inviting me to lunches and out to do things. Thank you to everyone I met through the internship, fellow interns and staff members, and thank you to my small group, and anyone else I met outside of those groups... I learned much from each of you, was challenged by the example of your lives, and was blessed by your kind hearts.
Also, a special thank you to my best friend Jana, who flew out to California last week to be able to help me with the drive back home. I can't tell you how excited I was to pick her up from the airport last Wednesday! I stopped at a Starbucks beforehand, practically bouncing with excitement, and told the barista all about my eagerness to pick up my friend whom I hadn't seen in months and all that was ahead for us in the coming week. Sometimes when I'm excited I get carried away when anyone asks "How are you tonight?" Sorry, barista. So I grabbed my homemade "Welcome to Cali Jana" sign, and was on my way. We had quite the ecstatic reunion at the John Wayne Airport that night. We then spent the weekend doing some final California favorites - eating all of the bests (In-N-Out, sushi, ect. Side note:: I made Jana try sushi and it did not go over well), laying out at Laguna, going up in a hot air balloon, spending a day with Shamu at Sea World, driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, and getting stuck in traffic for an hour. We started our drive home on Monday, and got home this evening (Thursday). It was a long trip, but we had some fun with it and as we always do, enjoyed our time together.
I've added the photos from our weekend together to my facebook album. Check out all the fun we had from Laguna Beach to Sea World! But here's a sneak peak....
When I got home I was greeted by balloons and a welcome home sign at the end of the drive. It was the best! Then Michael ran out to give me a hug. (Don't ever let him try to tell you he didn't miss me haha.) It was great to get to see my parents, brother, and grandpa tonight. It's also great to be in my home again... there's just something about home that puts your soul at rest. As I'm sitting in my room, I look around and am just delighted that everything I see is mine.. everything from all my art projects hanging on the walls to the Justin Bieber poster tapped up on my closet just sings "Lindsay," and after living in a hotel and a stranger's house for three months, that's a comforting sound to have surround me. I love that there are people in the next room, and that I don't have to talk to myself anymore. I love that there is actually food in the fridge here, and I love it even more that the selection of food currently includes 4 kinds of desserts. I love that I can go to bed without having to lock the doors. I love that right now my hands smell like my dog and that I can hear crickets chirping outside my window. This is home.
My prayer is that I will be a good steward of this experience I've been given... that I'll allow it to shape me, that I can carry all that I've learned into whatever lies ahead for me, and pour back into others what's been poured into my life through my time in California.
I'm eagerly awaiting to see the rest of my family and friends, hopefully in the next couple weeks. I can't wait to catch up with all of you!
blessings.
