Back in Prague!
I am back in the Czech Republic! My summer was eventful so I took the time off from blogging completely. I am back though and want to restart my communication. So, my summer began - wildly enough - in Maui! I flew straight from Prague (with only 4 separate flights!) right to Maui. I would highly recommend the island, and I would NOT recommend travelling that far in one day with that many connections - ever! It was amazing though. I loved the days at the beach, the good food, the company... My mom, my two sisters (Danielle and Britnee) and my Grandma were there. We had a great time which inclluded a luau, a sunset dinner cruise, and many nights on our condo balcony drinking Pina Coladas and chatting...heavenly! But I did miss Stephen, so although Maui was amazing, I had something to look forward to when we returned home! He flew into Rapid City a few hours after we did and spent the next week at my parents' house. He was a great sport - meeting all the relatives (grandparents, a few cousins, and especially the nieces!), my old friends, and getting to know them a bit. The most taxing thing that I think he had to endure was a cattle branding! Yeah...that's right! I will post photos as soon as I have more. I took him to old familiar places like Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore, my home church, etc...before we set out for a LONG road trip to California. We did a lot of sight-seeing on the way and when we got to Cali for ESI training, we had a few hot weeks in the non-airconditioned accommodations there. Still, it wasn't nearly as hot as the two previous summers. It was fantastic getting to know the "newbies" and imparting to them our great wisdom and experience - ha! More like telling them horror stories or pitfalls and how to avoid them, if anything...Finally, we said a final goodbye to some good friends who would not be returning to the Czech Republic and headed for Wyoming again. We drove through Vegas, but did NOT get married there. ;-) Stephen had to fly home right after that so I had a few days of visiting people by myself, especially some good friends (the Hills and the Foxes) at a wedding, and by having a girls' night out with friends - some of whom I had lived with, one who lives in Germany but was temporarily home, one who recently moved to Kansas City, and some who were holding down the fort in Gillette - providing a solid home base for those of us who have left and want to visit! It was a great vacation home. Then I said goodbye to all those friends and my family some until Christmas, some for a year or more... I hate goodbyes, especially to a four and eight-year old who ask why I go. That's become a tough question to answer these days. I guess I still feel a calling here - I love the country, the people, my friends, and my life here, but...that won't hold me here indefinitely. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure this is my last year! It's been sad even since I have been back to see things happen or go to places that i may never see again! (sigh)...So anyway, back to the ...past: I flew to Illinois and spent the remainder of my summer holiday with Stephen's family. They were fantastic! They treated me like family. I got to travel to Indianapolis and meet his grandmother and some extended family there too. It was an amazing week - I have only felt more embraced by my own family. I hope to see a LOT more of them in the future. ;-) The hardest thing I have done in years was getting on the plane at the end of that week! And now I am back - updates on my three weeks here will come very, very soon!;-)
posted by Kassidee Kennedy @ 7:25 PM
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