Livin' in America...sing it!

If you have not read my last few blogs, this one won't make much sense...

So here goes.

Tragedy brought me back to the US on December 21st, and I was there for two weeks. Here is a brief breakdown on what happened while I was in the US. Hence the title Livin' in America.

Well I flew into ATL on December 20th at about 6:30pm...I proceeded to find my gate for my next flight (to b'ham) and then I went and got something to eat. Arby's was my first american meal! (I was in the airport, so not a lot of choices.) I finished eating and talked to a few friends and went to the gate. I had about 15 minutes before they started boarding...Got to the gate and sat down...there were lots of southern people there, so it made sense to me that they would be traveling to alabama...I had forgotten that i was in Georgia...hence the southerners. Anyway...I waited a while, and they hadn't started boarding...This is when I realized that this plane wasn't going to B'ham it was going to Pittsburg! I had been awake for almost 48 hours at this point and was ready to just walk home if that is what it took...So it wasn't quite time for my actual plane to depart, so I went to an info desk and asked what gate I should be at...She informed me that my plane had already departed, but it was at gate E16 or something...this was in a completely different concourse! So I hurried to that gate in hopes that they would magically be waiting on me, but when I got to the gate, I was priviledged to see my plane backing away from the terminal!!! So then I was upset. The plane had left before it was supposed to and I was not on it. I went to the Delta counter with about 5 other people and they informed me that there were no other flights out that night. I am surprised that I didn't immediately start throwing a fit...A lack of sleep on top of the sadest days of my life and no flight home should have been more than I could handle, but I have a friend who provides Comfort and Hope when none can be found. Time for a new paragraph.

So I called my mom, who was almost in B'ham at the airport, and told her that my luggage should have been on the plane. She went into the airport to get it. Then they decided that they would just go ahead and come to ATL to get me. I was gonna make sure that there were no other flights, and then if not, they would come to get me. I tried some things with delta, but nothing worked, so I talked to my parents again and we decided that I could go sit at a 24 hour restaurant and they would find me there. Now I needed a taxi...While on the phone with my mom, a big black dude named Demetrius walked up to me and asked if I needed a taxi. I said yes, and away we went. He took me to an 24 hour IHOP right outside of ATL. He was my best friend for about 45 minutes. He was easy to talk to, and we talked a lot about what I had been doing and where I was coming from and going to...He was a blessing, and I think maybe I blessed him too. My mom said that after I had gotten to IHOP, that I sounded like a different person. Demetrius had helped me to get over the fact that it was midnight and I should have been in AL hours ago. He was put in my path on purpose ;)

At about midnight AL time (1am ATL time, and 10am xian time) My parents arrived at IHOP!!! I was so happy to be headed home for real, and I had mom and dad and noah with me!

So we drove back to B'ham! arriving in bham at about 2am we went immediately to the hospital to see brianna who was in fairly stable condition, but we still didn't know what was going on in her little body... Jackie got special permission for me to go back and see her because technically visiting hours ended at 2am.

I got to see Brianna, and that is when I knew the gravity of the situation. She looked pitiful, but I was glad that I could touch her and talk to her....being far away makes things like this really hard.

So we stayed and talked to Jackie and Sarah for a little bit, and then went home...I arrived at my parents house at about 5am AL time on December 21st.

That means that it took me...hmmm...36 hours to get from china to home...it should have been about 24:)

So I slept for a few hours and then we had other things to do...The visitation was that night, and the funerals the next day. Christmas eve was next and then Christmas day. No time to breathe just keep going. Do what you have to do. These days were the hardest ones I have ever lived through, but I did live through them!

Of and on for the rest of the time I was home, I went to the hospital to see Brianna, and to be there for the fam...

I also tried to catch up with all of my friends. I didn't get to everyone, but I did get to hang out with a few.

I had a wednesday night supper club on sunday night with my friends from kingwood. dinner with dana, partied with angela, and the next day with renae.
I also took noah and his friend Jake to the movies...got family portraits made, spent new year's eve with the fam...played rock band with noah...went shopping for all of the things that I miss in china...ate lots of good food! yes, I did eat chinese, but it is not the same as the real thing ( I think I like the real thing better) Yes I do eat with chopsticks everyday here in china, and you can eat rice with chopsticks...you scoop it up, duh.

I went to walmart about 8 times in the two weeks I was at home-one or two times I didn't even buy anything. I just went in to breathe....We have walmart in china, but you can't get everything you want there. Noah also started playing basketball right before I left.

My favorite part about being at home was spending time with my family. When tragedy strikes, many times it can be a hard time for relationships, but I think my family is just getting closer, and I didn't even think that was possible.

Love from china!

some pictures.