USA

Laura and I are back in America. Actually we've been back in America for over 3 months now. Ashamedly, we haven't gotten around to the blog because we've too busy enjoying ourselves in this beautiful country!

We had a nice 3 leg, 30 hour total return flight back from China on Valentines Day. Actually, we had a 7 hour layover in Hong Kong where we enjoyed a nice Valentines Day meal to break up our long journey.

Our first stop was California with the Rosenberg rents. Overall, we stayed with them for 6 weeks. It was such a sweet time of reconnecting and rejuvenation. My parents spoiled us with tasty food and a family trip to Monterey. I, James, am definitely an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kinda guy, so being able to spend 6 weeks with my family was truly a refreshing time.

Next, we started our month long road trip across the country. As the map above shows, we started off hitting Southern California then so on and so forth. We were a bit hesitant to spend 4 weeks traveling across the country, especially on a 12 year old car, but we thought it would be worth it to connect with all of our friends and family scattered throughout the country. While we were in AZ, we visited the Grand Canyon where we hiked over 12 miles out into the beautiful canyon. In Lockhart, Texas we ate some of the best brisket in the entire world. In FL, we stopped at Panama City Beach and enjoyed a much needed day of r&r. Not to mention all the family and friends we were able to see along the way. Truly a blessing.

Now, we have just arrived in Ohio to spend the next 6 weeks with Laura's parents. They welcomed us with open arms and slobbery kisses (that was mina, their boxer dog), and we can't wait to reconnect and create new memories with them. Last night, we went out to the baseball fields and watched Laura's alma mater beat Zanesville 5-1. Go Tornadoes!

On a side note, America has been treating us really well. Many people warned us of reverse culture shock, but to be honest we have experienced minimal stress entering back into America. The most noticeable shock so far has been the price of food and other items. Whew, is America expensive! But Laura said it right, America only feels halfway like home, the other half is still in China. It's like half of our life is going on without us, but being back in the States feels so familiar. Well, this is the life we live and we put our trust in Him who holds our ultimate resting place.