Seriously, how is it July already?

I still feel like it’s January, like I’m still reminding myself not to forget that Valentine’s Day* is just around the corner. When really, my friggin birthday is right around the corner, and around the corner from that, is our big USA trip. That’s right, we’re headed back to my deep fried kingdom, my bullet ridden homeland, my red, white, and blue stomping grounds. And to say I’m excited is a wee bit of an understatement. 

We spent most of May and June in planning mode, since we’ll be gone for the month of October. It’s a gigantic holiday, and likely the only one we’ll be taking this year (and maybe for the rest of our lives, depending on how long it takes us to recover financially), so we’re packing as much as we can into it. We’re spending time with my parents, family, and friends back in Virginia (as well as Skyline Drive, Harper’s Ferry, and the civil war battlefield where my dad is basically the president of the board), going to Kate and Kris’ wedding in Bedford, staying at Daron’s family farm, visiting with Leah and her family near Philadelphia, staying in New York City and Boston, then Portland and Bar Harbour (well, affordable approximation to) Maine for a week, and then back with my parents and a visit from Cara before heading back to Sydney. Whew.

By the time we leave in late September, it’ll have been 4 years since I’ve been back to the States. Before I moved to Sydney, I’d only go a few months at a time without seeing my family. So now, it feels like I’ve been gone for an eternity. SO much has changed, not just within the country, but within my friends and family as well. There’s new babies, new partners, new jobs, new houses, new pets (and sadly, some pets that won’t be there anymore), and new lives. A part of me knows that I’m going to feel a bit like a stranger. Even so, it’s exciting to go back. I’ve been away from my people for too long.

And Taco Bell.

Sheeeeeeeit.

Stay tuned!

*spoiler alert: totally forgot about it