I'm dreaming tonight, of a place I love, even more than I usually do
And although I know it's a long road back, I promise you...
I'll be home for Christmas!
I kept listening to this song in the days before our trip home and the lyrics took on a new meaning for me this year. It's written from the perspective of an overseas WWII soldier, so our situation is clearly incomparable, but I can certainly relate to the feeling of longing to be with friends and family for the holidays now more than ever.
Our trip home was short-lived and logistically chaotic, but well worth it. In one week...
We landed in Chicago on the 22nd and spent the night with friends
Left the next morning to drive to Cincinnati and stay a few days
Drove to up to Cleveland on Christmas morning
Flew to Chicago on the 28th and stayed one more night
(B drove back home to Cincy and drove back to Chi town with his family)
Flew back to Dublin on the 29th
Talk about a whirlwind!
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| Best airport greeting EVER! 2 of B's sisters, dressed up as Xmas trees (with working lights and all), surprising us at O'Hare Airport |
During our lightening-speed midwest tour, we saw lots of friends and family and even managed to squeeze in a little wedding planning. To anyone I didn't have a chance to see, I apologize and hope to do it next time (since next time will likely be our wedding!). Family always comes first, so I was extremely happy that I was able to see all of my family, even if it wasn't all at the same time!
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| Christmas Day 2011 when we were all together - missed you this year, Captain Billy! |
As an added bonus, we got to see the first big snow of the year (without it affecting our travel!) and celebrate our first Christmas as a married couple :) It wasn't your typical relaxed time off, but it was a fantastic trip. Big thanks to everyone who made time for us and arranged their schedules around our limited time home... it means the world to us!
I miss everyone already, but I'm glad we had safe and smooth travels back to Dublin. We're excited to ring in the New Year with friends and welcome the start of what promises to be another crazy year!
