Friday, April 1, 2011

It's April Fool's Day, but I didn't play tricks on anyone. I guess I'm turning nice in my old age. ha

Our travel yesterday from Nicaragua to home was pretty uneventful. We left the house about a half hour early so that we could meet up with Manuel and Cecilia in Managua to pick up something a team member left on Manuel's van last week and also, for Beth to join them for a few hours of sightseeing in their town. Manuel got behind the wheel and got us to the airport in record time. Mary and I said goodbye to everyone and then got checked in for our flight.

I sat next to a really nice girl from Oregon named Andrea, who is an organic farmer. She and her boyfriend had been in Nica for 2 months researching farming methods. We talked about so many things. I got to share my faith with her. She asked lots of questions about how my faith affects my opinions and beliefs about many things like natural healing, travel the world, etc. I really felt a lot of seeds being planted (no pun intended) even though she wasn't ready to discuss her personal beliefs in God. I think she will be thinking about what we discussed and that God will be bringing someone along to harvest those seeds.

After going through customs and security at Houston, Mary and I had about an hour to kill for a nice sit-down dinner at Chili's Too. I had a yummy steakhouse sandwich and steamed veggies. It was great. We parted ways for the flights to our home towns. My flight to XNA was good. I always try to sit on the left side of the plane where there is only one seat. I read my Kindle for a while. I love that thing!

When we were landing, the fog was really bad. We touched down and then bounced right back up into the air and took off again. we circled around and ended up landing on another landing strip (I didn't know we HAD another landing strip). It was funny, because the flight attendant felt the wheels touch and automatically announced "welcome to Fayetteville". Then a pause, and then "never mind" when she realized that we were back in the air. When we landed for real, she announced "and we're back". Nothing was announced about why we landed twice. In the terminal, I overhead some of the passengers talking about it. One of them had asked the pilot what happened. He said that when we touched down, we were in a fog bank. I guess it wasn't a big deal, but it would have been nice to have had some kind of announcement about it, even if it was to make light of the situation. Oh well. We were home safe!

Becca met me at the airport and we got my puny checked bag. (It only weight 24 pounds and had another suitcase inside!) Much different than the 2 stuffed bags that weighed in at 50 pounds each on the way down. I seemed to buy lightweight souvenirs these days, too!

Becca and I ran by Walmart to pick up food for the Friday Community Meals and I grabbed a few groceries for home. I got home about 11pm and was welcomed by Deanna and Jet. Even the cat came out of hiding. I got settled in and went to bed about 12:30. I slept really well, all snuggled under my blanket and quilt with my winter jammies on. That's a big switch from a tank top and shorts, sleeping on top of the sheets with 3 fans blowing on me in Nica. But cozy is nice, too.

I worked a little on computer stuff today and made a list of things to accomplish for tomorrow. I had originally planned on going to the Food Pantry and Friday Meals and then get a haircut. But I was feeling a little tired and a bit yucky, so I stayed home. I did grab a shower and got ready for my haircut, but couldn't find a ride there. So I rescheduled for next week. Therefore, I stayed in comfy clothes and took it easy. I made a big pot of chili that Deanna and I will eat on for the next few days.

My friend Carol, from NYC, called today and played a song for me over the phone. She had written it and it is beautiful. What a treat for me!

I guess there isn't much more to report today, so I'll sign off. It's good to be back where I can rest a little and eat healthy stuff and prepare for the many things that God has planned for my future. I am so blessed. I love my God.