So, what has been going on since last I wrote??? Dang, that was in December. It doesn't seem like that long ago, time really passes so quickly. Well, I went home for Christmas and for my little brother's wedding. It was so fun being home!!! I hung out with my mom a ton and we had a blast decorating the house and shopping the after Christmas sales. Got tons of great deals on clothes and Christmas decorations for next year. My mom is so awesome, I loved spending time with her.
I also got to hang out with all my best friends from HS. It was great having Brenda and Andre in town with their darling Sophie. One morning the girls came over for breakfast and my mom made us her famous french toast. It was like old times.
Of course I also went to Heather and Chris' a lot. We ate Pizza Bell and watched T.V. That's pretty much what we do. They have a little darling too. Paisley is adorable. I spent a few days with my sister and her beautiful sons. My favorite place on earth is where ever they are. I can't get enough of them! I even got to meet up with some old roomies from college. I was so good to see the Willies...love those girls!
Then there was the wedding. Pat and Cat got married in Tahoe. It was so cool to see my little brother making such a big commitment and taking on so much responsibility. He is a man now! :) The ceremony was really special since Jon was the one marrying them. He was nervous I think, but he did a fantastic job.
After the wedding in Tahoe we had a party in Elk Grove at our house so people could come and say congratulations and stuff. Maybe some of you dint know this about me, but I love party planning! Pat and Cat allowed me to be in charge of everything and I had so much fun organizing everything, the food and decorations etc. Pat is a picky eater so I didn't want to do fancy food he wouldn't like. Maybe the food wasn't traditional for a wedding, but it was good and I think everybody really enjoyed it. We served little smokies, pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks and popcorn chicken. There was also a variety of dips for chips, crackers, fruit and veggies. And of course yummy desserts. My mom's friend Julia helped me set up the food on risers and the presentation was awesome! Everything looked so good. I also spent a lot of time decorating. The wedding colors were black and white and since it was January there was also a snowflake theme. I decorated the white Christmas tree with black, white and silver and then I hung snowflakes and snowballs from the ceiling. There were candles everywhere. It turned out really beautiful and I was so happy about it. Of course I had moments when I was totally stressed, but overall I loved the whole process from beginning to end. The experience got me thinking that maybe I will be a teacher during the week and a party planner on the weekend. (I will have to post pictures later...they are on my mom's camera)
All in all, my trip home was amazing and it was difficult to say goodbye yet again to all the people that I love so much! It only took me a few days of being home to realize that I couldn't stay so far away for very much longer. When I arrived back in Sarajevo I decided that I would finish out the school year and then I would be going back home for good. Of course it will be a bittersweet parting. Although I miss my family and friends terribly and believe that I will be much happier at home, it will also be hard to leave Sarajevo. I have met many wonderful people here and have come to care for them a lot. I love the kids I teach. I know that I will always wonder about them. I guess this is how most people feel when they return home from an adventure. Anyways, I still have 3 months or so to enjoy my time here. And that's what I intend to do!
