Home Sweet Home was so sweet...

So, this will come slowly but here it goes.... this was home!

On the first Saturday that I was home we had a baby shower for my sister! It turned out to be such a great day- perfect weather! I was able to host the shower with my mom, Jessie, Marisol (my sister's mother-in-law) and Aunt Louyse!

Everyone showed up and most people followed the instructions to "go green" and not wrap their gift!

The cake, Noah's Ark themed, thanks to Sarilia our really good friend!

Desiree and Jessica, this is one of my favorite pictures of the shower! Desiree and I have been friends for about 13 years and I just love that she and my sister go to church together now and have become friends outside of me. She is a great friend to have and is always a good time and up for a long chat!

Marisol (Jessica's mother-in-law) and my Mom

The party favors were sugar cookies with a "G" on them for Baby Gonzalez. Jessica and Jeziel are still working on a name so leave any good ones here for them to check out. Jessie made all these cookies with her mom and then we decorated them the day before shower. They didn't come out exactly how we planned, but they looked just fine and tasted so good!

The Hulsey girls (sort of) Jessie, my Mom, Jessica and me! We are missing Aunt Weesie here!

Waiting

I left my camera in the UAE when I went home and now I am just waiting for friends and family to send me all the pictures they took when I was home. As soon as I get some I will post all about my 2 weeks at home!

Waiting for you guys...

"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"

I'm pretty sure I heard Jared humming the tune to this song as he got dressed for graduation tonight. Jared is the last of us to finish highschool and everyone is so excited to be done with the Springfield Public School System. If you can make it out of there you can probably make it out of anywhere- going to school in Springfield allows you to learn a whole lot more than just what the books teach you, it also forces you to learn some street smarts! Here is the whole family including my pregnant sister and Aunt Louyse who flew up from Georgia and has seen each of her nieces and nephews graduate highshool! We are so proud of Jared to be done with highschool and moving along to college. He will start at American International College in the fall and continue to live in Springfield at my parents.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!

I made it home yesterday evening after about 24 hours of travel. Despite the tornado that touched down in Springfield just a day before I got here, I have had such a warm welcome home with e-mails, phone calls and visits from friends and family. The air is clean, the weather is a perfect 70 degrees and the sun is shining. My parents neighborhood was untouched by the tornado but, not everyone was so fortunate. I already went to the mall and managed to pump the American economy... just doing my service as an American.

I can't wait to see each and every one of you.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

My bags aren't packed but I am ready to go. I need to get myself together- I leave to come home in just about 5 hours and I haven't packed a thing. I have ordered new clothes on-line that I sent to my parents house and those might be the only clothes I have at home. I can't wait to see everyone!

I'm looking forward to seeing normal street signs again- I'm realizing that life here really is so different from home!

Congrats!

Hooray! Yesterday my brother-in-law graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy. Our whole family is so excited for Jeziel to take his boards (pass them!) and start work! He has worked hard throughout his degree program and the end is here! He has already been offered two jobs and this new career is surely necessary since Jeziel and Jessica are expecting a baby boy this summer.

Congrats Jeziel, we are all proud of you!

~Photo courtesy of Lemuel

"I don't want to work, I just want to bang on a drum all day"

At the hospital I am on the Social Activities Committee, essentially we try to make sure that there is something fun for the staff to do at least once a month. This month all the staff went bowling. We rented out the entirety of Bowling City and it was open to all hospital staff for free!

I am not much of a bowler, despite our family's tradition of going bowling the day after Thanksgiving or New Year's Day every year. I went anyway because I do a lot of things that don't seem that fun to me for the sheer sake of being social.

It ended up being a really fun night especially since it was 115 degrees out today. Indoor activities are well received when the weather gets like this!