SUPLISE!!!

Let's do a quick survey before I begin this one:


Who actually thought that Brown Sugar would stay in Europe permanently?


*looking around*


I guess that would be 1 vote - MY vote.


And WHO might have prayed that Brown Sugar would come back to the States?


*looking around*


You're all FIRED!!! ;) hahaha


I'm baaaaaaack!


I'll be honest when I say that I was sad to leave Germany, my family, and my 3 friends that I made there. I'll miss them, the food, the landscape, the chocolate, and the idea that I was living in Europe.


I feel close enough to you all that I can share a condensed version of how I ended up back in the States:

• My visa expires on 16 Jan 2012
• I was applying everywhere on base to extend visa - but wasn't getting hired
• Finally applied to a temp agency that "hires EVERYONE"
• Aforementioned temp agency ran a background check and found 2 warrants in Utah and apparently doesn't hire EVERYONE
• Researched warrants and would be unable to pay them off by visa expiration date because
• the only work I found in Germany was cleaning houses and babysitting (flashback to 8th grade jobs)
• Prayed really hard about what I should do
• Complained really loud when it was to move back to the States
• Skyped nightly to plan my trip back and
• Lied to my parents every time we talked - so I could surprise them :)

And surprise Big Ray & Rin-Dizzle - we did. :)


I hid out at Bunny's for a couple of days after I landed. She and Ladybug planned a New Year's Dinner at Cracker Barrel (a little tradition of ours) with Big Ray and Rin-Dizzle.


The night came and we were in a mad rush to get to the West Valley Cracker Barrel. It's halfway for all of us - but still a good 45 minutes away.


As we're rounding up the kids-socks-and-shoes, getting coats on, and heading to the car - we realize that there's dog poop on the bottom of shoes and it's been tracked throughout the house. 


Lare-Bear acts as quickly as he can to clean up the mess - but it's serious enough to enlist the carpet cleaner's skills  - and stress starts to creep into our hearts.


We're running a good 30 minutes late at this point - but we pile into the cars and begin the journey...only to find out that the car Bunny is driving has a flat tire!


We stop at the nearest gas station to fill it up - but the tire spits out the air faster than we can feed it. That leaves us in Clinton - a good 45 minutes away from our surprise. Stress has won and we return home to figure things out. 


When we call Big Ray & Rin-Dizzle to tell them our luck - they insist that we do the dinner another night. 


Bunny: NO - WE WILL EAT AT CRACKER BARREL TONIGHT!!! AND WE WILL BE HAPPY!!!


We change the location to the Cracker Barrel closest to us and find a ride from Bunny's next door neighbor. No shame!


We keep texting Ladybug and make sure that they're all seated before we even leave the safety of the car. 


Lare-Bear and Bunny head in with the kids and leave me with a cell phone. They decided I would browse the country shop while they get settled in - and then they would text me for my grand entrance. 


I knew what my parents' reactions would be:


Rin-Dizzle: *crying*
Big Ray: Are you serious?!
Rin-Dizzle: *still crying*


Hugs would ensue and blahblahblah.


I receive the text and head into the eating area. 


Emy: *pointing away from me walking in* Look at that TV!


*Big Ray and Rin-Dizzle are sitting at the end of the table across from each other.*


*I walk to them and put my hands on their shoulders*


Big Ray: *turns his head and looks at me in shock* >silent<


Rin-Dizzle: *looks at me - looks at Big Ray - shaking her head* >silent<


Me: *smiling - expecting the reactions I had planned*


Big Ray: *still silent*


Rin-Dizzle: *still silent*


Me: *feeling awkward with my hands on their shoulders*


*At least 15-20 seconds go by and there's still complete silence*


Me: *completely thrown off by the silence of my parents* Willkommen!!! (Yeah - I'm so thrown off by this interaction that I say "Welcome" to myself in GERMAN)


Rin-Dizzle: *finally stands, hugs me, and begins to cry*


Me: FINALLY!!!


Hugs ensue and blahblahblah. ;)