We Made It!

362 days ago, we began our migration from Oklahoma to England.

This was taken as we sat in the Chicago airport awaiting our transatlantic flight to Heathrow. Our feet would not touch American soil for 6 more months. (Don't ask me why we stuck out our tongues. It was probably because we didn't know which emotion to go with - anxiety, elatedness, etc.)

77 days ago, we gathered a grand total of four suitcases (all our earthly possessions at that point) and began the long journey back to the States.

Our flat looked beyond sad to be empty again. We never really decorated it, and we made sure not to leave any reminders of ourselves for the next occupants. So, it's not like it had changed all that much because we lived there. But man did that place make a lasting impression on us. 

As we waited on our taxi, I took one last look around and made Matthew document the moment with my iPad. This was it. But I swear we had just arrived.

45 days ago, Matthew was inducted into medical school.

He has sworn the Hippocratic Oath and now spends countless hours pouring over anatomical diagrams and learning about things like embryological cardiology. Because a Master's Degree from Cambridge just wasn't enough.

4,850 miles now separate Matthew and I from Cambridge. (According to Google maps, it's actually 18,833 miles from doorstep to doorstep. Apparently the trip would take 1,066 hours. And, step #282 would be to "Jet ski across the Pacific Ocean." I'm not joking. That's exactly what the directions say.) Some days I wake up expecting to smell mold, hear rain, and jump on my bike to go to Sainsbury's. Other days I wake up and get ready for my 45 minute commute to work, feeling like a lifetime has passed since I wandered through cobblestone streets and chatted with friends from all over the world. Needless to say, life is different now than it was a year ago. And it will continue to progress rapidly enough that 362 days from now I can say the same thing. It's the great circle of life, if you'll allow a Lion King reference.

Looking back at my first blog post ever, my words seem almost prophetic. They are as applicable today as they were then, demonstrating the constancy I have uncovered despite drastic change. I'd like to repeat a few of the sentences I wrote back on September 28th, 2011:

"It hasn't sunk in yet, but we are indeed in our new home!!! All in all, things went rather smoothly. We are on the adventure of a lifetime that God has perfectly orchestrated so far! There will be ups and downs, but like my grandma reminded me before we left, we will try not to sweat the small stuff. Thank you all for your prayers. Thanks for taking an interest in our lives and spending the time to keep up to date on our everyday happenings."

I can barely choke back my tears as I close this chapter. However, I know that my heart and soul will always keep the book cracked open to the pages from this past year. I cannot fathom that I have had the honor to tell such a tale, nor the privilege of sharing the story with such characters. Lord willing, this is not the end; but rather, it is the beginning.