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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

It was such an unusual mix of feelings to be back in the States after 17 days abroad. The whole experience, as can often be expected with tours of foreign countries, had left Collette a little overwhelmed. When she and Carrie-Bri had arrived at Lambert Monday afternoon, there was Mom, Joe, Rose, Frances, and Linnea… Dad was still at work. But who was that man with the large baby over by the other wall? It couldn’t be… No, it wasn’t. Wait, yes it was. The big chubby baby was her own little Puck.

“Puck! My little Puck?”

Collette couldn’t believe it. He had become an even bigger chunk in two and a half weeks. And though he was a little uncertain who this woman was smiling at him, Puck quickly reached for her face, and by the time he hit the feathers that night, he had fully remembered his mom.

The first taste of St. Louis was a swing by Long John Silver’s (at Carrie’s request), while everyone asked questions and filled them in on life at home. OLeif had taken off the rest of the afternoon, and there were several hours back at the house to make a first quick cycle through pictures, videos, and artifacts before they called it a day and headed home.

For dinner, they had to order a pizza and a Sierra Mist while Collette and OLeif talked over Israel and the people they had met, particularly: Awesome, Rochester, Ukulele Boy, Well-Dressed Guy, The Eclipse, the guy who took a lot of pictures, the former Navy Seal, and Collette’s and Carrie’s roommate – those being chiefly their nicknames anyway.

And, as Awesome had reminded them throughout their journeys in the Holy Land, there was no place quite like America. Collette was glad to be home.