I'm home.

(count how many times I use the word "best")

Did this last year really happen?

Luckily, G. picked me up at 7 in the morning to drive me to Heathrow and help me schlep my bags to the check-in counter.  We did a bit of walking too; we went to terminal 3 when we were supposed to be at terminal 1.  Oops.  We had time for breakfast though, and I was really glad to have someone with me at the end (Thanks G.  And no, it wasn't only the help with my luggage).

There are photos of me on Facebook with all my bags.  It's weird that it's so much stuff, and yet I had to weed out all kinds of things to get it down to the six bags.   Most people only had two or three bags.  I don't know how they did it.

Got home at midnight after my brother and his wife picked me up at LAX.  By the time I went to bed, I'd been up 27 hours, with only three hours of sleep the night before.  Talk about jet lag. 

I woke up Monday in my house, in my bed.  Weird.  No phone, no car, no computer.  I was without a way to communicate, and that was double weird.

A friend came over with sunflowers; "I just couldn't wait!" and gave me one of the best hugs ever.  It was a good start.

Mom drove me around all day, got my phone, picked up my computer, hooked up my internet and... PICKED UP CHARLIE.  That was the best.  God, I missed that little dog.  He was cautious at first, and then jumped up on me like, "Where the heck have you been?"  Auntie K. and Uncle T.  took the best care of him while I was gone.  Good people.  The best. I don't know how to thank them properly.  A gift certificate to a nice restaurant is what I'm thinking... but is it enough? 

Yesterday I got the car rented (so I can drive around and look at cars to... eek... buy), went to lunch with sunflower friend, and shopped at Trader Joe's.  I've been dreaming of the hand-tossed tortillas and the Gnocchi Gorgonzola for a year now.  Got home, put the food in the fridge, hey, wait a minute.  Why isn't the light on?

The electricity had been shut off.  I'm home 36 hours and poof, no electricity.  Guess the grace period has shortened.    Call the company, and nope, won't be able to get it turned on until today.  "Anywhere between 8 am and 5 pm" I was told.  Great.

Bought a 20-pound bag of ice, put it in the fridge and hoped for the best. 

Today, ran a bunch of errands, because well, with no power, there's no computer.  And, lucky me, my sim card somehow got erased, and I've lost all the phone numbers of everyone who was in my address book, so I  can't call anyone either.  Argh.

Got home around 12:30, and there is the Edison truck.  I get out and holler, "did everything go okay?"
No answer.  I start walking toward the truck and it starts to leave. I wave my hands, "Wait!  please wait!" and start running down the driveway after it...

As I watched from the end of my driveway, he drove away down the street.  As expected, he checked the wrong meter, so I still had no electricity.  Joy.

After two more calls, I finally got hooked up this evening.  Of course, hanging around the house alone is not what I wanted to do this afternoon, but at least I have power.

I've not had time to think about what it's like to be home.

Ask me tomorrow.

Love,
Rebekah