Back in Seattle

Hi, everyone. I got into Seattle yesterday morning (afternoon, Chilean time) after two long flights. My mom and sister Mikeala were waiting for me in baggage claim and I so I got a lot of hugs right off the bat. They called my dad, who was waiting in the "cell phone area" (my, how times have changed) and swung around to pick us up. More hugs all around. We went out for "breakfast" and I had a huge omelet with ham and cheddar cheese -- the latter doesn't exist in Chile -- and hashbrowns. Yummmm.

Unfortunately, that's really all I've eaten. Somewhere along the way, between the long hours spent breathing re-cycled air, the brusque temperature change, and the lack of sleep, I got sick. My throat is killing me, my tummy is not happy, and I have that prickly skin feeling that is typically a tell-tale sign of the flu. Ugh.

Fortunately, I have plenty of people to take care of me and don't have to explain my symptoms in Spanish.

The downside is that I'm surrounded by stuff. My family is infamous for hoarding and, through willpower and maybe divine intervention, I somehow broke its strangle-hold. I came back from the year in Chile with two suitcases' worth of stuff, neither of them overflowing or even using the expand-o-matic pouch on top. I'm trying to just enjoy the time with my family and not focus on the walls of stuff threatening to crush me. But I have cleaned off two counters. I just couldn't resist.