Finally home

Today, we have officially been back in Spain a week. And what a week it has been!

Our return flight was rather eventful: we were 45 minutes late in leaving LAX and then, due to storms on the East Coast, we couldn't land in New York, but instead landed in Cleveland for a few hours, until the storm in New York cleared. Unfortunately, by the time we landed, we had missed our connecting flight. And, that particular airline only flies to Madrid once a day! So, they put us up in a hotel for the night, which was kind of an adventure without toiletries or clean clothes. The next day, we took the latest shuttle back to the airport but still had to wait 11 hours in the Newark airport, before we took off. The flight kept getting delayed because of all the storms, and I seriously felt like we were never going to leave, but live in that airport!!

Thankfully, the actual flight went pretty well. Coen slept from about 10 minutes after take off, until I woke him up when we landed, 8 hours later. Cael had a slight fever and vomited a few times, but it was thankfully in the paper bag provided, so nobody was covered in vomit like our flight into New York. As we were descending to Madrid, we opened the window and I saw the fields of Spain from above; as I gazed upon the wheat colored squares and brick houses and villages, immediately I felt a sense of peace that we were finally home.

Driving through Spain the 4 hours until we reached León was surreal. We stopped to go to the bathroom and walking through the restaurant to to go to the back, the bathrooms, I took a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful smell of Spain! Gus and I have noticed this smell these past few days, as we have been walking the streets. It's amazing how each country has its own smell and it's something you recognize after you have lived there for a while, and it's something that welcomes you home after being gone. *note, this smell is not a bad smell at all! Just one that is particular to Spain. Love it!

The first few days of being home were kind of a blur. I woke up at 4 am every night for the first 5 nights; love that jet lag! It was such a peaceful feeling to unpack our suitcases and put everything away, after living out of them for over 3 months. The boys rediscovered their room, their toys, and their bed with great glee! They were very happy to be reunited, especially with their toys, of course.

Even though I've been pretty tired and feel rather out of it, there has been this overwhelming sense of peace and contentedness to be home. Knowing that this is where God has called us to be. There truly is no place like home!