Life

On Thursday I caught an afternoon flight out of MoBay after finishing up the sea container and arrived in Indy at 9pm. Katie picked me up (under the excuse that she was going to visit a friend on campus) and we got home at around 10:30pm. Mom was still awake but dad had gone to bed, so we decided to just surprise mom. Katie wrote on a card saying "you know what they say, you go big or you go home..." and then in my handwriting below that I wrote "so I decided to go home. Love, Blake and Katie." I had also picked up a small Delta SkyMiles teddy bear and so Katie gave that to Mom along with the card, while I waited in the utility room. After giving Mom some time to process, Katie asked her if she wanted her Christmas present, and I walked into the room to give her a hug. Her response was classic mom! Was pretty much the same as a year and a half ago when I surprised everyone with a surprise trip home...good times! Friday morning we surprised Dad in a very similar fashion, although this time it was 5:15am and I was very much in a slumber. A few hours later we went to John and Brooke's to surprise them.



I called Matt and Tamara Friday night and told them I was home, and then I surprised Brad and Amber at the Leman Christmas on Saturday. The family time on Saturday was wonderful, especially to see my grandparents and my cousin Alex. Sunday we went to church and then had some quality family time eating out and watching the Saints dominate the Vikings (sorry Cookie) and the Packers get beat (whooohooo!!!) and the Colts get their first win...pretty much a wonderful afternoon. Then I got news that Caleb Sutter (my great friend who is the reason I flew home early a year and a half ago for his baptism in Taylor...http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100125755950998) was engaged to Mercedes....Awesomeness!!! We played games that night and then on Monday we did some shopping before I left for the airport. On the way to Indy we stopped by Robin and Peter's so I could see my 1 year old nephew, Thomas, and catch a quick moment with a great friend, Jaimie Oppermann. It made for a really awesome few days at home. I caught my flight and arrived in Atlanta around 9pm. My good friend Gunnar Martin (who interned with CCCD in 2010) picked me up and we grabbed some delicious southern bbq. We crashed at his place (literally a stone's throw from the Georgia Dome) and then headed to the airport early in the morning. I arrived back on the island around 12pm and after getting picked up by Billy (a great new friend, he and his family are missionaries in the St James area) and dropped off at my car, I was on my way around 1:30, and arrived back home in Kingston at 4:30, perfect timing as I was able to pick up Tashi as she walked home from the bus stop. Thank you Lord for the blessing of a few precious days with my family during the Christmas holiday, and for an amazingly supportive wife who supported my trip 110%!