This morning, I was awakened to an unfamiliar sound. As I lay there, half awake, it took me awhile to place the sound. And then, I peacefully lay my head back down on my pillow with a welcoming smile. Welcome back, Ocean. We’ve missed you.

In other news, I’ve lost 5 pounds. 🙂 My friend Heidi and I are doing the P90X fitness program. Boy, am I getting fit… Bring It!

As the school year winds down, I’ve reflected upon our experience. We’ve eaten all manner of different foods here, from sea peaches to walrus. Some of it we really liked. The culture here is very different. Again, there are parts to really like, and parts that we wished were different. We’ve made many friends, and have seen some friends leave (we miss you, Meadows family!). We are looking forward to our return to MI, but the real indicator of whether or not we’ve enjoyed our stay here is this: We will return in the fall.

Keith and Levi leave on the 20th. I’m staying an extra week for a Curriculum conference in UNK, then I’ll be flying home. I have a brief (7 hour) layover in Seattle, where I’ll force my lovely brother to become a morning person for a day. On the 29th, I’ll be back in MI. I’m looking forward to green grass and trees!!!! It’ll be a nice change of scenery: