We made it safely to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, part of a group of islands that belong to Spain.
While the ship is
in Tenerife, there’s not much for an OR nurse
to do. Instead of wandering around &
probably getting into trouble J I
decided it would be nice to go home for a bit.
I was lucky enough to get the whole month of July off & took the
opportunity to catch up with life back home.
I was able to
spend the 4th with my family in Independence, seeing relatives I hadn’t seen
in years. We grilled out, had corn on
the cob & even McElroys’ potato salad!
Indee’s parade was in the morning & fireworks were in the park by
the river.
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| My family at the 4th of July parade |
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| Dad & Uncle Bob canoeing the might Wapsi |
Dad rented us
canoes to take down the Wapsi, a fun trip even if there wasn’t a lot of water. We spent a great afternoon on the 4th just floating down the river, getting out to cool off when we needed to & seeing a lot of wildlife (vultures, a bald eagle & some deer) I got to say though, Iowa
is a lot hotter than Africa!
I spent a lot of
time just relaxing & watching the birds at the bird feeders in my parents’
backyard. Hung out with friends &
watched TV- though it was strange, I haven’t seen a commercial in over 10
months. I took our dog for walks & Dad & I explored one of our favorite places, Backbone State Park. I even went to this place called a "mall" its kind of like a market, but there's no bartering & didn't smell like rotten fish & fruit- what an experience in itself! I even got used to being able to drive places again, where & whenever I want!
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| The family models their new African aprons |
After a couple
lazy days at my parents’ house, Mom & I drove to Colorado for a week to see family &
friends. I realized how homesick I was
for Colorado
when the mountains finally came into view & I drove on familiar streets. I had to keep telling myself that I didn’t
have a home there at the moment. I
packed in as much summer-in-Colorado-fun in one week as I could. I went to a Rockies
game (we lost L), spent time at the barn with my favorite
2 & 4-legged animals, went for a hike in the mountains & had dinner
with some amazing friends.
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| Eri & I at the Rockies game |
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| Horsing around at the barn with Steely |
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| We hike up Devil's Head |
My time home wasn’t
overly exciting or thrilling, but I didn’t need that. I needed peace & quiet, long-long hot
showers, home cooked meals, the opportunity to recharge & gear up for the
next stage of this trip. All too soon,
it was time for me to fly back the ship. I am ready.
