Theres No Place Like Home?????

Getting home was as far fetched to my brain as leaving in the first place. I intended on it and planned it , but it didnt make it any easier to grasp when it happened. The routine of varied life and occational caos had become the normal everyday. Knowing I would sleep in one country, one city, perhaps even one bed, for months on end made me nervous. The fact that I would see my friends and family , not only seemed strange, but nearly impossible to immagine. I discovered that somehow, in my head, I had convinced myself that I would never see them again. Now on the flight home, from Auckland to Tahiti, To LA, to Milwaukee, I let it all sink in, that we would make it all the way. I hadn't thought it all the way through. International flights still serve alcohol, so that helped, but I cried most of the way, Wilson, by this point knows there is nothing wrong, perhaps nothing right, I just cried because so much was over, so much just beginning, and while nothing would change, everything was changed forever, our eyes would be forever wider open.

In LA after 20 some hours en route and very stinky, we got our final passport stamp, a meloncholy set in, then a nervous excitment. I approached the Midwest Airlines counter, where I had two of my good friends from the Airline sent Wilson and I tickets to get home, I had faith, but it was still a relief to see them in the file with our names on them. When you fly non-rev on this airlines you have to dress the part. Wilson had bought a pair of polyester dress pants in Queensland at a Salvation Army for just the occation, and a pair of really fly shoes. His Dragon shirt had a coller and he went all out on a pair of socks. Over all it was a comical outfit but it was to code. I wore an amalgomy of flowy garb, and it being LA, no one mentioned my nose ring. We waited, I paced, Wilson read, for out names to be called. The flight was chocka full. We decided if we didn't get on, we would rent a car and drive cross-country. The thought made me happy, excited the trip would last longer, while moving in the same direction, forever Eastward. We never heard our names being paged on the airport system, my friend Nola was sitting in front of the screen in Milwaukee, seeing there were infact enough seats for us, wanting to tell us not to worry. So I paced, Craig read, Our names got called, we got 2 of the last 3 seats! The airlines in America were a different animal compared to when we left. There is no more china, shrimp salads, wine or champaign on our flights, those days are over, things have changed. Cost savings, bad economy, bad war?

On the final flight I amused my self by inflecting (not sure if that is a word?) on how young I was acing, I missed no one more than my parents, I was acting like a 9 year old comming back from summer camp. I remember getting off the plane and not believing i had been gone, not understanding here I was, or who I was about to see.

We walked with wobbly legs thru the terminal, I spoted my Dad and my step-Mom, he didn't recognize me, then he did. The damn frog in my throught almost choked me, a hug has never been so great. My brother Vince met us by baggage, I must have been smiling from ear to ear for so long, I had cramps the next day. My step-mom made lemon Marangue pie, we talked and talked, we slept forever.

The next weeks are a blur, my Mom had a 'There is No Place Like Home Party' at one of our favorite bars. Everyone brought something 'American'. We had apple pie for 2 weeks! Heaps of fun seeing everyone, finding out how much and how little had happened. Our friend Long, had a baby while we were gone, my friend Ann got married, everyone worked. Good times. We stayed with my Mom for a month or two while we go our act together, she really made us feel at home. I painted a couple murals right away, Wilson applied for teaching jobs that didn't exsist, he worked for a good buddy remodeling, and got a gig at Marquette University, and gives tours at the brewery to support our drinking habbit. I got my part time job back at the airlines, so we are insured, have flight benifits etc. I became a GodMother (what were they thinking?), re-fell in love with my nephew, got our frog, Frodo, back, my brother graduated, I went to my 10 year High-school reunion. We bought a castle on Maryland avenue, in the east side of Milwaukee where I lived various places for the 4 years of Architecture school. We fixed up the first floor, rented it out the 1st of september, and now we have taken our first breath since we got back. Life has been as strange and full of newness as it was on the trip, just in different ways.

I have been meaning to 'finish of' this Trip Journal, to come full circle, but what do I say? My epiphanies are mine, the lessons have to be learned individually, Maybe answer The top questions: How was your trip? Where Did you Go? What was your Favorite? Arn'en't you glad to be back? If you have read all the previous drivil you know the answers to all of these, I don't blame you if you havnt (me either!!!) The best question is how has it changed your life?

I now know my limits, and lack thereof, physically and mentally. I have confidence in the fact that I can 'handle' nearly any situation reasonably. I have learned what i though may be true before, that TV is the root of all evil, that the less you have the happier you can be, that our government is predominantly bad, causing catastophic and long lasting pain and injustice on this earth,, that Americans, as with all Earthlings, are predminantly wonderful. I have more faith in humanity and our capacity to forgive, I have a broader scope of how aweful we can be to each other. I belive the Family is most important. I have learned to be thankful, to not think of my problems as real problems, because they are not. I think everyone from America neeeeeds to travel, for themselves and others. We were recieved with the utmost kindness everywhere we went and changed as many minds as we could but we need more American travelers, so that the rest of the world will realize we are not all contestants on Jerry Springer. I am a firm believer in Karma. What goes around will come around, what you put out there will come back to you. Some of the lessons reserface daily, others occationally, but all are profound to me, however small.

Sometimes Willie and I will sit around, or talk while we work, about all the times we had and what we will do next. Once you do this type of thing its never the last time. A mid life crisis sail around the Carribian? South America?, New Zealand permanently? All in the Works, It helps keep the sanity. In any case It has been wonderful and real, with no catastrophies. And weather or not you know it, you were with us the whole time. Thankyou all for your support and love, and thank you to all those who helped us along the way, especially our Kiwi Brothers and Sisters, your hospitality and attitude will bing us back!

Be Well

PS the picture below 'could be' the port of Milwaukee! and I still don't have time to spell.