Things I learned...

Made it back to Pensacola safe and sound. Flights were good, albeit departing at an ungodly hour (5:30 am), meaning that the alarm chimed at 3:30. Can you say tired? Check. No drunk, 400-lb, loud men next to me; in fact I had my very own row on both flights. Sweet. And I was home by 10:40 am, greeted by one Happy House Monster.

And then the fatigue set in.

After 3 hours of sleep, I expected nothing less. And I've been fading ever since.

But as I unpacked, wrote, read, and napped in a state of semi-conciousness, I reflected on the many things I learned, experiences that I had during my trip home. It was so wonderful to see Mom and Dad, spend time with friends, and revel in the beautiful (albeit cool) Minnesota Spring.

So some of the things I learned...:

-I will take off my shirt while huffing away, cursing my coach (in a good-sort-of-way!), and doing high power/high heart rate/low rpm sets on the spinner bike. Only the second time in public that I've taken off my shirt to reveal a grey sports bra. I don't know who was more surprised: me, or the staff at the YWCA. But I didn't mind, so it didn't matter.

-My Dad gives Misty and Miranda, The Minnesota Little House Monsters (except they do NOT attack. They're really sweet, docile, and affectionate), at LEAST 1/3 bag of cat treats upon entering the kitchen. Like I said before, they've got him trained quite well.

-I am a master at driving stick while eating cereal out of plastic bags. Desperate times call for desperate measures: after a 2 hour session at the gym, you would do nothing less. Trust me.

-Crunchy Peanut Butter is awesome all by itself. Hhhmmmm. There's a reason why I don't buy Crunchy Peanut Butter.

-I got up close and personal with a Sloth. Seriously - not kidding. On Monday, Dad and I had a great morning exploring the new Como Science Center and Conservatory (I think that's the name... but not sure. It's connected to Como Zoo and the BEAUTIFUL Japanese Gardens), where we saw said Sloth sleeping in a tree. Did you know that Sloth's pick one tree and spend most of their time in that exact tree? Yeah - they can recognize it by the scent. And for the record, they head down to ground-level about once a week to, ahem, use the bathroom. The little guy in the Conservatory was sound asleep, with one arm grasped around a branch. Looked like a big mass of brownish-redish fur. And arm - can't forget the arm.

-I'm almost done with Ken Fowletts' "Pillars of The Earth". Phenominal book, great read, and really interesting. The first thing I did when I got home (after greeting The House Monster and locking the door), was to pull out a few of my Art History and Architecture textbooks from my college years. Yes, my brief-stint as an Art History major has prooven very useful while devouring this novel. And I was extremely happy to research the cathedrals, building terms, and dates mentioned in the book. As it stands, I've got about 30 pages left. Rest assured, you know what I'll be doing when I finish this blog.

-Sushi class was a blast. On Sunday, Mom and I took a 3-hour course in Sushi making. It was really fun, very useful, and now - prepped with oodles of knowledge and a better understanding of what/how/why I need to do the things I do in order to produce stellar rolls and bite sized delectable bits - I'm confident in my sushi making abilities. Now if I could only find sushi-grade fish in Pensacola, life would be good.... The last thing I want to do is kill or maim myself or my Other Half with tainted fish. Yuck. That would be icky.

-My parents are SO SUPPORTIVE of me, my dreams, and helping me to achieve them. I am very lucky...

-So is Nathaniel, for that matter.

-And we might as well throw in The Housse Monster while we're at it.

-Pain pills are no longer necessary when flying. My back, butt, and body handled the flying, standing in line, security checks, walking aimlessly around, and turbulence like a pro. Then again, it HAS been 9 weeks and 1 day since the crash (not that I'm counting...).

-Costco has everything. And for very reasonable pricess. Well - almost everything. Mom and I managed to get enough food to feed our little household for weeks, but forgot salsa. Go figure.

-The sun rises earlier and sets later in Minnesota than it does in Florida. Even though I set an alarm every morning, I awoke well before it went off. Excpet today, of course. The sun don't rise at 0330. Trust me. Unless you're in Alaska or Siberia or something. And given the choice, I would pick Minnesota over the other two.

-Tuesday night? Deadliest Catch. My date with Nathaniel consisted of watching crab fisherman off the Alaskan coast. Romantic? Not so sure about that... but I love the guy, and the show is (dare I say) growing on me...

-When I lived in Minnesota my parent's had the smallest kitchen ever. And, it had red carpet to boot. After the Kitchen and back yard re-do, the house looks better than ever. Go figure. I grow up, move away, get marriend, and THEN the house looks wonderful. Kids are expensive, I tell you. I wish Mom and Dad had done their kitchen remodel years ago, but I'm really happy that they have the house of their dreams. THAT makes me happy.

-The staff at the YWCA got to know me pretty well. They should: after all, in 5 days, I went to the Y a total of 12 times. And many sessions were well over 2 hours. Suffice to say, I got my $35 worth (the rate of a weekly pass. A tad high, in my opinion. But I was determined...)

-Even though we didn't eat anything Norwegian for Norwegian Constitution Day, we (myself, Mom, Dad, and friends Virgie and Harold) had a great time listening to Norse folk music, discussing politics, science, writing, art and a plethora of other topics, and enjoying the wonderful flag displays. Make sure that if YOU ever decide to celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day by unfurling hundreds of little flags, that you've got a lot of patience. It is not a task for the fainthearted.

-Every time I go home, I cry and am sad when I have to leave. I spent today in a bit of a funk: tough to bid farewell to Mom and Dad (even if it is only for a short while). There's just something specail about Minnesota and home to me...

And now, Nathaniel is asleep and my book beckons. Tomorrow is another day that includes phyiscal therapy, another day to work on my recovery, and an opportunity to meet challenges head on. 9 weeks and 3 days post accident - not that I'm counting.