WE MADE IT!!!

After saying our goodbyes for another year, at least, we caught our plane and started our journey back to Australian soil to see the rest of our family.

I have to say that my trip home was well worth it and I totally enjoyed myself, but I was ready to go home and see my other kids and my husband. It wasn't the same without them and I missed their company very much. I did so much in the three weeks I was on holiday that my brain is still whirling, but it was so much fun as well. I do truly miss Utah and I can't wait to move back there and see family more often and the mountains every day.

Some of the things I miss:

1. Family - this is an obvious one!

2. The mountains - I think that I had taken them for granted living around them for so long. There were times when I would be driving down the road and see this beautiful view of the stunning mountains and I would be in awe. They are truly magnificent!

3. Friends - I truly have some awesome friends!

4. Rootbeer - I got my fill of that

5. Little Ceasars pizza - $5 pizza and crazy bread, yummo!

6. Cafe Rio - great mexian food!

7. Butterfinger and Baby's Ruth candy bars, Reese's pieces and peanut butter M&M's, and of course chocolate covered cinnamon bears

8. Customer service - I was in Target one day and not 10 minutes after walking into the store someone asked if they could help me find something. I was in shock! I had forgotten what costumer service really is.

9. Strawberry lemonade

10. Wendy's frosties and fries

11. Seeing temples and churches so often. Driving down Bangeter Highway I saw both the new temples being built and there are truly churches everywhere.

12. BYU football

13. Heather's delicious mint brownies - thanks again Heather!!

14. Wide streets and parking spaces

15. Peas straight out of the garden - can't wait to have my own garden and yard again

16. Family dinners - although loud and crazy I miss them on Sunday nights.

17. Wal-mart - a great deal for so little.

18. A big washer and dryer

19. Heaters inside the house - great idea you don't have to freeze inside your own house.

20. A great deal on clothes - clearance shopping at it's best!

By the time we got to LAX it was 10:30pm and Rylee was so tired. We made it to our gate and had to wait to board the airplane for the long flight to Sydney. Here is Rylee climbing into the box to check if your carry-on luggage is the right size - she fits so I guess I can carry her on the plane!

She was asleep as we headed up into the dark sky and thanks to the benefits of Benadryl she slept for most of the flight. We were lucky to sit next to a really nice lady who helped me out on occasion and talked with Rylee a lot. They gave me the window seat and left the one next to me opened for Rylee to sit in - that was a lifesaver! The flight was uneventful and really long.

After getting off the plane and going past the first customs officer - who made a comment about how much Rylee had grown up since her passport picture had been taken (remember she was only about three weeks old in her passport picture - how do they know that she is the same person?) - we headed out to get our luggage. The quarantine officer was walking around with his dog sniffing at people's bags as we waited. The dog came to our stuff and Rylee got so excited - not me because the dog stayed for a really long time and I knew that I didn't have anything bad in my bag. I was a little nervous but the officer asked if I had any bananas in my bag, to which I told him no but Rylee had eaten a banana on the plane and had probably wiped some of it on her blanket. He told me that the dog liked baby smells. Then he left. I also didn't really have to stop at customs they asked me if I had any food in my bags and I told them just some candy from the States. He told me to go on out without stopping and that was the end of that. We then headed out the doors and soon found the smiling faces of the rest of our family!

We tried to stay up all day, except a small nap in the afternoon, to counter act jet lag and remarkable when Rylee woke up at 5am this morning we felt lucky that it was that late and not 2 or 3am. We brought her in bed with us to see if she would go back to sleep - no luck - after Kev got up to get in the shower soon the other two had joined Rylee and I. I had missed our morning snuggles so much!