Back in the Ole US of A

Hey everyone,

I made it to Minneapolis with all my bags and only 4 hours late.

I was able to make the next flight out of Chicago to Minneapolis on standby because I had missed my original flight. At O'Hare it was confusing and slightly frustrating but that was expected. A guy I was with as we tried to get back through security asked why everyone was so angry. My answer, we are in Chicago. It was such a great welcome back experience...But it was great to be back in the US if I got stranded or something.

When I got on my flight to Minneapolis I got an email from my friend Lindsey who was stuck in Freiburg still and I that made me really sad. I was sad for her, I was sad that the experience was official over, I was excited to be done traveling, I was excited to see my dad and family, it was a wide range of emotions. Therefore I cried for probably 30 min of the hour flight. I am sure people around me thought I was ridiculous, but give me a break by that time I had been awake for 20 hours and said goodbye to great friends and I just needed to cry.

Once I got to Minneapolis I booked it to the baggage claim where my dad was waiting. I literally ran into his arms and started crying some more. Again I was tired, happy, sad all at once. It has been a crazy two days of emotions along with sometimes just being dazed. Yesterday my aunt Andrea took me to exchange my remaining Euros and I got sentimental about exchanging them, I teared up a little. I have been preparing myself for transitioning back, more so about big things, but I don't think that is going to be necessary. It's going to be the little things that get me.

I have already missed being able to use little inside jokes that my friends and I had. I had to text one of them last night so I could get it out into the universe. I became really close with some of them and I am going to miss them a lot. But as Kayla said, when we reunion (used as a verb) it will all be good again.

I am hanging out with family and doing Christmas Eve traditions later tonight, watching Die Hard (the first one was around Christmas so therefore they are Christmas movies).

I hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years and Holidays wherever they are.

This will be my last blog. Thank you for reading. It has been a great experience and a chapter of my life I will never forget and one that I am so glad I had the courage to do. Thank you everyone for your support and love as I have been abroad.

I love y'all

Cass