Our 1st Trip Home to the U.S.A.!!

Our first trip back to the U.S.A. started with a five and a half hour

lay over in the Kuwait airport, that was fun. Not really!

Next, 14 hours to Washington, DC. Two hour lay over and then a short flight to Charlotte, NC! Even though our flight was ending there our travels were not over. We picked up our

luggage and met a dear friend who had our winter coats!!! We gave her all our luggage most

of our luggage, and then went up to arrivals to check into one more flight. A direct

flight to New Orleans. When we arrived there more than 24 hours after we left

Abu Dhabi we were just a tad tired!!

Laugh all you want but this was an incredibly happy sight for me!!! Chick-fil-a!!!!!!

We spent four days in Lousianna in two locations enjoying family. We got to see Barry's mom and both his brothers and their wives. It was really nice just "hanging out" together. I didn't pick the camera up to often, but it was good times!!

Nephew Ryan sporting his new Abu Dhabi t-shirt!!

Uncle Barry and Ryan "rough-housing", they had a lot a fun!!

The we hopped back on a plane to Charlotte, but just for one night. The next morning we were off to Raleigh, about a 3 1/2 hour drive. There we saw our daughter Nikki, our son Billy, and his wife Jennifer. We spent four days there and would you believe never took a picture until the last night there!!

Dinner at The Melting Pot with Billy and Jennifer the night before we left.

The next morning we headed back to Charlotte! That night we went to a wedding reception for a dear friends son and daughter-in-law who were married in Florida two weeks prior. It was wonderful to spend the evening celebrating this new couple and seeing so many old friends!

Dave, Barry, and Bob just hanging out!!

Teresa, Rhonda, Debbie, and myself. A whole lot better than the last

picture the four of us had taken at a wedding!! That weekend we got to see even more old friends at United Faith and meet their new Pastor. The we were back on the road! We headed to Charleston for a vacation, all the details are in the next blog!

Then Barry headed back to Abu Dhabi and I had ten more days in the U.S.A.

Book Club at Debbie's house. From the left; JoEllen, Debbie, Cindy, Rhonda, Carol, and Teresa. They all (most of them) read "Mother Without A Mask" and them I brought them headscarves from here and we talked about the lives of the women here. It was fun to join them! It's the book club I would be in if I lived in Charlotte!!

One of my favorite days in Charlotte was going to the Billy Graham Library. Teresa and I spent several hours here. It was such to blessing to see how many lives have been touched through one man who was faithful to his call.

My last Sunday in the Charlotte I went to Hope Church. My friend Teresa does a spectacular job setting up a nursery and children's area every weekend in a movie theater in north Charlotte. She is one of the team Pastors at Hope Church and I was quite impressed and blessed by the entire morning!!

A few more days "hanging out" with friends and then back to Abu Dhabi!! It was great to not travel alone though, my mom joined me! And as I looked forward to getting "home. she was looking forward to seeing Abu Dhabi for the first time.