HOME!

I am home.
I can't really believe that its been this long.
Traveling the way I have is a very different experience than any I've ever had before. I really get to know the people that I am staying with a lot better, and I think its great that my family is as close as it is, where I can feel welcome staying with cousins-once-removed and second cousins for a period of time.
It's also different for me, who has never spent long periods of time away from home. I got homesick every now and again, but never too bad. It's different than living on your own or being in college because I had no opportunities to meet and make friends with new people. I met a lot of new people, but I never got to see them again, like you would at school or at a job. I feel like that is what made me more homesick than anything else. I didn't have anyone that I could just hang out with.
On the other hand, I think it was a great way for me especially to travel, because I could do whatever I wanted. I could go into the city and just wander around and do whatever I wanted (which is great because I love wandering around new places). I didn't have to worry about or comply with anyones opinion except mine.
I feel like this was also a stress free way of traveling, or at least a less stressful way. I can go and do and see, but I don't have to cram everything into a couple of days, I've got a couple of weeks. Plus, I don't have to go and do things every day. I can take a break and sleep in until noon if I want to.
For those of you asking what my favorite part has been so far, I have no good answer. It was all so different. I can't compare hiking a mountain, seeing Broadway plays, spending time with my grandpa, going whale watching, walking around New York City, having Maine lobster, being able to hop on a ten minute train and explore Boston. They are all so different. They are all wonderful experiences that I hope I never forget.
Now that I'm home, I hope to keep up the blog until I set off on the next leg of the trip after the New Year. It'll be nice to be home for the holidays.
I really want to thank everyone who has let me stay with them on my journey. They let me sleep in their house, fed me, paid for my meals when we went out, paid for admissions to museums and plays, took me on road trips, and spent all of their free time with me instead of what they would normally be doing. I really can't thank everyone enough, its been a wonderful experience so far, and I appreciate everything.
Its nice to be home.

Red Cross

Thursday, Mom had a blood drive in a mall, so I decided to tag along.
For those of you who didn't know, my mom works for the American Red Cross, and she draws blood (well, supervises people who draw blood). So she goes out on a lot of blood drives to a lot of different places. Thursday she was in a mall, so I tagged along to spend time with mom, help out, and if I ever got bored I could go shopping. (:
It was actually pretty fun. We got there and it was pretty busy, but after the initial rush it was basically dead most of the evening. Because there was no volunteer for this drive, I checked people in. Basically, I told people to sign in, wrote their name on a sticker, and gave them that book thing that everyone is supposed to read when they give blood.
Since it was so slow, we didn't really have a lot to do, and so I crocheted a bit, shopped a bit, and got to hang out with mom and the other girls working.

The one thing I didn't do was give blood.
I've given blood twice in the past, and fainted (and puked.. gross) both times.
I tried to give blood the second time even though I had previously fainted because I have 0- blood, the rarest and always in demand blood. O Negative is the universal blood type, meaning everyone can take use my blood.
So I tried to give a second time and I fainted, so I think I'll give it a rest for a bit. I may try again, but not right now.

Deserted Beach, Jamestown, Williamsburg, & the Outlet Mall

Sorry for the lack of blogs lately!
It's been hard because Mom & Justin are at work all week, so we only really get out on weekends (and last weekend it was hurricane-ing). We did have a chance to get out this weekend though!
Mom had Friday off, so we decided to see what Virginia Beach looks like in early November after a hurricane.
Well, the hurricane didn't effect it very much. We really got pretty lucky where we are and didn't get hit too bad. It made landfall up North enough that we didn't get much permanent damage to the area.
Anyway, the beach does look very different in November than when I am used to going in tourist season. For those of you who haven't been to Virginia Beach during tourist season, it is a pretty popular place. Well, Friday it wasn't very popular. There were a few people out walking their dogs, a couple flying a kite, some fellow boardwalk walkers, and surfers in neck to toe wetsuits. The beach is lined with large hotels and shops, that in the summer are full of tourists. Mom and I walked past a lot of empty shops and hotels.

Saturday, Mom, Aunt Sharon, and I went to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and the outlet mall.
It was a lot of fun to be with Mom and Aunt Sharon all day.
We started out at Jamestown.
Jamestown has the a replication of the old fort that was originally built there, and a museum/exhibit on the history behind the colony. It was really pretty nice, and a lot of fun to explore. It's crazy to think what it would be like as a colonist in Jamestown in the 1600s.

After Jamestown, we went to Williamsburg. Williamsburg and Jamestown are really close to each other, which made the day pretty convenient. By the time we finished Jamestown we were getting pretty hungry, and were ready for lunch. We had a fiasco finding a parking spot, but once we did we started walking down Colonial Williamsburg. We walked quite a while past a bunch of little shops and people dressed in colonial garb before we found a place to eat that didn't have a long waiting list. We walked downstairs, where we were seated and served by a serving wench, with the only light in the room being a candle on each table. Its starting to get chilly outside, and being out all morning, we all got hot apple cider. It hit the spot with some really nice flavor (almost as good as Tanners for those of you from home). The menu had some nice options, but the special for the day was a roast beef sandwich with mozzarella and grilled mushrooms and onions, and it sounded great to all of us. It was pretty delicious. After that we walked back and stopped in on some of the shops that we had passed on the way to lunch. They were selling little trinkets and things that were kinda neat, but we didn't end up with anything.

After our day outside exploring the early colonies, being girls and all, we decided to go to the outlet mall. There were some great deals at the outlet, and I ended up buying a new coat for half price at Colombia, and mom got me a new purse as well (thanks mom!). I told her she can't send me anything for christmas now that she bought me a purse. It's adorable as well. :)