Simply Abundant: Back Where I Come From

Life on the road...14,000 miles in 3 months, a new city everyday, and sleeping on a different couch every night. Growing up I always heard bands singing about life on the road and how they much miss home. So when I decided to hit the road for myself I thought I knew a little bit of what I was in for. Invisible Children does a great job preparing people for the difficulties of the road but there truly is nothing that can prepare a person for the constant uncertainties that lie ahead on the road.

Three months on the road sounds like a long time, and it is, but just like all of the other incredible things I have been able to experience in my life, my time on the road came to an end way quicker than I could have expected. Three months of living on the road came to pass in what felt like a quick road trip with my best friends. I am eternally grateful for the experience of the road. I will probably never be able to fully recount everything that I have learned along the way both from my incredible teammates and my new found friends that we met along the way.

Every time I go away from home for a while I am always happy to get out and take part in the crazy adventure that has become my life, but there is always a little part of my that is back home with my family. From the time I was born I was surrounded with such an amazing family that loved me and cared for me. My grandparents have always lived close by and I have a bond with my family for which I am eternally grateful. There are so many fond memories that my heart hold dear in this small Ohio town.

As our 3 month journey on the road was coming to an end, my life came screeching to a halt. I got a phone call that my parents had been in a serious car accident. They were going to be okay but they were going to need a lot of assistance for the next few weeks. I was so torn, we still had a solid 2 days of driving to get back to San Diego, then I still another week of responsibilities to see to there; but I wanted so badly to be there for my family during this time. I knew what I had to do, we would book it back to San Diego and I would catch an early flight back to Ohio.

This proved to be a difficult transition. I had to get back to San Diego, reunite withe the 52 most incredible people I have ever met, and then leave them to go home and be with my parents to help them see to the ordinary details of life, which at this point were too much for them. All of this while trying to process what the heck had just happened to the past 3 months of my life. Getting back to Ohio was great though, I would get to spend a solid 2 weeks with my family before I had to jet off again to Uganda.

My first night back in Ohio, I was instantly reminded why I love this place so much. There are two things that are especially close to my heart in Ohio, incredibly loving people and of course... the lake. Here's are a few pictures from my first nights at home....Enjoy.