Made it back!!

So I've made it back safe and sound from my whirlwind Portugal/Spain trip. I will provide more details later (i.e. when I can upload all of the pictures that will help me to remember what I did on this trip, cause there was a LOT!), but I just wanted to say hi to everyone and let you know I'm back on this side of the pond. It was sooooo good to see Jerry. I hold it together fairly well these days with him being gone, but I miss him more than words can say. There were definitely tears in the Madrid airport (and not just on my part, although I was responsible for a marjority of them...sorry Jerry!)

Two transatlantic flights gives you a lot of time to think, and one thing I realized during this trip - I am one incredibly blessed and lucky person. I mean, I already knew that, but trips like this really bring it back into perspective for me, you know? I have one amazing husband and one really cool kid (about to have one more really cool kid!!) My parents and in-laws are the greatest people on the face of the earth to pretty much drop everything they are doing to take care of Carrie so I could go have this experience of visiting Jerry and getting to mark two more countries off my "to visit" list. I have a lifestyle such that I can go to all these great countries and have all of these wonderful (and not so great) travel experiences (just wait till I blog about the hotel train, folks). I have been to many more countries than most people will ever get to go to in their lives, and I'm only 32. For the most part I have my health. There are people WAY worse off than me, although I confess that sometimes I have to remind myself of that when my Crohn's is flaring and I feel like whining. I still have a job in this economic climate, and Jerry was able to land one.

All in all, I think I'm a pretty lucky gal.