Finally!

Here are some pictures of reasons I'm glad to be home! :)


Lots of time to hang out with the coolest almost-10-yr-old in the world!!!


"3-generations" get togethers. Here I'm with my Grandmother and my Mom for dinner at Springmoor, the extremely nice "retirement village" where my Grandparents live. Wish I could live there too! haha :)


A WHOLE day of shopping with Shannon, my best friend since the 6th grade. Wow...the 6th grade. I can hardly believe we've known each other that long. She knows everything about me, and she STILL wants to be my friend. ;) What a blessing she is to me! I've also loved seeing her precious baby girl, Savannah, who is about 1 1/2 years old now.




Babysitting Lauryn and having a ball. I'm so thankful I am able to be here to see this stage of her life!! She's so much fun, and such a sweet baby.



















Here she is all ready for game day! Go panthers!! Daddy's training her right from the beginning. Poor girl doesn't stand a chance. ;)















Thanksgiving day: Mom and Dad working together to get the cooked Turkey to the carving platter. My first Thanksgiving at home in three years!!










Cheryl and I putting the lights on the Christmas tree. Notice I am wearing a sweat
shirt. That's because it's COLD outside... as it SHOULD be at Christmas. No more hot Christmas like last year. Hooray!




Hope you all enjoyed this as much as me. :) Goodnight.
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

adjusting...

Well... since last time I updated a few things have happened. This past Thursday was Thanksgiving. I hadn't been able to be with my family the last 2 years at Thanksgiving, so it was nice to be with everyone this year. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to enjoy all the amazing food that everyone prepared! As of Wednesday of last week I was still feeling fluish and I was really praying to feel better on Thursday... I would've been so upset if after 2 years of missing Thanksgiving I still wasn't able to enjoy it! But, all was well, and though I couldn't handle very much food, I was able to at least taste everyone's culinary creations! :) Maybe it was good that I wasn't feeling 100%... that way I didn't overeat like everyone always does on Thanksgiving! It was so awesome to be with my family though. It's times like that that I am glad to be home.

Tonight we put our Christmas tree up in the house. That was also something I'd missed out on the last 2 years. Though I was home for Christmas 2 years ago, I was away at training until right before Christmas, so I missed all of the preparations. Again I say, it these things that makes me happy to be here.

Overall though... it's really weird to be here, and to be staying here. This would all be absolutely wonderful if this were a vacation... even if it were a long vacation! I could settle my nerves more if I knew I could enjoy this time, and then go back to Jo'burg. But I'm set to teach here for 2 years. 2 years... I wasn't even in Jo'burg a whole 2 years and my life was changed by the time I left. Anything could happen here in 2 years. Who knows what that will be? In all honesty, it freaks me out to be applying and interviewing for a full-time job. It's exciting - it really is! And I look forward to having my own classroom again and being in one place. But at the same time I feel like I don't know where I'm going half the time. I mean, I don't have a goal in mind. In school you always have a destination - graduation. College is the same... After I graduated college I knew I had to work for about 5 months and then I'd be off to training and then to South Africa. When I was in SA, I knew I had 2 years there. But now I don't know what's next. I was chatting with a friend of mine here who is a couple years older than me and she said she went through the same thing when she finished seminary last year. She gave me some good advice. She said she'd always trusted God with the segments of her life, but that she now had to learn to trust Him with the whole picture. So that's what I'm trying to learn and do now... trust Him with my life... my whole life. It's so hard to explain what I'm feeling right now, and if you're reading this and somehow understand what I'm trying to say, I'd love to hear your comments. Anyone out there felt like this before? I guess I'm just in the midst of a big transition point right now. It has its good points and its bad points. I'll try to post some photos soon to show you some of the good points! :) I'd better be going to bed soon...

Cheers,
Bonnie

PS - today at my parent's church a lady whom I adore came up to me and said that she had just met a guy from Johannesburg who in in Harnett county (a neighbouring county). He's here teaching through an international faculty program. Her husband is going to call me with his phone number. I may have found a South African friend. Hooray! :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

in recovery...

Sorry it's been a few days since I last updated... I'm getting slack! Actually though, I have a bit of an excuse. Sunday after church I finally got to go out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant with some friends. It's the first time since I've been back. I was so excited. Well, about an hour after lunch I started feeling bad. So, no problemo... I laid down, thinking I'd be fine after a nap. Well, after about an hour of no sleeping, I got up... walked around my room a bit in a daze, and proceded to... umm... get sick. Now, I haven't really been sick is YEARS! I literally can't remember the last time I was sick. Well, Mom rushed to the rescue to take care of me and I downed some Pepto Bismol right away. It didn't help any though... I was up till 12:30 going through a process of stomach cramp, stomach purge, stomach feeling great, stomach cramp... you get the picture. Pepto became my drink of choice, that's for sure... don't know how much good it did though. I couldn't sleep Sunday night because I was so sick... well, I think I slept 2 hours... On Monday I was extremely exhausted from lack of sleep and no food being in my system. I was supposed to have an interview on Monday, but that obviously did NOT happen! I could hardly even manage to drink some dilluted gatorade and eat a few saltine crackers. Ugh - it is NOT fun being sick!!! I've been pretty much ok today, though my stomach's felt a little "iffy" at times. We had stir-fry for dinner tonight and that was definately a mistake. Needless to say, the Pepto came back out. Blah... I'm going to bed!!

On a positive note, I did manage to go to my interview today and I think it went fairly well. I'll let you know soon!

Cheers!!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

The search begins (well... kinda)

I'm about to seriously start looking for a job, and I'd really appreciate people's prayers. I'm really nervous about the whole process. I'm trying to remain calm and trust God though! Knowing and trusting that He already has my job picked out for me does help. The whole finding it part isn't so fun though! I haven't done a real interview in a long time. I also haven't taught in a real classroom in a long time. It'll be nice though... to have my own classroom again, and to spend time really getting to know my students. That's something I missed in SA... I LOVED my students, and got to know a few, but getting to know over 400 kids is quite difficult when you only see them once a week at best. :) I found my official State teaching license tonight... *big sigh of relief* Now I just have to tweak my resume and start sending it out... fun fun. Hopefully soon I'll be posting that I have a new job! (if I don't, the evil scholarship people may start harping on me again, and that's no fun). Well, it's almost 1am here and time for me to go to bed. It's crazy for me to think that if I were in SA I'd probably be waking up now! So... goodnight America and good morning South Africa. :)

Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Going to get my luggage!

Tuesday morning, early, my Mom and I are driving up to Washington, DC to get my final 2 pieces of luggage. It will be so nice to finally have everything in one place... my cats, me, and all 4 pieces of luggage.

I've finally got a cell phone that can send and receive messages to and from South Africa! So... South Africans, send me a note and let me know how much you miss me!! :) To sms me, you'd dial 09-1-919-721-1591

This past weekend was my friend, Candace's, wedding. It's crazy... the people I grew up with are all getting married! My Mom and I babysat Lauryn all day on Saturday. I'm sure some people there probably thought Lauryn was mine, but that's ok. She's adorable, so I'd claim her any day! I did earn a new appreciation for mothers though... I'm great with toddlers and preschoolers... but infants are another story! I'm sure it will be different when I have one of my own, but it's hard work taking care of a baby... and Lauryn's a GOOD baby - I'd hate to have a bad one! :)

Well, I'd better go to bed since I have to wake up early and I don't want to be too sleepy for the driving. I'll put some pictures online soon...

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The long awaited visit...

I finally got to go to Starbucks Coffee today!!! I ordered a Grande Peppermint Mocha Frappachino. It was all I was hoping it would be. I visited with my Grandmother today and we did a little shopping and before we went home, she treated me to my first Starbucks since being back in the States... mmm mmm good!




Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Why I came home...

Today for the first time I got a little sad... I was driving home from a great lunch with my friend Chris and for some reason I just started being sad about not being in South Africa. Well, tonight was the kids events and choirs at my parents' church and my nephews finished their activities before the adults get out of choir. They usually have to wait for their Dad to finish choir, but since I was free, I picked them up and brought them back to the house. We enjoyed some ice cream and then I got to do something I haven't done in 2 years. I got to read to them!! I am a kids-book-aholic. So, we picked out some classics and had some good old fashioned fun. Ahh... this is why I came back. :)

Zachary

Brian, Jr.

Reading to the boys!!!


Aunt Bonnie and the boys! :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Catching up...

For those of you still reading... :)

I've spent these first few days trying to see old friends and catch up with them. On Sunday all of my local family came over for dinner after church and then Sunday night my best friend, Shannon, came over with her little girl, Savannah. Savannah was born only a few months after I arrived in South Africa, so she's already toddling around and getting into trouble! She's adorable though. It's so strange to see my best friend, whom I've known since the 6th grade, as a Mom!

Monday my Dad was brave enough to ride in the car with me as I practiced and relearned to drive on thr left side of the car on the right side of the road. My car here's automatic too, so I kept wanting to change gears! But I think I did pretty well. No catastophes. :) The hardest part is turning because I still have a tendancy to want to turn into the left side of the road. But I had the same problem in South Africa when I started driving, so I'm sure it'll get easier as I drive more. Today I'll drive to Durham by myself, so pray all goes well!!

Yesterday (Tuesday) my friend Candace picked me up and I rode with her go to pick up flowers for her wedding on Saturday. Then we came back to Sanford and processes flowers ALL day long! (meaning we took the leaves off, de-thorned them, and cut the bottoms off). It was a new experience and it was great to catch up with Candace and see her new house!

Today I'm going to Durham to have lunch with Chris and Amber. That'll be fun. Haven't seen them in a while (although they both came to South Africa at different times during my time there).

My kitties are doing well. Oreo is the braver of the two and ventures out of my room on occaion. Bud (my old 17 year old cat) isn't real fond of her, but he has no claws and no teeth, so he just tries to intimidate her by hissing. She stands her ground though! They'll get used to each other eventually. Wallace hangs out in my room 99% of the time. He at least comes out from under the bed now! Right now they're both sitting beside me on my bed. Sweet kitties. :) Even though I'm flat broke now (more so than I EVER was in SA), they were worth every penny.

Well, better go get this day started!! Thanks for checking in on me. :)

Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Back in NC

Well... I'm back! It's pretty crazy when I really think about it. Sometimes I feel like it was just a wierd dream that I just woke up from. Then I realize that it wasn't a dream and that I'm really here. I am very sleepy right now... I really should be in bed, but I just wanted to update here and let you all know that I'm home. I had quite an ordeal in DC where they canceled my flight and put me on a 10pm flight. There was an earlier flight with another airline, but they wouldn't switch it to that one. And if I'd taken the 10pm flight, most of my family wouldn't have been able to stay up and come to the airport. So, I paid $150 out of my own little pocket to book the earlier flight! Then my luggage came through with the late flight! So my wonderful Dad went back to the airport that night to fetch my luggage. Crazy... the whole time I was in DC, I never got to sit down (literally) because I was going from terminal to terminal trying to figure out what was going on. When I finally bought the ticket for the 7:50 flight, it was about 7:00. Then as I was going through the check-point, they "randomly selected" me for a more thorough security check. It was all I could do not to cry (I think I was actually pretty teary-eyed). I'd already been through so much already that if I'd missed the flight I would've just lost it!! After getting through the check point I had to ride a little bus to get to the right terminal, and then when I got to the terminal, my gate was literally the farthest away!! The feeling that I had once I sat down on that airplane was so indescribably wonderful. I knew that in less than an hour I'd see my family! Well, not much later I finally got to NC and got to see my family!!!! It was so incredible to see them all. A few of my friends from the Summit also surprised me at the airport. :) So nice! Well, before I fall alseep at the computer, here are some photos from my arrival... Enjoy.

Waiting for me to arrive...

Me coming down the escalator to the baggage claim area where my family was waiting!
My nephew, Brian :)

Meeting my baby niece, Lauryn for the first time!!



Some of my friends from the Summit came to say hello too!
Well, I have a lot more pictures, but I'm having trouble getting them online. These will have to do for now! Enjoy... I'm going to bed!! :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy Birthday to you...

Well, it's the 3rd here in South Africa, but in NC it's still the 2nd and that means it's my Dad's birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! Incase you don't know, my Dad's awesome... he's going all the way to DC just to get my ktties for me on Friday!! Hooray for Dad. :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

and the wacked out sleep schedule begins...

Well, I can't sleep. My stomach's in knots. *sigh* I figure I'll just go ahead and get up and hang out with Jesus for longer than normal this morning. :) I'll even get to see the sun rise, so that'll be nice. Maybe I'll be able to take a nap later this afternoon after college. Tonight some friends are coming over to hang out and say final goodbyes. I could really use everyone's prayers. Final goodbyes are not my forte... especially on little sleep. I'm pretty sure I won't sleep much tonight (Thursday night) either... too much to think about for Friday. And of course after that I'll be flying and dealing with jet lag! Any bets as to the next night I'll actually have a solid night's rest?? As for now... let's get this day started. :)

Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Try things for yourself...

This is the lesson I've just learnt. When I first came to SA, my roommate told me that rooibos tea is gross. I believed her. Did I ever try it? Nope... not until last night when I randomly bought some and decided to try it. Who would've thunk it... I like the stuff. Shame I'm leaving SA!! I'll have to take it back with me. :)

On another note, my kitties are airborne now! They're on their way to Amsterdam and then to Washington, DC. I promise those boxes are bigger than they look! Happy travels kitties...

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Last Bible study at Northcliff :(

Well, tonight was my last Northcliff Young Adult Bible study. Sad night! But you know what? I didn't cry! God is so good. He's giving me more peace everyday about going home. South Africans, don't get me wrong... I am VERY sad about leaving, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of cry moments in the States, but I was reminded tonight that God has placed me back in America for such a time as this. And who am I to argue with God?! Anyway, I'm sleepy now. Here are a couple pictures from tonight. (Chris, does my nose ring still look like mole?? Better not!)

Meet Pastor Dan...

Go ahead and say it... we look hot. It's ok... We know it. ;)

You all should know Eric by now. :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81