Welcome Back!

I flew in on a Sunday night, and left Guatemala City before the crack of dawn to arrive at work on time for Monday morning.  Then, this.  What you see above is probably hour two into a nine hour wait on the highway due to protests.  Add that to the three hours it generally takes to get home, and there you have it- 12 hours between Guatemala City and Xela.  Was it fun, especially with the lack of foliage to use the bathroom?  Not exactly, but the sun was shining, and that's good enough for me.

I would rather have been at work, preparing for the new staff and workshops, but in some ways, this was the perfect "Welcome Back," along with the earthquake later on in the evening.  There was no pretending that I was still in the states, just at a different office.  Oh, no.  When you're stuck for nine hours, you have plenty of time to process that this is nothing like where you were and the transition band-aid has been ripped off in one fell swoop.

I'm back.  Its easier than I thought in most ways, and I'm thankful for the grace that exists in the rest.  I've made my rounds, looking for the kids in the park.  Dagny is back home, a couple pounds heavier, but nothing that a little boot camp can't fix.  And I have found a rhythm again.  We went to our annual "welcome" service at the Episcopal church this morning, where I caught up with the usual suspects.  I spent the afternoon in Terminal, digging through clothes piles with Kylie and enjoying an afternoon off.  I've also been practicing harmonica (more on that later, and why), but Dagny either loves it or hates it and keeps howling along, which isn't ideal.  I knew I was bad, but it can't be that awful, right?  I feel like the punchline of a joke.

I say it, and have had a hard time following through, but I will be back.  I have several projects I'm excited to share- both in photography and life in general.  I also have a handful of embarrassing stories- like the time I almost unintentionally kidnapped a woman at the airport.  So, stay tuned.

I hope you had a great weekend.