January 1st: Yesterday, I slept in and then ran outside with my sisters. My dad made some awesome steaks for dinner J. A little after supper I decided to make some homemade popcorn!! I had not done that in awhile, so it was nice to be able to do that. In the evening I watched a movie with my mom, sisters, and Amy. It was fun to spend some time with them J.
December 31st: On New Year’s Eve, I made egg rolls with my family. It has been a tradition for many years and one that we all love. This year, it was even more special because all seven of us were together J. My brother and his wife flew in from Michigan to spend some time in the Burg. It had been about 8 months since we all had been together. When we were all at Liberty University, it was the norm to all be at the house, but now it is a rarity. Dr. Farver, one of my professors at Liberty, also came over to fellowship with my family. After the egg rolls were made and some of them consumed, we watched some football and then played Apples to Apples, which is a blast! I stayed up long enough to ring in the New Year and then went to bed shortly thereafter.
December 30th: We had family pictures today :). We had not taken family pictures since my freshman year at Liberty, so I think it was about time that we update them. Plus, we have a new member to the family!! We had a lot of FUN getting the pictures done. The photographer did an excellent job taking the pics. I will post a few of them on here when I get them. In the afternoon I went to the mall with my siblings and Amy. We had a few hours to relax and then we went out to eat at an amazing Japanese Restaurant in Lynchburg. It is a restaurant that cooks the food in front of you…so good!! In the evening, we watched “Night in the Museum 2” as a family. I ended up falling asleep about half way through.
December 29th: I slept in until about 9:30 a.m. because we stayed up and talked until about 1:30 or so in the morning. I, along with my sisters and Brittany talked for awhile, and then it was time for Brittany to head back home. For lunch my mom practically fixed a Thanksgiving meal consisting of Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. One thing I can say, I have not gone hungry while I have been home J. In the afternoon I went to a few stores with my sisters and got a few things to take back over to Turkey. I stocked up on some granola bars and essentials that are not found in Turkey.
December 28th: Today I slept in. I have been sleeping so good at home!! Thankfully the time change (7 hours forward in Turkey) has not bothered me coming back to the States, but I have a feeling I will notice it when I go back to Turkey. I had some trouble for the first few weeks being able to fall asleep at a decent time. I went over to the Vines Center and ran the steps with my sisters J. It was fun seeing where my sisters and I had spent the past four years playing. In the afternoon I set out with my sisters and one of our friends to Charlottesville, VA. Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia. The Lady Flames were playing in a tournament there, so I thought it would be great to be able to see them play! The last time I was in the UVA gym, was when I played in there my sophomore year of college. It was pretty neat, because we were able to beat them!! The girls played Cornell for the first round of the tournament and beat them pretty handily. We decided to stay for the second game, which saw UVA beat Samford. Samford gave them a run for their money though. It was so fun being able to see the girls again, as well as some of the AWESOME Liberty people and fans J. We got home around 10:30 p.m. and then my sisters and I stayed up talking with Brittany (friend that came with us to the game). Brittany played at Virginia Tech, so I had played against her a few times. I had a blast catching up with her!! My brother and his wife flew into Roanoke around 10:45 p.m. and my parents went and picked them up. They got to the house around 11:30 p.m. They were pretty tired, so I did not talk to them for long, before they decided to go to bed.
December 27th: I was able to go to Thomas Road Baptist Church!!! I have missed my church in the States, so it was refreshing to be able to go again. I met up with a friend that I met when I was rehabbing from my ACL. She has a little girl now, so she came along with her daughter to church. After church we went out to eat and had a great time of fellowship. I didn’t do too much in the afternoon…it was nice to be able to relax J
December 26th: Arrived in Lynchburg around 5:00 p.m. We ordered some Chinese food to eat at home which was amazing!! I had not had some good Chinese food in awhile, so it was great to be able to get some J. After supper my sisters and I went and visited some friends and fans of Liberty Women’s Basketball, the Dupriest’s. Gary is recovering from ankle surgery, so we went and visited with him and his wife for a little bit. It was so great seeing both of you again and getting to spend some time with you! Praying for both of you. I went to be around 10:00 because I was pretty tired.
Whew, I think I am about all caught up. I wish each and every one of YOU God’s richest blessings in the year to come!!
Please keep me in your prayers as I will be in Turkey for the next 3 ½ months.
God bless,
Megan