July 27, 2017
7:00 pm
Chillicothe, OH
Hey guys,
Remember how last time I posted I mentioned going out of the country for my visa requirements? Well I did that and you’ll never guess where I am. If you take a look at the date and time mentioned at the top of this post, you’ll also see my location. That’s right! I’M HOME!
For those of you who don’t know, I arrived in the USA on Tuesday, July 18th at 9:56 pm. I’m sorry I didn’t let you all know sooner. Originally, it was because I wanted to make sure all of my family knew that I was home. Then, it was because I was running around like crazy and was hanging out with my sisters, and I just plain forgot. But now I’m telling you all “I’M HOME!”
So here’s the full story:
About a week after I accepted my new job, I sat down with my department head and the visa officer to figure out my next steps. They informed me that it would take about a month to get my new Foreign Expert’s Certificate (a document that proves I’m able to teach in China) and then I would have to repeat the same visa process I did last time. During that time, I couldn’t work. So I had two options: 1. I could complete the process in China and go to somewhere like Hong Kong for a few days and then return to China. 2. I could come home and complete the process exactly like I did before I left for China in the first place. So, basically, I could either spend 30 days in China, by myself, trying to find something to do with myself, or I could spend a month with my family. Guess which one I chose!
So, I talked to my dad and a couple other secret keepers to help me get home without the rest of my family (or anyone else, for that matter) knowing. Dad worked to make sure everyone would be around when I arrived and helped me figure out the best way to surprise them. Aaron McClay, a close friend of mine, gave me the surprise idea and helped me pull it off. Aaron planned to meet me at the airport, since getting Dad to Cincinnati late on a Tuesday night may have caused some eyebrows to rise—except it really wouldn’t have because most of the family turned out to be at a Reds game anyway. We then crashed at Aaron’s parent’s house for the night and headed up to Chillicothe early the next morning.
Originally, the plan was for me to show up at the house after everyone returned from Forced Family Fun (Brandon Hanes’ Great Seal Training Camp) and surprise everyone there. That plan fell through, though, when Dad called and said that no one would be home after FFF, because of running to different sports events. Since both Xi and Jai had soccer camp at the soccer fields, we decided to meet the family there. Dad made sure to get everyone to the fields and Aaron and I would meet them there. We sat at the gas station and watched for their cars and, once Lauren pulled in, we followed her to the fields. When I got out of the car, only Lo and Xi could see me. They looked at me with confusion for a while, then I waved, then they continued to look confused. So I just kinda awkwardly turned towards the other car. Then, from behind me, I heard XiXi say, “Wait a second,” and Lo say, “What…?” At that point, Jai could see me. In a flurry of motion, I was in a big group hug (except for Meg, who I guess was too cool for all of that). There were a lot of questions and a lot of crying, but it just felt so good to be home.
Once we got through our hellos, everyone went their separate ways. Aaron played my chauffeur and the rest of the day was spent surprising more family members and getting some of the visa process started. I was very excited to finally meet Miss Sophia Ann MacKenzie (Sylvia and Mac’s little girl) and Mo (XiXi’s puppy). My favorite part of surprising everyone was by far their first reactions. The first thing that came out of almost everyone’s mouth was, “What are you doing here?!” Then I got a big hug, sometimes with tears, but always with more love than I could ever imagine. It’s so wonderful to be home. I love it. And while I miss everyone and everything about Beijing, it’s amazing to finally be back here.
So, here’s the deal. I’m trying to make my rounds and get to everyone, but there are a lot of you to see. I will work my butt off to get to you all, but if y’all want to make it a bit easier for me, we are having a picnic at the house on Sunday, July 30th starting at 2pm. It’s open to everyone. Here’s my dad’s invitation on FB:
Please come join us for our annual Chrysalis/Discipleship/Friends/Family picnic. Bring your friends and family to enjoy the experience. The zip line is up. So is the water trampoline. We plan to operate the climbing wall. We’ll be playing Ultimate Frisbee, basketball and racquetball. Lots of fun.
We will begin about 2:00, eat about 4:00, worship about 6:00 and depart about 8:00 (or later).
Bring a swim suit (one piece only please) and towel. We’ll provide hot dogs and drinks. Bring a dessert, snack or other dish to share if you can (but don’t let it stop you if you can’t). Adults may want to bring lawn chairs. Bring shoes appropriate for Ultimate. Most people who don’t bring swim stuff and tennis shoes, wish they did!
We plan to have the climbing wall open. If you’d like to climb, please bring tennis shoes and a waiver form (if you’re under 18 and a parent won’t be with you). I will attach the form if I can figure out how. ;o) If you don’t see a link to the form, message me your email address and I’ll send it to you.
I can’t wait to see you all! Whether it’s Sunday or another day, I hope I get to see you before I head back. I’ll let you know for sure when that will be ;0)
Blessings,
Kristen
