England in Review / Back in Vienna / Counting Down the Hours

Friends! Friends! Friends! I'm back in Vienna with time for proper blogging! I kind of fell off the grid in England. I was enjoying myself too much eating scones and tea, visiting castles and petting sheep in the beautiful English countryside. I'm not joking when I say it was one of the best experiences of my life! Vienna is a wonderful place and I love it, but it's just not the same seeing these wonderful things by yourself. Getting to experience England with people I love was the best thing ever. I had so much fun with Chelsey and Jon that I started scheming about my next trip :)

Thank you to those of you who prayed for my travels. They went very smoothly. I was a little nervous with all of the connections (30 minute train ride to bus station, 2 hour bus ride to airport, 2.5 hour plane ride), but everything was fine and I made each connection with time to spare. After all of that anxiety, seeing Chels and Jon standing there waiting for me at the airport overwhelmed me with joy and relief. I couldn't help but cry when I finally squeezed them tight.

I think my favorite part of England was the castles and manor homes that we visited. I felt like such a child in my excitement, but really, I was finally fulfilling my childhood dreams, so I think I was justified. It was completely amazing to go into the houses and see what life was like hundreds of years ago. Disney World ain't got nothing on these places! One major highlight of the trip was getting to have creamed tea and scones with Chels at one of the manor homes. It's funny because Vienna has such a strong cafe culture that drinking tea (even though we have tea every afternoon in PA) seemed so new to me.

But can I just say that scones with clotted cream and jam are one of the most delicious things I've ever experienced. I think God said one day, "I love these humans so much that I'm going to give them yet another piece of my love in the form of scones with clotted cream and jam." I thought about them all week after that.

So of course, saying goodbye to my big sis was extremely hard. She dropped me off at the airport and when I caught a last glimpse of her as I entered security, I was completely overwhelmed and couldn't hold back my emotions. I bet it was pathetic to see, but I was completely unaware of anything else besides my aching heart. I don't know how to describe how special spending time with Chels was for me. All good things come from God and He really went over and above this time. I was so sad to leave her, but I couldn't stop praising God and thanking Him for that precious week together. Imagine if the Lord came to you one day and handed you a box with a bright red ribbon tied around it and said, "here's a gift from your own Almighty Father." That's what this week was like for me - a personal gift from God.

Here's a link to my photos if you'd like to check them out:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3210333&id=9387230&l=c5fad4cb77.

So now I'm back in Vienna for the weekend with some down time. I spent the whole day writing my internship paper that's due on Monday. I forgot that I'll be traveling home then, so I've had to scurry and get it done before I leave. I'm headed out at 6:45 on Monday morning to start my long journey home. I have a layover in Venice and Philadelphia then finally to Pittsburgh if all goes well. Will you please pray for me? I'm getting a little nervous. I keep thinking about what happened last time. *Shudder* I never want to miss a flight again. But I know that whatever happens, my beloved friend Jesus is by my side the whole time.

I can't believe this summer is almost over. I'm actually trying not to think about leaving. Today when I was talking to the Lord, all I could say was "thank you so much for everything, Father," over and over again. I'll need weeks to process all of this!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post again before I leave, but I'll try. In case I don't, thank you sincerely for your prayers - you don't know how much they mean to me! And I'm excited to get back and see a lot of you soon! You've been my abiding happy thought this summer and I thank God for you :) Love you guys!