(insert Jimmy Fallon as SNL’s Joey Mack! Click here if you have NO IDEA what I’m talking about.)

Say what you want about Lufthansa, but we had a great 11.5hr flight from Germany to San Francisco! I think it was the bottomless Baileys, but what do I know? On the other hand, saying goodbye to Joe’s flowing locks before departure wasn’t quite as easy. I was smiling for this farewell pic, but inside my heart was crying.

Our sweet, sweet Liv was such a champ. She is truly a traveling Daddy’s girl. Now, crossing nine time zones was a different story. I have always thought that “jet lag” was a farce. Until now. Maybe it was because I found my first gray hair this month, or because I was exhausted from three years of non-stop “going”, or maybe it was because I drank too much coffee and Baileys at high altitude, but I have never struggled so hard to get my circadian rhythms back to normal.

The only person that struggled more than me was Joe. I knew we were in trouble when I smelled coffee at 3:30am accompanied by the productive sounds of stapling. Yes, stapling. When you can’t sleep and your papers are a mess…why not staple them?

It has been a crazy experience returning to a place we once knew. If you don’t think that the Earth is in crisis, spend a day driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There is no one doing Ice Bucket Challenges here!

The Golden State (no filters or color boosting here – CA really needs water!)

For every one thing that has been frustrating or saddening about realizing how much a city, state, or country has negatively changed while we were away, there was a refreshing surprise that reminded us how much we love California, being in the military, and just enjoying the good ol’ US of A.

Thankfully, garlic fries at Giant’s AT&T Park have NOT changed!

For example, I made an online reservation for Liv to return to the kennel we used during our first stint in CA. This is the response I received:

“Hi Trysta, Yay!!! Liv is coming back 🙂 I have missed her adorable face… I’m so excited to see her next week on the 14th. I saw her name and your last name and couldn’t believe it! Its been a long time since she has boarded with us.”

When I arrived, she even remembered our usual “order” of playtime, bath, and military discount. To top it off…Liv’s picture still hangs on the bulletin board! From SIX years ago! I mean, Liv is the cutest thing to happen to four-legged animals, but I never expected her to receive a love note and still be on the Wall of Fame at the kennel.

People keep asking me if I miss Germany. My response: not yet. Ironically, that is the same answer I used 3.5yrs ago when people asked me if I spoke German. Someday, I will. Probably when Joe is two months into a five month deployment and all I really want to do is sit at Feierling with him in the middle of the afternoon and enjoy an Inselhopf and plate of Obazda.

For now, I love being here. For now, our three years in Europe has gifted me with rose-colored glasses, through which my homeland looks wonderful!

Only in America…