Enjoying a blissful walk

You know those days where so many things remind you of a significant time in your life that you end up enjoying the memories all day long?

My blissful walk down memory lane began last night. I went to bed in a laughter-induced haze after listening to a tape I made as a missionary with one of my companions, Jackie. She & her so-perfect-for-her-husband made a stop here last night on their way to Miami for a 6 month internship.

Side note: The luxurious Kentucky location of the Harper Hotel will only be in business for 5 more months, folks. You better make your reservations now if you want to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We were thrilled they were able to stop here on their cross-country trek (they began their journey earlier this week in Portland, Oregon)! We love having guests in our home, spending time with favorite friends, and showcasing the beautiful south! This is the 3rd time that Jackie has visited us in KY, but it was Brian's first visit to the south. I will probably post pics and more about our visit on our family blog later next week...

...back to Memory Lane...

As missionaries for our Church, Jackie and I lived together in Gaia and Porto (Portugal) and had some amazing, life-changing, and hilarious experiences together. Having her here *almost* felt like we were there again--in our little apartment--reviewing the day's events (getting rejected, stepping in rain puddles, receiving cat calls on the streets, finding a 'golden' family, avoiding the talho (butcher shop) on our way home).

It is always surreal to spend time with friends from my time as a missionary. We can laugh about the funniest stories and go back and forth from english to portuguese with ease. And, as always, talking about Portugal makes me miss it even more than I usually do.

After Jackie & Brian left, I received an email from a dear friend in Portugal with whom we visited when we vacationed there last Christmas. Reading his email reminded me of the many times he assured me "nao ha problema" (no problem/there is no problem) during our vacation last year (with delayed flights, altered scheduling, lost baggage, etc) and how at ease he made Mr. H feel during his first days in a foreign country.

This afternoon I was working on a handout for church and stumbled upon a document file on our computer that was labeled "Missionary Emails". I had forgotten about that file and opened it up to find each of the weekly emails I sent to my family during my 16 month stay in Portugal. I read the first two and laughed at my naive comments & curious wonderings. I felt a small piece of that original excitement as a shiny-new missionary.

This evening I logged into my facebook account, thinking in portuguese (and added that as my 'what are you doing now' phrase), and saw my dear friend Sarah online as well. She was my companion while I was studying at the MTC (Missionary Training Center--where you go to learn about how to be a missionary) and also lived with Jackie during her time there. We enjoyed an animated 'chat' sharing our updates and expressing saudades. It was surprising to see her online and especially fun to chat with her today, after just spending some quality time with our shared friend-from-the-mission, Jackie.

Later tonight as I was nursing Baby J, I looked up to see a running slide show from our trip to Portugal on our desktop computer. I smiled as I recognized dear friends in the full-screen photos. I walked further down memory lane, recognizing streets and landmarks of the portuguese experience. For a nano-second I could hear the rush of the waves along the eastern shore and see the umbrella-dotted streets on a rainy afternoon in Oporto.

*SIGH*

Can you feel it?

This is what it means to 'walk down Memory Lane'--all day long--my heart is full and my feet are tired.

The last part of today's blissful journey is remembering that TODAY marks 5 years since I flew home to TN, the final leg on my journey home from my missionary service in Portugal. FIVE YEARS. I cannot believe it has been that long...

In so many ways, it feels like just yesterday I was there...