I'm back! Yes I'm back in Colorado and refreshed and ready to go! I've now been home for two weeks, and the time has flown. My summer was an adventure. I traveled from Scotland to the South of England to the South of France with my trusty flowery backpack I've had since I was 18. It was the last outing for that bag - immediately visible on carousels and falling apart, it's taken me as far as it can. I climbed mountains, sat on the beach, visited vineyards, swam in pools, paddled in the Scottish sea and strolled through English fields. It was a wonderful reminder of where I come from.
I also (finally) caught COVID and sweltered in my brother's house in England during a heatwave, and caught a vomiting bug from a baby in Provence - 3 days before flying home. I saw family and friends, met new children and old pets. I flew out from England as the country mourned its Queen and managed to avoid a French air traffic controller strike. I did calls at 11pm and worked in cars. It was great to be back in the Old Country, and now it's great to be back home in my own bed.
It has also been a busy couple of weeks Stateside. On Wednesday it was my birthday and as of today, I am officially a US citizen! It's been a journey - I've been on various kinds of visa/green cards since 2015 and now I have a naturalization certificate! I can do all sorts of things, like vote, register as a Women-Owned Business and run for office! If you were born here, you should look up the Oath of Allegiance sometime, it's big stuff. Anyway, on that positive note, I think this fall's going to be a good one!
