America...

So today I drank Diet Pepsi "Jazz" Strawberries and Cream soda... It wasn't bad, I just can't figure out how they come up with these flavors. They also had cherry/vanilla flavor.

And the blog news of the day - I got my hair whacked off. Ok, not really, but I did get 8 inches cut-off and it's still below my shoulders. That's awesome. All the yucky dead hair-colored ends are gone, and so now it looks like I colored my hair dark brown, but it's actually (and finally) my natural hair color. I love it, all bouncy and fun.

I talked to Magdalena a few minutes ago. Everything seems to be going well with Skoobi - yeah! She's doing well on her walks and is eating and is back to her cheery disposition after the trauma of me leaving :) Magdalena has 3 younger brothers, so I was glad to hear she is enjoying the solace of my apartment.

I always forget how much I love American commercials. When my dad wants to flip the channel during the break, I'm always saying "Nononononono! I want to watch the funny commercial." They crack me up more than the shows.

We leave to go to Orlando in an hour or two and fly off to Oregon in the morning. It's going to be odd, actually flying with a group of people. I'm so used to just traveling by myself, so it will be interesting being with my mom, dad, aunt and cousin... fun fun. :)

Now while I know gas prices are much higher in Europe, it was really painful pumping $3.13 a gallon gas into the rental. Uugh. One gallon of gas is 3.78 liters... so that equals 82 cents a liter. One liter of gas in Croatia was about 8.3 kuna when I left. That equals $1.53 a liter, which equals $5.78 a gallon. I guess $3.13 isn't so bad... and makes me very thankful that I don't have a car in Croatia.

Well there you have it - an update and math lesson all in one :)

Hi from Florida...

Well, I made it here in one piece. The flights went pretty well, but the airports just were insane. I will never fly through Frankfurt and Charlotte again. Things were just so disorganized and chaotic. I almost missed my flight in Charlotte because the flight from Frankfurt took off an hour late because we had to wait for these 20 German children going on a field trip to America. I'm pretty sure the entire flight crew wished we had left without them. I sure did. But I made it and my luggage made it, and so there really isn't much to complain about.

It is pretty warm, but not painfully hot for which I am thankful. I bought some awesome and much needed clothes today, plus some really cool new ear phones - background noise reduction ear phones. I didn't know I needed them until the 20 German children got on the plane. I wanted new ones anyway, and so I'm really happy with these ones I bought.

I also picked up my rental car today... sigh. All I wanted was a nice, unnoticeable little nova or something... Oh but no... of all the cars, I got the one that I absolutely hate. I walked out of the airport and to the little parking spot where the car was waiting. I got to spot L-32, looked up, and there sat my PT Cruiser. Uugh. Now while it is a beautiful blue color, I just hate those cars. Oh well. As long as I get from point a to point b, life's good.

And in an amazing show of brilliance today, I erased every last phone number off my cell phone. Don't ask me how. It's a long story that could have been prevented at many levels and yet I proceeded through each and every level even while the voice in my head was screaming - "No, really, don't do that..." Thankfully, I am not a person who solely relies on technology, and so I have all the phone numbers except for the last 4-5 I put in written down in Croatia in a notebook, and I also have most of them on my computer. I basically just reset the entire phone in one fell swoop. I haven't been that mad at myself in a while. It's just so freaking frustrating.

Well, I just wanted to say hi... I'll be updating during the trip, so check back when you can. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement :)

Merry Christmas to me...

Well, to me it's nothing short of a miracle... Skoobi got her microchip today!! Yes, I know it's Christmas but today was a regular workday for most people here in Bosnia. I forgot that Christmas really isn't celebrated here - kids were in school, the post office and banks were open, all the stores... It's just so weird. I wasn't here last Christmas, and two Christmases ago, I didn't leave the house and the Christmas before that I was in the States... So yeah, it was just a little weird. Slađan called the vet Friday, and he said, "Bring her Monday..." But, I am just very happy she is now 100% ready to cross the border. I also have meds for Skoobi to take for her motion sickness (thank you Heather for all the info you sent me, and to everyone here who is offering me the pills she needs!!). Oh my goodness... the needle he used to put the chip in was HUGE... Lina took me (Love ya! thanks!) and was like "LeAnne... DON'T look..." Skoobi was brave... not even the tiniest of yelps...

If you read this before Wednesday, do pray as I am now moving on Wednesday instead of Thursday. I about had a breakdown yesterday when I found out, but now I just really don't care and want to get it over with. Zoran is coming with me, along with Nela's boyfriend (Ellis) and the truck driver. While I know everything is going to work out in the end, I just have this feeling of doom when it comes to crossing the border. It's amazing to me how I can believe in the Sovereignty of God, and yet let something like a border crossing put me into a totally freaked-out state of mind. Every time I think about it I shudder, so I've decided not to think about it and just let it happen... I'll probably end up doing what Slađan said "LeAnne, just break down crying when you get to the border - then they'll just let you go." I think that's the best advice I've ever gotten. :)

I do hope all of you had a Blessed Christmas... Oh, I forgot to tell you about my awesome presents. My parents bought me an anti-bark collar for Skoobi. Not real exciting, but it's what I asked for :) And it works great. The ladies Bible study from my church in FL sent me a great box of goodies - popcorn, candy, sleeping medicine, mechanical pencils, soups... yeah me!!Donovan and Jocelyn got me a box of candy and my absolute favorite candy bar - woohoo!! And Jana - God bless her - got me... Prince and the Revolution "Purple Rain" CD from 1984... I'm loving it! OK, I just realized when "Purple Rain" was released, there were no CD's... That's so funny. I can't believe how excited i was to receive a 22 year old music album - I'll leave you with a song quote from the album - "We gonna let the elevator bring us down? Oh no, let's go - let's go crazy... let's get nuts... let's look for the purple banana till they put us in the truck... Let's go!!" The perfect song for my moving week mood!!!! :)

Five years, three months later...

...and I'm seriously thinking I'm having a major case of culture shock.

Why you ask? Well, my next door neighbor has never liked me. It's along story about how I wouldn't let her steal my landlord's rocks almost three years ago. but ever since then, yeah, she hasn't liked me.

This morning I go out to walk the dog at 8am. She starts yelling at me because the other neighbor's dog is barking at my dog - who is not making any noise at all. I proceed to nicely tell her that my dog has to use the bathroom and it's not my fault the other dog barks. Then she tells me I can't walk Skoobi until 10am. I'm still being nice, and I tell her, well, you know your dog was barking last night at 3am... then she proceeds to tell me to shut up and starts yelling at me even louder about how horrible I am! So then, still nicely, I said - you asked me to keep my balcony doors shut, so I have. I waited till 8am to walk Skoobi because I know the other dog barks at her... she then interrupts me, going into another rant about always being woken up by the dog across the street THAT ISN'T EVEN MY DOG! So I asked, still nicely but I was on the edge, if she talked to the people across the street about their dog. The she tells me to shut up again and starts yelling at me again about how it's my dog making the other dog bark and so it's my fault!, And as many times as I've been yelled at for something in Bosnian - for the first time ever... I yelled back. I was so furious. I even did hand motions like the Bosnians do. Nothing bad mind you, just a lot of dramatic flailings.

And no, I didn't use any of the really good (ok, ok... really bad) words and phrases I've leaned from all the soccer games I've gone to... but oh how I was tempted...

I'm amazed at how well I was able to express myself in Bosnian. Maybe I just need to turn into an old mean bitter person (kind of like my neighbor!!!) and live in a rageful state, and then langauge won't be a problem. Of course nothing was resolved as she wouldn't listen to me when I was being nice nor when I was yelling. It may not have been my finest moment in my given profession, but boy, did I connect with the culture.

And I suppose i should ask you to pray for me because I am really really mad at her still. I was in town and was so tempted to go to the bus station and ask when the next international bus left and just hop on and go. But I couldn't leave my mutt behind, and so here we sit, quietly, on the couch, contemplating how poor Skoobi can take her morning pee in peace...