Just like that, our first visit home since we moved to Kenya is already over. I spent my last night in Virginia with one of my best friends, K, who (conveniently) doesn't live far from the airport. She agreed to drop me off to catch my flight early the next morning, and we made a relaxing and fun girls' night out of it. (Her neighborhood is gorgeous, too, as you can see from the photos!)
After a whirlwind two weeks with family and friends, it was wonderful to have a quiet evening at home. (I did go a little crazy at the grocery store, but this was my last chance to enjoy an American grocery store for another year.) The food was so good, I forgot to take a photo. We made roasted brussels sprouts; a vodka sauce with onion, garlic, spinach, and kielbasa over cheese tortellini; caramel apple sparkling cider; and dark chocolate fondue with strawberries and pretzels. It was perfect.
Thankfully, K lives in a suburb with close, easy access to the nature I so vividly associate with home. It's crazy how quickly we can adapt to our surroundings. I was really moved to see several deer on our neighborhood walk because I'm no longer used to seeing them, whereas I've surprised myself in Kenya with how desensitized I've become to zebras and other "exotic" (by our standards) animals.
It helped that we came across this rare white deer. It wasn't albino (as it had a few light brown spots), but it was an extraordinary color I don't think I've ever seen before. (You can learn more about white deer and the superstitions surrounding them here.)
The water in the area was also a treat for the eyes, from the lake we drove by pictured in the first image of this post to the smaller pond below. I couldn't think of a better way to end this precious time in my beautiful home state of Virginia. Until next time!
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