November 13-16

I guess I didn't take notes for the last few days at the facility. So I will recap what I do know and remember three years later....oops. I know we flew back from Athens to Frankfurt then got on a bus to the train station, then got on a train back to Verviers. I think we all got back around similar times and ended up on the same trains home. We grabbed some chinese food late that night. I know we had to clean the whole facility before we could leave. The next two or three days we cleaned and packed and organized etc. I also got very very sick. I had no energy and felt a little like death and I had the task of cleaning the showers and toilets. All that bleach and cleaner smelling and scrubbing probably didn't help matters but I felt like I should do my part to clean so I cleaned all day and then crashed after that. I'm pretty sure I skipped dinner Tuesday night. Wednesday I believe was our last dinner. We went to a restuarant in Verviers. I think we were there for like 3 hours. I remember waiting for our food for forever and they would not refill our waters so we were so so thirsty and hot! I even tried sneaking my cup into the bathroom to fill it up in the sink but I think the sink water was even hot-gross. We ended up leaving the restaurant at 10:30 that night. I know we had to wake up super early Thursday morning-strip our beds and do the final cleaning while packing our stuff up and leaving to catch the train to Brussels. My suitcase was 50 pounds, my kelty was 50 pounds and my backpack was 25 pounds. All full of my clothes and souvenirs. We all had to get on the train with all our luggage-it was a sight to see. We made it to airport-had to wait I think like an hour, then boarded the plane home! Once to ATL-we had to go through customs and we met the cutest drug sniffing puppy. Also I had brought chocolate home so I had to unpack my whole perfectly packed Kelty to pull out my chocolate at the very bottom. I had to catch my plane to STL all the way across the airport and was going to start boarding in like 10 minutes. I remember feeling frenzied to pack my bag back up, run to find which terminal to go to, get on the train, and run to my gate. I had to pee so bad, but I knew I didn't have much time. I would just go when I got on the plane. Finally boarded my plane but never made it to the bathroom because there was always a seat belt sign on or the attendant was in the aisle. So we made it to STL and I was so excited to see my family. Ben said he wouldn't be able to make it because he had a test that Thursday- and of course I believed him like a dummy. Anyway, my plan was to get off, go to the bathroom, and brush my hair. My goals for this end of trip. I was on the back of the plane so it was taking forever to get off. By this time, my bladder was EXPLODING. Finally, I get off the plan and walk up the walkway towards the gate and I see a glimpse of Kristin! I was very confused as to how she was at the gate. I was like, is this a weird airport that dumps me at baggage claim? I'm also running on like 4 hours of sleep in the last 20 something hours of travel time and the hours before that sleep spent cleaning and packing etc. so I was very very delusional at this point. I walk out into the gate and everyone starts clapping and cheering, my first thought is that these people are all my family and friends welcoming me home. But then as I gazed across the crowd, I didn't recognize one face... Then I turned to my left right into the arms of my love. He is here! He came to meet me! THENNNN he got down on one knee, Frank Sinatra is gently playing in the background, Ben starts saying things along the lines of spending forever together and corn fields and I am shaking uncontrollably. He asks me to marry him and pulls out the most perfect ring, and boom! At the end of this whirlwind journey, I am engaged to the love of my life! And my two besties were there too, Myrisa and Kristin. The delta worker announced I said yes and all these strangers were cheering and taking pictures. The weirdest atmosphere lol. Now I really had to hit the bathroom :)))) The crowd was like following us and I dipped into the restroom to freshen up and then headed to baggage claim where Mom and Paige met us! I reunited with my lovies and then got into the car with Ben. I then just asked, what just happened??

What a crazy whirlwind and amazing experience. I won't ever forget this trip of a lifetime, ending with the beginning of the rest of my life with Ben.