I'm Home!!!

Hello everyone!!!

Alright so I have now been home for one week and 3 days and I couldn't be happier :D...but I will get into that later.

I believe I left you all off right after graduation. I was one of the last people to leave the base which was nice and sucky (I know that is not a word :P) at the same time. I got to hang out with almost everyone a bit longer, but I also had to stick through almost all of the tearful goodbyes. It was difficult to say goodbye to everyone, but I was so excited to start my next adventure. That Monday morning I left to get on the train to Glasgow airport where I would wait for about 3 hours for my first flight to London and then when I got to London I got to wait for yet another 3 hours for my flight to Belfast, Ireland. To my great surprise I actually arrived in Belfast and managed to find my way to my hostel without getting incredibly lost :D Yay me!!!

My first hostel was Lagan Backpackers where I stayed for 4 nights. While I was there I became friends with all the staff and one of the staff's friends :D I wound up hanging out with them every night...I had so much fun! While in Belfast I visited the peace wall and went on the Giants Causeway tour. I also visited the botanical gardens and of coarse some of the local pubs :) Belfast is an amazing city and I really hope I get to go back some day.

After Belfast I hopped on a bus to go to a lovely sea side village in Northern Ireland called Newcastle. This visit was the main reason I decided to even go to Ireland. About an hours walk away from Newcastle is a place called Tollymoore Forest Park and this is where I wanted to go most of all. This park was by far one of the most beautiful and most GREEN places I have ever seen in my life. I have posted lots and lots of picture on facebook already of everything :) I used my time in that park to spend some amazing quality time with God...and I loved and needed every second of it :D

When my time in Newcastle was done I hopped on yet another bus and headed to Dublin. When I got there things did not go quite as smoothly as they could have haha. I had to switch currency from the pound to the euro seeing as I was no longer in Northern Ireland but in the Republic, and then I had to find my way to the hostel. The directions sounded easy but this city was a lot bigger and a lot more confusing than the rest I had been in before. In the end with all my bags I decided to give up on finding a bus and took a cab lol. I arrived at my hostel which actually felt more like a really hip hotel. There was a lift (elevator) and key cards and a cafe. The only thing making it not a hotel was that I had roommates and public bathrooms haha. My time in Dublin was a bit more relaxed seeing as I had nothing planned. I wound up exploring the Temple Bar District a bit and of coarse made a visit to the Guinness Factory!!! I poured a "perfect" pint of Guinness and got a certificate for it which I am quite proud of :P

The day had finally come where I got to go home!!! Unfortunately due to the latest airport shuttle leaving at 6:20am I had to arrive at the airport a whole 7 hours too early!!! I flew from Dublin to Boston, Boston to Denver, and Denver to Fresno. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I was when I landed in Boston. I believe I had one of the dumbest grins on my face of all time because of the simple fact that I was back in America...and of coarse that my phone worked again :P hahaha!

So after a loooooooong day traveling I arrived in Fresno. I was both unbelievably exhausted and anxious when I finally got to Fresno! Walking into the terminal I knew that my parents and my friend Leah would be there to greet me so it was everything I could do to not sprint through the terminal area. However, when I walked into the main building I was greeted not only by them but also by my friend Sarah :D Needless to say I was a puddle...a laughing puddle haha! I was laughing, smiling, and crying my eyes out while trying to give everyone hugs simultaneously :P I couldn't believe I was actually getting to hug my parents again!!! After I was able to calm down we got in the car and went to Taco Bell of coarse lol!

Now most of the hype has died down but occasionally I will find myself marvelling at just how amazing it is to be back home...or just how wonderful it feels to hug my mom and I have to hold on for just one more minute. Since I've been home I have gotten to hang with my family, play with my nieces, and catch up with friends. Not to mention talk to school counselors and look for a job. Everyday life is calling me back and while that may seem so ordinary compared to what I have been doing I am so excited to see what I can make of it...and I will hopefully have the encouragement from all of you to keep pushing for greater things.

I learned so much while I was away with YWAM it has actually seemed difficult to try and sort it all out. I'm sure there are things I haven't even realized yet but there are a few that immediately come to mind. God has shown me his love. He has shown me his love for his people and for me :D God had been teaching me how to open up and trust again. I believe that a big part of this time was so God could teach me about myself and who I am in Him. He has shown me just how much passion I have built up inside of me and has shown me what I can use it for! He has revealed to me how I view the world and how that can be beneficial or destructive depending on which lens I choose to use. There is so much but there is one thing I know for sure :) I know God sent me out for a reason, and while I know some of that reason...I know that I will continue learning more of why in the future. But God has also called me back for a reason and I know that He will be with me every step of the way :D

God bless you all and thank you for being with me on my journey :D I'll be around now if you have anything to ask me about or just chat! So happy to be home I have missed you all so much! Thank you for all your prayers and support they have meant the world to me.

-Kaitlyn Vaccaro