I'm in America!!!

I thought I would have all kinds of stories to tell from the Mad Dash about Europe, but the surprising thing is--I just don't. It was a wonderful vacation. The Alps are so beautiful. We drove in the car alot--and got lost a couple of times--but if you see the pictures, you pretty much see what we saw. Nothing blog-worthy happened. How did THAT happen?! It was sort of nice, actually.

I'm back in the states now. I get asked alot of the same questions, so here are my responses.

No, it's not weird.

I'm not overwhelmed (yet). It's only been 5 days, so I feel a little bit like I'm on vacation.

There was one day where jet lag was cruel, but other than that, it's been fine. I've slept perfectly through the night every single night. I'm still tired from the summer and the last month of traveling.

I haven't really done much since I got back but veg out and get my hair cut. It's kind of nice to not have to interact with the world just yet.

Some things I've noticed about the states that I'd forgotten--

• How many kinds of salad dressing there are, and how much people like sauces to dip in.
• Americans sure love their pick-up trucks, even though I don't really see anyone USING the pick-up truck to pick up anything.
• People sure seem addicted to their phones. I guess it's the equivalent to the mp3 player in France, where everyone always has white strings hanging from their ears, self included.
• There is so much NATURE! Trees, grass, creeks, bugs, dirt, rain, birds, sky.
• Seedless grapes.
• Just how good southern fried chicken is.
• Despite how Europeans will say that Americans are so loud (true), America itself is so quiet. SO QUIET. It's wonderful.
• Toilet flushers are on the SIDE of the toilet. They're almost always on TOP in Europe, and so I keep having to search for the flusher handle.
• Driving isn't even half as bad as I thought it would be. And I haven't a single honk yet (except for when one of the toddler Suits honked the horn for fun).

That's what I've noticed so far. I'm sure I'll observe more next week as I actually venture out of the Suits' house and into the world.

To help you keep up with me: I am currently in Cookeville, TN. Next week: Nashville, Jackson, and Louisville, KY. I'll be back in Sweet Home Alabama from Saturday, Sept 19-26.