Salekhard 407

Our last airport experience, Chicago, was difficult. 
It was a a continual string of unfortunate events.
Long story short-we should have had at least an hour with nothing to do-instead, we made it on the plane about 10 minutes before we were to leave. Leave, not board. Boarding takes place 45 minutes, give or take, before departure.

When we arrived in Pittsburgh we were ready to be done travelling. We did not want to face another day of being on the way to anywhere, so we drove home. More accurately, Andrew drove, I stayed awake, mostly, for the first two hours to help keep him awake, then I traded places with Bre. She kept him company for an hour, we stopped for a potty break and she drove the last hour home. We got to Grayson a little before 3 AM. We had been up for more than 28 hours. So, I am home. But I am not back yet. 
(A description Sarah came up with that is pretty accurate.)

Not in any particular order, here are some things I missed while I was gone: 
understanding conversations in a crowd
being able to interact with strangers
knowing I "belong here"
being able to send and receive text messages
being able to read signs
fast food 
availability of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
not having to think about how much water I am using
choices
true dark/night
stars
rest areas and public bathrooms
being able to respond to questions without an interpreter
being able to purchase things, without an interpreter
going 70 mph feels like you are flying
miles of smoth road
recognizing landmarks
knowing the way home
seeing retailers and knowing what is in their stores
my temperpedic mattress 
Sam, our dog
my flowers
air conditioning