For this week’s Wildlife Wednesday, I wanted to show off a few of my favorite elephant moments from our Kruger trips.

Each time I saw an elephant in Kruger my reaction was always the same – stare in complete amazement then break into a huge smile.  I love watching the little babies. They are too cute with their little tails and already wrinkled skin.

Here is the video of our little friend crossing the road:

Baby Elephant in Kruger from Nicole Ehrlich on Vimeo.

Do you hear my friends and I? We are completely captivated and amazed by these creatures!

 Open wide! An elephant’s gotta eat!

The adults are just as cool. Their amazing trunks move around as if they have a mind of their own.

As sweet as they look, with their flappy ears and wrinkles, I never forget the sheer power they possess. They can trample your car if agitated, especially if they feel their baby is at risk. They are wild animals after all!

I’ll never forget (hehe, see what I did there?) my close encounters with these lovely creatures in Kruger!

The day wasn’t without a hitch. It rained before our ceremony, and not just a light drizzle, it poured. The sky only let out sunshine about half an hour before I walked down the aisle. But hey, rain on your wedding day is good luck, right? We sure didn’t let it bother us. My friends and family say I was the calmest bride they’ve ever seen!

Once we said “I do” we sealed it with a kiss and spent the rest of the day on cloud nine, celebrating our marriage with our nearest and dearest, including those who traveled from South Africa! It was magical.

We had to cross an ocean to find each other, but once we did, there was never any doubt. Our marriage is everything I’ve ever hoped for and more. It’s perfectly imperfect. It’s full of laughter, lots of love, support and a deep respect for each other. As cheesy as it sounds, we bring out the best in each other. I honestly couldn’t ask for more.

I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Wherever it takes us, as long as we’re together, I’m home.

It will be forever etched in my mind as the time my girlfriends and I somehow convinced half the Lions team to take photos with us. I’m still not sure how we did it. The only thing I can attest to was that they were super sweaty and happy because they won!

For those who aren’t familiar with the teams, The Lions (red) are Joburg’s team and The Stormers (blue) are Cape Town’s team. The match they were playing was for the Super 15, which kind of sounds like the playoffs in American football.

I’ve been living in Joburg so of course I was supporting the Lions!

As the game ended, we realized we were on the perfect side of the stadium to try to get the players to take photos with us. The entrance to their locker rooms was right to the left of us. “I want a photo with a Lion!” I said. We ran down to the front row and as the players came off the field my friend Sian yelled, “She’s American, can we have a photo!” And they say Americans are the loud ones.

We got one, but then we got a little bit greedy. Cue the Lions photo shoot that followed:

It was so much fun. I will gladly watch a rugby game again, and preferably a Lions game. We love Francois (faf) de Klerk who we nicknamed “Faffles.” He is just the cutest and super fast!

Here is a little cheat sheet for any foreigners going to see their first rugby game!

Dress accordingly

You’ll want to be comfortable. This is not a fashion show and unlike college football in the SEC, you’d better leave your sundress at home. Must people wear their teams’ jersey, and if you don’t have one,  wear their colors if you have them! And bring a sweater/cardigan. South African nights can get a bit chilly.

Ask questions

Get to know the people you are watching the game with and some of the other fans! Rugby can be a little confusing, and South Africans be more than happy to teach you about the game.  It’s a great way to make friends!

Do half-time right

Don’t go to the toilet at half-time.  Avoid it at all costs. It will be packed. Go either 5 minutes before or after. This allows you to watch the silly half-time show where someone wins a cooler.

Food & Drink

In rugby, drinking and eating before the game is very similar to the American tailgating. There are plenty of beer and food tents. Bring cash for this and if you are planning on drinking *ahem* in excess, get a few beers at once. The lines are long.

Focus

Pay Attention! Rugby is much more fast-paced than pretty much any other sport. No dilly-dallying around for timeouts and ref decisions. They are all about getting the show on the road. This also makes for some incredibly sweaty rugby players.

 After my experience I will forever be a Lion fan! Best of luck to the players in the Vodacom Cup!

I’ll never forget my first curry experience, it was a Thai Panang curry with chicken at my next-door neighbors house. Growing up, anything oriental was never on the family’s menu. They are more the All-American type. I remember looking at the curry in my skeptical teenage way, but one bite and I was convinced. At that moment it was one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve been craving it ever since. Whenever my husband goes away, my go-to takeout food is curry. Jono is not the hugest fan (he’s had a few bad experiences), but I’m slowly converting him.

Since I’ve been in South Africa, I’ve been stuffing my face with anything Asian-influenced I can get my hands on. Chinese curries, Indian samoosas, pad thai, green thai curry…maybe it’s wrong to lump these dishes all into one category, but the thing is, the Asian flavor is just delicious, and I really don’t discriminate.

Luckily it isn’t hard to find. You can find a samoosa shop in almost every shopping center. It’s almost been enough to make me forget about my other favorite ethnic food : Mexican, (almost). I had seen bunny chow listed on the menu in Indian take-away shops, but I tended to shy away from it and stick with Vegetable Makhani. The name “bunny chow” alone is a little confusing, like, is there rabbit involved? (I now know there isn’t…) and curry in a loaf of bread? Why? I’ll stick to rice.

Man was I mistaken!

One day my friend Mandy and I were bonding over our mutual love of curry, when she mentioned bunny chow. She said her and her boyfriend had one at the best place in Joburg and that we needed to go. My curiosity was piqued, and when I saw bunny chow being offered at the Rand Show, Joburg’s Fair, I knew I had to try it.

And this is it boys and girls. Bunny chow is hollowed out mini loaf of bread filled with curry (either beef, chicken or lamb – never bunnies!) and the veggies of the chef’s choosing. This one had shredded chicken, peas, carrots, corn and onions, served with a tomato, onion relish. It is actually not of Indian origin, but South African, created in Durban and loved by the Indian community. You can read more about the history of the bunny chow here.

The verdict? TASTY!  The curry was a little surprising to me. More like the yellow, chinese curry I’ve had in the past, and had a very mild spice. Jono helped me finish it and was surprised how much he liked it.

A few weeks later and Mandy and I found ourselves talking about curry again. The more we talked the hungrier we got and we decided we would go to her spot and get a bunny chow for lunch. Enter, the curry cafe.

A nothing fancy kind of place in Randburg that is known for its bunny chow. They have chicken, beef or lamb and they only come in one level of spiciness: ridiculously HOT.

To be fair, I was warned it would be spicy, but nothing could  have prepared me for the spice that was about to enter my mouth. At the same time it was so flavorful, I couldn’t stop eating it. None of us could. We went through all the serviettes on the table, blowing our noses and then taking another bite. It was amazing how different this curry was than the one I had at the Randshow. It was a darker, curry, brownish-red in color, and had no veggies, only meat and potatoes and out-of-control spice.  I finally realized the point of the bread – to soak up the extra curry gravy (this one was overflowing!) and to help defray the spiciness.

My hands down favorite bunny chow, came two weekends ago at the NeighborGoods Market in Braamfontein. First of all, I LOVE this market. The vibe can’t be beat, there’s always plenty of people, tasty food and drinks to go around, which is always good in my book.

We took a lap around the market to see all of our options: Eggs Benedict, waffles, burgers, oysters…bunny chow…yes, that’s right, I went for a bunny chow for the third time in two weeks.

Out of the other bunny chows I tried, this one was my absolute favorite! The spiciness fell somewhere in the middle of the spectum, which was perfect for me. It had a splash of what looked like Indian Tzatziki sauce (google tells me it was probably raita), peas, potatoes, beans and delicious chicken all in a soft loaf of bread.  Washed down with a glass of Du Toitskloof Sparkling Wine and I was one happy gal!

If you are visiting South Africa, do not leave without trying a bunny chow! It’s South African street food at its finest – filling, affordable and full of flavor! And don’t be afraid to try more than one vendor’s version until you find the one that is perfect for you.

To all my South Africans out there – where do you get your favorite bunny chow?

Thank you for being my biggest supporter on this wild adventure in South Africa. For saying “go for it” even though I’m sure you were thinking “are you sure about this?!” For graciously taking care of my fur babies back home and all of the “adult stuff.”  For always being there when I need to talk, be it about something amazing that happened or venting about something awful.  For making me laugh. For giving me a kind heart, a peaceful mind and an adventurous spirit.

Most of all, thank you for loving me unconditionally.

Happy Mothers Day!

Love your daughter & friend,

Nicole

PS: Celebration of your choice when we get home! Hopefully it will be better than the time I made you walk 2 miles to Delray Beach. “Some Mother’s Day this is!”  Hehe, love you!

If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to, you can probably imagine…packing, planning and adjusting to our new temporary home (we are staying with friends in Joburg until we leave). And…Ice Skating. Yes, the Floridian and the South African have taken up ice skating. We’ve been to the local ice skating rink three times in the last two weeks. Not saying I’m good, but I’m not necessarily bad either. We laugh a lot. It’s kind of the perfect thing for us right now.

Other than that we’ve been hanging out with friends and watching movies at Montecasino, playing the occasional rousing game of air hockey and betting on roulette. We’ve recently seen Spiderman 2, Captain America and Noah. Hey, I never said life in another country was always glamorous!

So I was sitting at the kitchen table today, browsing the internet, doing important things, like looking at pictures of cute puppies on Pinterest, when the internet refused to obey my command once again. Loading…Loading…Loading. Frustration ensues as I get up to hit the reset button on our wireless router for the 5th time today.

All of which got me thinking: 1.) Just how ridiculous it was to be so annoyed over bad internet connectivity 2.) How many times have you wished you could just hit the reset button and start all over again? Not necessarily because things are that bad but just to have a fresh start?

I can think of a lot of things that South Africa has given me in the past 8 months. But the biggest gift? Perspective.

I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, so when friends would complain about the government, traffic, weather, gas prices, whatever, I usually tended to agree with them. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t have anything to compare it to. But the beauty of travel is it opens your eyes.

Here in South Africa I’ve seen A LOT. In my opinion, some of it was better than home. I’ve seen the most beautiful sunsets (yes some, prettier than Florida!), elephants, giraffes and leopards in Kruger, and experienced a laid back lifestyle that would give my hometown a run for its money. If you have a well-paying job in South Africa, most people will say that life is pretty good.  But I’ve also seen the dark side of South Africa: heart-wrenching poverty, horrendous traffic, power outages, a corrupt government, and while I haven’t experienced crime firsthand, it certainly exists.

Any given day, you can walk down the streets of Joburg and find people digging through trash bins, building houses made of scrap metal, begging in the street medians and buying nothing but maize meal at the grocery store because that’s all they can afford. Despite all of this, South Africans are, for the most part, a friendly nation. And here I am typing on my MacBook, complaining about resetting my wireless router and drinking a cappuccino? The only real difference between myself and them? It really boils down to the fact that I was privileged to be born in America to a middle class family. Talk about perspective.

I know there are plenty of less fortunate people in the states, but here in South Africa, where there is a 36% unemployment rate, you can’t NOT see it. There are no food stamps, GoodWills, or loads of non-profits just waiting to help the needy. They fend for themselves here. Unfortunately, with the current election, I can’t see the economy getting much better. I hope I’m wrong. I’d love to return to a beautiful AND economically prosperous South Africa and bring my children here for years to come.

All of this perspective has made me realize how truly lucky I am and how thankful I am for my situation. I can act like I’m stressed about finding a job and a place to live when I get back to Florida, but the fact is I’ll find somewhere to work. I have a great education, experience and family to lean on. And I won’t find myself homeless, making my bed on the side of the highway. For this I feel humbled, fortunate and if I am being honest, a little guilty. What have a done to deserve to be able to live for nearly a year abroad and then go back to my cozy little place in the world I call home, worry free?

In a way I see our return home as the equivalent of a wireless router’s “reset button.” Which is pretty awesome. We are literally getting the chance to rebuild our lives. Live where we want, get the jobs we want, spend time with the people we want. We are obligation free.

I’ve decided I want to spend time doing what makes me happy, what energizes me (maybe take up our iceskating hobby back home?!) I plan on complaining a lot less and appreciating a lot more. I plan to have braais and spend time with people I care about. To do things I’ve always wanted to do but have been too scared to try. To volunteer. To stop making excuses and live for today.

Thank you, South Africa, for the amazing gift.

Things you’ll miss about america while abroad

1. Fried stuff. Oh, sweet delicious fried stuff.

Well, this doesn’t really apply to me! They have KFC and McDonalads here, and there are plenty of other unhealthy foods here to satisfy any fatty cravings…foods like pies, oh meaty chicken and mushroom pies.

2. Ice. Ice, BABY. 

This one doesn’t apply to me either. There is plenty of ice to be found here in South Africa!

4. Good ole American patriotism.

I do love my country. Do I think we take patriotism a little too far sometimes? Um, probably. Covering yourself in red, white and blue American flag body paint does not make you patriotic.

I am proud of my little brother who is serving our country and have been known to get a little teary eyed listening to a patriotic country song. But some of our flag waving “we’re the best” stuff is a little embarrassing. Could we be a tiny bit more humble?

While I’ve met a few people here who love their country and would stay in South Africa till the day they die, I know many others who would jump at the opportunity to move to America/England/Australia. Can’t say the same for Americans. Many people I know have no interest in living abroad.  America is so great! They see no reason.

7. The TV shows (sorry Downton Abbey)

Never realized how much I would miss these! South African TV is full of re-runs and they are usually a season behind on shows like the voice. As fun as it is to watch a marathon of 3rd Rock From the Sun, I’ve spent a decent amount of money on season passes on ITunes to keep up with a few of my favorite shows (cough, cough, Nashville)

8. Girl Scout cookies! Uh, hello tag-a-longs!

Girl Scout cookies are about as American as Apple Pie. I was a Brownie back in the day and my Mom was the Cookie Mom… bless her heart.I look forward to these cookies every year and definitely requested Thin Mints in my last care package from Mom!

9. Drive-thrus… ATMs, liquor stores, Vegas-style wedding chapels, the works.

Seriously. You mean I have to go inside to get my coffee and donut?

11. Efficient and friendly customer service. They actually want to help you.

I’ve had to completely lower my expectations when it comes to service in this country. Especially when it comes to restaurants, service is very lackluster. Is it too much for you to smile when you take my order? Did you have to roll your eyes when I request water refill? (They will NEVER do this voluntarily). Don’t bother asking which menu item is the best, because they won’t know.

Of course there are exceptions. Donatellos at Montecasino is one of our favorites. They actually care about their food and service. If the waiter comes back after your food is delivered and asks how it is, this is a near miracle and we usually tip a little better. Usually I just expect the worst.

13. WTF is a kilometer?

Yeah, going to the gym or trying to cook something can be very…interesting.

Have I run a mile yet? How heavy are these weights? What is 350 Fahrenheit in Celsius, and how many mls are in a cup? I’ve gotten better at it… I can tell you off-hand that there are 250 ml in a cup and 15 ml in one tablespoon. 350 F is roughly 175 degrees!

16. AC/heat everywhere ALL THE TIME.

In Florida you NEED central AC. It is just not an option. I will admit that the day we moved into our apartment I ran around searching for a thermostat, only to have a mini panic attack when I realized that there wasn’t one. Luckily South Africa is blessed with a great climate – not too hot, humid, or cold. We’ve been fine leaving windows open and using a fan at night. It is starting to get a little chilly lately so we’ll see how it goes!

18. Coffee to-go. Not as ubiquitous as over there.

I can relate. Coffee to-go is hard to find, but South Africa does have a thing for instant coffee, which is surprisingly good.

21. Heinz (aka sugary) ketchup. It’s an artform, really.

Heinz is pretty good, but ALL GOLD, is the gold standard here and I think just as great tasting!

23. Automatic cars. Stick shifts are the suck.

People tend to be a little bit astonished when I tell them I don’t know how to drive a manual or parallel park. Hey, I grew up in Florida and that just wasn’t part of the driving test! I could have learned while here, but seeing as they drive on the left side of the road and Jono already got in an accident, I think I’ll pass.

24. Solo cups. These aren’t even that cool.

I discovered the shortage of Solo cups in this country one day while party planning. How can you play beer pong/flip cup without Solo cups?! It’s kind of a tragedy.

25. Free refills. Free refills FTW. 

Yep, no never-ending soda fountains here! But it doesn’t really bother me.

27. Diet Coke.

It’s called Coke Light here. And no, I don’t miss it. For the occasional soda craving I am fine with Coke Zero.

A few of my own:

Late Night Store Hours: People close up shop early here. 24-hour anything is pretty much impossible to find. Even the grocery stores close early. Don’t even get me started on holiday hours! The whole country is practically closed in December. While this is tricky for the people trying to get stuff done, but then again this must be great for employees because who really wants to be working at midnight?

Super Target: Please tell me where you can get your coffee, groceries, prescription, cowboy boots, a bikini, mascara, cat litter, curtains and a bookshelf, ALL IN ONE STORE? That is the beauty of Super Target, and yes I do miss my weekly trips there.

Mexican Food: Okay, so South Africa has some delicious food, but can a girl get a burrito up in here? I really miss the Mexican influence that exists in the states, and Florida in particular.  There are days when I would kill for a Chipotle burrito bowl, guac and chips!

Country Music & Concerts: Sometimes you just feel like relaxing to some good old country music. Impossible here. The only radio stations SA has are top 40, house, and some Afrikaans stations.

You can find the full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/13/american-things-youll-miss-when-abroad_n_5118193.html

Now that I’m transitioning to moving back to America, I’ll have to start putting together a post on “What I will miss about South Africa” – there is a lot!

Question 1. When are you heading back to Florida?

Question 2. Is Jono still going to pursue his golf?

Well, the original plan was to be here in South Africa until the first week or July, which is when our return ticket home was booked. But recently we’ve been thrown a little curveball in that we have to be out of our current apartment by the end of April, and we are running low on funds.

This has been the cause of quite a bit of stress on my end in the past few weeks as we attempted to figure out a new a plan. Do we stick it out and find a new, cheaper place to live? Stay with relatives and friends? Or pack our bags and head home?

Ah, planning is a funny thing. I wouldn’t call myself a big planner and I don’t think my friends or family would either. Sometimes my husband and I joke that we are on the non-plan plan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a plan-hater, but it really depends on what the situation is. I usually go by this rule:

I generally only plan when I am nervous or want something to go well. When I want to feel like things are under control. This explains why each one of my bridesmaids received a incredibly detailed itinerary for the day of my wedding and I prepare like crazy for interviews, public speaking, and work-related things, but why dinner each night is pretty haphazard and creative and packing for trips is what I call “organized chaos.”

As soothing as it is to go into planning overdrive when stressed, not everything is life or death. Making spontaneous decisions and going with the flow can feel amazing and liberating. It was sort of the route I took when deciding to come to South Africa in the first place. Everything was “we’ll figure it out” and hunky dory until I started to get super overwhelmed two weeks before we left and I was list and planning crazy person.

This is why I’m not so surprised that I’ve been dying to get a back-to-America-plan figured out. I want to tell friends and family when I’m coming home, I want to start applying for jobs and looking at apartments, and I can’t do any of this unless we have a coming home date. I want to try to stay open-minded and do what is best for Jono and his golf, because yes, he is still playing and plans on competing when we get back to the States, but I also want to be prepared for our return home.

Maybe I’m being a little neurotic, but I can totally see the benefits of having a plan in this situation and not just “winging it.” And reflecting on myself and my planning/non-planning tendencies, made me think that I need to start planning a little bit more, not just for the important things or when I find myself stressed.No, I don’t think I will ever be one of those girls who has her entire life mapped out, I’m way more go with the flow and big picture thinker, but I think a little more planning and at least acting with intention can be good for the soul and for my time management. Maybe I can get Jono on board too, to make sure we’re both reaching our goals, not just drifting around. 

Luckily, we are close to figuring things out, and I know I will feel a SO much better when our plane tickets are rebooked.

Until then, here are the answers:

Q: When are you heading back to Florida? A: Most likely the first week of June!

Q: Is Jono still going to pursue his golf? A: Yes. Golf is his passion and as long as there’s money to make it happen he will pursue it!

My question for you is: What are you? A planner, the spontaneous type or a little of both?

I started drinking wine when I was 21. A sorority sister informed me that you could fit a whole bottle of wine in a bubba keg and I was sold. Classy, I know. Back then I tended to go for Franzia, or other super fruity varieties. Five years later, here I am drinking Merlot on a wine tour in Cape Town and learning the proper way to drink it. Look how far I’ve come, mom!

Might I say there are some instances where I don’t quite feel like an adult, like when I do this:

or film myself doing this.

or that. ^^^^

But even though we’re on a wine tour, we can’t take ourselves too seriously, can we?

While planning our girls trip, the wine tour was one of the things I was MOST excited for. The Cape wine route is internationally known for its stunning vineyards and delicious wines. I almost went once, but I got a stomach bug and had to pass. This time there wasn’t anything stopping me!

After a bit of research, we decided to go with African Story Tours for our wine tour. They got great reviews on Trip Advisor, included lunch and transported us to and from our hotel….all for R600. Done.

Our tour was led by Bruce the sommelier and took us to five beautiful vineyards in Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschoek.

My favorite vineyard was Solms Delta, where we were able to sit outside and do the tasting. The weather was PERFECT and the scenery was lovely.

Another favorite was Fairview in Paarl, where they make not only wine, but cheese too! A lot of the wines also have clever names like “Goats do Roam” and “The Goatfather.”  If you go, you have to try the Extrano wine – my favorite red of the day! I picked up a bottle to take home.

Of course I was obsessed with the fact that there were goats living in fancy little castle towers on the property.

We also got to learn about the wine making process, tour a cellar and do a brandy and chocolate tasting.

Brandy, not my favorite, but surprisingly (or, not so surprisingly) drinkable with some chocolate! ^^^

My beautiful friends!

Naturally, by the end of the trip we had befriended all of the the other girls! It was so fun to meet girls our age from places like Germany and England. We were having so much fun that we took group photos in all the usual spots, like trees. We all exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up laster for a fun night on Long Street! It was such a fun day that I will never forget! Cheers to memories, cheese, and wine!

In the first part of the month, my two girlfriends Jess and Emily were here for 10 days, which threw life out of whack in the best way way possible. We spent 3 days in Kruger National Park and 4 in Cape Town. It was the best time, filled with lots of laughs, wine and memories. (Don’t worry, I will post about our travels in detail later!) I really couldn’t have asked for more.

Then they left, leaving me with a mixture of sadness and homesickness. It didn’t really help that Jono left for Cape Town with his friends the day after they left.  I was home alone. It was quiet…very, very quiet. So I did what I normally do and threw myself into some freelance projects. I also spent as much time as I could with my friend Mandy. I even treated myself to a mani/pedi.

But as it usually does, quiet soon turned to crazy. Our friends Mark and Shauna told us they were getting married…in 13 days. Mark has been Jono’s best friend for the past 10 years and has been our roommate for the past 8 months. Shauna is a gorgeous, fun and sweet girl. Jono and I actually, kind of owe our relationship to Shauna. She was visiting Mark  from Zimbabwe it was her last night in town. Of course she wanted to go out and celebrate, so she pushed Jono, who was happy to stay home, to go out that night to the Square Grouper. It was October 17, 2009, the night we met. Had it not been for Shauna we may still be searching for each other!

Mark and Shauna have been on and off for 8 years and have tried to tie the knot twice already, so when Mark told us they were getting hitched on April Fools day, we were a tiny bit skeptical. We joked that we hoped we wouldn’t show up to the most epic April Fools joke of all time. But the timing just worked out. Shauna’s whole family was in town (they live between South Africa, the UK and Zimbabwe, so it’s a tough family to get together), Shauna’s bestie Mandy is here, and of course Jono and I are here.

Jono was the best man, so it was an eventful week that included a “non-bacherlotte” party, a bachelors party that consisted of Mark dressing up in the most ridiculous pink fairy princess (that I proudly helped Jono pick out) and Mark breaking his foot in three places during the early hours of Sunday morning.

But the date and boot on Mark’s foot aside, it was a seriously lovely wedding day.  They are a beautiful couple and you can tell that they are truly happy together. I wish them all the best as they begin their lifelong journey together as partners in life! Cheers!

Shauna looked stunning, the venue was breathtaking, the food and drinks were a flowing, and friends were all around! Jono gave his best man speech without a hitch, and after that we all relaxed a little bit. I learned a little Afrikaans langarm dance, which I think I’ll leave to Mel and Dean! No one will argue with me when I say I have two left feet, but it was fun to have a little laugh.

The happy couple!

At the end of the night Jono requested our first wedding dance. He can be sweet sometimes.

So that brings us to April, which I have a feeling is going to be our month of transition. Mark is moving out of the apartment and into Shauna’s, meaning we can’t afford rent, which means we are coming back home sooner than we thought. I have to be honest, I’m okay with it. I feel like our time here is coming to a close – in a good way. More on that in another post!