Christmas and New Years in Sweet Home Chicago

So, as many of you may or may not know, I decided this Christmas (with the help of my mom) that I was going to surprise everyone by flying home for Christmas. My flight would leave here on the 23rd very early in the morning (6 am I believe), and then after transferring in Heathrow, I would arrive the 23rd at home at about 1pm. I decided to make this trip back in like October, and my mom booked it for me. The biggest problem was keeping it a secret. Every time I would Skype with Matt or Jenna, at least one of them would ask me if I was coming home for Christmas, and I would have to lie and say that I wasn't. It was pretty difficult. Although, not being home did make it easier on me not to spill the beans, the problem was my mom. She likes telling secrets, sorry mom, you know it's true. Any time I would talk to her or somebody else from home, someone else would know about the surprise. But that really didn't matter as long as Matt and Jenna were still in the dark! So by the time the 22nd rolled around, I was pumped, packed, and itching to get back home, even if it was just for two weeks.After my class got out at 8, I went home, finished up some packing and then set out a little earlier than planned to catch an earlier train, just in case. (I also think it was because I was so anxious). It was a good thing I caught the earlier train too, because I had a long and tiring night of traveling. I got the first train, and made my way to Stuttgart. The train ride was very interesting, though, as it was filled with young people. Very drunk. Very loud. I tried to keep to myself, and just ignore them to the best of my abilities. One guy came onto the train, very concerned, and asked loudly if anyone had seen his laptop. He was quite drunk. When someone behind me said that they found it, he got so excited that he started to sing "I Like Big Butts". Apparently the joy of finding his laptop made him want to celebrate by singing an English song about butts, big ones at that. After the train rolled into the station, I made my way underground to take that train to the airport. I found what line I needed to take, found my platform, and eagerly awaited for the train to come. There were so many crazy and drunken people out. Mr. Big Butts was back, singing "We all live in Santa Claus's house" very loudly to the tune of The Beatles' "We All Live in a Yellow Submarine". But hey, I guess if you've got talent, why not share it with the world. I caught my first train, and found that somewhere along the line I had to transfer to another train. I was not expecting this, and the second train was a little delayed, so it was a good thing that I left a little early. I caught the second train, and found my terminal at the airport. I had to wait a while in the airport before anyone showed up to check my bags in, but soon I found myself sitting down at the gate watching a movie on my computer to keep me awake. The gate was empty, so I just walked through the open gate and took a seat. After about a half hour, a police officer came up to me and asked me for identification. I was very confused, but I showed him. He asked me to follow him to the check-in station just behind the gate that I walked through. Just as I was getting up, I realized why he was a little angry. The gate was now closed, and it looked like I had just jumped the gate to get to where I was sitting at the gate. But it was open when I got there, and no one else was there to tell me otherwise, so I just went through. After he checked me in properly, I went back down to sit at the gate. My plane arrived, and then I was well on my way. I had a little time between flights, that I spent just sitting around, trying to stay awake. Then the time came to get to my next flight. This time, the plane was absolutely FREEZING! I've never been on a plane that was so cold! I had my jacket and a sweatshirt and a blanket on me, and I was still freezing! We flew over Greenland, and that was probably why it was so cold. When our plane landed, I went through customs and got my bag without any problems. My plane had even landed early. When I got out, I saw my mom and Karalyn with Owen. I walked up so that they wouldn't see me. Immediately when they turned, and Owen saw me, he gave me a big hug! I thought that he might have forgotten me at least a little bit, but he was my buddy after that. We got back to my house, where there was a big box with my name on it. Actually, it had Matt and Jenna's name on it, but I was the one who was going to be inside it! We fashioned a little door, so I could get in and out, at the back of the box. Matt and Jenna were with my grandparents, so I had some down time before they got there. But before long, I found myself sitting in the box, while Matt and Jenna came in and looked for the present they were told that they would be getting that evening. When Matt and Jenna found the big box, they were told that they had to try and guess what was in it. They both guessed, and Matt was the closest when he said, "A person?". Karalyn asked who would be in there. And Matt guessed that maybe it would be Doug. Karalyn goes, "Would Doug make a good present?". And Matt and Jenna gave up on the person idea. Sorry Dougie! When they gave up on guessing, they were then told that they couldn't open the wrapping paper, but then had to open the box another way. They examined the box, and then eventually made their way to the back of the box, when they found the door. When they opened it, I looked out of the box to see two very surprised and confused faces. Matt goes, "Emily?", and then Matt and Jenna both jumped on my to give me a hug. Matt didn't let go for about ten minutes. I think they were both very happy to see me. I know I was happy to see them. 

We were going to have a pizza party that night, and the reason they had come up with, was that Jenna's American Girl doll was having a birthday. But really, me and my mom knew it was because I was coming in. Although Jenna's doll did get a celebration. When my cousin Hannah showed up, I hopped back in the box, and when she came in, somebody made her sing to Jenna's doll. About half way through the song I popped out of the box, and finished the song. She freaked out. This is the girl who is afraid of toasters popping and ice machines. Enough said on that subject. Hannah then explained that she came alone and early, because she was at a friend's house. When she explained that she had to go to her cousin's doll's birthday party, it must had made her out to be a crazy person. But now I hope, she has explained to her friend that there was a different reason that she had to leave.

Everyone showed up eventually, and we ate dinner. I really needed a haircut, so Karalyn took me later to go get one. Mainly she took me, because I was so tired that I was afraid I would fall asleep while driving. When I got to the hair place, I was shaking because I was so tired. Afterwards, I was dropped off at home, where I fell asleep shortly after. I was very tired, after being up for something like 48 hours. 

The next day was Christmas Eve. And, as the tradition in my family has always been, Christmas Eve with the Stillman side, and Christmas Day with the Pruim side, I went over to my Grandpa Moe's (Bob's). I should explain the Moe thing I think, otherwise it just seems weird. When Doug and I were younger, we watched the Three Stooges, and we thought that our Grandpa looked like Moe, because of his dark hair. So the name pretty much stuck. So anyway, He did not know I was coming in either, so when we got there, he was laying down for a nap, so I sat in his rocking chair. When he got up from his nap, he came in and my dad said that he brought someone along, which my grandpa probably thought was my half-brother Cooper, who he was holding. When he got a little closer, he saw my legs, and then me, and was so surprised. I jumped up to give him a hug, and I told him that his pacemaker had better hold in there. It was a good surprise. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I spent still getting over my jet lag later in the day, but when Christmas Day came around, I took some pictures to remember it!

What on earth could Matthew be eating? Could it be? No, it couldn't be pancakes?!

My momma opening her present from me!

She got a little smoking snow man!

Jenna got the movie that she will be obsessively watching for the next few months.

I think Matt was excited by this present.

Christina got a ramen mummy shirt.

Jenna will be quite fashionable this year.

Matthew's best pirate face.

Cute pajamas!

Oh wow, Matthew and Pokemon, who would have guessed.

The new obsession within my family.

A little fuzzy, but you can still kind of see the Perry the Platypus slippers!

Jenna will be dancing this year.

SOO Adorable! I want some!

Matthew and Jenna both got sleeping bags for Christmas!

So they decided to race down the stairs with them, like I used to do with Doug!

Christmas came and went, and I kept pretty busy afterwards. I had to go to a few doctors while I was home, which is never any fun, but I did get to go ice skating! Things I found out about myself while ice skating:

1. I'm not very good.

2. It's easier to stay standing when you're moving faster.

3. I'm very good at embarrassing Miriam with my singing.

4. Whenever I lose my balance, I scream. Loudly.

5. I need more practice, as there were five year old kids out skating me.

It was a lot of fun though. And I got to go see (don't judge) the new Twilight movie while I was home. Me and Christina went to see it, and minus one scene, it was marvelous.

On the last full day at home, I had to go pick up my retainer at the orthodontist, while the kids were at school, and my grandma took my mom to go get a shot in her knee. The shot she needed was some sort of gel liquid that they shoot into your knee with a very long needle. I decided that it would be best if someone else took my mom, and I was right! I found out later, after running some errands, that my mom had a seizure, although she'll say she just passed out, after she got her shot. She was taken to the hospital and had tests done. We found out that she was alright, and that it was just from the stress of it all. My grandma was sure stressed after that. But I'm very thankful that she was there instead of me, because I would have freaked out and probably passed out too! Then we would have both been riding in ambulances to the hospital! Later that night, we went to dinner at Enrico's so that I could get in my yummy pizza fix in before heading back the next morning. After dinner, we stopped at Walgreens to get ice packs for my mom's knee. As we were checking out, we got the most uncooperative and (I'm sorry to say it) most unintelligent woman ever to ring us up. My grandma had gotten a lot of clearance items that weren't marked right. The woman stood there and messed up over and over again. And when she messed something up, she would turn her anger on us! We didn't do anything either. We were polite, and helped her out. We did not yell at her. And still she took all of her frustration out on us. The lady, at one point, asked my grandma how many of one item there were, so my grandma told her 21. The lady responds, "Okay twenty. Twenty cents each." When actually they were twelve cents each, and there were twenty one of them. She rang it up at twenty cents each, and when we corrected her, she was pissed. She said angrily that she would have to do the whole thing over again. She started from the beginning, but instead of just looking on the receipt how many of the first few items there were, she started to count them all out again, which would have been alright if she had been counting them in any sort of organized manner. She had piles of two, a pile of one, and a few other piles of random numbers that she could have just made into piles of two and counted them by twos, or even counted them individually. Seriously, I could have done her job twenty times faster than her. Jenna could have done it faster and more efficiently as well. It was really frustrating. It took a long time, and she tried to charge us twice for something that she already counted, she put a bag of stuff inside another bag with other items already inside it. She was just very belligerent and not very bright. Sorry to have to say it, but it's true. I don't think I'll be going back to that Walgreens again. I feel like even though I have just written a paragraph about this woman, there is no way that I have properly described her, and I don't think words can ever do that.

Other than these few things, and jaywalking every day, because I was in the US, I mainly just got to spend time with friends and family, which was great. This may be odd, but I don't mind having to watch my younger siblings. I never have. I think that for the most part, kids, and especially teenagers, with younger siblings don't like to babysit for them, but I've never minded. It's not like babysitting anyway, because Matt and Jenna pretty much just take care of themselves! All you have to do sometimes is keep them from annoying each other too much! And even that's not too much of a problem.

I feel very lucky to have been home this Christmas. I don't regret going home at all, and although I was still sad to leave home again, I wasn't nearly as anxious this time around. This time I wasn't leaving home into the unknown. I was leaving home to go to my second home. Or I should say my third home. I've sort of lost track. When I was younger, I used to say that my home was my home, and that my Grandma Bub and Grandpa Ed's house was my second home. So I guess that would make Tuebingen my third home. For now at least.

When the day came for me to leave, as I said I wasn't as nervous as before, but I could tell that Matthew still wasn't too happy with my going again. He wasn't as bad as before, but I could still tell he was sad. We made our way to the airport with Matt, Christina, my mom, Bub, and Ed (Jenna went to school because she had a test that she didn't want to miss after already missing so much school from her surgery). We got to ride the tram from the parking lot to the terminal, which Matt liked. I think he was getting a little better as the time went by, especially because this time we didn't have to sit in the airport for three hours while we waited for people from my school to arrive. The lady at the check-in counter was very rude. I don't know what her problem was. She didn't look at me the whole time, but talked with someone else back behind the counter, who I'm guessing was her boss, because the lady she was talking to told her to clock out of the machine she was using so that the younger guy behind her could use it when she was done. So when the lady checking me in heard this, she got pissed, clocked out and left me standing there while I was half checked in. She said that she was going to use the bathroom and stormed off. I don't know what her deal was, but she definitely should not be in the customer service business. She even sneezed before she clocked out and I said bless you! Is this what I deserve, to be left there at the counter? No. I should say not. After I was fully checked-in I went back to a confused looking group of my family and told them what happened. It seems that I just make people angry or something, it's like to boots all over again!

I said goodbye and left for security after about a half hour, and made my trip back to Tuebingen. When I got back, I was really tired, so Hannah stayed with me to try to keep me awake. After a few days of reading to keep me awake during the day, and sleeping unsuccessfully at night, I feel like I might be over the jet lag. I read all three of the Hunger Games books the past three days. One each day. And I would highly recommend them. I have come to the realization that now that I have nothing else to read for entertainment, as I have finished that series, and as soon as I will finish my blog, I will actually have to do homework. I guess that's why they call it study abroad. This week I have one presentation, and will be meeting with Hannah, Rachel, and Helina to plan our two month break trip. I'm hoping that this week will go by fast! I feel like my fingers are going to fall off now, so I am going to sign off, and say goodbye! I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I hope that you all keep reading!