Going Home

As I drove over the GW bridge I felt the familiar excitement of being almost home. The kids were just waking from a car nap as the car slowed in Tri-State traffic.

"Are we at Grandma's yet?"

"Will we see all our cousins?"

"Can we walk Aunt Melissa's dogs?"

They felt the excitement too. Living far never gets easier or better. There are always parties that are missed, celebrations only over the phone, and family dinners every few months. But if there is one good thing about being far, perhaps the only good thing, it is the visits. Late night talks around kitchen tables, early breakfast chats about school, and sleepovers with cousins. Quality time.

This last visit home to New Jersey didn't disappoint. We saw so much of our cousins, there were perma grins all over the place! Museums with Aunt Melissa, Grandma's famous chicken cutlets, and visits with Aunt Lorraine. Mike surprised us by coming on the train, and the snow held off until we were 10 miles from home.

We are already counting the days until the next visit :)

Remember When...

Dear Ella, Drew, and Tyler-

Chances are you won't remember your first time night skiing. You won't remember that we were already tired when we left the house. You won't remember that we sang Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 on the way. You probably won't believe that you ever thought Blue Hills was "huge!"

 

It's ok if you forget, you are only 7 and 5 after all. It's ok, because I'll tell you the story. I'll leave out the parts about getting there later than I hoped and about the granular, slushy man made snow. But I'll be sure to tell you how your happy faces glowed in the spotlights. How after 2 runs on the bunny slope, you were ready to move on. How you jumped at the chance to ride chairlifts with willing teenagers and then cheered your new "buddies" on as they skied past you.

 

We will all laugh as I tell you about Ty trying to jump and Ella skiing through the short cuts in the woods. You'll giggle when I tell you that halfway through the night we realized that Drew was wearing his tinted goggles.

 

It's Ok if you don't remember your first time night skiing, because hopefully it will happen many more times as you grow up.

 

It's Ok if you don't remember, because I will never forget.

 

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Surprise!

Sometimes I hand my phone over to gain a moment of peace. I love when I discover gems like these in my photo albums.

After I recovered from the grossness, all I could think of was Sloth from the Goonies!

And, well, I see Ty in this pose all too frequently - but it still made me laugh!

 

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