Leaving Tahoe

It is with a great deal of mixed emotion that I am FINALLY writing today. Yes, yes, I know that I have been severely remiss in writing. Truly sorry. :) Since we got to Arizona it has been go go go. And see see see. From Colorado we visited Four Corners, the Grand Canyon and most importantly our friends Doris, Amanda and Jason (with a quick hello to Larry and Dave). What a tremendously good and relaxing time. Although, as you have already read, we finally lost the bird. It was very sad for us to go through that but it was made easier with the company of Doris, Amanda and Jason. I am reminded from this visit that some friends just are. Doris is the woman I talk to sometimes on a daily basis. We just are. It is hard to define but my life would be lost without her. Yet, she is probably the most different from me from all my friends. I want to be her when I grow up some day. Our visit with her family seemed way too short. ALL of our visits have seemed way too short, but that one was the beginning of these quick visits and it was sad to say goodbye.

That truly is something about moving all the way across the country. Although I don't think (never say never) we would ever leave the East coast while the kids are still school age, it is weird to see 1/2 my life and support here on the West coast. Maybe it is a good thing? After all, I always have somewhere I can go, visit or just get away. But when you spend the little time we have with more people we love, it sad to remember that they are not within physical reaching distance. :/

From Phoenix, and great mexican food, the science center, some hashing for mommy, etc. we moved on to San Diego where the kids and I were spoiled by our Aunt Sandy. Paddle boarding, beaches, pedicures, massages, GREAT GREAT food, long conversations and visits with other family members such as Mark, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Jack and Uncle Hank abounded. It is always a great moment to spend time with Aunt Sandy. While growing up, Sandy was my second mother. She helped raise and guide me, and trust me that was no easy feat. For a few years, I lived with Sandy, Mark and Andy and that was/is a stable part of my young world that has helped shaped me today. It is a blessing for the kids to have her and be exposed to my family and all our wonderfullness and quirks. Again, leaving Sandy's and Mark's was fraught with sadness and a feeling of being cheated but an overwhelming sense of being cared for and loved and knowing we will see them again.

We moved on to visit Hollywood, Malibu and of course ANOTHER Six Flags. Unfortunately though we all ended up with head colds here and were not at our 100%. Ella impressed the hell out of me. She never gets sick and when she does she is like a big overgrown baby. Quick side story, Ella has never been a very snuggly kid. When she was a baby I would look at how other kids would cling to their parents and wonder if I was doing something wrong that mine didn't. Both Kirk and I wrote it off as, just her personality (as we should have in my opinion). However, when she was about 2, she got this horrible flu and was very sick and I got my snuggly kid! I have to say, I was sad to see her sick of course, but man did I eat up all that snuggle and lovey time! Well, she is like that as a young adult too! :) "Mommy," she says to me in our tent, "I am dying!" :) Ahhhhhh my poor baby. So we petted and got her medicine and then she said, "Yeah I don't like this, I will be better within two days." She was! Ha! I love that kid. So we sort of enjoyed the area and then eagerly made our way up to Napa and my brother, Amanda, Aaralyn and Daylin.

We camped one night in a weird little campground in Napa (I don't recommend it) and headed over to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom where we met up with my sister in law Amanda and niece and nephew, Aaralyn and Daylin. What a great day! We literally, once again, walked onto the rides. We saw so much and just generally enjoyed the day. From there we headed to my "home" of South Lake Tahoe and Ryan's actual home.

The magic of being in Tahoe is just about impossible to put into words. This place has a beauty and a calming feeling like no other place in the world that I have experienced. It could be that is because it was my home for so long but I remember when my mom decided to move us here. The reason she did was because of that magic and we knew it was home. So, we have spent the last week here and it is with a somewhat heavy heart we say goodbye today. I was able to reconnect with my friends Henry, Shelley and Shannon. The connections with these people were / are so easy. The KNOWING of each other that we have, its just simple and easy and a true blessing. Everyone's life is going along so well and they are so happy. Henry is tackling school again and he (along with some others I have met this year and on this journey) has inspired me to spend some time volunteering for the VA and re-entering military. Shelley is the mom to a beautiful 15 year old, owns a beautiful home and makes me laugh like she always has. Shannon, ahhh Shannon, a friend I met in the 7th grade, who literally is the only person besides my brother, who I think sees the girl I was with the woman I am. After 25 years, it was like just sitting with a friend I have been in close contact every week. I am looking forward to meeting her husband today and her AMAZING, funny son was a joy to be around yesterday. Shanno's joy with her life was so evident and I was really very happy for her!

We have hiked, sunbathed, hung with Ry and the fam, seen Ryan act, been to improv, had sushi, wreaked havoc, on and on and on. The kids are very sad to leave their cousins. Two more energetic, smart, creative children you could not find. They fit very well with Ella and Katrin and it is fun watching them all. Ryan and Amanda have been generous in letting us impose on their lives for a whole week. I know we will be seeing them again this year. It is just important to me and to us that we maintain some kind of contact so, it isn't as heavy saying goodbye to them. HOPEFULLY they will come to CT sometime soon!!!!

So that is the peanut shell edition of our travels. We are about 10 days away from home now and man are we REALLY looking forward to that. Katrin is a bit overwrought missing her daddy and Ella and I both want our beds (as well as to see Kirk). We are looking forward to the sites to come, sad to have such short visits with the friends and family we have, looking forward to seeing Aimee, Cedric and Pete again for a day, anxious to get home and dreading some of the long driving in the days to come. Who knew there would be SO MUCH emotion in this little trip of ours?