Costa Rica Cuatro Parte: Feliz Año Nuevo a la Playa

Okay, so I am a wee bit embarrassed that I am just NOW posting my final Costa Rica story. What can I say? This semester is keeping me hopping, and these entries are a little more time consuming since I am adding so many pictures to better illustrate my stories and commentary. I hope to be better. I don't want to lose my few readers out there in cyber space! So, this last one is what I call beach vignettes. It is more about impressions and thoughts that I had while lazing away at the beach. I hope you enjoy and perhaps it will warm you up in spirit as we wait for the last of winter to finish up for this year. And, if you make it to the end, there is a really cute picture as your reward for sticking with me.

Do you see the little hermit crab nestled in the shells?

Where we Stayed:

For the New Year and start of 2011, we headed to the beach. We stayed in a beach house borrowed from friends of my in-laws that was right on the beach. It has that rustic charm that all part-time use beach houses have. You know what I mean, right? The type of place where it is about the location, not the décor: very simply decorated, mismatched furniture, with lots of beds; mismatched dishes and silverware with random bits of cookware; piles of found treasures from the beach. We have all stayed in that beach house, no? Our location was the Playa de Esterilllo, just north of Dominical on the Pacific side. It was not a touristy type of place. It was a tico type of place. Life at the beach is always lazy. Walks on the beach. Lots of reading. Shell collecting. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. No pressure!

Beach Life Pictures:

R's Dad Reading

Best. Reading. Spot. Ever!

Brother-in-law taking a nap with Peanut

Yes, I am reading. I am on vacation.

Our Beach Walk on Playa Hermosa:

R and his parents

Fossils!

My attempts to be artistic

R and a big @$$ tre

Could this be any more precious?

Sunsets:

I am a sucker for sunsets, and this trip did not let me down. We had two beautiful sunsets, and one cloudy one. I feel like I have become a bit of an expert since living in Flagstaff. I have realized that there are a few key elements to a good sunset. First, you have to have a good background view with minimal obstructions. Second, you need some clouds. To fully capture the gloriousness, you need to have those reflections on the clouds that show all the myriads of colors. Tonight, they looked like cotton candy at one point. Then they were this crazy pink gold color which began shifting to shades of lavender and deep shocking pink as the sun hits the horizon of the ocean. There is just something magical about watching the sun set over water or the mountains.

Feliz Año Nuevo:

Cava

We made it midnight, which, we often do not regardless of where we find ourselves that year. I find New Year’s to be one of those overrated holidays with so much pressure to make it epic every time. I think it is because we all do have one or two of those epic nights that you think you are expected to have every year, and I just don’t think it is possible. Well, perhaps, if you are filthy rich, you could make it epic every year, but the reality is that some are just going to be rather chill. And really, I am okay with that.

It took R and I about two days to even remember where and what we were doing last year, which was the first signal that it was probably not some spectacular adventure. We finally concluded that we spent it in Dallas at home fixing a nice dinner and that after watching the ball drop in Times Square, and a really bad performance of Umbrella by Rhiannon two hours before our own Central time zone midnight. I think we were in bed before midnight! Kay, enough digression! I think my bragging rights are that I have celebrated a New Year’s in every time zone in the United States, and in Costa Rica. So, that is kinda cool, right?

We have spent several at the beach in Costa Rica, hmmm, I guess this is my third? And they have definitely been of the relaxed variety. This is to be expected since we tend to be staying in a fairly remote area in a beach house. We are not in some busy little tourist town with bars to party at. I remember on my first New Year’s visit that I was the only one to make it to midnight. Happy New Year’s to me, eh? The second time, some friends came with us, so we made it to midnight. However, we were at a small isolated hotel, so it was us and a family made up of a mix of Costa Ricans and Americans from Alabama. We celebrated by the pool and did the countdown in Spanish and toasted with Imperial beer. Fun, but not epic!

This year, I was the one dragging, although I made myself stay up to ring in 2011. I should mention that part of it is that you operate on beach time. Sunrise comes early and you don’t have shades to block the sunlight as that would cut down on the needed air circulation. Most of us are up by 7 am. We spend all day in the warm sun either exploring or lying around on the beach. Tough work, I know, but the heat along with the vacation mentality zaps your energy. Most nights we are sleepy and drifting off to bed starting around 10 pm.

Beach Night Life: Skipbo and beer

What saved me and kept me distracted was the SkipBo game we found in the house. I have heard of this game but never played. It is a mindless and addictive card game, and we have played it pretty much every night.

We brought in the New Year with Cava and toasts with the sound of (come on, you can guess it) of fireworks in the background. After that, I was ready for bed. Happy New Year to me!

The Weather Report:

You always think you are prepared to make the climate change when you travel, but it is still somewhat unexpected. San Jose is at about 3000 feet. Since it is in the tropics zone, it is still quite warm. Actually, mild might be a better way to describe it. During the times of year I have been, I have also found it quite variable. Typically you can expect it to be comfortable to cool during the days, and I tend to find I need a wrap or light sweater in the evenings. Now that I think about it, it is kind of like the Flagstaff weather I experienced this summer and fall! This trip it seemed a little cooler and windier than I anticipated. I wish I had packed more socks as I hate having cold feet. I hate when I don’t get my packing quite right. Since the house is tiled, it is unavoidable, especially when the weather is cooler. However, since I mainly packed sandals, I only packed a couple of pairs of socks for wearing with my tennis shoes. So, I had to commandeer a pair of Robert’s socks once or twice as he packed plenty. Because of the tropical climate, there is always a bit of dampness no matter where you go. Once we moved to the beach, it was much warmer, and humid. Even though I grew up in a climate with a humid summer and have pretty much continued to be in humid climates, I have quickly adapted to the dryness of Arizona. As I have mentioned before, my hair does SO much better. Now I am back to frizziness and it always looks slightly oily and heavy with the product. Yay, thin curly hair… And I forgot what it feels like to feel sticky all the time, even after you get out of the shower. You can never get quite dry after showering. Despite readjusting the sensation of a humid climate, I have welcomed the warmth and sunshine. Finally!

Central American Night Time Symphony:

Since my first visit to Central America in college (El Salvador), I have associated the smaller country towns with a cacophony or symphony (you choose) of noises at night. I remember the first few nights were always the hardest, and I felt like I was kept up all night by the ongoing, changing sounds. Although we are at the beach, really we are still just in the country and the beach just happens to be the western boundary. Typically, it seems to be the dogs in the early evening. You always have a few yappers, and sometimes many, that just don’t seem to stop. Or maybe they are talking to each other? Redefining their boundaries at the end of each day? I am never really sure. It can go on for hours, and it usually seems to be one of the sounds I finally drift asleep to.

At some point, I usually wake up to the silence of intermission while all seems to be asleep or at least resting, well it is not complete silence. Now I hear the whirring white noise of the fan and much fainter under it, the crashing and booming of the waves on the beach nearby. With both, every so often, a gecko inserts its chattering, loud call. For a creature so small, it has a voice much greater. Later, as when I awake again, the sky is getting lighter as dawn is approaching and the birds start. In the country towns of other places, it has been dominated by roosters. Like the dogs, they can seem to go on forever. Here, in a more tropical location, there are more tropical birds that fill in the spaces in between. Although, it is not part of the chorus here, the cows would greet the morning as the finale and I would fully awaken to the sounds of their lows and moos.

Peanut! And he was not one of the yappy dogs!

Costa Rica Parte Una: McPinto and a Haunted Sanatorio

People always get super envious when I mention that we are making a trip to Costa Rica to visit Husband’s parents and brother. I am always a bit more nonchalant as I regard it as a family trip to visit the in-laws. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy going and appreciate that I have the opportunity to go more than the average person. I get that it is a cool and exotic locale that I get to go to instead of say, um… Normal, Illinois. No offense to Normal. I am sure it is a lovely little city. It just happens to be the first place that popped in my head. Probably because it is called Normal. Who came up with that one? That city was destined to get a bum rap from the get go!

However, back to my point. Think about your own family trips. It is always fun and exciting because you get to see people you don’t see that often and you are leaving your home base for new surroundings for a while. However, really THINK about what you do. You just hang out most of the time and revel in being lazy. You eat, watch TV, putz on the computer, read guilty pleasures books and magazines, visit with family and friends, sleep lots, etc. You venture out occasionally to run errands or maybe go shopping, and your hosts probably plan one or two fun excursions while you are there. I am right, aren’t I!?! It is not like when you take a getaway vacation to some place new and exciting where you: Cram. In. Everything. You. Possibly. Can. (In way too short amount of time to really see any thing). I think that is how everyone envisions our trips to Costa Rica because they are seeing it as a vacation destination and not as just Husband’s childhood home. Of course, we do manage to add some fun to our family visit so it is a vacation, too! So that it what I am going to share: the fun vacationy stuff. Cuz, let me tell you, I have done plenty of the hum drum stuff above, and boy, it has been lovely to be lazy and relax! Unfortunately, I don’t think you would find it particularly interesting reading.

First, some general impressions of Costa Rica and San Jose. I have actually spent quite a bit of time in Central America, and there is a definite look and feel to this region of the world. Part of it is the terrain (lush, green, tropical, mountainous), another part the language and the people, and the other part is just the general look of the architecture. I think the design of buildings is large part of the familiarity I have encountered in my travels. I suspect for durability (earthquakes, humid and damp climates) and cost, most homes are made of cinder blocks and are quite boxy and flat. In the city, everything is fenced, walled, and gated. There are bars on the windows and doors, and often razor wire on top of the walls. It makes you realize how naively we often take our security for granted in our own neighborhoods. Now, in actuality, I have never felt particularly unsafe in any of my Latin American travels, although I often am quite aware of my gringaness (I think I just made that word up). Get ready for more Spanglish, by the way.

This is about my sixth trip to Costa Rica, and I definitely grow to appreciate it more and more with each visit. San Jose is really like any other large city other than the differences in architecture and the signs being in a different language. I am honestly not that familiar with the city. Despite the numerous extended stays, I still do not feel like I know how to get around the city and only have a vague sense of its layout. I guess we can chalk that up to my laziness in ambition to familiarize myself, as well as a lack of need, to date. I try to pay attention when we are out in the car, but I don’t think I could get to my in-laws’ house on my own even if my life depended on it. I also realized that we spend most of our time in the equivalent of a suburb of the city so that doesn't really help either. In fact, I have only been to downtown proper on a few occasions. On my last visit, R and I did a little exploring, and he took me to a cool museum (Museo Nacional) and an historic theatre (Teatro Nacional). However, that is about it for my city explorations. When we explore, we head out of the city.

Even after all my travels here and there, I am still taken off guard when I see something familiar like a Taco Bell or Papa John’s plopped down in somewhat alien surroundings. You have such a sense of differentness when travelling that it seems odd to see something that you associate with the United States right there in front of you. I do not really find it that comforting. I enjoy the experience of being some place different, and for me, it almost seems incorrect to have it invaded by something that I regard as such American icons (or perhaps blights???). I am sure the locals are happy to be able ogle the waitresses at Hooter’s (yes, there is one), to make their McDonald’s run, and enjoy the Colonel’s chicken, but give me comida tipica!

Speaking of which, I saw the funniest thing today. See, the national dish of Costa Rica is called Gallo Pinto. It is basically a mixture of day old rice, black bean, onions, peppers, and seasonings that is fried up and served for breakfast with tortillas and a fried egg on top. Yummo! So we are driving down the street, and I am reading all the signs and billboards like I always do in a weird effort to increase my familiarity with the Spanish language. What do I see? I see a McDonald’s bulletin board advertising McPinto Deluxe. I am not even kidding. They were advertising their own offering of Gallo Pinto that they are calling McPinto. I was pretty much speechless.

Onto the first actual adventure in this blog series. The day after Christmas, R and I headed to a supposedly haunted, abandoned sanitarium as a fun get out of the house excursion with his brother and several of his friends. It is located in the outskirts of Cartago and has been used as a tuberculosis hospital called Prusia, as an insane asylum called Sanatorio Carlos Duran, and an orphanage for children. It was really out in the middle of nowhere farm land with the next closest landmark being a volcano that last erupted in the 1960’s, which apparently led to it being vacated for the last time, I think. I did not get the haunted vibe at all, but I wasn’t really looking for it, and perhaps there was too many visitors for shy ghosties. It was creepy, though, when you thought about what is was used for in the past, and the hallway with all the children’s handprints was a little unsettling. On R’s Facebook photo album, I called it a tropical Shutter Island. Along with the interesting architecture, there was tons of more current graffiti throughout the entire building. Here is a link with a few more details if you are interested, as well as someone else’s blog entry with a good picture and some creepy stories about the place. Side note: he references Louisville's Waverly Sanitarium in the same blog. How funny!

It was not quite as abandoned as we expected as they were actually charging admission, and this was not apparently an original idea given the holidays so there were quite a few visitors besides just ourselves. Despite the unexpected popularity and commercialism, it was still quite an interesting exploration. As I previously mentioned, there is definite architectural style that you encounter in most of Latin America. I will call it cement block utilitarianism. It has its own weird charm, but it is definitely unlike anything that most of us North Americans are used to encountering. This place did not fit this design mold at all. It had hard wood floors and painted plaster walls in most places and more of what I would consider a North American design style. Not really sure why it ended up being built this way, but it is obvious why you don’t see much of this style and use of materials around these parts. The wet, humid climate, along with neglect has taken its toll. Despite its unpleasant past uses, I could almost imagine that at one point it had a sort of dignified beauty about it. It was huge, and it felt like a maze with its multiple wings, floors and rooms connecting to rooms connecting to rooms.

On the way back, R’s brother took us to one of his favorite places for lunch, Posada De La Luna . It provided typical Costa Rican cuisine (comida tipica) that did not let us down, including freshly made corn tortillas, yummy plaintains (maduros), yucca frita, and this really awesome tortilla de queso. It is kind of hard to describe as it is not a quesadilla. It is more like they took masa and local salty cheese, mixed it all up into a thick tortilla and pan fried it. Soooo good! I also had my first refresco naturale, otherwise known as fresh fruit juice. I got mora (blackberry). R likes his with leche (yuk). However, I was jealous of his cool cookie on top! It was a yummy way to wrap up our adventure for the day.

Cultural End Note: Christmas is a big deal here in this majority Catholic country. Everyone gets into the spirit. Gas stations are over the top decorated with garlands and trees on top of gas pumps. Everywhere you look there are nativity scenes. Christmas Eve, in particular, is a huge celebratory night with evening masses and lots of fireworks and firecrackers. Long after we went to bed, or tried to at least, they continued on and on and on….

Husband will get all photo credits on this trip as chief camera operator. Here is a link to his facebook album. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38202&id=100000653285100&l=09e73271ea

Aunty C Returns to Middle America (AKA, Indiana and Kentucky)

I became an aunt for the first time on June 12, 2010. I am definitely a big fan of being an aunt. I feel extra cool and stuff, and I don’t have to worry about all that scary parenting! Due to the craziness that has been my life since making the decision to move to Flagstaff, I have not been able to make a trip home to meet my lovely little niece. This is definitely where technology makes distance easier, though. I have watched her grow over the last 6 months, so I have not felt completely disconnected. Again, also due the craziness that has been our life, we have not been back to Louisville or my parent’s house up the river in Indiana since last winter. Although I have a whole month off from school and work, it was not possible to find a period of time during said month when all my family would be in Indiana, if you can believe it! Anyways. I was able to find a long weekend shortly before the end of the semester where I could slip away for a visit. Of course, I naively thought I would be all done with my school work, but more on that later.

A remote location definitely makes traveling longer. I arrived at the Flagstaff airport at dawn (at least there is an airport, right?), then headed to Phoenix, then to Charlotte (where the sun was now setting), before finally landing in Louisville. My pictures from the airport make it clear I had arrived in Louisville. It has been a while since I have actually flown to Louisville, and I don’t remember these goofy things, but they are so Kentucky I just could resist a couple of quick snapshots.

Although the flying part of my journey was quite done at that point, it was still an hour and twenty minute drive to my parent’s house in Madison. We went to dinner in Louisville at one of my favorite places to eat: Café Lou Lou. R and I are addicted to the Mezze Platter. Although it is on the menu as an appetizer, we make a very good meal out of it. What is it about dips? It is so fun to pile up a little bit of this and a little bit of that onto a pita. It is definitely one of my favorite Mediterranean dishes of all time. We have attempted a couple of times to make some of the more unusual items on the platter with varying degrees of success. Here is a picture, although it is a little dark.

As referenced earlier, I was not done with my mountains of end of semester writing even though I had anticipated being done with everything by the time I travelled. So, I spent Friday morning holed up writing away. I was thrilled that my darling Callie kitty was excited to see me. It has been hit or miss with her affection since they were moved to “grandma and grandpa’s” house after R and I got married. No pets allowed in campus housing, sigh. She snuggled up with me all night and as you can see, was a great foot warmer while I was writing my papers. However, Roxie, our

Brittany spaniel, was very jealous of all the attention she was getting so, she had to get up on the bed, too. Talk about two jealous old ladies! They are not each other’s biggest fans and I think they spend a lot of time competing for who gets the most love. Callie swats at Roxie when she gets too close, but Roxie knows she has the size advantage. After a morning of writing, my mom and I headed to my Nana’s house (godmother) as I had not had a chance to see her in a long time. She is a wonderful woman who has literally known me since the day I was born, and once kindly put a roof over my head for a few months while I was in transition after college.

That evening, I met up with a high school friend, A, at one of the local wineries. Here is a link to The Thomas Family Winery. It is still sometimes referred to as “the old Greyhound station.” I met Steve and Elizabeth shortly after they moved to Madison to start the winery, gosh… wow… close to 15 years ago. Where does the time go? They make wonderful wines, have live music on the weekends, are great hosts, and provide an all around great pub like atmosphere. So A and I spent several hours gabbing and catching up over red wine and cheese. We have travelled a lot together over the years, but it has been a while. So, we are planning a trip for the fall of 2012 when I should have my diploma in hand and hopefully a new job. She always has the best ideas. We are going to do a Irish horse drawn caravan trip. Okay, I know you are going, what??? I did the same thing until she sent me a link explaining it. So here is a link that does a much better job of showing you what it is all about. I think it is gonna be way cool and an interesting way to explore the Irish country side. http://www.irishhorsedrawncaravans.com/

Saturday was our big family gathering. My sister, her husband, and my darling niece came down from Indianapolis along with my other sister who is in college there. J’s birthday happened to be on Monday, so we celebrated her birthday. I won’t overwhelm you with a bazillion pictures, but here are a few highlights of me and my crazy family. If you want to see more, you can check out my album on Facebook. As you can see most of the day was about my niece and her being the center of attention. As the first grandchild and niece of our generation, I think she had more pictures taken than the average super model on a photo shoot! She is 6 months old, so she is at that super cute age where she is aware of you, getting wiggly, rolls around a lot, and almost crawling. She has also found her voice and is starting to babble. Anyways, it was great fun, and yes, I did let other people hold her. The pictures are proof of that! After a busy day of family and food, I was headed to “the Ville,” (Louisville) or Luhvul as we like to say. If you say “Lewisville” or “Looeyville” people will know you are NOT from the area.

I get to feed my niece

Gnawing on the best toy ever, Sophie the Giraffe, that Auntie C gave her

Grandma and Grandpa!

Siblings and Darling Niece Shot with Jule's Birthday Cake

This is what happens when we try to take a picture together (it took about three)

Much better with Darling Niece

I can't remember the last time we had a picture with the whole family. And everyone actually looks good in it!

The next 24 hours was a whirlwind of meeting up with good friends from my Louisville days. Starting with a sushi dinner on Saturday with my good friend C (where I, as usual ordered too many rolls), Sunday brunch at Lynn’s Paradise Cafe for the best biscuits and gravy (why oh why is there no good biscuits and gravy out west???), on to tea and Cake Flour cupcakes (featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate) at the Hillbilly Tea (which is a new and super cute downtown destination, and I would totally have eaten there if not stuffed from biscuits and gravy). Then I did mad more paper writing to meet my Sunday night deadline then wrapped up with a good gab fest with my host P (and bestie) and our good friend Double D. I should mention that P fosters another one of our cats, Kobi. He was a bit standoffish, but as you can see, he

couldn’t resist curling up with my netbook. After they left, I finished proofing my paper so I could email it from a local coffee shop, before heading back to Madison. It was getting pretty late in the day and the snow was sticking so I was in a hurry. This is where it gets interesting, frustrating, and embarrassing.

I load my backpack and purse into my mom’s Pathfinder, and pull out the snow scraper to brush off the snow. I had the brilliant idea to start the car so it could warm up while I was getting the snow off. A little voice in my head told me to leave the door open as I had vague recollections of it being easy to lock the keys in this car. So, this went fine, until I rounded the final corner, skidded a bit, knocked the door and it swung shut. I had that NOOOOOOO moment. Then I thought to myself that maybe I had made up that whole locking the keys in the car business, so I tried the handle. Nope, definitely locked. Tried the other three and the back, just in case. Yep. Definitely locked. Did I mention it was snowing? Did I mention the car was running? Did I mention everything, including my cell phone and AAA card were in the locked car? Did I mention that my host had already left for some evening plans? Pretty sure I used some strong expletive for a few minutes while I considered my options. Knowing that P has decent relationships with her neighbors, I went there and knocked. I introduced myself and explained my sorry situation. They very kindly let me in to use their phone and internet to look up a number for AAA. Which, by the way, is very difficult to find on their website. Humph! Called for lock service, and then called my mom to break the news about why I was going to be a bit later than I had planned. Well, then I learned that there was a key hidden for that very reason… So, called AAA back to cancel service, and was on my way about five minutes later. Stopped at Highland Coffee for a latte and to email my final paper. I really wanted a mocha with blackberry whip cream (and I always order my drinks without whip, so it is THAT good), but was in a bit of a sugar overload by the end of my day, so went for the straight latte. A very slow 45 mph drive then ensued, and I made it home almost two hours later. Sheesh! What an end to the day.

Other than a lunch date with another high school friend, the rest of my trip was pretty chill and was spent hanging out with my parents and brother, which I needed and enjoyed. Before I knew

it, it was time to head to the airport. Callie tried really hard to get me to pack her up for the return trip back. Mom treated me to a hearty breakfast at Wild Eggs, where I got the Truffled Scramble, yum. I want to learn how to make their Everything Muffin, it is sweet and savory at the same time. Then it was time to come back to Flag. I love it here, but boy, do I get homesick for Louisville and my old haunts when I am there. You just cannot beat the architecture in that area. Both Louisville and Madison just have the most beautiful architecture and green space. I was looking forward to escaping the cold, snow, and rain. However, the blue skies and fifty degree weather disappeared with my return to Flag. Has been gray, snowy, and rainy ever since. Sigh!

Sometimes There is a Down Side to New Adventures

It is no secret that I love to travel. I could easily rattle off about 20 places I want to visit and could probably come up with another pretty long list of places I think I might like to live, too. But, it can be hard having that passion and drive to always keep moving around. Transiency can be fun, but it is also not all it is cracked up to be because you are always leaving great things and people behind. I think it is on my mind because yesterday was my birthday. Just about anyone could tell you that I am fairly indifferent when it comes to my birthday. I appreciate the love and attention that I receive, but I am rarely counting down the hours to my “special day.” Probably my fondest memories come from my 30^th birthday party where my friends quietly stole control of the planning from me and gave me an unforgettable bash. Of course, it is memories like these that perhaps are making me a bit blue and nostalgic today.

First, let me clarify, I had a lovely day yesterday. I got an awesome Camelback backpack and some funny socks from Robert. I was strongly encouraged to not study and to enjoy my day. I did this, however, I am regretting it a wee bit today as I have stacks of reading to finish before tomorrow. We had a fun afternoon together cooking my birthday dinner. I know that may not sound fun to everyone, but I picked out some of my favorite dishes to share with some Flagstaff friends, and R and I really enjoy cooking together. We have not done it a whole lot since moving here because our counter space is about 2 feet long, which is not conducive to two people working side by side unless you are very patient or careful! We made hummus and baba ganoush with pita chips and carrots for dipping. We made spinach pie (like one giant spanokapita, only easier) and grilled fennel couscous salad. At my request, Robert made me a banana cake with caramel frosting.

We shared this feast with A and J, who as you can tell are already frequent flyers in my life here, B that I work with and her little son L, and two new friends from my SUS program, C and T. It was exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday, so I was happy and content at the end of the day. I also received phone calls and texts from family and friends as well as a million facebook messages. I think it is the last bit that makes me a bit sad and lonely right now. In particular, I miss my family. Some might find that a little weird as I am not super tight with most of them. My most regular contact is about weekly phone calls with my mom, and talking with my siblings is sporadic at best. The thing is, that up until three years ago, I saw them about once every few months. Consider my travelling history, that is pretty good. Life has made it pretty fortunate and easy for me to make my way back to Madison and Louisville either through proximity, job perks, or my desire to keep my relationship alive with my significant other after moving to Dallas.

After R and I got married and he moved to Dallas, my trips home dropped off tremendously. Suddenly, with two of us, it meant driving instead of flying, and of course, he had been a part of my motivation to keep returning so regularly. Instead of being there every three or four months, it dropped to about twice a year. It is now September, and I have not been back since December and it looks likely that I won’t be back until this December. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing my family. The trip is no longer drivable (well, in a reasonable person’s world, anyways), and we are definitely poorer than we were before with me being a grad student and all!

The hardest part about leaving an old life behind and starting a new one is that the old life keeps trucking on without you. I know that is very elementary, but until you experience missing out on significant events like your baby sister’s high school graduation, friends’ weddings and birthday parties, and the birth of your niece, it doesn’t completely hit you. I had no idea how much I would hate not getting to be a full time aunty. How can you love someone so much you have never even met?!? Thank goodness for the electronic age and quick access to pictures, but it isn’t quite the same. I suppose, it is time to get off the “woe is me” bandwagon. I know I made the choices that brought me here, and I hope it is evident from all my other stories, that I am really happy here. Today, though, I just missed my old life with my circle of friends and my family back in Madtown and the Ville.