Home Again, Home Again

 After almost two weeks on the road, we are home (well, in our current locale) for the moment.  Sadly, the unpacking elves did not do their job while we were gone and the house was not quite as organized upon return as I thought we left it.  On the other hand, since we had only moved in 6 days prior to our trip, I think we can cut ourselves a break on this one.

In addition to the lack of organizing, the elves also forgot to stock up on cleaning supplies and groceries. I made the requisite trip to my not-so-local Whole Foods last night and bought two day's worth of dinners and other 'necessary' supplies for an ungodly sum of money.  Despite the payout, the trip helped me find 'my' grocery store.  I have been so incredibly dissatisfied since we moved from San Ramon, as I realized I finally had everything I needed there.

It's the one aspect of moving that drives me crazy:  having to find my new 'everything'.  Yes, there is still a long list, and I will probably not complete it until the movers pull up next summer.   My roots are begging for a touch-up, we need to verify with a new pediatric dentist that we will have to shell out for the kids "orthodonture" sooner rather than later, the fridge has a leak (anyone know a trustworthy appliance repair person in the Northern VA area?), and the list goes on.  

I won't dwell on that stuff though, as at least are living in a crowded, box-filled house that we own!  We made mortgage payment number one on July 1 and only have 359 more to go.. As much as I loved living in Northern CA (yes, I did, I really fall in love with the area…), I do not miss that house *shudder*.  

Since I have completely and utterly digressed, my point was not to complain about the area stores, but regale you with tales of catching up with old friends.  This past weekend, we ended up having an opportunity to catch up with our friends, Beth and Nick and their three absolutely wonderful children.  We met them only days after moving to San Ramon and have been so very glad for their friendship since that first time we talked.

We were at ye Olde Residence Inn at the same time and started chatting while at the pool (where else?). Beth's daughter, Sarah, kindly made Cait's acquaintance (they are a mere 5 months apart in age) and things went swimmingly from there. We would lollygag about around the hot tub and commiserate about moving (they have also moved quite a bit). We even eventually figured out that we both grew up in Memphis and went back and forth with the "Do you know..?"s quite a bit.  

Sarah and Cait quickly became friends.  Despite the fact that we eventually lived in different towns, the girls were able to get together frequently for slumber parties, movies and the like.  Beth and family hosted us for our first California Thanksgiving dinner and we had them over for Christmas Eve dinner after we all listened to Cait sing at mass.  

As it turned out, they did not stay in the area very long.  We were very sad to see them go, as all of the kids got along so amazingly well.  They ended up moving to a delightful small town in Connecticut, which thrilled us.  It may sound terribly far away, but their house is not a great distance from the route that takes us from Peter's parents house (albeit, a long one) to our own.  Last Saturday, we had our first chance to stop for a visit since moving back to Virginia.

 It was planned rather quickly, as our beach vacation/family visit planning was in flux for so long.  In fact, Beth opted not to tell Sarah, that we were coming (on the off chance we couldn't make it). Cait surprised her at the door Saturday afternoon and it was as though they had never been apart.  Daniel, her middle child, took Nicholas under his wing, and they had a great afternoon playing cars, trains and helicopters despite the 8 year age difference.   The kids (let's not forget Kelsey or Emily, Sarah's little sister) played, swam, played some more, swam again, and finally fell asleep to a movie (sans Nicholas, he was early to bed).

It was a wonderful weekend, from the kids reconnecting to the fabulous spread Beth prepared to the scrumptious steaks Nick grilled for us. Despite the fact that it had almost been a year since we had seen each other, it felt as though nothing had changed (other than Cait and Sarah each growing 4 inches taller!). Our only misgiving was not planning to have more time there, as the catching up and relaxing with old friends is just such a good thing for one's soul.  Much appreciation to Beth and Nick (and the kids) for hosting our family and can't wait to see you again soon!