Four Weeks Back East

Right now, I am writing from steamy, hot Annapolis and feeling grateful for air conditioning. I'm also grateful that our four week trip has been wonderful so far. (We still have Philly to go before we head home.) Some highlights:

Boat.

On our first stop of the trip, we picked up Evie and visited my dad and Diane in Rhode Island. The 70 degree weather and ocean breezes made me realize that it's been far too long since I spent any time in New England. It's also been too long since I spent time out on the water on a boat. Growing up in Vermont, we lived on the boat in the summer - our days were spent jumping off the rocks at Red Rocks or swimming in to a beach on Juniper Island or hanging onto a tube that was whipping far too quickly across the water. My dad lives right next to a boatyard and we took several rides on his boat during our visit. While my childhood didn't include salt water and jellyfish, watching Evie and Lucy dancing on the front of the boat brought back lots of memories of summers with my sister.



Journey.

Some people might hear Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and think of the early 80s. Some might think of Glee's season finale. I will forever think of the week we spent in western Pennsylvania with the girls and their cousins. Every time we got in the car, the kids all requested that we listen to it, at full volume. Then, Jack's tennis racquet would become an air guitar, Evie's a microphone, and everyone else would just dance and sing the lyrics at the top of their lungs in the back. If there was a video definition for "joy" in the dictionary, I could make a submission. And if I could only figure out how to upload the video from my camera, I could include it on this blog too...



Family.

It goes without saying that Colorado is too far away from so many people we love. I was determined to see as many people as we could this summer, but with four parents living in four different states (well, three and a district), it was no easy feat figuring out how to fit it all in to four weeks. But we did it and I am thankful to have had the time to see as many people as we have. Along with our parents and their spouses/significant others, we've managed to see all of Toby's aunts and uncles on both sides of the family, Toby's brother and his family, my aunt and uncle, and all of the girls' cousins on both sides. I have lots of great memories of barbecues and pool days with family from the last couple weeks.



Friends.

Our last stop was Frederick, which is always bittersweet. I love that we can come back after a year and I can feel like no time has passed since we last saw our friends. Their kids, however, with their longer hair and missing or bigger teeth, are a reminder that it has been far too long. But the girls jumped right back into the fray like no time had passed for them either. Thank you to all of our Frederick friends for making coming back so easy.



East Coast.

Until two years ago, I had lived on the east coast for most of my life. In all that time, I never gave much thought to the landscape. I would spend time out west and marvel at the snow-capped mountains and expansive sky, but the east coast just seemed, well, normal. After two years away, I have a new appreciation for the landscape I took for granted. Whether we were driving through the green, rolling hills of Pennsylvania or splashing in a creek under the tall leafy trees in Maryland, or looking out at the ocean in Rhode Island, it all strikes me now as uncommonly beautiful. I love the views and landscape we have in Colorado, but I will miss all of this when we go back.