Vacation

The posse and I have spent the past week away from our mountains.
Away from rugged trails and waterfalls and raging-spring-run-off-rivers.
Away from small town-no-traffic.
Away from Superman/Jack Bauer/Jason Bourne depending on the day and skills required to ford the current situation.

We have gone back home. My home. Where I grew up. Where those roots were planted.

It's been amazing.
It's warm and sunny and GREEN and FLOWERY like it is not yet in the mountains.

And here there are good friends.

There are aunts who know things that few others do. Who I know are always on my side. Rooting for me and mine and loving me all the way. Who take me to coffee where I can see the difference between her latte and my cappucino. The barista gig is so fun.

There are friends that I have been friends with since I was 11 and we (basically) close down Starbucks (I can't believe I'm admitting that...OLD TOWN COFFEE still has my heart) catching up about living and mothering and wife-ing and working and loving. And say a few healing words to the wounds we understand in each others hearts.

There are friends who I spent some of the most intense moments of my life with-friends who I learned how to travel internationally with-friends who watched me freak out when our flight was cancelled and we had to stay over night in a hotel when we were barely 20. But we lost touch. Life got in the way and we spent the whole evening on the screen porch breathing fresh spring air and recounting the good and bad and beautiful of the last several years.

There are friends who I have known since preschool, and lived with in college, and in the same town after college and who I know will always always always be there. She is one who I've called when I didn't know who else to call and she was there. Every time. And she has amazing beautiful joy-filled things going on her life and it's amazing to see it all on her face. In person.

There are friends who taught me how to run. Taught me that I liked running. Taught me I was stronger than I knew. Who I was pregnant with at the same time and we both had boys that were 4 days apart.

There are grandparents and uncles who put together a special meal just because we've come back in town. And go out of there way for an impromptu photo session.

And there are cousins who I have no words for how much they mean to me. The roots I've talked about before. Our growing up together created something that....well....blood is thicker than water is what they say.

And of course, grammy and pop-pop. And time spent drinking wine on the deck in the setting sun eating and enjoying the moment and each other.

But man, we miss that Superman. And those mountains...time to get back to our other home soon for our adventure filled summer!