I leave the land of sand and surf tomorrow morning and head back to the East Coast. It has been a wonderful month filled with new experiences and beautiful new friends and I am loathe to leave. I must stay positive, so I'm making a top 10 list of things I'm looking forward to returning to (in no particular order) that act as my consolation prize.
1. Play my violin. Surprise, surprise. The non-violinist actually misses her instrument and looks forward to squeaking out a few notes on the old fiddle.
2. Eskimo kisses with Siegfried. Siegfried is my Miniature Pinscher. Weighing in at a hefty 20lbs or so, he is less the dragon slayer that he was named after and more a shy, whimpering pup. One of my favorite features, however, is his nose, which isn't much different than others in the species, except that his likes to rub my own when I give the command, "Eskimo."
3. Go in search of the Dead. Being in Los Angeles has meant that I haven't had the time to work on my quest of discovering my roots. While I may never be able to prove if I am indeed related to
the infamous James Brothers or the
Queen of England for that matter, I am eagerly filling out
my family tree on
Ancestry.com. I've made it back to the early 1800's on some of the line, but that's barely scraping the surface.
4. Time with the Sis (and other family). There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home. Dorothy was on to something with this oft-repeated mantra: no matter where one goes, or what worlds one see, there's nothing that compares with home. Whether on the spiritual level, or just here in the day to day, both body and soul are only completely at rest when they're at home. And, for me, an integral part of being home is time with Ernst, the Moo, and the Poo.
5. The Greatest City on Earth. Being on that other coast line means that I'm near one of the world's greatest cities: New York City. Even though I like to claim that I'm scarred from my experiences there, you'll find me hunkered down there at least one week a month in the city that never sleeps. And why not? My best friends in the world live there, my favorite church is there, and no matter what, I seem to still be able to get work there.
6. Back to Church Life. While it was fun bouncing around to all the churches that Los Angeles has to offer, there's something to be said about going to a place where everyone knows your name. My church in Delaware,
Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark, is kind of like that; I've been going there since I was 14, so the people there treat me like I'm part of the family. My other church,
Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, is where I have my membership, and is home to some of the best teachings on the Bible that I've ever heard. Visiting there is like seeing an old friend: I find refuge and comfort and know that I'm loved.
7. Miss Morgana la fey. Much like the character in the Arthurian legend, I am utterly bewitched by my 14 year-old niece, Morgan. She's suddenly cool, and discovering better things (like boys), but I'd like to think that this old aunt still has a place in her life. She's a pet lover, so we like to take the pups to
Middle Run Natural Area (where
on a recent trip we rescued a raccoon!). She loves movies, MySpace, and photography (especially of herself. Sigh.), and I try to push a bit of books and culture into that teenage brain. All in all, we're a great twosome, even if she does think I'm a big loser:)
8. Back to the Grind. The sewing machine grind that is. It's the hobby that I love to hate. I find it utterly consuming, with me chained to my sewing machine or patternmaking tools for hours at end. And yet, at the end of the day, the devotion is worth it as there is nothing in the world like creating something and being proud of it. I'm into vintage reproductions these days and my latest project has me making a late 1800s inspired military jacket. I'm also quite proud of the vintage-inspired apron that I recently made for a pregnant friend.
9. Catching up with Old Friends. The old rhyme goes, "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold." I made some amazing new friends in LA, but the ones on this coast have been here for the long haul. They've helped me move, picked up my pieces when I was falling apart, and been a good shoulder to lean on when I needed it. I'm thankful for these guys, and incredibly blessed in my friendships.
10. Back to Work. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to going back to work. Can't imagine why? Well, it means I get to put a little more money in the ol' bank account which means I can continue my travels-- and hopefully visit my new friends again.
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