Coming home - Week 1: Week of Williams

 

Admittedly, I was a little nervous to come home to the US.  Aside from the obvious challenges of traveling overseas with two toddlers and jet leg to consider, I wasn't sure what it would be like to be back in the US again while following a fairly packed schedule to see everyone.  Ultimately, we decided travel back to the US was not only doable, but necessary.  Sure, it had only been six months which isn't a whole heck of a long time to be away, but I needed to see family.  I needed to remember pre-Spain life.  I needed to eat a real hamburger for god's sake.

Boy am I glad we went.  It was so...comforting.  Everything about it.  Seeing our favorite people and places, eating some great food, and spending the vast majority of the time just relaxing and laughing.  It was an easy trip, one that felt calm and relaxed from beginning to end...and though it was a challenge at times, juggling commitments and keeping the kids happy on hour 8 of a daytime flight, it was all worth it.   

Our journey home begin where we left off -- in the North Shore.  With Chris committed to work the early part of our first week home, we were based out of Lexington, which worked out nicely since we had plenty of family to visit in the area.  Our first stop was a BBQ at Chris's cousins house - filled with family and children, we were running off the high of being home again and sharing some laughs with some of our favorite people.  The children's jet lag was hugely overshadowed by the giant bouncy house and fellow little cousins to laugh, run, and play with.  It felt great.  And the burgers tasted unreal.

 

Between the jet lag, the great conversations, and my hands filled with bottomless cold Harpoon beers (thanks Billy) and amazing food (thanks Erin), I totally dropped the ball with the pictures on this night.  Often it seems the more fun I'm having, the less pictures I'm taking.  Still on the hunt for some if there are any out there...

The days that followed included lots of time with Nannie Judie, with an especially fun trip to the Topsfield wading pool for some lunch, splashing, and sun.  We spent afternoons together at the park, and enjoyed a good over-the-top American dinner at Rainforest Cafe.  After living the understated Spanish dining experience for so long, we had almost forgotten about the pomp and circumstance of these kinds of places.  The floor to ceiling fish tanks, life size gorillas, and mock-thunderstorms.  Necessary?  No.  Fun?  Definitely.  The free hurricane glass that came with the gallon sized Mai Tai also didn't hurt. 

 

Next stop was a much anticipated visit with my best friend Kerry and her family's newest addition -- precious baby Robert.  I felt lucky I was able to see him in all his newborn glory. There are few things better in life than holding a newborn baby.  

A little picnic with all four "kids"

The beautiful peanut that is baby Robert

The work week wrapped up for Chris, so down we went to Falmouth to see Chris's father and Lynne -- aka, "Granddad and Meemah". 

We love it there.  With wide open spaces to let the kids run and play, their house is the epitome of a Cape Cod retreat.  Though, I think my favorite part was watching my children explore their Granddad's room of trinkets.  Within these four walls you can see his life story unfold -- shelves filled with moments in his life, in no particular order, but obvious each object was kept and treasured for a reason.  Lining the shelves are tattered pictures, duck decoys, dusty books, stone Buddhas, brass lamps, pilot memorabilia, army mementos, and windup clocks.

 The children are drawn to this room, of course, and as they enter it seems as though they immediately sense the importance of what is held inside.  Their erratic baby steps slow down and their voices lower.  As they pick up an object carefully inspecting it, they look up with a smile and eyes sparking as if to say, "is it OK that I'm touching this?"  Granddad sat in his chair, watching his Grandchildren with smiling eyes as they ran their hands across his old guitar and inspected his collection of brass.  Occasionally he would offer up stories to accompany the trinkets they held and helped them wind the clocks and listen for the chimes.  I especially appreciated these moments, knowing how important it is for my children to connect with this very special man in their lives.   

 

Evan took a special liking to this jet, spending quite a while laying on the sun-drenched floor while he talked through flight scenarios and watched it fly through the air from below.  

The children blew bubbles, chased balls, played in puddles, and enjoyed the very simple pleasures of summer on Cape Cod.

Nighttime came along, and with it were cold local beers, steaming lobsters and clams, and fresh corn.  Joining us for this amazing feast was Chris's sister, Mandy, and her husband-- better known as Auntie Bubber and Uncle Jay.  Sharing many laughs as usual, and feeling thankful for the incredible hospitality and to be "home" again.

The next morning we set off on a full day adventure on Granddad's boat.  We cruised along the southern coast of Massachusetts, stopping to take some dingy rides, lunch, and swim.  Auntie Bubber entertained the little ones on what was a surprisingly bumpy ride home.

 

Saturday afternoon we packed up...one week behind us, another week ahead of us.  So far, we were loving it and so thankful for all the warm welcomes and amazing hospitality.