Coming Home -- Week 2 Part 1: Siblings Unite

 

 

My sister Emily's house is the definition of a home.  Walking in the front door is like putting on your favorite pair of sweatpants after a long stressful day.  Instead of the standard meaningless decor found on a Pottery Barn clearance shelf, the rooms are filled mainly with family snapshots, little mementos, and keepsakes from our childhood.  The cushioned stools that line her breakfast bar facing the kitchen practically scream for you to sit down, relax, and catch up -- often while Emily is getting something in the oven or setting up a tray of veggies and dip.  There is always a Yankee Candle on the counter, and always with a corresponding seasonal lid on it.  The sofas are big and soft, and it's OK for my kids to cover the whole house with Star Wars stickers if they want to.  Her big screened in back porch encases a farmer sized family table and is lined with Christmas lights.  There are rooms with sewing materials tucked aside for a rainy day, and cork boards with inspirational phrases pinned to them. 

 

 

They are a family that waits for everyone to sit down at the table before they eat, and listens when someone talks. My niece and nephew, aged 11 and 9 respectively, played with our little toddlers for hours in a kiddie pool, and took them by the hand at the park without anyone asking them to.

 

 My nephew let Evan touch his impressive Lego city, and, as we left to say goodbye, ran up to me to ask if Evan wanted to take his extendo-claw arm toy with us on the plane... "because Evan likes it". They are just really. great. people. And I get to call them family.

 

 

 

It was a super bonus when we realized, after I introduced Chris to my family soon after we started dating, that my sister's husband and Chris had so much in common.  Needless to say, we love spending time with them, and couldn't wait to spend our last week of vacation at their home. 



 

We arrived late Saturday evening.  Their kids were already in bed, and our kids were sleeping in their car seats, so we headed straight upstairs to our room to lay Evan and Mia down for the night.  Walking in, we found a stack of fluffy white towels with assorted washcloths on the dresser, a fresh package of diapers and wipes (Seventh Generation because she knows I'm a sucker for natural baby products), and a basket next to the bed filled with toiletries like razors, bandaids, medicines, and toothbrushes.  See?  This is how my sister rolls. 

After we tucked the kids in bed, we headed out to their heavenly porch.  I was pretty happy to be where I was at that moment.  The four of us sitting in a circle on a chilly Berkshire night with the glow of the Christmas lights all around us.  Made even better by the cold beers and great conversation.  We had a bit of a USA to-do list going into this week, so we used this night to talk it out and make a plan.  Always up for a challenge, our hosts were happy to accommodate the requests (sadly, many of these included eating). 

OUR LIST:

1.  Go out to an American breakfast
2.  Grill.  Often.
3.  Start a quilt with my sister
4.  Make smores
5.  Go fishing
6.  Go to Six Flags
7.  Order Chinese food

I have a fairly large immediate family -- two sisters and one brother. My brother lives in  South Carolina, so it isn't too often that we all get together as a group, especially now that I am living abroad. However, with some careful planning, and some last minute adjustments on my brother's end, we managed to coordinate a family party with all of us while we were home in the US -- just in time for my sister's 40th birthday! 

With the family party on Monday evening, we had some prep-work ahead of us.  The first order of business -- cupcakes.  Emily insisted that the children help her...because she always knows what will put a smile on my children's faces.  She speaks kid. 

My sister has always been a baker, and as a little girl I remember dragging stools and chairs into the kitchen to watch her as she baked.  Watching her with Mia reminded me of this...she was so patient with her, insisting that Mia help even as she flung red velvet batter around her kitchen all the while smiling, snapping pictures, and encouraging her with "great job!!!"

Emily's birthday party was awesome.  As I said before, I rarely get together with my entire immediate family due to distance.  On this day, however, it was exactly what I always imagined a large family would be like.  The four of us there with our families -- cooking together, laughing together, and talking about old times as the kids played in the back yard.  Not that we are Leave it to Beaver all the time -- we are a normal family with our own squabbles and drama -- but it felt good set any differences aside and just genuinely enjoy each other's company.




Me and my two sisters -- Emily holding her "middle sister" wine :)




Mia and Grammie (my mom)

Daddy and Mia (and dinkie)




My handsome nephew...his brother is too hard to catch on film!

We were excited to meet my brother's wonderful girlfriend, Ann, at the party. 

We loved her for many reasons, but perhaps what sealed the deal with us was the fresh mint, fresh blackberry, and gin drinks she whipped up. 

You are welcome anytime, Ann :)



My brother's amazing caprese salad



Auntie Mer and Mia

 The night ended with a bonfire, more gin drinks, and hysterical fits of laughter as we tried to think of ghost stories.

  It was the kind of night that will bring a smile to my face every time I think about it....Happy Birthday Emily!  We all love you, and it is only fitting that your day of celebration would bring us all so much happiness and joy.



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.   

Thelma and Louise take Barcelona

I have a special relationship with my mother.  To put it very simply -- I would want her as my friend if she weren't my mother  She is kind and patient, adventurous and open-minded.  She has an amazing capacity to forgive, and will always focus on the positive side of every situation.  There is never a shortage of things to discuss, ideas to ponder, or places to dream about together.  She "gets" me, in a way not many other people, besides my husband, do.  And boy does she love her grand babies. 

One of the things I admire the most about her is her desire for travel and adventure.  Together, we have taken many trips together -- driven thousands of east coast miles, explored the Grand Canyon and the Red Rocks of Sedona, spent nights sleeping in my nanny-quarters in Martha's Vineyard, ran through a hail storm in London, and dined in hidden cafes deep in Paris.  Every place I lived, every long adventure I took, my mother was there to experience a piece of it with me.  Some trips together have been life changing, some have had their blunders which we now laugh about, but each journey together solidified a mutual respect for each other's personal desire to experience life and be open to it in all shapes and forms. 

Many many years ago my siblings affectionately started to refer to us as "Thelma and Louise".  Cheesy, yes, but the nicknames stuck.  And recently, Thelma and Louise shared yet another adventure together here in Barcelona.  To have her here, to see what this life is like and experience it with the open mind and spirit I know she has, was everything to me.   I have thought daily, "my mother would love this" or "I wish my mom was here to see this".  It was almost surreal to have her actually walking the streets and markets right by my side. 

I came home from Germany late on Friday night, and at 7:30am the next morning there was a knock on our door, she had arrived!   If only I had my video rolling to catch the look on Evan's face.  He literally slapped both his hands on his cheeks Home Alone-style while grinning.  He was in shock, and looked like Dora the Explorer just walked in.  So began our two weeks together in this city we now call home.

It was an incredible couple of weeks -- exactly what I hoped it would be for both her and I.  The perfect blend of settling into quiet and laid-back Spanish life, exploring and sightseeing, and time with the family.  I won't offer a play by play of the entire two weeks - just to say that it left us both feeling energized and rejuvenated.  I think she was truly taken with our neighborhood, the people, and the pace of life over here. 

Someone once told me that, as a mother, you have to take care of yourself and always find ways to recharge your batteries, because your children use you to recharge theirs.  Those few weeks my mother was in Barcelona, I was reminded you never stop needing your mother -- and the amazing part was that Spain was recharging my mother at the same time she was recharging me :)