Going Home: The Family

Last week b and I headed UpNorth to visit family and friends and our old stomping grounds.  It was a whirlwind of a week and left me quite exhausted, a little drained, a few pounds heavier, and very happy.  I took a ton of photos and can't possibly do the trip justice in just one post, so if you will indulge me, I'll give you the highlights (and maybe a few lowlights) in installments.

We knew we couldn't possibly see all of our loved ones in a week if we stayed together, so the plan was to split for the first half of the week and see our respective family members.  We would then meet back up and spend the second half enjoying the city and seeing a few mutual friends.  My family has spread out a bit since I've moved to SouthLite so my first stop was a suburb on the outskirts of The City of Brotherly Love (CoBL).  My oldest sister, C, recently moved there.

b dropped me off at C's house before continuing the drive to his sister's (Blackbird) home.  C's fiancee, K, who I have never met, was unfortunately out of town.  He was at a conference in Brazil so I couldn't feel too bad for him.  Luckily Pablo was home to greet me.  Also I got to meet K's cat Rita.

Pablo

Rita

My sister and I stayed up late talking and the next day we went into the City to see my mother.  My mother moves frequently and had just rented an apartment in West CoBL.  She took us on a walk around her neighborhood where we saw many sights.  It reminded me of Brooklyn.  After a long walk in the hot sun, we where happy to sit down and enjoy a delicious CoBL lunch.  Unfortunately I had to catch a bus into The City of Bagels and Pizza (CoBP) and make my way to Sister #2's house.

Tweety Bird

CoBL is filled with murals

A mosque

A trolley

Sister #2 (Jo) has lived in the same apartment for many years.  In fact this apartment is only one building away from her previous apartment.  Going to home brings back lots of memories.  Jo also has some furniture she inherited from our grandmother that always makes me think of my childhood.  This visit was very short but I managed to see my sister, her husband, and my two nephews (although far too briefly).  I also got to meet Max.  Max is a charmer.

Max

The next morning I caught a train to a neighboring state, where Sister #3 lives.  By this time I was quite tired from staying up late two nights in a row and I was carting a large bag on my back through each leg of the journey.  Sister #2 is not only married to Drax but has two wonderful and energetic children.  I grabbed a half-caf latte on my way over. [Having gone completely decaffeinated several years ago, this was quite the thrill.]

I had a wonderful time with the kids.  We talked and played games and made a comic book.  After they wore me out, it was time to stay up talking to Drax and my sister.  Eventually we wore Drax out and my sister and I talked the night away.

Drax's Daughter

The next day I headed back to the heart of CoBP.  I managed to meet my friend A-Girl for lunch and then had dinner with Jo and my niece (C's daughter).  My niece has become an adult in my absence.  This threw me a bit, especially when I realized that she is the age I was when I had Angel.

By mid-week I had managed to see every member of my family (except for K) and almost all of their pets.