Last Day at Home

I have been back in the US for 17 days now and it still feels weird. It's getting less weird day by day, most likely because I'm able to ease into my life slowly over several weeks. Plus I'm spending the first chunk of the summer continuing to behave like a tourist by driving a lot and being completely without responsibility to any job, home, etc. It's just me, Leigh, Juneau the Cat and our crazy plans. I feel really lucky because, starting next Monday, Leigh and I get to traverse this gigantic country in my Toyota Yaris before starting jobs in one of our favorite places on Earth (Seattle), stopping to visit with friends along the way. I can't think of a better way to get reacquainted with America before starting up a more normal existence.

Since about May 9 I have been with my dad and step-mother. First Leigh and I met up with them at their beach condo, which was a nice lazy holiday, and then I returned to my childhood home with them for the better part of this week. It's been just as always with lots of time to relax, read, watch TV, play outside with cats and dogs, take little hikes, etc. I've also been running to the nearest town a lot for errands to prepare myself and my car for the trip to Seattle, so there's plenty to do. This week was a good chance for me to relax into the American version of "provincial life" again before hitting the road. I started a few new books (I'm currently reading Alice in Wonderland and In Europe by Geert Mak simultaneously, after briefly studying some French curse words last week) and Leigh and I bought a German language CD set for our drive across country. I always feel better when I have a project and small goals for myself.

Tomorrow is Leigh's 29th birthday and I will drive to her family's home in Grundy to finish packing up the car for our trip. I'm so proud of her. When I met her she was 21 years old and so innocent to the world. Since then she has finished university, a master's degree and now she's looking at getting her RN in the coming years. But those are just typical forms of measuring success. In the past 8 years I have seen her grow from a shy college student enjoying life day by day to a responsible adult with strong values and a big, warm heart from which all of her friends and family benefit endlessly. Today she is a brave, experienced young woman with an emerging adventurous spirit to compliment my frantic one and a constant source of kindness, understanding, and good humor in my life. Most of all I consider myself lucky to call her my best friend and doubly lucky to get to spend my life with her. Happy Birthday, Leigh!