Family

Hello Friends!

Long time, no write, huh?  I'm sorry.  Mike and I spent a wonderful week in sunny Florida visiting my family and experiencing South Beach in the dead of summer.  I know- it was his idea. He's from the North East.  Pictures and stories will be forthcoming as Mike and I are always sure to find an adventure and make crazy new friends along the way.

Today I wanted to focus on family.  While we were home Mike and I were able to really spend some quality time my parents, brother and S.I.L. and my kid sister.  We also visited my grandma and uncle in Clearwater which was a great treat.  Each time I go home I'm reminded of how much I miss these people and how I wish it was easier and less expensive to visit more often.  My mom reminds me that if I only see her twice a year, and she lives to 90 that I'll only see her 60 more times in our lives. Ugh. I hate that.  I wish we lived closer or that the airlines didn't make flying such an expensive form of travel.  But don't get me started on the airlines. That's a rant for another day.

In my day-to-day life it's easy to get wrapped up in work, gym, friends, etc... but no matter how busy I am, I still feel the void of not having family nearby.  I can't just run over to my Mom's house for dinner or meet up with my brother and sister in law for a drink or watch my little sister swim in the FL Junior Olympics.  You really don't realize how much you take forgranted the small chances to meet up with family until they're 1,300 miles away.  We do have skype and phone calling, which I am thankful for, but nothing takes the place of sitting in my mom's living room retelling stories of long ago and laughing until we cry and our bellies are aching. 

I was excited for Mike to meet my family (he's only met my Mom until now) and to see where I'm from.  We travel all over New England and we live across the street from where he grew up so it was really important to be able to share my place, my memories, my family with him.  And... it was a hit!  As I suspected, my brother, Evan, and Mike hit it off like gangbusters.  My mom went out of her way to show Mike a bit about Clearwater and Pinellas County and she even bribed a bar tender for the pint glass that Mike loved and wished he could have.  Miss Susie really came through and Mike proclaimed it as his favorite souvenier from the trip.  And, we managed to squeeze in a great visit with my Dad, Zsuzsa, and sister Annaklara before they departed for Hungary.  Finally, he knows them and they know him. Doesn't it make all the difference when you can put a face and a personality to a name or voice?

All of this rambling is to say that I'm thankful for my family and even more thankful to have been able to share a week with them making new memories to carry me through until the next visit.  It's not easy living this far away from home, but it makes the visits and skypes and calls so much more meaningful.  So whether your family lives close or far away, make sure they know how thankful you are for them. 

So there's plenty more to come... including a visit to the Original Hooters, Gulf Coast seafood, Miami, Key Lime Pie, and much more.  Stay tuned and have a great day!

Yours in sweet memories of vacation,

Whitney