love thanksgiving

Not just for the food, which is amazing, but for the company. I seem to have done my "moving away to college" about 5 years too late. I feel a bit behind the curve, but I'm catching up. Going to college at URI, I never felt like I left home. I was still in RI, which, we all know, isn't that big. Family was always around the corner, as were old friends. Now, NJ isn't that far away, I mean, it isn't California, I can still drive home in one day, but to me it is just far enough to make going home such a big deal now.

I miss home. Not necessarily the physical place, although I do love bumming around my house in my PJs until 1 pm. I miss the closeness of family and old friends. The water nearby. Random visits from Poppa. Two families getting together for dinner and to reminisce about old time going back 24 years. Visiting Nannie and being able to see no less than 15 other family members within walking distance ... because everyone lives so close and is always visiting one another. When I come back to New Jersey after being home, it takes me a few days to readjust. I suddenly feel rather alone. Takes time to settle back into my apartment and my life, which sometimes seems so distant from that back home in RI. Not in a bad way, just in a nostalgic way. Every time I get back to NJ from RI, I think of new ways to decorate my apartment to make it feel more cozy, more homey, and remind me more of the places I miss. Last time I hung up a series of framed photographs I took. Four pictures, one for each season, one for each place I have lived or places that are special to me (Pawtucket, Little Compton, Europe and Princeton). This time I have decided to put together a photograph wall in my hallway. I procured a copy of a photograph from home. A traditional photograph we took for many years on the steps of the beach house. This was the one where we finally got all the family in: Poppa, Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins ... everyone. Everyone was home from college. Back in RI from Minnesota. To that I have two old pictures of my Uncle John, who passed away when I was 15 and was my most favorite uncle (sorry Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Brad ... but I miss him). I hope to add some other old pictures and some new ones too. Have to add a picture of me and Mart. Maybe we'll take a good one in Spain in a couple of weeks (so excited!). I am looking forward to my picture wall. Who knows what else I will come up with next time I go home.

To everyone who made my Thanksgiving so enjoyable, thank you. Thanks to my family for another ever entertaining holiday together. I love holidays with the Bellows'. To Chris and Brian, thank you for hosting a fabulous dinner for me and Luc and all your other guests. It was so great just to be together again making food and eating and reminiscing about the best times we had together (mainly Germany). Finally, to the Colemans, keeping the friendship that I have known my entire life going. It was great to see Laura and Charlie and Skylar and just fun to all have dinner together again. Only thing missing was us sleeping over afterwards. I guess you had a full house, so it is understandable.

Nostalgic tonight? I little. I am just readjusting to being in New Jersey again. Miss everyone already!