I Run Like A Girl

I’m back from a 5-day visit to my hometown in upstate New York! We were so busy with moving to North Carolina over the last few months that somehow 6 months went by since my last visit to my parents, and so my siblings and I coordinated a long weekend to see each other.

First off, can I highlight how QUICK it was to travel from NC to New York? When we lived in San Francisco, it took 13 hours door-to-door to visit my parents…including a 6-hour flight, 1-hour subway ride, 2-hour train ride…all while dealing with jet lag from a 3-hour time change. In this phase of life, I felt that being closer to family was more important than ever, which was a big reason for moving to NC. Our trip home included a 1.5 hour flight to my hometown’s local airport – it was so quick and easy! I’m beyond happy to have easier travels to visit my parents.

As I went through my phone to find photos for this post, I didn’t take that many photos during this visit, and that’s because most of the time was spent relaxing at my parent’s house. My siblings and I all stay with our parents whenever we visit, and so our quality time consists of meals together, taking walks, hanging out in the living room, and enjoying the comforts of our childhood home. I know different people have different feelings of being in their childhood home, but I personally love staying with my parents; to me, there’s no better feeling than being at home. ❤

We spent a lot of time admiring my mom’s garden. Spring just hit New York a week ago, and so we started to see some plants bloom. It looks bare now, but once the summer hits, my mom’s garden turns so lush and full! Joe and my mom bonded over this – they spent hours talking about their gardens and swapping tips. My mom even gave us some baby hydrangeas to bring home, which somehow made it through TSA. 😉

We took lots of walks in the neighborhood. My mom and I spent a lot of time looking at our neighbor’s yards and admiring their trees that just started to bloom.

As usual, my brother’s dog, Constantine, was the star of the visit. 🙂 We all look forward to seeing his cuteness each time. I can’t believe he’s already 4 years old. He’s mellowed out a ton since his puppy days!

Meals were our main time together as a family. We ate all our meals together, sometimes lasting for hours as we chatted away and enjoyed this precious time together. My mom and dad rotated cooking for us. My dad picked up cooking over COVID, and in a few short years, his cooking has gotten REALLY good! The highlight were my mom’s dumplings. She spent all afternoon on them, and we all look forward to them when we visit, including Joe.

We had a sibling lunch date at the sushi spot in our hometown. We always make an effort to eat here each time – the sushi is that good. 😉

I’m back in NC now with that rejuvenated feeling after you’ve been around loved ones. See you next time!