Umbrella's and Lipstick : A little slice of home.

Weekend Catchup is a doosey this week.

I just got home this morning from being back home for July 4th weekend.It's amazing what a little time home can do for me- quality time with my mom and best friend keeps me sane. I was also determined to document my hometown and so, I took a million pictures- some of which are below including captions.

Wednesday night I landed in Boston (my favorite city) only to be greeted by my best friend whom arrived not only to the airport on time but without getting lost. This is a accomplishment in its own(her driving skills may or may not be questionable) however it was just the tip of the iceberg. We had to navigate thru the streets of Boston which was more difficult then originally predicted due to heavy police traffic. Originally the Boston bombers wanted to attack on July 4th (instead of the marathon) so many streets were closed or detoured. We made a quick stop to Vineyard Vines and then enjoyed fantastic dinner at Stephanie's on Newbury, a favorite of Ashley and I's, we took many many pictures- all of which turned out in a mixture of sweat and poor lighting- eh we tried.

Fast forward a few hours later and Ashley is dropping me off at my childhood home only to discover while the outside has remained the same the occupant inside did not. My mom shocked, astonished, surprised me with the fact she's lost 60+ pounds since January. She's started a new program where she is excelling. I couldn't be more proud of her. She said after Christmas she wanted to make a change and did-drastically. Later that weekend she finally posted a new picture of her tiny lil self and was blown away by comments of her amazing transformation. Just when I thought she couldn't be a bigger inspiration- she out does herself.

The rest of the weekend was spent by the beach (still burnt), eating an insane amount of seafood(Seattle has salmon and crab but New England has swordfish, sea scollop's and lobster( CT wins) ,and catching up with my mom. I was lucky enjoy to spend time with those who mean the most- in my short time home I decided instead of making the rounds I would only see a few so I can actually ENJOY my time home. Time well spent.
It made me realize two things- I am ridiculously lucky. No, seriously cannot count on my fingers and toes how lucky I am to have my mom, Ashley and other friends that feel like family. They make coming home feel special. I have started watching Downton Abbey and a character said this, 'If you're feeling homesick- there's no shame in it. It means you come from a happy home. May people would envy that'. Connecticut holds my childhood, my memories, and everything I love (with the exception of Chris and Bailey). I cannot wait to bring Chris back to see can see how amazing New England Summers are.
The second thing I realized is- while I miss being in CT terribly I know I made the right choice to move to Seattle. I was able to get out on my own and I'm experiencing things I know otherwise I wouldn't have. I know that if it wasn't for me moving away my mom might not have ever made a life altering decision to become healthy. Home gives you a chance to realize that- to see that some thing's won't ever change and even the things that do- well often times change for the better.

And now- pictures galore.

Starting left coner- going clockwise.
Sunset at Niantic Bay
Yacht in Mystic
Ashley and I heading out to dinner
Oysters :)
CT cosmo
Sunset on the Mystic River