August 23-27

Well, you aren’t here on our website to hear about our life in New Jersey, but I will share some thoughts about our trip home as it pertains to our journey.

 

 

 

There are two things that jump out at me as I think about our first time at home in two months.  The first, and toughest-to-share aspect is that being in New Jersey was so much more intense than being anywhere else we had recently visited.  The pace of life is faster, and the energy feels unsettled.  I found it difficult to breathe after being surrounded by the pure ocean air of Maine.  And I found the driving to be even more maddening than I had remembered.  I had expected to feel some security in the familiar surroundings, so I was surprised at how upsetting it was to be “back in civilization”.  I missed Maine, like I missed Sweden after moving back to the US after living there for six months.  I am much more suited to a less urban/suburban lifestyle and this experience has really opened my eyes to that understanding about myself.  Of course, being back in civilization meant that I could go to a real salon and spend half a day getting primped and poufed back to my presentable self!

The second, and much more positive aspect about being back in New Jersey, was the opportunity to be with friends and family.  We were not in town for long, so we only saw a few people, and we had to focus on getting the kids together with their friends.  After being by ourselves for so long, it was lovely to be around the familiar and supportive energy of our friends and to hear about what they have been up to over the summer.

We couldn’t possibly see all the people we love and missed, but we did get to meet up with the Kuenzels, the Cecalas, the Grays, the Materetskys, and the Danzas at the school playground.  The kids loved seeing their friends, and I just soaked up my precious moments with my buddies.  I felt a little strange, knowing that I wouldn’t be there for all the things they were talking about, like the first day of school.  I had a creepy sensation, like I was a fly on the wall, watching the world go on without me.  I wondered if everyone would forget me by the time we got back.  Then I remembered that Porter said the exact same thing to me the day before we left in July.  I told him that his friends love him for who he is and will love him when he returns.  That physical distance between true friends doesn’t change the friendship, just the type of interaction between them.I forced Tracy to say goodbye to me again, which caught us both unexpectedly.   It was too cruel to have to go through another round of goodbyes.  It was tough to watch Bryson and Olivia say goodbye as well.  They hugged, fist-bumped, and smiled their almost-self-conscious 10-and-11-year-old smiles at each other and I could sense the sadness that they couldn’t openly express.  Luckily, we had one more day before Reese and Kelli had to say goodbye again.

 

 

(BTW, I love that our friends are following along on our website and send comments on our blog posts all the time.  I wonder if you all know that when I post a blog late at night, the first thing I do in the morning is grab my phone to see if anyone posted a comment yet.  Thank you Steffanie and Lisa for making me smile within moments of waking up on those days!  Getting comments, emails, and phone messages allows us to hear what is going on in everyone else’s life as well!)

 

Of course, Carolyn and Aaron’s wedding was wonderful.  We wouldn’t have missed the chance to watch Chris’ sister and her new husband Aaron start their life together.  There was a flurry of pre-wedding activity when we first got back: picking up tuxes, getting Reese’s flower girl dress pressed, and the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

 

Finally, it was Saturday, and it was time for the wedding.  Reese got to be with all the bridesmaids and Carolyn as they finished getting ready.  She got to go in a limousine to the church, which made her feel so grown up.  Bryson was the ring bearer and took his job very seriously.  Once he had the rings in his possession, he refused to usher any more guests down the aisle so that he could focus completely on guarding the rings.  Porter handed out programs with his cousins.

 

 

Carolyn looked beautiful and radiant and Aaron looked like he could see Carolyn and only Carolyn.  Bryson and Reese were so excited to be part of the ceremony and did a great job delivering the rings and leading the way down the aisle.  We enjoyed a cocktail hour out on the patio at Indian Trail Club in gorgeous weather while the kids played with their cousins.  The highlight was watching Porter and Brandon walking around together holding hands.  Then Bryson, Reese, and Porter went off to sleepovers at their friends’ houses while we stayed to enjoy the reception.  Food, dancing, and spending time with Chris’ family ensued and soon it was time to say goodbye again.

 

The rest of the weekend was spent with Larry and Cheryl, our friends in Franklin Lakes, who generously hosted our circus of five the whole time we were in town.  They watched us come and go six thousand times and were there with big smiles and open arms whenever we landed for a few minutes and got to spend time with them.

 

The kids enjoyed the loving energy of their log home, which was built with the intention of embracing the exuberant energy of children.  Their favorite was spending the day in New York City with Larry and Cheryl.  They went to the Museum of Natural History and were spoiled rotten by the Grogin’s love for them.

 

We loved spending time with Larry and Cheryl, whose spiritual and emotional connection to us has changed our lives over the past few years. We rode bikes together, stayed up late talking and listening to music, made food together, and meditated together.  It felt like college all over again but better, because our time was not squandered nor spent in a haze and our conversations were about things that Matter.  Plus, Cheryl makes an amazing peach pie at 0130!  Oh, and did I mention that our acupuncture appointments only involved walking down a flight of steps???

Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. –Khalil Gibran

Before we knew it, it was time to drive back to Rhode Island.  We drove “back home” to Patronus with mixed emotions, knowing it would be 10 more months before we returned to Ho-Ho-Kus but excited for the rest of our journey.  These images will sustain us…