going home, coming home

i use the term 'home' liberally. california is very much my home now, and i do think of it that way, but for as long is my family is in virginia, that will also remain home.

i have been fortunate in that, since my move here, my work as at least once a year put me in a position to visit them after completing my professional responsibilities. and since kate and kendyl moved back in with the folks after kate was laid off, i had all of the virginia van atta's at my fingertips.

spending time with kendyl is always a highlight. i feel so grateful that even with my time away, she still 'knows' me and wants to be my lil' buddy when i'm around. i'm also grateful that she has remained so affectionate, giving lots of hugs and kisses, and always making you feel like you don't want to leave.

this trip began with a very tender moment as she and kate shared 'their' song with me, kendyl singing along to the chorus and 'playing' the guitar. although i am very anti-miley cyrus, i couldn't help but fall in love with the song. in fact, it will probably lead the next playlist (whenever i get around to it). some of the lyrics are...

You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair
Had to drive me everywhere
You were always there when I looked back

You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be

And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me

Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream

Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, hold on tight
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly fly away

you can probably see why i was a little choked up.

kendyl is growing up so fast! she turns 5 in july and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. she has such a cute and bubbly personality that comes out more and more every time i see her. this time i continued to be amused by the fact that she doesn't contract. she'll say ' i did not know...' or 'i can not understand..' or 'it is...'. not a didn't, can't, or it's in the lot. it makes her sound much older than she is, but it's also really funny.

other highlights included getting to spend some sister bonding time with kate, enjoying some of our mutual favorite tv shows, and of course, coloring hair (me, coloring hers). :D kate and i are very different and very similar. it hasn't always been easy for us to relate to each other, partly because of the age difference, and partly because even growing up in the same house, we have led very different lives. but because we share a lot of interests and personality traits, i've found that the more time we spend, the easier and more enjoyable it gets. there was a foundation laid during my last christmas visit, and this trip only strengthened it. though she might disagree, i'm really glad she felt the need to move home so that i could pend some time with her while there!

my parents, as always, are awesome. it's always fun to see them and to jump back in like no time has passed.

my last day began with kate and kendyl waking me up in the morning to say goodbye and kendyl crawled in to bed with me for a little while before heading off to day care. i got to sleep a little bit longer and then mom dad and i went to see x-men:origins. oh how we love our movies! this one was epecially good. hugh jackman AND taylor kitsch?! this was a definite eye candy movie, with so much action, the boys oughta be happy too.

it was the perfect way to end a great trip. after leaving though, things did not go as swimmingly. as a result of flight delays (stupid fog in san francisco) i didn't end up getting home until after 3am. i was sooo excited to se cordy, and she me, but i was exhausted. fortunately, she left me sleep in for awhile before demanding attention, and then it was off to the races catching up on the life i haven't really been living this month!

i am so excited that it's may. still a little confused how that happened, but excited. i get to be home for the entire month! i have one event, but it's local, so i get to sleep in my bed with my pup for a whole month. i don't think i've ever appreciated that quite as much as i do right now!