My excuse is that I was off gathering content for my new posts. You see, I had an unexpected week of vacation time, and I took advantage of my time away by getting in three vacations. (What can I say I was really excited) In my industry, you normally are either working or unemployed, neither of which lend themselves to much travel. So I wanted to take advantage of this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity.
Phase one of my journey was visiting home!
It is so great to visit home. It always makes me introspective. Unlike may other people, my parents have been living in the same house for my entire life. Which means when I visit, I'm coming home to the same place my parents brought me home to as a baby. Impressive, right?
It makes me thoughtful about what has stayed the same over all of those years, and what has changed. My dad's sense of humor, my mom's hugs and my brother's huge smile have remained totally intact, while the decore, our hobbies and the photographs on the wall have changed.
Normally I am struck by how much I have changed since living at home. I am confronted by how different my tastes, opinions and goals are than when I lived in those rooms. It helps me re-evaluate, re-calibrate, and re-affirm how far I've come whenever I go home.
Mike and I rocketed out of town on Friday night. I had intended to leave right after work. Which I did. At midnight.
We arrived at my parents house around 5:30am after lots of caffeine, driving snacks, andTheCount of Monte Cristo audio tape. (I've found there is nothing better on long road trips then audio books. The time flys by.)
I hadn't been home since February, and it was great to get to see home in full summer-garden splendor. I also got to ohh and ahh at my parents newly renovated master bath and guest bathroom. I am super impressed.
My brother joined my parents, Mike and I for the first Stanford Football game of the season. Growing up, my family often would get season tickets and root on The Cardinal. It was great to re-live the tradition with Mike. He enjoyed the game but couldn't grasp my obsession with the (super cool) Stanford Tree in my youth.
How can you not love that guy? The game was fun and a resounding victory for the home team. (Yay!)
Card games were played, good food was enjoyed, birthdays were celebrated (Happy 60th Dad!) and much giggling ensued. Ah, the joys of being home.
On Saturday Mike and I went to see a beautiful country estate turned museum called Filoli. It was named after the first two letters of 'Fight Love Live', a personal motto of the man who built it.
Even though this place is right near my hometown, it was my first time ever going to visit Filoli. The property is in a prime location with hills set in the background and meadows all around, the home is beautiful, but really the crowning beauty of the place is it's gardens.
Some apple trees trained along a fence line:
A huge number of beautiful flowers in the 'Cuttings Garden':
The pond, lawn and swimming pool with the mountains as a perfect backdrop:
Really. Wow. Wouldn't mind spending some time there would you?
I had a wonderful time being home, reconnecting, reminiscing and still finding time to embrace the new.
~Claire Out.
No comments:
Post a Comment