Home Sweet Home :)

It's Monday, November 22nd and I am sitting in my living room in Scarborough, Maine. I can't begin to describe how awesome that feels. Dad stayed home for awhile this morning so we could have coffee together and catch up. And now little Noelle is running around with her toy hedgehog and barking up a storm. Ahhh, home. Some things never change.
I am very fortunate in that I have 10 days in New England (well, Massachusetts and Maine) for this Thanksgiving break. The family I nanny for went away for the week so I didn't have to work and the one benefit to online class is that you can do it anywhere.
To recap, Friday night I flew into Manchester. The 11 Clar girls (with its newest member, Melissa) picked me up at the airport and basically tackle-hugged. It was the best! We got back to my old apartment and immediately found our respective spots around the living room with a bottle of red wine and some warm puffs. We discussed the rat situation in the basement, talked about how to fix the heat, and I was able to successfully remove a splinter from Kristi's finger. The thing I love about that apartment is that it is the epitome of what life right after college should be. It's old, the heating system is temperamental, the decor is a hodgepodge of color and style, and the faces inside are full of smiles and hard work. After hours of talking and laughing, we ordered crab rangoons from Kee Kar Lau (my all time favorite Chinese restaurant in Somerville). It was heavenly.
Kel and I bunked together in her room upstairs and laughed while the squirrels on the roof ran back and forth and caused a ruckus. When we woke up in the morning, everyone else barged into the room and soon there were 5 bodies on one bed (family style) chatting and laughing. We had a big breakfast with awesome music playing and then sang along while Kristi showed us her mad skill on her new keyboard. After, we got started on our Pranksgiving Day prep. We stuffed the turkey, let it cook for a few hours and simultaneously whipped up mashed potatoes, butternut squash, rolls, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce and these incredible pecan pie cookies. It was fun to have everyone's input flying based on how things were done when they were growing up. And it also made me excited to think that I'm now at the point where I know how to make a Thanksgiving dinner! Never thought it would be possible... The whole house smelled delicious and when everything was done we lit some candles, put on some good tunes and ate til we couldn't eat anymore. Then we read from our thankful box which is basically a compilation of everyone's thoughts on what they are thankful for this year. It's always a bit of a tearjerker but feels so great to remember all the blessings that we have and be grateful for them. Miss Meliss gave us all a picture she printed out from last Pranksgiving as a gift, we took a few more to document this year's, and then Kel and Meliss drove me home to Maine.
Whew! Hard to leave those ladies... but then of course, I walked into my house and the chaos and laughter ensued! We were immediately talking and hugging and storytelling over one another while the dog raced around and jumped and barked, praying for more attention. I ended up snuggled in between my parents watching TV at the end of the night and my dad laughed at the fact that I'm still a little kid and always will be. He is 100% correct. And I'm sure Chris is laughing reading this as I do the same thing to him. No matter where we are sitting or what we are doing, I have to be smack in the middle and end up crunching him into the side of the couch, etc.
Now I am hanging out in my pjs, watching the today show with Noelle asleep snuggled next to my leg. I am trying to decide what to do for the day while everyone else is at work and school. Maybe take the dog for a run on the beach, maybe some time downtown in Portland... possibly some Christmas shopping??? Oooo and a movie with popcorn, my favorite solo event. It is so November here- the sky is gray, the leaves are all over the place and it is COLD. I love it :)
Not to continue to ramble because there are plenty of things to do today to make the most of this time, but this year has gotten me to thinking about the definition of home. Most people say home is where the heart is... well, what if your heart is in 3 or 4 different places? I spent my first seven years in Portland living with my grandparents, the next 11 years in Scarborough at my house, 4 years in Waterville at college, 2 years in Boston with 4 of my favorite people of all time (plus a scattering of Colby friends -lucky me!) and now find myself in Indiana with the love of my life and a childhood best friend. So it's hard to say where my heart is because pieces of it are scattered all over the place. That makes every departure and every return somewhat bittersweet, but I'm going to start thinking of it as a blessing instead. Because how cool is it that there are so many homes I can always go back to? To visit, to get a great hug, to relive memories pertinent to that place, and to laugh until my belly hurts? Not everyone is so lucky. There is so much love from every corner of the country (and even some other parts of the world) that you can never feel too alone. I like that :)
If I don't write before, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings, eat lots, and make plenty of time for family and friends.
XOXO