You can go home again.......

Sorry Thomas Wolfe.....you were wrong......you said 'You Can't Go Home Again"....you can go home as long as you understand that everything changes.....and you can go home and visit but you need to be prepared for the changes.

OK first let me back up a little....sorry I missed last week.....I was away visiting friends for a few days. Then it was a few days of working and off to NY.

Jenn and I headed for NY on Wednesday.  It is always a long drive but the anticipation on seeing family and friends makes the trip worth it. We arrived in my hometown, Pearl River, NY around midnight (OK yes The Bronx is where I spend the first 14 years of my life but Pearl River is where I grew up).

Anyway, we stopped by Shoprite and were able to see my brother, Greg.  I hadn't seen him in over 3 years.  I have called him Bud since he was young,  He was my little Buddy I took with me or dragged with me a lot.  We are still in discussion as to whether or not I wanted to see Willy Wonka 6 times or he did.....I think it might have been a compromise......

We checked in at the PR Hilton (thank you Tim!!!!) and crashed.

In the movie, "City Slickers", they talk about their best and worst day. They were not allowed to include the things like the day their kids were born.

Well, Thursday was one of my best days.....

Jenn told me the Hilton had an indoor pool so we made time for a workout every day.  Then an old friend stopped by to see us and from there it was crazy.  We had breakfast at a real honest to goodness diner!! Shopping in town for local t shirts, purchasing enough Reinzi clam sauce to keep us well stocked for the next 2 years, a visit with one of Jenn's elementary school teachers, we went to visit Mom and Dad at Rockland cemetery and went by the family home to see what the story was for the graduation ceremony.  Before we knew it, we were at PRHS watching the last of the Raboni's walk at graduation.  I was the first in the 1970's and now my nephew, Anthony was the last......5 decades of Raboni's had walked that walk. Then back to the Hilton, to meet my friend, Jayne for a drink.  It took 5 minutes to catch up and then an hour of just pure chatting. Next stop,dinner with the family at the Nanuet Restaurant where they have some of the best pizza in the world!!!! Whew......what a day!!!!!

Friday was not quite as crazy.....workout, a bagel for breakfast and off to my brother's house.  The weather was to die for.......70's ....after the heat in SC it was great.  Just spending a day catching up with him and his family and the extended family was such a treat.

Saturday was the party and it was a lot of fun.  Friends and family gathering to celebrate.

Then before it knew it it was midnight and I was setting the alarm to get up at 4:30 for the journey home.  We pulled out of my brother's driveway at 5:01AM. Except a a long wait for coffee at a rest stop and some heavy traffic below Richmond VA the trip was not too bad and we were home by 6:15 and that included time to pick up the dog from the vet/kennel.

To get back to my original statement, it was great to go someplace that you know like the back of your hand.  It was also hard to be there and not have Mom along for the ride.  It was difficult to see the "For Sale" sign in front of my parents house.  I couldn't get myself to go inside to say good by.  But I believe that a home (which is different from a house) has a soul.  The spirits of my Mom and Dad are still there.  I can still feel the memories of weddings, graduations, birthdays and of course holidays at 33 Haven Terrace.  It was the place my older brother left to join the Marine's, it was the home my youngest brother would eventually own and his own sons would call their home, my sister and I left there as brides, my daughter was christened in the living room right next to my Dad's hospital bed during his final days.  And yes, my Dad died in that home.  Life had come full circle in that special place.  We all grew up and moved away......one by one.  And some day soon there will be another family building memories in that home.

Some notes to the new owners......I hope you have the joy and happiness we all had living there for the past 45 years.  I hope you do not have the sorrows we shared there too.  Oh and one more thing.....if you ever remove the shed and dig underneath it......no were no some crazy sick family.....what you will find in plastic bags of various sizes (up to big trash bags) are the toys and remains of some beloved family pets......

See you next week......

OH PS....I was down a lot at the scale last week and went to get weighed in this morning and was up.  Well, I am blaming it on sodium.  In the fried rice I ate, in the bacon pizza I ate, in the salt bagel I ate......see the recurring theme here....I ate and sodium.  I have to say I didn't eat as much as I would have in the past but I also did not focus on fruits and veggies like I have been..... but I am back on track....I had brussels sprouts for dinner last  night and already downed some grapes.....here's hoping the gain should dissappear next week...... I did work out everyday and that is not something I would NOT have done before.  Also, my sister-in-law commented like one of my friends last week that I need to go t shirt shopping.  She said she saw me keep pulling the v-neck of my shirt together since it has gotten too big.....not a bad thing!!!!