The last few weeks have been very busy. I have been focusing most of my time and energy on working and spending time with the people I love. This means that I'm not were I should be as far as packing, but I hon
estly feel better prepared for my 27 months in the Peace Corps for it.Last week, my brother, his wife, and their son came up from San Diego before heading to Newport, RI, so my brother can attend JAG Academy. We had a fantastic time! Jake, my nephew, is almost two and just TONS of fun. During his visit, we spent time with my grandparents, visited Volunteer Park, had a Moroccan dinner, and watched the inauguration. Then we all headed up to my dad's house, where we spent most of the time just hanging out, watching coyotes, playing with the dog, and reading. Most of the family and a lot of our old friends came over on Friday night for chili. Jake had a hard time getting away from all our cousins, who just can't get enough of him. I don't blame them.
I also had a mini-road trip with my best friend, Tierney. We visited dad and Martha in the Skagit, then headed up to Bellingham to have lunch with my not-quite brother, Benjamin. We also got a chance to see his parents and all his brothers, one of whom is in the process of converting an old school bus into a home. Benjamin lives in their first converted bus in Austin, TX, but this new bus that Dave is building has many improvements. Most noticeably a second (and third) level, in the form of an old VW Vanagan top bolted to the roof of the bus. The top of the vanagan can be popped up to form a tent, with another bed space underneath. I know it sounds like the whole thing is some crazy hippy undertaking, but it was beautiful in there. The boys are talented woodworkers, like their dad, so the cabinets, tables, beds, and everything else are just lovely. I was really impressed.
After that we headed over to Jeremy's birthday party. There were a lot of folks there that I haven't seen in many many years, including the next generation of Skagit valley hippy babies. Jeremy is back in Nicaragua now, so it was our last chance to hang out before going our own ways for a couple of years. Calen and Sam also came, fresh off their first week as legislative aids down in Olympia. It was good to see them.
The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy. Most of my energy is going to be focused on getting rid of stuff, but there's still plenty of stuff to be packed and stored somewhere. I'm trying to get as much visiting with people in as possible around the edges. I feel most obligated to spend time with my grandparents, Tierney, Evan, and Ellie. I got the chance to give something away and see Ellie yesterday- she came over for tea with her mum and left with several model horses tucked into her bag.
Now back to packing!
