The theme of this trip was... babies!!!

A whirlwind trip back to Boston where we squeezed in as many people as possible was exhausting but restorative.

Our party was more than the restaurant could handle, so I apologize for not moving around the table and seeing everyone. My food came really, really late and I was starving. But thank you to everyone who came.


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It seems like everyone's had a baby since we left. It's a very different social circle to return to. OTOH, lots of teeny weeny baby toes!

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One of the great things about Boston is that it is so walkable. And the weather was perfect spring weather. So spending a couple of days walking around to meet people and do things was great for feeling connected again. Normal, comfortable, sunny, walkable.


Of course, my errand route brought me past the Marathon memorials. For some reason, it made it feel less real to me.

Watching everything on television was surreal and horrifying, but I could recognize everywhere the news trucks were. I used to work over there; that's where I eat blue corn pancakes; THAT SHOOTING IS AT ARTHUR'S OLD BUILDING PLEASE TELL ME HIS TEAMMATES ARE SAFE. Everything felt so close and immediate and so impossibly far away and lonely at the same time.

Walking around town again and speaking with locals made it feel real. But looking at the memorials... they had become a tourist destination. People who had no connection to the city, or the victims, coming by to take photos. It wrenched me out of the present and made it feel like a fictional television show.

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I also had a great time with the niecephews. Running around with them returns that sense of normalcy. Like we never left. Except for those moments when it's obvious how much they've grown, and that we've missed it.

The birthday boy seemed very ready to turn four, especially as he enjoyed reading and then eating the letters of his name off the cake. And the toddler has decided maybe it's okay not to cry every time she sees me. It also helps to show up with a bag of tulle for hours of entertainment.

This is our last time seeing them in this house. They're moving next week. Change, change, change.

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But it was good to see everyone, and enjoy several days of perfect spring weather, and run around with the kids. Ready to tackle the summer back in Michigan now. Plus, we have guests arriving tomorrow. And motss.con next month. So we are importing enough friends so we feel settled.