My parents left today. We ended up doing a TON of stuff between Friday and Monday. I have many blogs to write about all the things we did. They had a fantastic time and I have every confidence they will become the next great Oregon vacation spokespeople. Right Mom and Dad?

I realized a few things. And confirmed a few things I already knew.

1. I love them very much.
2. I miss them more than I let myself realize.
3. Family is such an important part of life – from the time you’re born until you are 36. (I say 36 because this is all I have under my belt so far. I imagine “family being important” is a trend that continues throughout one’s entire life. Haha.)
4. I kind of want them to move here. It’s comforting to know your parents are close by – even when you are grown up. I liked hearing familiar sounds like my dad clearing his throat and my mom’s sneeze. I know that sounds weird. But I am chalking it up to the new definition of home I am developing. Oh, and I want them to move here  vs. me moving back there so I don’t have to go back to the humidity of the Philadelphia area. What can I say? I like my non-frizzy hair here. And the fact that I haven’t had to pay a central air conditioning electric bill yet. Or wear shorts (that’s the real bonus for me!).
5. They are hilarious. Sometimes on purpose, and other times unintentionally.
6. It’s fascinating to see things pick right back up as you remember them. I experienced this earlier this month on vacation with our friends, and again with my parents’ visit. They are still who they are, and we are still who we are, and when we get together, it still just works. I love that. I think I expected it to be weird or strained or there would be a warm-up period or something. Maybe that will happen over time. But not yet. We just say hi and dive right back into our relationships where we left off. Awesome.
7. The fact that I have a blog that they could be featured in kind of scares them. And, in turn, this humors me and makes me feel bad all at the same time. They asked / commented / quipped about “stuff” going on the blog at least once per day. And I overheard them say something like, “don’t do that or you will be on the blog”. For the record: I am generally a nice person and I do not see my blog as a weapon to wield over unsuspecting visitors. If you come here and burp at the dinner table, I will not write about it. I promise.
8. Memorial Day is a good time to visit. We had nice weather (this year!) and being the soccerhead that he is, Kenny was on the pitch all weekend for work, so having company kept me and the kids entertained and happy.

Finally, and this might be the most important realization for all future visitors – I now live in Pacific Time. So when you say you are arriving at 4:30 p.m., I assume you mean my time. Not Eastern Time. Which is THREE. HOURS. EARLIER. And therefore, if you state your arrival time in Eastern Time, this gives me three less hours to clean and prepare for visitors. Yes. I was shocked when I called my mom at 11ish on their arrival day to have her say she was in Minneapolis. I was expecting to hear “In Philadelphia. At the airport.” So things weren’t as perfect as I wanted them in my head when they got here. But that’s OK. Everything was perfect in our hearts once we saw each other.

They are still in the state – hanging at the airport before heading to Vegas for a few days. And I miss them terribly already. ♥