It is so good to be back home in Birmingham. I spent over a week in Montana, and while it was a decent trip, it was also really stressful for reasons that should be obvious.
The Good:
- Horseback riding with my Dad and his cowboy friend who wears chaps and a bandana and calls his horse ‘jackass’. We rode for half a day in BLM land north of Helena. It was awesome, except when Bob the Horse decided he was tired of going uphill. We saw the ‘sleeping giant’ (named ‘bear claw’ by lewis and clark when they saw the formation of the big belt mountains) and also a half-full propane tank that someone had been using for target practice.
- Snowboarding with my brother. Through some miracle I have become a better snowboarder, without any practice or even snow.
- Making curtains with my Mom. They are awesome chiffon curtains that will go over the bedroom closet, because I got sick of fighting with the stupid closet doors every morning.
- I read a ton. Most notably, “Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression” which reminded me of my grandma and of my dad all at once. It is an excellent, nostalgic, cuddly read, and if you grew up listening to stories of country folk doing country things you’ll enjoy it too.
I’m not very excited to be going to work in the morning, but I am excited to be home (it only took 13 hours total travel time, with multiple delays, and my luggage took an extra 18 hours). All day today I’ve just been blown away by how much I missed home – and I’m not talking about Birmingham, I’m talking about Emily and my cats and my friends and all the other things that I love. While shiny eyed on the prairie, I discovered that now when I am homesick, I am homesick for these things.
