Faithful readers of this blog, I am so sorry I've deserted you. March turned out to be a rather challenging month -- in a good way, but still -- and so I decided that one way to deal with all the stress was to give the blog a break while I sorted through some things in my life. (That sounds very New Age-y, didn't mean it to), so here is an attempt to catch up:
I just got back from two weeks out of town, first at a college magazine editors' conference in Minneapolis, where I had the opportunity to hear lovely things about me (one woman from Gonzaga University said, noticing my name tag, "Are you the brilliant editor who changed the law school magazine? I wish other law schools would follow your example!' No joke) and to catch up with Molly, one of my closest friends, the kind who you can lose touch with and then instantly pick up where you left off. Molly, in a stroke of genius, got us a lovely little rental basement room in Edina through Air B&B, and we had a great time hanging out (something I get to do precious little of these days), watching all the various house-themed shows on HGTV (and now I am an addict of said shows) and going back to St. Paul to see both of Drew's and my old apartments, have lunch at Cafe Latte and generally indulge in mindless nostalgia, as Drew would put it.
On Sunday I met Drew and Rachel at the airport in NYC and we spent Passover with Mom, Dad, Daniella, Valerie and Darryl (and guests Jim and Amy). The girls were giggly and cute, and it was hilarious how they interpreted the Seder -- asking, at various points, "What happened to Elijah? Was he killed in a BATTLE??" and Daniella responded with grace at being constantly interrupted. I can't remember speeding through a Seder so fast and yet still getting all the meaning about the ceremony in. It was a tour de force, as was her turkey wrapped around celery stuffing, which was mind-blowing, and the desserts...it's totally unfair to expect her to do this every year, but, sheesh, it's something I really look forward to.
On Tuesday we watched the girls run around the house (thanks for being so tolerant, Grandma!) and then we took them to a park so they could run around some more. I had a great time playing hide and seek and chase with them, pretending to be a monster (curiously, Rachel seemed more scared than Valerie). We agreed we really need to get the kids together more often; I know Rachel thinks of Valerie as a sister and talks sometimes about how when she grows up, she'll live NEXT DOOR to her cousin (Drew and I chortle at the idea of them being college roommates. Could happen!).
Then we drove to Washington DC where we spent time with Great-Uncle Dan and Great- Aunt Beryle, Anne and Uncle Airplane, Ruth and Steve. I also interviewed a Willamette alum who works for the FTC, and he turned out to be a great subject, especially when, right after I'd closed my notebook, he said mournfully, "You forgot to ask me what I miss about Oregon!" (the best parts of interviews usually come at the end when I think I've finished). On Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner with Anne, David, Steve, Ruth and us, with Rachel charming everyone (including the waiter, who she said "I love you!" to, as she has done with EVERYONE on this trip), and he immediately grabbed a menu and fashioned it into an origami bird, which enchanted everyone.
We got back last night around 6:30, did a bunch of laundry, put Rachel to bed and then it was back to work and school this morning. Thank you so much to our families who made us feel so welcome, and we hope to see you again soon!
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