i like visits

My mom, her best friend, and my best friend came to visit this past week. I feel so happy that they came to see what I've been up to, to appreciate the trees in my back yard, the garden, some new paintings. I love that they appreciate the beauty that Tennessee has to offer even though it was 95 with 100 percent humidity! I feel so fortunate to have people that want to visit. They make me wish I lived closer. Closer to the place I came from. Closer to what made me.. me. 

I love that my mom appreciates life so much. She is so young at heart and a blast to be around. As I get older I adore my mom more and more. I can see her as a person with a life rather than just as my mom. 

Seeing my friend Katie was also a treat.  Katie is one of those people you can just pick up where you left off with. She is the kind of friend you can just be exactly how you feel. We talked about how fun it would be to live close to one another some day, to raise our kids by each other (no kids on my end yet), to enjoy the truly simple things in life that we already enjoy but in closer proximity. I don't know if that will ever be a reality as jobs and life have a way of laying out the path before us, but it was fun to think about. 

I am now readjusting to my daily schedule. You know how it is after you get back from a vacation or have company over for a while? I kind of feel disconnected from myself, but not in a bad way. It's just that I feel the need to be grounded, to get my hands messy outside, to paint, to drink up the heat of the day and have it not effect me in the least, to run, to bike, and to accept what the day throws at me with open arms.